Precarious – Reviewing Levelhead levels

“To Vanish Quietly” by Notutorial

klmpmnf | “To Vanish Quietly” by Notutorial @zw705q | Chase, Intense, Precarious

I like the general theme of the level, where you have to use Ripcord to get from platform to platform. I found it to be a challenging and engaging set up, trying to stay on screen was quite the task. I also enjoyed the variety in enemies and traps. One of the really good parts is that the level ramps up in difficulty as you go. I like the use of backrop and the fact that the level was asymmetrical instead of being a bunch of straight lines.

I would recommend a few small changes to make the level more approachable and enjoyable for less skilled players like myself. First, I would get rid of the time requirement to make it to the end it quickly. It took me 35 second to make it to the end, and the door to the finish was shut, which felt frustrating. I tried to look for an alternate way to the end, but fell to my death.

I would also add three checkpoints to the level for slower players like myself. I enjoy grinding hard levels, but without checkpoints I kept repeating the first 3 platforms over and over. Checkpoints can be a nice way to allow players to retain progress. Overall, an interesting level!

Jungle Tower Trouble” by BscotchSeth

h9zc5z5 | “Jungle Tower Trouble” by BscotchSeth | Well-Paced, Secrets, Precarious

This is a good example of level design. The creator starts of with a sense of ambiance with the use of rain, house-like structures, a good variety of terrain and ropes. This level very much feels like a place. Why you would live somewhere where Kromblers keep banging on the roof, well that is not for us to ever know.

We see early on in the level a gentle escalation of difficulty. The first battery is highlighted on a pedestal, but that pedestal also protects any new players from the vacrat to the left of it.

We see this escalation is well with the elevators, which use a variety of mechanisms. The first one using a level is smart because it forces the user to focus on it, it make new players feel smart and it slows down the initial pacing.

The second floor is more challenging but still doable. I appreciated the implicit pause point shown below, as well as the use of checkpoints overall.

On the third floor, I feel a bit mixed about the puzzle with the blopfush. It works overall, but I could see someone jumping straight into the fray and then realizing too late they need to do a package jump right after. I very much appreciated the portal at the bottom of the level that brings you back to this floor. I fell down the once and was quite grateful I didn’t have to do things over or force a respawn. This was a very thoughtful touch.

The last floor was quite challenging, but it was short enough that you could brute force it and rely on lucky timing. I appreciated that aspect. Finally, I enjoyed the fact that there were some hidden areas and bonus jems.

Overall a great level and a Popdonk Reccomends!

Balloog Toward Victory” by Spekio

0n286p1 | “Balloog Toward Victory” by Spekio | Precarious, Simple, Quick

Balloog toward victory is a fun little level that takes and idea and runs with it. I found it challenging, but not frustratingly so. The checkpoints are well spaced and the platforms give you just enough space to get a bit of a run. Jems are spread throughout to add some challenge. I thought the last section where the spikes are moving in the opposite direction was really neat. Overall a good level.

Find Fall Fail by Zivix

nhkk1zt | “Find Fall Fail” by Zivix @ex37qy | Intense, Precarious, Simple

Normally out of principle, I don’t review 5 diamond levels because I can’t beat enough of them to give a fair review. But here I’m making an exception. Go play this level. It took the weird options given in the daily build and made something beautiful. This level is basically an intense challenge consisting of lock witches, blopfish and hidden prize blocks. The checkpoints are generous….if you can reach them. Really really creative work.