Level 183 · Popping Candy

Popping Candy is level 183 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 107 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1292

Colors

9

Ant boxes

107

Mechanics

1 golden key(s) · Spider web (54 bites) · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 183

About the dish

Popping candy crackled and fizzed the moment it hit my tongue, tickling until it almost stung. I opened my mouth so my classmates could hear it pop, spilled half the packet on the ground, and before long it was swarming with ants.

How the picture comes apart

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

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.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 107 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), purple (bites now), black (bites now) and white (has to wait).

Locked boxes start in column 2, row 6.

40 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 107 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–35): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 36–70): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 71–107): 32% 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 19. The web breaks before tap 93.

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.

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.

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 · Locks and golden keys · Spider webs and soldier ants · 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 183 questions