Level 200 · Shop Counter

Shop Counter is level 200 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1288 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 97 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

All the way

Blocks

1288

Colors

10

Ant boxes

97

Mechanics

2 golden key(s) · Spider web (59 bites) · Mystery boxes · 2 noodle(s)

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

Play level 200

About the dish

The shop's glass counter was smudged all over with our little handprints, and under the glass sat spicy strips, milk candies, marbles and cards. I stood on tiptoe leaning over it, clutching one yuan and taking ages to choose, while the sugar crumbs under the counter drew a long line of ants.

How the picture comes apart

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

The 2 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

The spider web covers 30 cells in the core of the picture and needs 59 bites from soldier ants.

2 noodle(s) run through the picture, 76 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 97 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), brown (has to wait), black (bites now) and black (bites now).

Locked boxes start in column 3, row 2 and column 4, row 18.

36 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 97 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–37): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 38–63): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 64–97): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 16. A key comes out before tap 64. The web breaks before tap 75.

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.

Tight from start to finish. Only take boxes that can send ants immediately, watch the second and third rows of the tray, and plan the next tap ahead.

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.

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 · 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 200 questions