CONSERVATION Review - Mobius 1

[Joshua Bone]

CONSERVATION - Mobius I - Level 1

Chips: 4 Time: 500



(SPOILERS as always)

Concept: (3/5) Nothing new here conceptually. As the first entry in the set that shouldn't be surprising. The concept involves pushing 11 dirt blocks from one room into the next and bridging across the water to four chips. The title presumably comes from the fact that, despite the four chips, you can only make three bridges, and so you need to conserve blocks.

Design: (3/5) I like the color scheme with the camo walls. I wish the block puzzle was more interesting to solve. I liked building the bridges. I only needed 10 of the 11 blocks, not sure if an extra block was intended.

Action Difficulty: (1/5) Plenty of time and no dodging

Puzzle Difficulty: (2/5) The only mild challenges are figuring out the first move in the block room and deciding where the bridges should be built.

Fun: (3/5) I think it's a decent introductory block-pushing level for beginners. It's also short enough to be enjoyable as an early level in the set.

Here's a


to my solution.

[M11k4]

You are being quite generous here with your review! I haven't played the level but watching your solution to it, I think I would have not been impressed by it. I don't like that there is an extra block. I don't like that you can make the two bridges on any of the three rows with chips. I don't think there is really any challenge in getting the blocks out from their starting position. I don't think this is a good level to start a set. All those things tell me that the design was possibly just thrown together without review. Any of those things I don't like have the potential to be turned into something cool if the design tried to emphasize them or do something unique with them. As it is, I feel the level is very mediocre, but then again I realize making an exciting block pushing levels is not a simple task.

I do like the format you have chosen for these reviews. The five scales allow you to touch on many aspects of a level. Your solutions are a nice inclusion. Will definitely keep reading more!

[Joshua Bone]

Fair enough! I'm still getting a feel for how to use the rating scales. Also, I may be biased against giving negative reviews. That being said, I don't mind haphazard/random levels all that much so long as they're easy. They won't get top marks but I would save the lower marks for levels that are brutally difficult/unfair or completely senseless.

I also wonder if this way of reviewing levels should be biased towards the better levels I come across instead of reviewing every level I beat, as I beat it.

Thanks for the feedback, it really helps!

[Flareon350]

I don't like that there is an extra block. I don't like that you can make the two bridges on any of the three rows with chips. I don't think there is really any challenge in getting the blocks out from their starting position. I don't think this is a good level to start a set. All those things tell me that the design was possibly just thrown together without review. Any of those things I don't like have the potential to be turned into something cool if the design tried to emphasize them or do something unique with them. As it is, I feel the level is very mediocre, but then again I realize making an exciting block pushing levels is not a simple task.

Kind of harsh on the level, don't you think Miika?

I mean I agree, it isn't an interesting start to a set but still it's not that mediocre at least to me. And this is only the first level of a designer's first CC2 set! My first CC2 level isn't that great either.

And you are doing pretty well with the review blogs, Mr. Bone! Love reading them!

[mobius]

thanks for the reviews!

I probably should have stated in more places but I did in my initial post, this puzzle is taken from another game called "Enigma" so I can't take credit for the basic concept. I didn't put the author's name in the credits because I don't know it.

Regardless, the idea is that it seems like you need to push all the blocks in the water but if you're not planning ahead you won't see there isn't enough to do that. So there's a little 'trick' to solving it. It's supposed to be for beginners, it'll be early in my final set.