Level 8 · Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake is level 8 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 520 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 27 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Blocks

520

Colors

9

Ant boxes

27

Mechanics

2 chained pair(s) · 2 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 8

About the dish

A layered strawberry shortcake with cream, sponge and a crown of fresh strawberries. Its stripes of sponge and cream run straight across the picture.

How the picture comes apart

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

The 2 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 27 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: grey (has to wait), yellow (has to wait), navy (bites now) and navy (bites now).

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

Locked boxes start in column 1, row 5 and column 4, row 4.

3 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 25 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–9): 36% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 10–15): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 16–25): 29% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 6. A key comes out before tap 7. Chained pairs are taken at taps 3 and 13.

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 22% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 63% 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.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

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.

Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys

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 8 questions