Level 209 · Crescent Moon

Crescent Moon is level 209 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 107 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

1292

Colors

8

Ant boxes

107

Mechanics

1 golden key(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 209

About the dish

A crescent moon hung over the roof, like a mooncake with a bite taken out. Grandma said if you pointed at the moon it would come and nick your ear in the night, so I quickly pulled my hand back.

How the picture comes apart

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

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.

16% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 107 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), black (bites now), navy (bites now) and blue (bites now).

Locked boxes start in column 2, row 25.

37 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 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 1–37): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 38–75): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 76–107): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 44.

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.

Pressure comes in waves: the opening and the ending are tight, the middle is a breather. Use the middle to clear slots and bring chained or locked boxes to the front.

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.

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 · 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 209 questions