29-Jun-2015, 11:07 AM
I've played through almost half the set! Here are my thoughts so far:
#1 (HOARDER): Other people may have found this annoying, but I rather liked it. (Though I'm confused about how it's even possible to get that bonus flag at the bottom.) I think part of what makes a great level is managing its identity in terms of design and gameplay, and doing that successfully often involves understanding how to scale an idea - in which the original CC1 often lacked some discernment. This is a great example of placing a concept in a space that works for it. Doing this within the walls of, say, OORTO GELD would've been a disaster, but here, the tiny area of LESSON 1 is perfect. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#2 (PUSH AND PULL): I'm still not used to hook levels, but this is a great one, and again, the compact space works like a charm. Unless I'm missing something, is it supposed to be impossible to get the bonus flags? Melinda can't walk over dirt, and there are no hiking boots or transmogrifiers that I'm aware of. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#3 (ONE LESS'N BEFORE): One of the things I appreciate about this set thus far is the balance between levels that are very direct references to their predecessors and others that take the given space and do something completely new. Turning the original boot lesson into a level that involves dropping boots is pure genius. It's not the best level ever, but it's an enjoyable break from the rigid puzzles. (For the record, I ended up peeking in the editor to see the bonus trick.) Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#4 (THOUGHTFUL): I love this idea, but I feel like this could've been a bit more forgiving. I'm glad to read that there's a methodical solution that avoids a take-your-chances-with-the-bugs-and-hope-they-don't-clog-up-an-area approach, which is what I ended up doing, but I guess I missed it. Fun: 2. Difficulty: 3.
#5 (POOL OF THE ACCURSED): This is another level I wasn't terribly thrilled with. The beginning section took me quite a while to figure out, and understanding how to play the "balancing" game with the blue teeth was compounded in difficulty by the CC2 mechanic of teeth lunging forward whenever they start moving depending on what tick you're on. Perhaps there's a better way to solve this, though. I did enjoy the final room and using the boots to trap the teeth in between buttons. Fun: 2. Difficulty: 4.
#6 (SPIRIT PORTAL): It took me a while to figure it out, but this level was a lot of fun. It's yet another example of using space wisely and paying tribute to the original level while taking it in a new direction. As far as I know, there seems to be only one way to set up the yellow teleport in the right room to make the necessary item collecting work. The hint about dropping yellow teleports is also a plus! Well done on all counts. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 4.
#7 (IF WALLS COULD SPEAK): I love how just about everything in this level somehow corresponds to the original, but the gameplay is something incredibly fresh. The playing area for the mirror player is obviously LESSON 7, but the replacement of thieves with transmogrifiers makes this a blast, as is the trick to forcing the buttons to be held down. I especially appreciated the restraint shown here too. It would've been incredibly easy to make this even more difficult by adding elements that are "gender-specific," but preserving the design of the original worked extremely well. Not to mention that upping the difficulty by keeping the original time limit is a plus too. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#8 (SHE'S GOT A TICKET): Although they may feel like filler, I like these easy levels. They're a welcome break from the tougher challenges, and this one does something I wish we saw in the stock CC2 game: a railroad maze! (Okay, so this is really nothing compared to the wonder that is #13, but we'll get there in a minute.) Making the "trap" areas visible is also a welcome touch as well. Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#9 (OL' STUNT BANDS): There's been a thousand redesigns of NUTS AND BOLTS over the years. Many of them haven't really tried doing much differently than the original, and much of that can be attributed to the limitations of the CC1 elements. But here, we get a nice mixture of concepts old and new, and the new elements work like magic. For instance, I appreciate how the open space of rooms like the original's ice chamber and bug room are now dedicated to completely different challenges, while, say, the fireball / door room still has a fireball and some doors. And, of course, that ice slide. All in all, this was pretty much spot-on. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 3.
#10 (PROBING ACTUALITY): One of the shortcomings of BRUSHFIRE is that you can't really enjoy the full maze with a tiny time limit and a bug chasing you around. Fortunately, this resolves both of those issues. You're free to move around, and there are zero hazards (well, unless you drop the fire boots). Plus, I like the idea of opening up pathways to new areas by virtue of eradicating ice blocks, and the thin walls can certainly keep that interesting. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 1.
#11 (AROUND THE CORNER): Now, this. This level. This level is one of my favorite CC2 levels yet. It manages several tricks - the ability to operate within the allotted space without significant changes is certainly one. The concept actually took me a little while to figure out because I didn't really read the hint carefully - I thought you had to find a transmogrifier and use up your green key to grab that other teleport! Discovering the significance of the railroad area was an amazing "aha!" moment, and navigating the tanks through the maze was a blast, even though I made several mistakes that necessitated a restart. Haven't tried the upper right area yet, but maybe one day. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 3.
#12 (HASHTAGS): It's hard to follow up the last few levels, but this is certainly a decent entry in the set. The yellow tank mechanism works like a charm, and none of it ever feels tedious like its predecessor. Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#13 (GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY): Oh, boy. This might just be my favorite level in the set so far, and at the same time, it gave me the most heartache because I kept making the dumbest mistakes ever, especially right near the end. This concept is absolutely amazing. The fact that the layout of SOUTHPOLE was transplanted here and works like it does is incredible, and the spots where the paths cross over fit into the puzzle perfectly. On top of that, the generous time limit is a huge plus. I won't be ashamed to admit that after I got the RR sign at the end, I took the time to get those bonuses - they felt well-earned! Fun: 5. Difficulty: 4.
One thing that you may want to fix when releasing future levels (at least I hope there will be more!) is the name of the set. It's called "Chips Challenge 2" on the level set selection window.
#1 (HOARDER): Other people may have found this annoying, but I rather liked it. (Though I'm confused about how it's even possible to get that bonus flag at the bottom.) I think part of what makes a great level is managing its identity in terms of design and gameplay, and doing that successfully often involves understanding how to scale an idea - in which the original CC1 often lacked some discernment. This is a great example of placing a concept in a space that works for it. Doing this within the walls of, say, OORTO GELD would've been a disaster, but here, the tiny area of LESSON 1 is perfect. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#2 (PUSH AND PULL): I'm still not used to hook levels, but this is a great one, and again, the compact space works like a charm. Unless I'm missing something, is it supposed to be impossible to get the bonus flags? Melinda can't walk over dirt, and there are no hiking boots or transmogrifiers that I'm aware of. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#3 (ONE LESS'N BEFORE): One of the things I appreciate about this set thus far is the balance between levels that are very direct references to their predecessors and others that take the given space and do something completely new. Turning the original boot lesson into a level that involves dropping boots is pure genius. It's not the best level ever, but it's an enjoyable break from the rigid puzzles. (For the record, I ended up peeking in the editor to see the bonus trick.) Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#4 (THOUGHTFUL): I love this idea, but I feel like this could've been a bit more forgiving. I'm glad to read that there's a methodical solution that avoids a take-your-chances-with-the-bugs-and-hope-they-don't-clog-up-an-area approach, which is what I ended up doing, but I guess I missed it. Fun: 2. Difficulty: 3.
#5 (POOL OF THE ACCURSED): This is another level I wasn't terribly thrilled with. The beginning section took me quite a while to figure out, and understanding how to play the "balancing" game with the blue teeth was compounded in difficulty by the CC2 mechanic of teeth lunging forward whenever they start moving depending on what tick you're on. Perhaps there's a better way to solve this, though. I did enjoy the final room and using the boots to trap the teeth in between buttons. Fun: 2. Difficulty: 4.
#6 (SPIRIT PORTAL): It took me a while to figure it out, but this level was a lot of fun. It's yet another example of using space wisely and paying tribute to the original level while taking it in a new direction. As far as I know, there seems to be only one way to set up the yellow teleport in the right room to make the necessary item collecting work. The hint about dropping yellow teleports is also a plus! Well done on all counts. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 4.
#7 (IF WALLS COULD SPEAK): I love how just about everything in this level somehow corresponds to the original, but the gameplay is something incredibly fresh. The playing area for the mirror player is obviously LESSON 7, but the replacement of thieves with transmogrifiers makes this a blast, as is the trick to forcing the buttons to be held down. I especially appreciated the restraint shown here too. It would've been incredibly easy to make this even more difficult by adding elements that are "gender-specific," but preserving the design of the original worked extremely well. Not to mention that upping the difficulty by keeping the original time limit is a plus too. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 3.
#8 (SHE'S GOT A TICKET): Although they may feel like filler, I like these easy levels. They're a welcome break from the tougher challenges, and this one does something I wish we saw in the stock CC2 game: a railroad maze! (Okay, so this is really nothing compared to the wonder that is #13, but we'll get there in a minute.) Making the "trap" areas visible is also a welcome touch as well. Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#9 (OL' STUNT BANDS): There's been a thousand redesigns of NUTS AND BOLTS over the years. Many of them haven't really tried doing much differently than the original, and much of that can be attributed to the limitations of the CC1 elements. But here, we get a nice mixture of concepts old and new, and the new elements work like magic. For instance, I appreciate how the open space of rooms like the original's ice chamber and bug room are now dedicated to completely different challenges, while, say, the fireball / door room still has a fireball and some doors. And, of course, that ice slide. All in all, this was pretty much spot-on. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 3.
#10 (PROBING ACTUALITY): One of the shortcomings of BRUSHFIRE is that you can't really enjoy the full maze with a tiny time limit and a bug chasing you around. Fortunately, this resolves both of those issues. You're free to move around, and there are zero hazards (well, unless you drop the fire boots). Plus, I like the idea of opening up pathways to new areas by virtue of eradicating ice blocks, and the thin walls can certainly keep that interesting. Fun: 4. Difficulty: 1.
#11 (AROUND THE CORNER): Now, this. This level. This level is one of my favorite CC2 levels yet. It manages several tricks - the ability to operate within the allotted space without significant changes is certainly one. The concept actually took me a little while to figure out because I didn't really read the hint carefully - I thought you had to find a transmogrifier and use up your green key to grab that other teleport! Discovering the significance of the railroad area was an amazing "aha!" moment, and navigating the tanks through the maze was a blast, even though I made several mistakes that necessitated a restart. Haven't tried the upper right area yet, but maybe one day. Fun: 5. Difficulty: 3.
#12 (HASHTAGS): It's hard to follow up the last few levels, but this is certainly a decent entry in the set. The yellow tank mechanism works like a charm, and none of it ever feels tedious like its predecessor. Fun: 3. Difficulty: 2.
#13 (GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY): Oh, boy. This might just be my favorite level in the set so far, and at the same time, it gave me the most heartache because I kept making the dumbest mistakes ever, especially right near the end. This concept is absolutely amazing. The fact that the layout of SOUTHPOLE was transplanted here and works like it does is incredible, and the spots where the paths cross over fit into the puzzle perfectly. On top of that, the generous time limit is a huge plus. I won't be ashamed to admit that after I got the RR sign at the end, I took the time to get those bonuses - they felt well-earned! Fun: 5. Difficulty: 4.
One thing that you may want to fix when releasing future levels (at least I hope there will be more!) is the name of the set. It's called "Chips Challenge 2" on the level set selection window.