05-Sep-2016, 11:44 PM
This pack had a promising start, but many of the levels that followed felt like puzzling inclusions in CCLP4 voting. Then, the quality started to rise at the end. Some thoughts below, as usual...
#1 (The Maze That Turned On and Off): My absolute favorite in the pack. Terrific scaling with the "maze" size, a welcome touch with the extra chips, and some thrilling close calls make this a blast to play. There isn't another teeth melee level quite like this.
#4 (Build-a-Bridge Workshop 2.0): Both this level and its predecessor appear in this pack, but in the end, I prefer the open nature of the other more than this one. This isn't a bad level, per se, but the restrictive nature of the bridging made it a bit less fun for me.
#9 (Marble Run): Were those invisible walls really necessary?
#19 (A Block's Life): This is a level that demands a non-trivial amount of time and attention in order to solve it, but the satisfaction of doing so feels amazing. I think what makes this level work is that the bottom section where most of the puzzle is located is of manageable size; each of the rooms feels distinct from the rest, but it's up to you to figure out how they all work together. A brilliant design all around.
#22 (Numeral Soup): This level is constructed well, but CCLP4 needs far more original content than this. It was also quite frustrating to find out that you had to actually use the blue walls to cross between rooms.
#32 (Tomb Wader): There are just some levels that succeed at being epic campaign levels, and this one hits all the right notes: room-by-room navigation and revisiting that feels interesting, a variety of challenges, and a brilliant aesthetic. Wastelands of Tabora by the same designer I prefer slightly over this, but this is still a very solid entry.
#38 (Count the Steps): This felt like one tedious game of trial and error. Sorry, but this just wasn't very fun.
#40 (Nova Prospect): The ball/RFF exterior was certainly unique, and I enjoyed how each "quadrant" had many of the same types of challenges but felt fairly distinct in its own right. A neat, elegant level all around.
#42 (Deficit): I appreciate when a level looks like it's radially symmetrical but then foists a rather asymmetrical solution on the player. This one was a fun surprise and definitely kept me on my toes with what blocks to use and what chips needed to be collected.
#46 (Double Time Warehouse): I'm going to have to disagree with Chipster1059 on this one - I preferred Bam Thwok over this, albeit only slightly. I appreciated how this level was short and steadily increased in difficulty, but the last room was so large that navigating it felt a tad like guesswork. Still a solid candidate overall, though.
Favorite level: The Maze That Turned On and Off
Least Favorite Level: Count the Steps
#1 (The Maze That Turned On and Off): My absolute favorite in the pack. Terrific scaling with the "maze" size, a welcome touch with the extra chips, and some thrilling close calls make this a blast to play. There isn't another teeth melee level quite like this.
#4 (Build-a-Bridge Workshop 2.0): Both this level and its predecessor appear in this pack, but in the end, I prefer the open nature of the other more than this one. This isn't a bad level, per se, but the restrictive nature of the bridging made it a bit less fun for me.
#9 (Marble Run): Were those invisible walls really necessary?
#19 (A Block's Life): This is a level that demands a non-trivial amount of time and attention in order to solve it, but the satisfaction of doing so feels amazing. I think what makes this level work is that the bottom section where most of the puzzle is located is of manageable size; each of the rooms feels distinct from the rest, but it's up to you to figure out how they all work together. A brilliant design all around.
#22 (Numeral Soup): This level is constructed well, but CCLP4 needs far more original content than this. It was also quite frustrating to find out that you had to actually use the blue walls to cross between rooms.
#32 (Tomb Wader): There are just some levels that succeed at being epic campaign levels, and this one hits all the right notes: room-by-room navigation and revisiting that feels interesting, a variety of challenges, and a brilliant aesthetic. Wastelands of Tabora by the same designer I prefer slightly over this, but this is still a very solid entry.
#38 (Count the Steps): This felt like one tedious game of trial and error. Sorry, but this just wasn't very fun.
#40 (Nova Prospect): The ball/RFF exterior was certainly unique, and I enjoyed how each "quadrant" had many of the same types of challenges but felt fairly distinct in its own right. A neat, elegant level all around.
#42 (Deficit): I appreciate when a level looks like it's radially symmetrical but then foists a rather asymmetrical solution on the player. This one was a fun surprise and definitely kept me on my toes with what blocks to use and what chips needed to be collected.
#46 (Double Time Warehouse): I'm going to have to disagree with Chipster1059 on this one - I preferred Bam Thwok over this, albeit only slightly. I appreciated how this level was short and steadily increased in difficulty, but the last room was so large that navigating it felt a tad like guesswork. Still a solid candidate overall, though.
Favorite level: The Maze That Turned On and Off
Least Favorite Level: Count the Steps