Level 63 · Pan de Muerto

Pan de Muerto is level 63 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 3 colors, the tray holds 55 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

572

Colors

3

Ant boxes

55

Mechanics

3 chained pair(s) · Mystery boxes · Gift wrapping

Play level 63

About the dish

Pan de muerto, the sweet bread of Mexico's Day of the Dead, decorated with dough bones and dusted with sugar.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly navy and salmon, the middle band is mostly gold and brown, and the core is mostly brown and gold. 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, gold and brown.

The whole picture starts gift-wrapped in deep pink and light blue paper, with a green ribbon on top. The wrapping tears from the edges inward and the paper under the ribbon opens last; only uncovered blocks can be eaten.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 55 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 1 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: green (bites now), red (has to wait), light blue (has to wait) and light blue (has to wait).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 2, column 1–2, row 3 and column 3–4, row 5.

6 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 52 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–19): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 20–39): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 40–52): 30% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Chained pairs are taken at taps 3, 4 and 19.

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 2% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 53% 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 whole picture starts gift-wrapped. The wrapping tears from the edges inward on its own, and only uncovered blocks can be eaten, so keep the unwrapping one step ahead of the eating. The ribbon is an extra layer: the paper under it stays shut until the ribbon is off, and that is where the level keeps its pressure.

Chained boxes · Gift wrapping · 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 63 questions