Level 41 · Seafood Paella

Seafood Paella is level 41 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 38 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

572

Colors

9

Ant boxes

38

Mechanics

Mystery boxes · Conveyor tray (every 4 taps)

Play level 41

About the dish

A wide pan of Spanish paella: saffron-yellow rice with prawns, mussels, peas and a wedge of lemon, served on a blue and white tiled table.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly white and blue, the middle band is mostly gold and red, and the core is mostly gold and red. 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 gold, olive and white.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 38 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: white (bites now), black (bites now), olive (bites now) and blue (bites now).

2 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

The tray is a conveyor: every 4 taps the front row shifts one column to the right, and the rightmost box wraps around to the left.

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 38 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): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 13–25): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 26–38): 33% 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 87% 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.

The conveyor moves the front row one column to the right every few taps. Before a turn, take the color you need if it is about to slide away; a box you don't want yet may be moved aside for you. Locked boxes and chained pairs stay put.

Conveyor tray · 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 41 questions