Level 404 · Cup Noodles

Cup Noodles is level 404 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 89 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

1296

Colors

10

Ant boxes

89

Mechanics

Mystery boxes

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

Play level 404

About the dish

Filled at the hot-water boiler between carriages, the lid peeled back halfway: wavy noodles, a few bits of scallion and a little plastic fork.

How the picture comes apart

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

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 89 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: navy (bites now), black (bites now), navy (bites now) and navy (bites now).

33 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 89 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–31): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 32–56): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 57–89): 31% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

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.

Pressure comes in waves: the opening and the ending are tight, the middle is a breather. Use the middle to clear slots and bring chained or locked boxes to the front.

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 · 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 404 questions