Level 88 · Beijing Zhajiang Noodles

Beijing Zhajiang Noodles is level 88 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 576 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 37 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

576

Colors

9

Ant boxes

37

Mechanics

3 chained pair(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes · 5 noodle(s)

Play level 88

About the dish

Beijing zhajiang noodles: chewy noodles under a dark fried bean sauce, with shredded cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts around the bowl.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 12 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly teal and black, the middle band is mostly tan and white, and the core is mostly dark brown and tan. 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 tan, white and teal.

12% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

5 noodle(s) run through the picture, 52 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 37 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: teal (bites now), teal (bites now), mint (bites now) and white (has to wait).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 3, column 2–3, row 7 and column 3–4, row 8.

2 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 34 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): 39% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 18–26): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 27–34): 27% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Chained pairs are taken at taps 5, 28 and 29.

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 6% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 83% 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.

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.

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 · Ice blocks · 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 88 questions