How to solve a gradient puzzle

To solve a gradient puzzle, use the fixed tiles to read the color flow, fill the clearest gaps, and check each placement across both its row and its column. Start at an unfinished edge or beside a fixed tile, then work inward as reliable sections take shape. This guide covers rectangular tile-swapping boards such as TINT, where the goal is to restore a continuous color gradient.

1. Read the fixed tiles before making a move

Find the tiles marked with small dots in TINT: these are pinned in their correct positions. Compare the corner colors, then any fixed tiles between them. What changes from left to right? What changes from top to bottom? Do not assume every board runs from warm to cool or from light to dark in the same direction. TINT changes its pin pattern between levels; some boards have a fixed border, while others leave most edges movable. Trust the dots over an unmarked tile that happens to look plausible.

2. Separate color, lightness, and intensity

When two tiles seem equally plausible, ask three narrower questions. Which is lighter? Which leans more toward the colors at this end of the row? Which looks more vivid or more muted? Use whichever difference you can identify most confidently, then check the others. For example, if the corner tiles suggest a pale upper region and a darker lower region, a dark blue tile probably belongs lower than a pale blue one. That does not settle its column. Avoid sorting the whole board by brightness alone: a tile still needs to fit the color transition running in the other direction.

3. Finish an open edge, or use the border already provided

On an unfinished edge, arrange the missing colors between its fixed endpoints. Look for a gradual sequence without an abrupt jump or reversal. If the entire border is pinned, solve the adjacent interior strip instead. Where there are extra fixed tiles along an edge, work on the shorter gaps between them. You do not need to finish every edge before touching the center; choose the clearest interval available. Start where you have reliable reference colors, rather than treating edges-first as an inflexible rule.

4. Check every candidate in two directions

A tile that completes a row can still belong in another row. Before accepting it, read the column through that position as well. Imagine a board that shifts from blue toward purple across a row and from pale toward dark down a column. A medium purple may fit the horizontal sequence but be too dark for the upper part of the board. Compare it with the tiles above and below before moving on. In the middle, aim for a tile that bridges the surrounding colors in both directions, rather than matching just one neighbor.

5. Grow a reliable section

Once a short strip looks consistent with the fixed tiles, extend it by one row, column, or small patch. Leave questionable tiles elsewhere until you have a useful comparison. Revisit the section if a later row exposes a mismatch; a convincing local sequence can still be in the wrong place. Resist moving completed-looking tiles simply to make room elsewhere. In TINT, a swap can reach another movable tile anywhere on the board, so you do not need to slide pieces through neighboring spaces.

6. Plan the tile that moves back

Every swap moves two tiles. Before committing, identify the destination for your chosen tile and consider where the displaced tile will land. Prefer a swap that settles both when you can see one; otherwise, protect the area you already trust. Avoid using a solved-looking section as temporary storage. For TINT's regular levels, fewer counted moves can earn more stars, so deliberate swaps matter more than rapid tapping. First learn the board's layout, then try a more economical replay if you want to improve your result. Replaying gives you a new scramble, so reuse the method rather than memorizing a sequence of taps.

7. Compare close shades against the same reference

If two tiles are hard to distinguish, compare each against the same fixed tile or completed strip. Ask which candidate better bridges the gap between its neighbors. If a test swap makes the transition worse, swap the pair back before trying another change. Avoid a chain of experimental moves that leaves you unsure which arrangement was better. You can also pause and return to the comparison. Leave an uncertain pair until the surrounding rows and columns provide more context.

8. Use a hint to establish another reference

TINT's lightbulb hint swaps a misplaced tile into its correct position, then enters a cooldown. It chooses the tile for you; it does not explain the placement or let you request a particular cell. Watch the change and use the corrected position to reassess the nearby transitions. A hint can help when you have lost confidence in a region or when the remaining differences are unclear. The placed tile remains movable, so avoid disturbing it while you work around it.

9. Scan the last tiles and recognize the Mono 10 exception

Before making random final swaps, trace each row and column for a break in the transition. Check uncertain tiles against nearby fixed references. TINT has a known exception on Mono level 10: some tiles have identical displayed colors but different internal identities. The game requires each identity to return to its original cell, so a visually finished board can fail the completion check. This is a game issue, not proof that you missed a visible shade. Try a hint when available; it uses the internal positions and can correct a mismatch that color alone cannot reveal.