Zoombinis – How to Get Around the Stuck Filter Mirror Machine Bug

Everyone seems to be complaining about this bug and the developers are doing seemingly nothing to fix it, however I found a workaround that at least makes the mirror machine possible without losing any Zoombinis.

Guide to Get Around the Stuck Filter Mirror Machine Bug

All credit goes to pIXeldeerboi!

What the Bug Is

• The bug that I am talking about in this guide is the bug that seems to be consistently annoying people in the discussions of this game. Many people in these discussions seem to think there is no workaround and that they must lose a Zoombini, but this isn’t true.
• The bug is in the Mirror Machine level, at difficulties Very Hard and Very Very Hard. Sometimes when you place filters down, the filters can get stuck, looking visually off, and you are unable to remove them. It looks something like this:

Notice how 2 of the panels on the left are flat and not aligned properly, these are “stuck”.

What Causes the Bug

• From my testing, it seems this bug is triggered 100% of the time if you fill up the right side with 3 filters, and then try to place a filter on the left.
• I’m not sure yet if there’s anything else that causes this bug.

How to Avoid the Bug

• Even better than having to deal with the bug, you can try your best to avoid triggering it!
• As stated earlier, this bug seems to be triggered 100% of the time by placing the maximum 3 filters on the right before placing a filter down on the left.
• So therefore, to avoid the bug, simply make sure that if you have to place a third filter down on the right, make it the last filter you place down.

How to Fix the Bug

If this is happening to you, then here is how to fix it (and avoid your Zoombini being lost!):

• Unslot all of the filters you have down so far. It’s annoying, but once you do you should be able to place them back down where they were, and its worth not having to lose a Zoombini to it.
• If a filter isn’t moving for whatever reason, click the ever-loving heck out of it until you make it move.
• If a filter still isn’t moving, then start clicking on other filters and then start clicking back on the filter that was giving you trouble. Repeat this until all of your filters are fixed.
• For me, following this list always made my filters start working again when this bug was triggered, I never had to lose a Zoombini due to this glitch due to being able to always fix it.