Sand Loop Level 17 Solution Walkthrough

Sand Loop Level 17 Guide: The Sliced Citrus Puzzle

This level is a deceptive one. You look at the pixel art and think, "Okay, simple fruit," but the board layout is nasty. The Sand Loop Level 17 puzzle features a bright Sliced Orange (or Grapefruit/Citrus) with a blue background. It is definitely a logic level, not a speed run. The challenge here isn't how fast you tap; it's how you manage a board that is half-hidden behind mystery boxes and locked tight in the center.

The hook is the resource scarcity at the start. You need specific colors to start the painting, but they are buried under "Mystery Cups" or locked behind countdown timers. If you spam taps early on, you will gridlock your conveyor belt with Blue sand when you really need Red or Yellow.

Sand Loop Level 17 Solution: The Sliced Orange

Look at the top screen. You are painting a pixelated cross-section of a citrus fruit. Color Palette Deep Dive:

Yellow: The core of the fruit. This is your high-volume color.
Orange: The rind and flesh details.
Red: The critical outline. This defines the shape.
Green: The leaves at the very top.
Blue: The massive background fill.

The "Danger Zones": The Green Leaves are the biggest trap. In the screenshot, notice that the Green sand is trapped directly beneath the white "3" blocks in the center. You cannot paint the top of the fruit until you bust those locks. If you try to force the top section too early without Green, you’ll ruin the layering.

Fill Order Prediction: Logic dictates you paint the outline first to contain the sand.

Red: Establish the circle of the fruit.
Yellow/Orange: Fill the inside.
Green: Hit the leaves once unlocked.
Blue: Save the massive background dumps for when you need to clear "trash" from your tray to reach better colors.

Tackling the Countdown Locks in Sand Loop Level 17

The specific obstacle defining Sand Loop Level 17 is the pair of White "3" Countdown Blocks in the center columns.

These aren't normal sand cups. They are blockers. They sit directly on top of your Green and Red reserves in the middle lanes. You physically cannot tap the cups below them until the "3" becomes a "0" and they vanish.

Here is the mechanic: These blocks usually count down based on moves made adjacent to them or general moves on the board. In this specific layout, they force you to play the Left and Right columns first. You are forced to ignore the center. This is annoying because the best colors (Green for the leaves) are stuck in that center jail. You have to burn through the outer columns—the Blues and Oranges—just to get the right to access the center.

Sand Loop Level 17 Step-by-Step Walkthrough

This level punishes impatience. You have 5 slots on your conveyor. If you fill them all up with Blue sand while the nozzle is over the fruit, you fail.

Clearing the Side Blockers

Your first few taps are dictated by the board, not the art. You have no choice.

Look at the Left Column (Blue, Orange) and Right Column (Orange, Blue).
Tap the top Blue and Orange cups from these outer edges.
Do not touch the center yet—you can't. By clearing the sides, you trigger the board to shift and count down the center locks.
Crucial Tip: Watch the "3" on the white blocks. As you clear the cups touching them (the Blue cups in columns 2 and 4), that number will drop. Focus on removing the Blue cups adjacent to the white blocks.

Managing the Mystery Cup Trap

Once you clear the top layer of the outer columns, you hit the Gray "?" Mystery Cups. This is the mid-game gamble of Sand Loop 17.

There are 8 Mystery Cups total. That is a huge percentage of your total sand.
The Trap: Do not tap a "?" cup if your conveyor belt is full (4/5 or 5/5). If you tap a "?" and it turns out to be Blue when you need Red, and your belt is full, you have nowhere to put it. You will be forced to dump it on the canvas, likely ruining your art.
The Fix: Keep your conveyor at 2/5 or 3/5 capacity when revealing mysteries. Give yourself a "buffer slot" to react to bad RNG.

Unlocking the Green for the Leaves

Eventually, the white center blocks will break.

Immediately underneath is the Green sand.
By this time, your Red outline should be mostly done.
Timing: The Green is for the leaves at the top of the fruit. Wait for the nozzle to swing toward the upper section of the canvas before queuing the Green cup. If you send it too early while the nozzle is at the bottom, you'll paint green spots on your orange peel.

The Final Blue Flood

The end of Sand Loop Level 17 is usually a flood of Blue sand.

Once the fruit is defined and the leaves are green, you will likely have a lot of Blue cups left over from the Mystery reveals and the initial side columns.
This is the victory lap. Just ensure the fruit is fully colored before you start spamming the Blue to fill the background. The background is forgiving; the pixel art inside the fruit is not.

Take it slow. Respect the "3" locks. Don't gamble on Mystery cups with a full belt. You got this.

Sand Loop Level 17 Solution Walkthrough | Sand Loop 17