Level 119 · Stag Beetle

Stag Beetle is level 119 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 69 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1292

Colors

7

Ant boxes

69

Mechanics

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

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

Play level 119

About the dish

A stag beetle with huge pincer-like jaws; the males use them to wrestle each other.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly green and navy, the middle band is mostly green and dark red, and the core is mostly orange and dark red. 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 green, navy and dark red.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the core of the picture, so the locks they open come into play late.

9% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 69 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (has to wait), green (bites now), navy (bites now) and green (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 13, column 1–2, row 16, column 1–2, row 17, column 2–3, row 12, column 2–3, row 15, column 3–4, row 14, column 3–4, row 16 and column 3–4, row 17.

Locked boxes start in column 4, row 12.

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

Opening (taps 1–18): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 19–42): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 43–61): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 45. Chained pairs are taken at taps 45, 48, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59 and 60.

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 28% 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 ending.

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.

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.

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 · Locks and golden keys · 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 119 questions