Level 36 · Holey Cheese

Holey Cheese is level 36 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 31 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

572

Colors

8

Ant boxes

31

Mechanics

Mystery boxes

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

Play level 36

About the dish

A wedge of holey cheese, the cartoon kind with round eyes all over.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly light blue and dark brown, the middle band is mostly yellow and cream, and the core is mostly yellow and brown. 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 yellow, light blue and dark brown.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 31 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 1 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: yellow (has to wait), cream (bites now), cream (has to wait) and cream (has to wait).

2 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 31 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–10): 36% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 11–19): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 20–31): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

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 77% 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 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.

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.

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 36 questions