How should I open Colony Flow Level 43?

Open with the cyan 4 stack at the far left of the 5-cell active row, then the white 5 stack in the second cell, then the white 9 stack in the third cell, then the black 20 stack in the fourth cell, then the cyan 26 stack in the fifth cell. This dispatches the cyan, white, and black ants up the dirt path in that order and closes the cyan background, the white cheek and eye-highlight cells, the dark outline, and the rest of the background together before any pink body or dark red shoe ant is allowed onto the dirt path. Tap the four pink stacks in source row 1 in left-to-right order only after the active row waves have cleared, then the pink 35 plus the three white stacks in source row 2 in order, then the three white stacks in source row 3, and only then close the late dark red, pink, cyan, black, and white refills that rise into the active row.

What breaks when a pink 35 or pink 38 stack goes early in Colony Flow Level 43?

The four pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 stacks in source row 1 are the only stacks on the board that can fill the large round pink Kirby body, and the body cells only sit in positions that are still open while the cyan background and the white cheek and eye-highlight cells are closing. If pink ants are sent before the cyan 4, white 5, and white 9 active row waves have at least started closing their color regions, they stall on the still-empty body cells, the late pink refill waves that have to rise into the active row get stranded behind active cyan and white ants on the perimeter, and the small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette never close. Tap the source row 1 pink stacks only after the first cyan, white, and black active row waves have all started closing their color regions.

Colony Flow! level guide

Colony Flow! Level 43 Walkthrough

medium 5 colors

Colony Flow Level 43 is a Kirby portrait board where the cyan background, white highlights, pink body, black outline, and dark-red shoes all share one route, so the small background and face colors have to land before the body flood begins.

Board Notes

Layout: The board opens in portrait view. The top half of the screen holds a pixel-art Kirby figure: a round pink body, two short arms, two small dark eyes, a small mouth, small white cheek and eye-highlight cells, and a small pair of dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette, all set on a light blue / cyan background tile. Below the dirt strip the working area is a 5-cell top active row plus a 3-row source grid underneath. The 5-cell top active row opens as cyan 4, white 5, white 9, black 20, cyan 26 with no empty white buffer slots at the start. Source row 1 reads pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, pink 38. Source row 2 reads pink 35, white 38, white 38, white 4. Source row 3 reads white 30, white 30, white 38.
Goal: Cyan cubes from the cyan 4 and cyan 26 stacks in the active row must fill the light blue / cyan background tile that surrounds the Kirby silhouette. White cubes from the white 5 and white 9 in the active row, the white 38, white 38, and white 4 in source row 2, and the white 30, white 30, and white 38 in source row 3 must close the small white cheek and eye-highlight cells on the face. Black cubes from the black 20 in the active row plus any late black refill must trace the dark outline that wraps the Kirby silhouette and closes the eyes and the mouth. Pink cubes from the pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 in source row 1 plus the pink 35 in source row 2 must fill the large round pink Kirby body. The small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette have to be closed by the late dark red / red refill wave that rises from the lower source rows.
Opening: The first clean move is the cyan 4 stack at the far left of the 5-cell active row. Cyan 4 is the smallest numbered stack in the active row and the cyan background is the largest continuous color region outside the pink body, so opening with cyan 4 dispatches one cyan ant up the dirt path in the first beat and the background cells closest to the ant hole start closing immediately. The second confirmed tap is the white 5 stack in the second cell of the active row, which sends a white ant up the same dirt path and starts closing the small white cheek cell on the face. The third confirmed tap is the white 9 stack in the third cell of the active row, which sends another white ant up the dirt path and continues closing the white eye-highlight cells. The black 20 in the fourth cell and the cyan 26 in the fifth cell of the active row are held for one beat so the first cyan + two white waves can clear the perimeter of the face before the dark outline or the rest of the background is touched. The four pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 stacks in source row 1 are held for one beat so the active row opener waves can clear the perimeter of the face before any pink body ant is dispatched.
Danger Zone: The route most often collapses around the four pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 stacks in source row 1. The round pink Kirby body is the largest color region in the art, and if the player taps a pink stack in source row 1 before the cyan 4, white 5, and white 9 active row waves have cleared the perimeter of the face, pink ants cross the still-open background and white highlight cells that those colors have to fill and stall on the still-empty body cells, blocking the late pink refill waves that have to rise into the active row. The other trap is firing the black 20 stack in the fourth cell of the active row while cyan and white ants are still walking the dirt path, because black ants use the same dirt path as cyan and white ants and a premature black click strands black ants on the still-empty outline cells. Tapping the cyan 26 in the fifth cell of the active row before the cyan 4 wave has at least started the background is also bad, because the two cyan stacks share the path and a premature second cyan click strands cyan ants on the still-open background. Letting any of the four pink stacks in source row 1 rise into the active row before the cyan and white waves have closed the background and the white highlights strands pink ants on the still-empty body cells and blocks the late dark red refill that has to close the small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette.
Mechanics: Level 43 is a multi-stack color-routing board combined with a pixel-art completion goal and a single ant hole, with a Kirby-on-cyan-background scene. The 5-cell top active row plus a 3-row source grid (3-4 cells per row) makes this a tall 14-to-17-stack working area, and there are no empty white buffer slots at the start of the run, so every cell of the active row starts with a real stack and the only way to create a buffer is to drain an active row cell so a source row stack can rise into it. The Kirby pixel art has five main color families (cyan background, white cheek and eye-highlight cells, black outline, pink round body, dark red shoes) plus the late refill waves, and the player has to keep all of those routes staged at once. The 5-cell active row is the queue that pre-holds the cyan 4, white 5, white 9, black 20, and cyan 26 from the start, and the 3-row source grid underneath it acts as the supply that refills the active row as stacks are sent, so the last small white refill, the late black refill, the late cyan refill, the late pink refills, and the late dark red refill still need a clean delivery after the bottom of the source grid looks clear. Compared to Level 41's 4x4 grid scene, the Kirby scene has a much larger pink body region and a small dark red shoe accent that the active row never pre-holds, so the player has to wait for the dark red refill to rise from the source rows instead of dispatching it from the active queue.

Quick Tips for Colony Flow! Level 43 (spoiler-free)

Tap the cyan 4, white 5, and white 9 in that order from the active row before you touch the black 20, the cyan 26, or any source row stack. The cyan background and the white cheek and eye-highlight cells are the two highest-traffic color regions on the face, and they have to close together before any pink body or dark red shoe ant is allowed onto the dirt path.
Treat the active row as the opener queue and the 3-row source grid as the supply. The active row has no empty white buffer slots at the start, so the only way to free a slot for a rising refill is to drain an active row cell. Tap the pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 in source row 1 only after the cyan, white, and black active row waves have cleared, tap the pink 35 plus the white 38, white 38, and white 4 in source row 2 only after the first pink row has cleared, and tap the white 30, white 30, and white 38 in source row 3 only after source row 2 has cleared.
Save the dark red refill that rises from the lower source rows for the very end. The small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette are the only color region that never appears in the active row, so dark red ants share the dirt path with pink, white, cyan, and black ants and a premature dark red click strands dark red ants on the still-empty shoe cells. Wait for the last pink body cells to be at least half-closed before letting the dark red refill rise into the active row.

How to Solve Colony Flow! Level 43 — Full Solution

Tap the cyan 4 stack at the far left of the 5-cell active row. One cyan ant walks the dirt path up to the cyan background of the Kirby pixel art, and the background cells closest to the ant hole start closing in the first beat. Wait for the first cyan ant to clear the bottom edge of the art before tapping the next stack. Do not tap the white 5, white 9, black 20, cyan 26, or any source row stack yet.
Tap the white 5 stack in the second cell of the active row. A white ant walks the same dirt path and starts closing the small white cheek cell on the face. Cyan and white share the path, so leave one beat between them so the background cells are mostly closed before the white highlights start filling. Do not tap the white 9, black 20, cyan 26, or any source row stack yet.
Tap the white 9 stack in the third cell of the active row. Another white ant walks the dirt path and continues closing the white eye-highlight cells on the face. White shares the path with cyan, so leave one beat between the two white waves so the cheek cells are at least half-closed before the eye-highlight cells start filling. Do not tap the black 20, cyan 26, or any source row stack yet.
Tap the black 20 stack in the fourth cell of the active row, then the cyan 26 stack in the fifth cell of the active row. A black ant walks the dirt path and starts tracing the dark outline wrapping the Kirby silhouette, and the second cyan ant closes the rest of the cyan background tile. Black and cyan share the path with white, so leave one beat between each wave so the white highlights and the first background cells are mostly closed before the outline and the rest of the background start filling. Do not tap any source row stack yet.
Wait for the cyan 4, white 5, white 9, black 20, and cyan 26 ant waves to clear the dirt path between the ant hole and the bottom edge of the Kirby. Do not tap the pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, pink 38, pink 35, white 38, white 38, white 4, white 30, white 30, or white 38 yet, and do not let any source row refill rise into the active row during this beat.
Tap the four pink stacks in source row 1 in left-to-right order: pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, pink 38. Pink ants walk the dirt path and start filling the large round pink Kirby body. Pink shares the path with every other color, so leave one beat between each pink wave so the body cells are mostly closed before the next pink refill goes. Do not tap the pink 35 from source row 2 or any white or black refill yet.
Tap the pink 35 stack in source row 2, first cell, then the white 38 in the second cell, the white 38 in the third cell, and the white 4 in the fourth cell. The second pink wave closes the last pink body cells on the bottom of the silhouette, and the three white waves close the rest of the white cheek and eye-highlight cells. Pink and white share the path, so leave one beat between each source row 2 wave. Do not tap the white 30, white 30, or white 38 in source row 3 yet.
Tap the white 30, white 30, and white 38 stacks in source row 3 in left-to-right order, then close the late dark red, pink, cyan, black, and white refill waves that rise into the freshly drained active row slots. The last white waves close the rest of the face highlights, the dark red refill closes the small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette, the late pink refills close the last body cells, the late cyan refill closes the last background cells, the late black refill closes the last outline cells, and the late white refills close the last cheek and eye-highlight cells. The Kirby silhouette is complete once the last matching cube lands and the level banner appears.

Colors in this level:

Pink, Cyan, White, Black, Dark-red

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Firing a pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, or pink 38 stack in source row 1 before the cyan 4, white 5, and white 9 active row waves have cleared the perimeter of the face, which sends pink ants across the still-open background and white highlight cells and stalls them on the still-empty body cells, blocking the late pink refill waves that need to close the rest of the round pink body.
Tapping the black 20 stack in the fourth cell of the active row while cyan and white ants are still walking the dirt path up to the background and the face highlights, which strands black ants on the still-empty outline cells and blocks the late dark red refill that has to close the small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette.
Letting the dark red refill rise into the active row before the last pink body cells are at least half-closed, which sends dark red ants across the still-open body cells and stalls them on the still-empty shoe cells, blocking the late cyan, black, and white refills that have to close the rest of the background, the outline, and the highlights.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I open Colony Flow Level 43?
Open with the cyan 4 stack at the far left of the 5-cell active row, then the white 5 stack in the second cell, then the white 9 stack in the third cell, then the black 20 stack in the fourth cell, then the cyan 26 stack in the fifth cell. This dispatches the cyan, white, and black ants up the dirt path in that order and closes the cyan background, the white cheek and eye-highlight cells, the dark outline, and the rest of the background together before any pink body or dark red shoe ant is allowed onto the dirt path. Tap the four pink stacks in source row 1 in left-to-right order only after the active row waves have cleared, then the pink 35 plus the three white stacks in source row 2 in order, then the three white stacks in source row 3, and only then close the late dark red, pink, cyan, black, and white refills that rise into the active row.
What breaks when a pink 35 or pink 38 stack goes early in Colony Flow Level 43?
The four pink 35, pink 30, pink 35, and pink 38 stacks in source row 1 are the only stacks on the board that can fill the large round pink Kirby body, and the body cells only sit in positions that are still open while the cyan background and the white cheek and eye-highlight cells are closing. If pink ants are sent before the cyan 4, white 5, and white 9 active row waves have at least started closing their color regions, they stall on the still-empty body cells, the late pink refill waves that have to rise into the active row get stranded behind active cyan and white ants on the perimeter, and the small dark red shoes on the bottom of the silhouette never close. Tap the source row 1 pink stacks only after the first cyan, white, and black active row waves have all started closing their color regions.