Level 287 · Sticky Bean Buns

Sticky Bean Buns is level 287 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 96 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Hard middle

Blocks

1296

Colors

10

Ant boxes

96

Mechanics

Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 287

About the dish

Millet dough wrapped round red bean paste and steamed on cabbage leaves: they come out golden and so sticky they pull into threads, and a crock of them frozen lasts all winter.

How the picture comes apart

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

5% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 96 boxes in 4 columns, and none of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: tan (has to wait), green (has to wait), tan (has to wait) and tan (has to wait). The first taps have to dig.

21 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 92 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–24): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 25–57): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 58–92): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

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.

The start is easy and the pressure builds in the middle. Use the calm opening to sort out the back rows and try to have two slots free before the middle phase.

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 · 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 287 questions