Level 25 · Taiyaki

Taiyaki is level 25 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 608 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 36 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

608

Colors

10

Ant boxes

36

Mechanics

4 chained pair(s) · 2 golden key(s) · Ice · Spider web (28 bites)

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

Play level 25

About the dish

A Japanese fish-shaped cake, baked crisp in a mold and filled with sweet red bean paste.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly light blue and cream, the middle band is mostly orange and dark brown, and the core is mostly yellow and dark red. 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 light blue, orange and cream.

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

The spider web covers 24 cells in the core of the picture and needs 28 bites from soldier ants.

13% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 36 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 1 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: cream (has to wait), light blue (bites now), cream (has to wait) and cream (has to wait).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 7, column 3–4, row 7, column 3–4, row 8 and column 3–4, row 9.

Locked boxes start in column 1, row 8 and column 1, row 9.

2 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 32 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–8): 41% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 9–19): 26% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 20–32): 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 24. A key comes out before tap 25. The web breaks before tap 31. Chained pairs are taken at taps 24, 28, 29 and 30.

How hard is it?

Two test players attempted this level many times: a cautious one that only sends colors it can use right away cleared it 26% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 40% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the ending.

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.

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.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Ice blocks · 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 25 questions