Level 74 · Sweet and Sour Fish

Sweet and Sour Fish is level 74 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 3 colors, the tray holds 42 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

572

Colors

3

Ant boxes

42

Mechanics

Mystery boxes · Gift wrapping

Play level 74

About the dish

A whole sweet and sour fish for the Chinese New Year dinner. Fish sounds like plenty in Chinese, so it wishes you a year of abundance.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly olive and yellow, the middle band is mostly white and orange, and the core is mostly orange and brown. 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 white, olive and yellow.

The whole picture starts gift-wrapped in red and teal paper, with a purple 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 42 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 1 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: red (has to wait), purple (bites now), teal (has to wait) and white (has to wait).

4 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 42 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–17): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 18–30): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 31–42): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 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 98% 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 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.

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 74 questions