Explore The Hidden Temple by Sjosz

qbxn1z9 | “Explore The Hidden Temple” by Sjosz @rswljz | Beginner-Friendly, Simple, Well-Paced

Nice use of backdrop and hidden terrain to make a feeling of inside and out. I like that you used spikes as decorations in some places. You definite nailed the desert temple, metroidvania type of vibe.

The armor was a nice way to make it easier for casual players. I’m glad you put a checkpoint in because I died near the end. I think you make good use of backtracking to force players to cover the same space multiple times.

I love the spike droppers in the beginning making the space feel trapped and dangerous without actually killing the player.Great casual, beginner friendly level overall.

Jem Puzzling by Alpaca Raider

hh4zn58 | “Jem Puzzling” by Alpaca Raider @d8q4p5 | Casual, Simple, Quick

Short, silly and fun. I like it. I like that it starts off simple with a few flingos, which gave me a chance to learn how flingos work. I like that you had a variety of components that fling you around and are fun to play with. I liked that you kept it short and simple and didn’t put in a bijillion flingos, cannons, etc. Each challenge felt straightforward. The slurb juice was a nice touch to make it more manageable. I really enjoyed backtracking with tiptoe because I got to review all the stuff I had done AND I felt cool for being able to skip past everything with tiptoe. I also appreciate that you put in a checkpoint.

Some ideas for improvement: A Jem gate embedded in the wall would let me know that I needed to collect all the jems. I figured it out after a while from the name, but a clue would have saved some struggling. The spikes near the pinball machine were annoying because I would accidentally bounce into them. It was also nerve-wracking that the pinball camera was a smidge above the floor. I kept expecting to die off-screen from the camera.

Some jems guiding me to the tip toe side would have been helpful with the last flingos. I made it over and then fell to my death because i didn’t realize I needed to hit the wall. An arrow at the beginning of the level after you get tiptoe would have been helpful because I backtracked to the start, didn’t see a way out then went forward again. The second time I went back I noticed/remembered the hole in the wall. Having the end gate visible at one point might have also helped me know where I needed to go. until I found the way out of the level, I didn’t know if maybe there was a switch or something I had missed.

Overall good level. Fun idea and clean, simple execution.

Peaceful Jog by BscotchChristine

0j1gght | “Peaceful Jog” by BscotchChristine @lumshx | Casual, Simple, Quick

Awesome level for beginners. It’s rare to see so much thought put into an easy level. It’s got a nice mix of platforming, combat, and a switch. It’s challenging without ever feeling overwhelming. I think if you had a checkpoint right before the spikey bits, it would be perfect.