Level 29 · Takoyaki

Takoyaki is level 29 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 620 blocks in 12 colors, the tray holds 42 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

620

Colors

12

Ant boxes

42

Mechanics

2 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 29

About the dish

Three balls of takoyaki, the Osaka street food of batter filled with octopus, topped with sauce, mayonnaise, seaweed flakes and bonito.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 12 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly light blue and lime green, the middle band is mostly grey and mint, and the core is mostly orange 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 grey, light blue and mint.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 42 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: lime green (bites now), lime green (bites now), mint (bites now) and mint (bites now).

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

Locked boxes start in column 2, row 10.

3 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 40 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–15): 39% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 16–30): 28% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 31–40): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 6. Chained pairs are taken at taps 5 and 14.

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 1% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 57% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the opening.

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 opening is the hardest part here: the outer ring needs several colors at once and the front rows are scrambled. Only send colors that can bite right away during the first taps, even if it feels slow.

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.

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.

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.

Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · 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 29 questions