Level 316 · Salted Fish

Salted Fish is level 316 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 94 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1292

Colors

9

Ant boxes

94

Mechanics

1 golden key(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 316

About the dish

Sea wind and sun are the best seasoning: salted fish hang from bamboo poles and dry for days, until the neighbors can smell them.

How the picture comes apart

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

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

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

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 94 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: cream (bites now), light blue (bites now), light blue (bites now) and brown (has to wait).

Locked boxes start in column 2, row 6.

35 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 94 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–29): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 30–59): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 60–94): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 6.

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 316 questions