18-Aug-2018, 1:42 AM
I played through the first 16 levels in Lynx. Here are my thoughts so far.
#1 Lesson Zero (walls from #59 Air Pocket) Good way to use these walls. An itemswapper is always a great start to a great set!
#2 Blue Boot Plains (walls from #10 Annoying Wall) I would have never thought these walls would be used like this! Good maze level, even if it can be slightly hard to see.
#3 Mad Bombers (walls from #13 Road Block) This level could use a slight time limit increase. I went to read the hint and realized on the way back that I had 8 seconds left! I made it to the exit with 2 seconds left, though I still think it should be increased to 100.
#4 Lush Forest (thin walls and wall from #51 Dancing on Ice) This maze reminds me a lot of Jungle, and I was honestly expecting to see teeth! Good maze, albeit a bit generic.
#5 Medallion (walls from #8 Pigeonholed) Hey, I remember the screenshot of this one! An itemswapper with only one color of key, combined with the idea of using chips as hazards. I love it.
#6 Simulated Simulator (walls from #4 Suction Solution) I like this level, but I'm confused about the flippers at (6,1) since the water could easily just not be there. Is it just to fill in the space?
#7 Blurry (walls from #15 Bumper) Ugggh. This level was painful. I actually skipped it until I beat #10 and realized "hey, I haven't gone back and beat #7 yet". Being chased around by teeth in an area littered with hidden walls is not a good idea to build a level around, especially when the first chip the player tries to get at (12,6) has a wall right underneath it. Holding two directions at a time helps greatly in Lynx, but I imagine it's much worse in MS. Also, what's the point of the socket at (14,15)?
#8 Extended Replay (walls from #18 Replay) This was one of my favorites! Every part of the level felt like its own mini-level. I especially loved the monster order tricks in the rightmost room! (Even though I was in Lynx...)
#9 Technicolor Theatre (walls from #135 Color Wheel) This somewhat ordinary maze became something very special with the addition of red and blue keys to create "Repair the Maze" style sections, and with an awesome aesthetic to top it off. Also, the hint is blocked on all sides.
#10 Exit Exaggeration (walls from #1 Entrance Examination) This was a nice "fake exit" level, but the sections inspired by your other "fake exit" levels were especially fun. At first I thought I screwed up and thought I still needed the teeth from the Exit Garden section, but then I realized I could just exit. Overall, this one was very good.
#11 Cinder Block (walls from #74 Niche) I liked this level except for the recessed wall maze in the middle. There was no clear indication that I had to go to the top first and then leave a path to return from there, and I didn't realize until after I had already gone to the right. I assumed the way you got to the hint was you came back from that section later with a blue key, green key and fire boots, and you would go through a teleport at the top. Maybe you should place a hint at (8,15) that explains this and replace the hint with another collectible.
#12 Ping Pong in the Outback (walls from #126 Marooned) Now I really wish I hadn't reported that 289. This level made me realize how much I hate pink ball mazes like this. The worst part was that several of my deaths came from balls on fire or gravel, which made them entirely my fault. I didn't "try my luck" unless I accidentally walked towards a ball.
#13 Iron Complex (thin walls from #38 Wireframe) At first I wasn't a fan of the thin wall at (6,14), then I realized while writing this I could have just pushed the block up first. Good level, but it needs more chips under blocks
#14 Frigid Highlands (walls from #44 Tiny Spirals) Good combination of hidden walls and ice, but is there really no point at all to the hint room? There aren't even any chips there, or even a hidden wall maze.
#15 Chip in the Caldera (fire from #55 Construct-a-Maze) I love levels where you have to stop monsters from cloning! Though this level seems easily bustable by pushing a block to (13,17). I didn't pull off any shenanigans myself, but you may want to make a small fix just in case.
#16 Cardboard Cutout (walls from #9 Redoubled Effort) Variety levels are fun when they aren't too long, and this level was just right. I really liked the pink ball aesthetic on the outside of the level.
#17 Massive Mindset Shift (most blocks from #107 Lazy Hourglass) Argh, I just had the stupidest death on this level after collecting half of the chips! I really don't want to replay the level, so I'll stop here for the night. Though I will say that I don't remember there being blocks at the top and bottom of Lazy Hourglass.
So far I've been really enjoying the set! I may return tomorrow with more feedback.
#1 Lesson Zero (walls from #59 Air Pocket) Good way to use these walls. An itemswapper is always a great start to a great set!
#2 Blue Boot Plains (walls from #10 Annoying Wall) I would have never thought these walls would be used like this! Good maze level, even if it can be slightly hard to see.
#3 Mad Bombers (walls from #13 Road Block) This level could use a slight time limit increase. I went to read the hint and realized on the way back that I had 8 seconds left! I made it to the exit with 2 seconds left, though I still think it should be increased to 100.
#4 Lush Forest (thin walls and wall from #51 Dancing on Ice) This maze reminds me a lot of Jungle, and I was honestly expecting to see teeth! Good maze, albeit a bit generic.
#5 Medallion (walls from #8 Pigeonholed) Hey, I remember the screenshot of this one! An itemswapper with only one color of key, combined with the idea of using chips as hazards. I love it.
#6 Simulated Simulator (walls from #4 Suction Solution) I like this level, but I'm confused about the flippers at (6,1) since the water could easily just not be there. Is it just to fill in the space?
#7 Blurry (walls from #15 Bumper) Ugggh. This level was painful. I actually skipped it until I beat #10 and realized "hey, I haven't gone back and beat #7 yet". Being chased around by teeth in an area littered with hidden walls is not a good idea to build a level around, especially when the first chip the player tries to get at (12,6) has a wall right underneath it. Holding two directions at a time helps greatly in Lynx, but I imagine it's much worse in MS. Also, what's the point of the socket at (14,15)?
#8 Extended Replay (walls from #18 Replay) This was one of my favorites! Every part of the level felt like its own mini-level. I especially loved the monster order tricks in the rightmost room! (Even though I was in Lynx...)
#9 Technicolor Theatre (walls from #135 Color Wheel) This somewhat ordinary maze became something very special with the addition of red and blue keys to create "Repair the Maze" style sections, and with an awesome aesthetic to top it off. Also, the hint is blocked on all sides.
#10 Exit Exaggeration (walls from #1 Entrance Examination) This was a nice "fake exit" level, but the sections inspired by your other "fake exit" levels were especially fun. At first I thought I screwed up and thought I still needed the teeth from the Exit Garden section, but then I realized I could just exit. Overall, this one was very good.
#11 Cinder Block (walls from #74 Niche) I liked this level except for the recessed wall maze in the middle. There was no clear indication that I had to go to the top first and then leave a path to return from there, and I didn't realize until after I had already gone to the right. I assumed the way you got to the hint was you came back from that section later with a blue key, green key and fire boots, and you would go through a teleport at the top. Maybe you should place a hint at (8,15) that explains this and replace the hint with another collectible.
#12 Ping Pong in the Outback (walls from #126 Marooned) Now I really wish I hadn't reported that 289. This level made me realize how much I hate pink ball mazes like this. The worst part was that several of my deaths came from balls on fire or gravel, which made them entirely my fault. I didn't "try my luck" unless I accidentally walked towards a ball.
#13 Iron Complex (thin walls from #38 Wireframe) At first I wasn't a fan of the thin wall at (6,14), then I realized while writing this I could have just pushed the block up first. Good level, but it needs more chips under blocks
#14 Frigid Highlands (walls from #44 Tiny Spirals) Good combination of hidden walls and ice, but is there really no point at all to the hint room? There aren't even any chips there, or even a hidden wall maze.
#15 Chip in the Caldera (fire from #55 Construct-a-Maze) I love levels where you have to stop monsters from cloning! Though this level seems easily bustable by pushing a block to (13,17). I didn't pull off any shenanigans myself, but you may want to make a small fix just in case.
#16 Cardboard Cutout (walls from #9 Redoubled Effort) Variety levels are fun when they aren't too long, and this level was just right. I really liked the pink ball aesthetic on the outside of the level.
#17 Massive Mindset Shift (most blocks from #107 Lazy Hourglass) Argh, I just had the stupidest death on this level after collecting half of the chips! I really don't want to replay the level, so I'll stop here for the night. Though I will say that I don't remember there being blocks at the top and bottom of Lazy Hourglass.
So far I've been really enjoying the set! I may return tomorrow with more feedback.