Level 13 · Strawberry Milk

Strawberry Milk is level 13 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 32 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Blocks

572

Colors

9

Ant boxes

32

Mechanics

Ice · Number blocks · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 13

About the dish

A carton of strawberry milk with a big strawberry on the label. The strawberry on the front is a number block.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly light blue and dark brown, the middle band is mostly pink and white, and the core is mostly red and pink. 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 light blue, pink and white.

1 number block(s) take 16 bites in total.

15% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 32 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: dark brown (bites now), grey (has to wait), light blue (bites now) and dark brown (bites now).

5 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 32 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–10): 37% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 11–19): 30% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 20–32): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

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 100% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% of the time. Neither of them lost here, so this one is about rhythm rather than danger.

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.

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.

Number blocks take many bites; the number is how many remain. They can be bitten as soon as any side is exposed, and several boxes of that color can work on one at once.

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.

Ice blocks · Number blocks

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 13 questions