Level 33 · Zongzi

Zongzi is level 33 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 612 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 48 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

612

Colors

10

Ant boxes

48

Mechanics

3 golden key(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 33

About the dish

A pyramid of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with string, eaten at the Dragon Boat Festival. A window in the leaves shows the rice and the filling inside.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 12 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly tan and cream, the middle band is mostly green and lime green, and the core is mostly white and green. 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 tan, cream and green.

The 3 golden key(s) are buried in the middle band of the picture, so the locks they open come into play around the middle of the level.

18% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 48 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: tan (bites now), olive (bites now), cream (bites now) and tan (bites now).

Locked boxes start in column 2, row 5, column 2, row 7 and column 3, row 6.

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

Opening (taps 1–16): 36% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 17–31): 30% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 32–48): 33% 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 10. A key comes out before tap 33. A key comes out before tap 36.

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 84% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% 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.

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.

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 33 questions