Level 103 · Cricket

Cricket is level 103 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 67 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1296

Colors

7

Ant boxes

67

Mechanics

4 chained pair(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 103

About the dish

The cricket that chirps in corners on summer nights by rubbing its wings, with antennae longer than its body.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly lime green and teal, the middle band is mostly lime green and dark brown, and the core is mostly salmon and dark brown. Ants can only reach the next layer once the one around it is gone, so the core colors are the last to become useful.

By block count the biggest colors are lime green, teal and black.

11% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 67 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: teal (bites now), teal (bites now), lime green (bites now) and black (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 13, column 1–2, row 15, column 3–4, row 12 and column 3–4, row 14.

10 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

How the verified run plays out

The solution further down was played to the end in the real game, with ants walking and real timing. It takes 63 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–20): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 21–41): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 42–63): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Chained pairs are taken at taps 45, 48, 51 and 54.

How hard is it?

Two test players attempted this level many times: a cautious one that only sends colors it can use right away cleared it 43% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 93% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the opening.

Strategy

Check the colors of the first three boxes in each column and compare them with the colors exposed on the outer ring of the picture. Always keep one slot free to catch a color that can't be eaten yet.

This level tightens toward the end and the last third jams most easily. Don't fill all five slots early; keep room for the inner colors that appear layer by layer at the finish.

Ice blocks take two bites, so one block uses two ants. Icy areas are eaten slowly and the matching boxes stay in their slots a little longer.

Chained boxes need both halves in the front row and two free slots. Take the boxes in front of them first and free two neighboring slots in advance.

Mystery boxes show their color only when they reach the front. When you see one coming, don't fill every slot; leave room for it.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Ice blocks · Difficulty curves

Step-by-step solution

This order of taps is verified to clear the level. Columns are numbered 1–4 from the left; after each tap, wait until the ants are out before the next one. Two boxes shown together are a chained pair taken in one tap.

Level 103 questions