Level 212 · Ice Lolly

Ice Lolly is level 212 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 103 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1292

Colors

8

Ant boxes

103

Mechanics

1 golden key(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 212

About the dish

The ice lolly man pushed his bike down the lane calling out, a white wooden box on the back wrapped tight in an old quilt. The plain ice lollies cost a few cents, sweet and icy and quick to melt, and the sugary drips on the ground soon brought the ants.

How the picture comes apart

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

23% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 103 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: navy (bites now), navy (bites now), red (has to wait) and light blue (has to wait).

Locked boxes start in column 3, row 24.

41 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 103 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): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 38–73): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 74–103): 33% 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 83.

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.

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 212 questions