Level 4 · Strawberry

Strawberry is level 4 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 440 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 39 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Blocks

440

Colors

8

Ant boxes

39

Mechanics

None

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

Play level 4

About the dish

A ripe strawberry with a leafy green crown and golden seeds dotted over red flesh. Its checkered tablecloth background is the first to go.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 10 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly white and light blue, the middle band is mostly salmon and green, and the core is mostly salmon and yellow. 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 white, light blue and salmon.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 39 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: salmon (has to wait), white (bites now), white (bites now) and salmon (has to wait).

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

Opening (taps 1–12): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 13–24): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 25–39): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 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 100% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% of the time. Neither of them lost here, so this one is about rhythm rather than danger.

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.

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 4 questions