Blackout Basics
This tutorial/hint page uses a numbering system to identify the buttons on the grid. Each row number is followed by a period and the column number. Thus, the button in the upper left is 1.1, while the button in the center is 3.3. These labels will help you to learn the patterns necessary to win the game, but with a very little practice, you'll be punching those buttons so fast, it'll be second nature, and somewhat amazing to your friends. Here's the labeled matrix:
The Most Important Skill
The most important skill in Blackout is the "Trickle" process. This skill allows you to condense ALL the possible game combinations down into just five light patterns. Then when you know how to solve those five basic patterns, you'll be able to win the game every time. Here's how the trickle process works. Start at the first row: 1.1 through 1.5. If there are any lights "on" in that row, press the button just below it. For instance, if 1.2 and 1.4 are lit, press 2.2 and 2.4. Start at the top row and black-out all the lights in that row first. Then go to row 2 and do the same. Repeat the process for each row, and you'll watch the lit buttons "trickle" down to the bottom row. If you hit a button by accident, just tap it again to reverse the mistake. About 20% of the time, just trickling them down to the bottom row will actually win the game.
Once you get all the lit buttons on the bottom row (assuming you didn't already win!) they will appear in one of five basic patterns. In fact, the great majority of the time, they'll end up in either the "Triple" or the "1-Skip-2" pattern. There are some bottom-row patterns which are logically possible, but which have been disabled by the game designers, because they are not "winnable".
The Triple
The Triple is the most common result of the trickling process. It can appear on either the left or the right, as shown in these drawings.
They are just mirror images of each other, so learn the solution for the left triple, and then just practice it both ways until it becomes second nature. Here's the sequence to tap to solve the left Triple:
5.2 - 5.1 - 5.3 - 3.1 - 4.3 - 3.2 - 4.4 - 2.2 - 3.5 - 1.3 - 2.5 - 1.4 - 5.1 - 4.2
Watch the lights as you go, and you'll see them progress in a diagonal direction up across the screen, then you jump back down to the bottom and finish it off. Once you get the hang of it, trickle them down to a right-Triple, and try it from that direction. (If you want the button sequence for that, it's here, although you'll "get it" in no time.
5.4 - 5,5 - 3.5 - 5.3 - 3.4 - 4.3 - 2.4 - 4.2 - 1.3 - 3.1 - 1.2 - 2.1 - 5.5 - 4.4
Note: After you tap the first two buttons, you'll get the Corner-Quad pattern. Remember this pattern, as you'll find it handy later on.
If you haven't realized it yet, it actually doesn't matter what order you tap the buttons in, it only matters what buttons you tap. While this may be logically true, it's easier to learn a pattern of lights and taps so that you'll remember it more quickly when you're playing the game. So your brain starts to recognize the diagonal pattern of the Triple, and it becomes an almost automatic sequence for your fingers.
The 1-Skip-2
This pattern also appears in either left-hand or right-hand variations. The button in the corner is lit, then it "skips" a button and then two more are lit. Here are the left and right-handed 1-Skip-2 patterns:
The trick to the 1-Skip-2 pattern is to send the lights up into an upper "Corner-Quad" pattern. Then you can just rotate the unit 180-degrees and use your Corner-Quad skills to finish the puzzle. Here's the sequence for the Left-Handed 1-Skip-2:
5.5 - 5.4 - 5.3 - 4.3 - 4.2 - 4.1 - 3.5 - 3.3 - 3.2 - 2.5 - 2.3 - 2.2 - 1.3 - 1.2 - 1.1 - 1.4 - 1.5
Now you've got a Corner-Quad. You can spin the phone around and finish it normally, or just use your brain to spin it around and work it out.
For those of you who might have trouble translating that sequence to the Right-Handed 1-Skip-2, here it is written out:
5.1 - 5.2 - 5.3 - 4.3 - 4.4 - 4.5 - 3.1 - 3.3 - 3.4 - 2.1 - 2.3 - 2.4 - 1.3 - 1.4 - 1.5 - 1.2 - 1.1
The Small-Split
The Small-Split is symmetrical, so you don't have to learn a left and right-handed version. The Small-Split looks like this. You can learn the short-pattern for this one...or you can just turn the phone sideways and trickle it down, and it will end up in a 1-Skip-2 pattern. Of course, you're actually trickling it "sideways", I suppose, but it doesn't really matter.
If you want to learn the Small-Split sequence, here it is:
5.4 - 5.1 - 4.5 - 4.3 - 4.1 - 3.5 - 3.4 - 3.3 - 2.5 - 2.4 - 2.3 - 2.2 - 2.2 - 1.5 - 1.2
That seems like a lot of trouble, when you can just turn it sideways and pretend it's a regular trickle-down to the 1-Skip-2, but what the heck.
The Big-Split
The Big-Split is a pain in the neck. If you try trickling it up or sideways, you just get a Big-Split on a different side. Harumph. Luckily, the Big-Split is the rarest of the bottom row patterns. So here's what you do. You light up a stripe right down the middle... 1.3 - 2.3 - 3.3 - 4.3 - 5.3 ... and then turn the phone upside down and trickle it down into a Small-Split. Then from there, you can turn the phone again, on its side this time, and trickle it down to the 1-Skip-2 pattern. I told you it's a pain in the neck, and it's definitely not the fastest way, but it works and sometimes flipping the phone around a couple of times really throws your onlookers for a loop, so it can look pretty cool.
The 2-Skip-2
The 2-Skip-2 is another phone-flipper technique, but it only takes one flip. Here's what the 2-Skip-2 looks like.
First, light up a stripe right down the middle again ... 1.3 - 2.3 - 3.3 - 4.3 - 5.3 ... and then turn the phone upside down and trickle it down. It will trickle right into a win. There's nothing more to it than that.
Again, it's not the fastest way, but it's easy once you know the basic 1-Skip 2.
Conclusion
Every pattern that is part of the game can be solved, even though some people would be so frustrated that they claim some are unsolvable. If you memorize and practice the Triple (or the Quad-Corner), and the 1-Skip-2 patterns, you can zip through this game like crazy, and drive your un-initiated friends crazy too...which is nice.