Level 43 · Street Tacos

Street Tacos is level 43 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 43 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

572

Colors

10

Ant boxes

43

Mechanics

3 chained pair(s) · Mystery boxes · Conveyor tray (every 3 taps)

Play level 43

About the dish

Two Mexican street tacos in soft corn tortillas, piled with grilled meat, salsa, chopped onion and fresh cilantro.

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 deep pink, the middle band is mostly tan and yellow, and the core is mostly red 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, deep pink and light blue.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 43 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: red (has to wait), light blue (bites now), deep pink (bites now) and black (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 3, column 1–2, row 4 and column 3–4, row 4.

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

The tray is a conveyor: every 3 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 40 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): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 17–28): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 29–40): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Chained pairs are taken at taps 7, 23 and 24.

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 4% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 45% 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.

Chained boxes need both halves in the front row and two free slots. Take the boxes in front of them first and free two neighboring slots in advance.

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.

Chained boxes · 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 43 questions