Level 117 · Swallowtail Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly is level 117 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 59 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

1292

Colors

7

Ant boxes

59

Mechanics

8 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 117

About the dish

A black swallowtail with yellow bands, two little tails on its hind wings and spots of blue and red.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly white and navy, the middle band is mostly black and yellow, and the core is mostly black and navy. 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 black, white and navy.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the middle band of the picture, so the locks they open come into play around the middle of the level.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 59 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: navy (bites now), white (bites now), white (bites now) and white (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 11, column 1–2, row 12, column 2–3, row 5, column 2–3, row 6, column 3–4, row 4, column 3–4, row 11, column 3–4, row 12 and column 3–4, row 13.

Locked boxes start in column 1, row 4.

9 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 51 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–16): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 17–30): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 31–51): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 13. Chained pairs are taken at taps 12, 13, 17, 25, 26, 27, 41 and 42.

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 22% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 78% 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.

Pressure comes in waves: the opening and the ending are tight, the middle is a breather. Use the middle to clear slots and bring chained or locked boxes to the front.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

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 · Locks and golden keys · 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 117 questions