Level 305 · Sea Urchin

Sea Urchin is level 305 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 100 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

All the way

Blocks

1296

Colors

10

Ant boxes

100

Mechanics

Spider web (50 bites) · Number blocks · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 305

About the dish

All those black spines look scary, but crack one open and golden lobes inside taste sweet and briny, like a mouthful of the sea.

How the picture comes apart

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

The spider web covers 30 cells in the outer ring of the picture and needs 50 bites from soldier ants.

1 number block(s) take 36 bites in total.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 100 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: purple (has to wait), black (bites now), grey (bites now) and blue (bites now).

49 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

4 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 100 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–36): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 37–70): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 71–100): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

The web breaks before tap 82.

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.

Tight from start to finish. Only take boxes that can send ants immediately, watch the second and third rows of the tray, and plan the next tap ahead.

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.

Number blocks take many bites; the number is how many remain. They can be bitten as soon as any side is exposed, and several boxes of that color can work on one at once.

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 · Spider webs and soldier ants · Number 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 305 questions