Level 46 · Grilled Sardines

Grilled Sardines is level 46 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 47 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

572

Colors

8

Ant boxes

47

Mechanics

Ice · Mystery boxes · Conveyor tray (every 4 taps)

Play level 46

About the dish

Two grilled sardines with silver skin, the smell of Lisbon's summer festivals, served with a slice of orange.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly teal and cream, the middle band is mostly light blue and navy, and the core is mostly black and navy. 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 cream, teal and black.

13% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 47 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), teal (bites now), cream (has to wait) and teal (bites now).

3 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 47 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–14): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 15–32): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 33–47): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 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 95% 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 ending.

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.

Ice blocks take two bites, so one block uses two ants. Icy areas are eaten slowly and the matching boxes stay in their slots a little longer.

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.

Ice blocks · 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 46 questions