Level 156 · Willow Branches

Willow Branches is level 156 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 103 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

1292

Colors

7

Ant boxes

103

Mechanics

7 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Spider web (54 bites) · Mystery boxes · 7 noodle(s)

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

Play level 156

About the dish

The willows by the creek hung their branches down into the water, and the wind swept them back and forth across the surface. We snapped off a few and wove them into hats.

How the picture comes apart

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

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.

The spider web covers 30 cells in the middle band of the picture and needs 54 bites from soldier ants.

7 noodle(s) run through the picture, 193 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 103 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: dark brown (bites now), light blue (bites now), dark brown (bites now) and dark brown (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 2, column 1–2, row 9, column 2–3, row 7, column 3–4, row 2, column 3–4, row 4, column 3–4, row 5 and column 3–4, row 6.

Locked boxes start in column 3, row 16.

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

5 soldier box(es) carry the bites for the web.

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

Opening (taps 1–29): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 30–63): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 64–96): 32% 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 29. The web breaks before tap 31. Chained pairs are taken at taps 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 16 and 29.

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.

The opening is the hardest part here: the outer ring needs several colors at once and the front rows are scrambled. Only send colors that can bite right away during the first taps, even if it feels slow.

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.

Nothing under the spider web can be eaten. Wait until the edge of the web is exposed before sending the soldier box (the leafy green one), or it just occupies a slot.

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.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Spider webs and soldier ants · Noodles · 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 156 questions