Month: May 2019

That Slick Plunge by Psyche

7zhb6dm | “That Slick Plunge” by Psyche | Beginner-Friendly, Quick, Traps

This is a great first level. It uses a nice variety of terrain, and neatly is broken into 3 sections based on checkpoints. In each section the vibe of the level changes, which I like. I also enjoy the fact that the difficulty gently escalates with each section.

I enjoyed the visible spikes early on signaling danger. I enjoyed trying to follow the yellow arrow, getting stuck by brittle rock and then coming back later with the package.

I have two small recommendations for improvement. First, a number of the areas are easy to skip for speedrunning. This is perfectly fine, but I would consider having some hidden areas, especially with larger jems, so that people exploring or going after the highest score can still beat people who get points from speedrunning.

The other recommendation would be to use some backdrop to help tie the level together. The layout is great and some backdrop would help reduce the feeling of so many free-floating objects.

Overall a fantastic first level!

Throw Block & Sproing Puzzle by Mrichston

lq2959l | “Throw Block & Sproing Puzzle” by Mrichston | Puzzling, Clever, Quick

This single screen puzzle level looks deceptively simple, but it will have you scratching your head for quite some time. I don’t know if I would have been able to solve it without a hint from the creator. Let’s just say you are going to have bust out of your preconceptions to beat this one. Great level and earns the Popdonk Recommends badge for cleverness.

Rumble Ridge, Cross Country? by minichibisart

h2v7z75 | “Rumble Ridge, Cross Country?” by minichibisart | Well-Paced, Zipper, Secrets

This is a good example of an autoscroller level. The level felt cohesive and had a good variety in the layout and terrain. The level was challenging without being overwhelming. I think it may have benefited from one extra checkpoint earlier on, since I nearly gave up at one point. I really appreciated the hidden area with the jems.

Something else that was interesting for an autoscroller is having different speeds for different parts. It might have been nice if the scrolling was player activated, so people could get their bearings a bit. Good level overall.

The Short Package Level. by redstonepro23

55185wdw | “The Short Package Level.” by redstonepro23 | Simple, Quick, Casual

This is a nice short level. It’s got a good variety of terrain and obstacles. I particularly enjoyed the timing challenge with the blopfush and the burny whirler because it was hard to guess the exact time to jump. The music change for the second half is perfect, I really love it. Overall a well designed level with 3 recommended changes.

First, I would probably change the player cam to a package cam, to prevent people going to wrong way and then locking themselves out. It might have been by design, but when you lock yourself out a level so easily, it can leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. Ideally if you do lock out a player, they should know what they are doing and feel like it was their fault. A perfect example of this is The Steel Forest Factory by BmiClock.

Second, I would probably add a checkpoint right before the giant flapjack just to make things easier for newer players.

Lastly, there are a number of cloud blocks, but there are just a few jems at the top in a difficult to reach spot. If you are going to add a space like that, reward the player with Jems for exploring and make them feel smart in the process.

For a second level, this is really great, and I think with a tiny bit of refining, the creator could be making some amazing levels.

Jem Bam 2 by GKar

phfq0n3 | “Jem Bam 2” by GKar | Beginner-Friendly, Puzzling, Quick

This level is an interesting take on the pacman theme. I like the idea quit a bit and getting the lectroshields are a lot of fun. It definitely nails the whole vibe of playing pacman inside of levelhead.

I do have to wonder if it would have been better with 2×2 pathways instead of the 1×1, just because it’s so difficult to kill the bad guys when you can’t maneuver. Or at the very least maybe a checkpoint or two, so I would be more inclined to push through it. Overall, it’s nice to see people pushing the envelope like this in Levelhead.

Bloco Incomum by Sarium

zq1bgd2 | “Bloco Incomum” by Sarium | Kaizo, Traps

I like this level quite a bit because despite the kazio tag, it’s much more of a puzzling level. Multiple times I would think I knew what I had to accomplish and then it would turn out that I was wrong. Quite inventive and thought provoking. It also does it in a way that scales a bit, so the first trick is easy to learn and thus I keep pushing through the rest of the level.

My one main recommendations would be to use a variety of terrain, and some non-rectangular layouts to provide a sense of realness and cohesiveness, to make it feel more like a real place. Perhaps also some signs or jems to provide a bit more variety. I think with that small change this level would earn the Popdonk Recommends badge for being so clever.

Climb Leaf Tower, GR-18… by Rain

w8x8z7c | “Climb Leaf Tower, GR-18…” by Rain | Panic Moments, Intense, Long

I really like how this level creates challenge with just the starting blocks, but is generous enough with checkpoints to make it achievable. I am excited to see what the creator does with the constraints of the daily build!

There is a good variety in terrain types and backdrop. The puzzles are straightforward, although the flapjacks falling on you can be funny and challenging sometimes. Also, twice I jumped on one and got stuck in his cage.

The creator makes good use of building sections, and has a bit of escalating difficulty, which is great. My one recommendation is slightly better pacing, which is hard to put into words.The different rooms didn’t always feel like they had a clear vibe or goal, and the challenges didn’t always feel like they clearly escalated in challenge. So, a sequel has some potential for a little bit more flow.

That being said, great level overall. Challenging and fun to beat.

2 Tower Gauntlet by One Of Three Names

ngxk444 | ” 2 Tower Gauntlet” by One Of Three Names | Beginner-Friendly, Quick, Well-Paced

I love the variety of obstacles and terrain types. I love the theme of weaving your way back and forth between two towers. I think this is a great, beautiful design. The only thing lacking is more checkpoints. It’s quite easy to die in this level and if there were more checkpoints, I’d be more motivated to push through it. This is especially important since you were aiming at beginner friendly. Great first level, I can’t wait to see what else you make.

Easy Tiptow Level by catawampusAZ

znqcjjv | “Easy Tiptow Level” by catawampusAZ | Casual, Quick, Simple

I always appreciate when people make easy, casual level that have some of the more novel components like Tiptow. This gives novice players a way to explore some of the mechanics while they are still getting better at the game. One thing that was pointed out to me is that casual levels are great for kids to enjoy. This level is generous regarding checkpoints, which is important for casual levels.

I think a few small changes could take this from being a good level to a great level. First, some use of backdrop and asymmetry could add some pop to the design and signal how much time you put into it. Secondly, you have a ton of jems, but many of them are on the main path. When players have to go out of their way to get jems it feels like more of an accomplishment. Same thing for your hidden area. I accidentally fell into it, so I didn’t feel clever for finding it. A secondary benefit of all this would enhance the fact that players can go for a speed run or high score separately.

Lastly a little bit more variety, and maybe even a ramp up in difficulty would be great. As an intermediate player, having the same rooms over and over started to get a bit repetitive. even though this level was designed for casual players, it’s quite possible to cater to both audiences.

As a whole, I love that you’ve built something casual players can enjoy.

Spike Trap Frolic by ExtremelyTired

vn5z5zt | “Spike Trap Frolic” by ExtremelyTired | Chase, Complex, Intense

Really brilliant idea for implementing a chase level without paths or an autoscroller by requiring the player to sprint to make certain jumps. I really appreciated the jems to help with the jump timing, those were a huge help. I like the variety of the terrain and challenges and the mild puzzling. The hidden prize blocks were funny without being too trolly, which is a hard line to follow. The timing with the burny whirlers makes the player feel accomplished, which is great as well.

Three small changes would have earned this level the Popdonk Recommends badge. First, some use of backdrop to signal how much thought you clearly put into this level and to improve the aesthetic a smidge. Second, checkpoints, checkpoints, checkpoints. A few strategic checkpoints would have opened up this level to a wider variety of skill levels.

Lastly, I love the little jem area you have at the start. More opportunities for more jems or bigger jems would allow for players to get a top score without beating the speedrun time. This would also open up the level to a wider variety of players.

That all being said, for a first level, this is amazingly well done. I look forward to whatever you make next.