Level 87 · Shanghai Crab Soup Dumpling

Shanghai Crab Soup Dumpling is level 87 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 36 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

572

Colors

10

Ant boxes

36

Mechanics

3 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes · 2 noodle(s)

Play level 87

About the dish

A Shanghai crab soup dumpling so full of broth that it is served with a straw, crab roe on top and ginger with vinegar on the side.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 12 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly purple and brown, the middle band is mostly white and brown, and the core is mostly white and deep pink. 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, purple and brown.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the middle band of the picture, so the locks they open come into play around the middle of the level.

2 noodle(s) run through the picture, 28 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 36 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: navy (bites now), navy (bites now), purple (bites now) and lavender (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 8, column 2–3, row 9 and column 3–4, row 8.

Locked boxes start in column 4, row 7.

1 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 33 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 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 15–25): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 26–33): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 23. Chained pairs are taken at taps 28, 30 and 32.

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 28% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 65% 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.

This level tightens toward the end and the last third jams most easily. Don't fill all five slots early; keep room for the inner colors that appear layer by layer at the finish.

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.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Noodles · 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 87 questions