Screw Puzzles

How it works

A screw puzzle is a stack of panels held together by coloured screws. You can only take out a screw that nothing covers. Each one you remove goes into a basket of its colour if one is open, or into a small holding rack if not. When a basket fills up, it leaves and a new one arrives. A panel drops away as soon as its last screw is out, uncovering the screws beneath it. Clear every screw to finish the level.

The tension comes from the rack. It only has a few slots, so every screw you pull without a home for it takes up space you may need later. Pull the wrong ones in the wrong order and the rack fills with colours that have nowhere to go.

What makes a good one

• Every level can be won with the normal rack. Extra slots should be a shortcut, never a requirement.
• Colours you can tell apart, backed by shapes or patterns, so colour-blind players aren’t guessing.
• Free undo, so one rushed tap doesn’t cost the whole level.
• Short levels and calm ads that never follow a failed attempt.

Strategies that help

Look before you pull. Check which basket colours are coming and free those screws first.

Keep the rack open. Treat the last slot as an emergency slot and plan so you never need it.

Uncover, then collect. A screw that frees three others is worth more than one that only fills a basket.

Use undo freely. Testing an order and stepping back is part of the puzzle, not cheating.

Our take

Bolt Bazaar is our screw puzzle, set in a busy market where every stall needs its goods unbolted and sorted. Every level is proven winnable with the normal five slots, undo is free, and there is a new Daily stall each day with a streak and a spoiler-free result to share.