I'm replaying Knytt Underground on my Wii U (purchased on sale just to play the game on a console :-)

I never really mastered how to get a ride off the magnet robots while in my Ball form. I tend to kind of point my joystick the direction I want to go, and maybe make some effort not to let the bouncing motion get too out of hand, but I'm really not sure what I'm doing most of the time.

I read once in an article about games that a game of skill becomes a game of luck when the player just doesn't have the skill needed :-)   And that's about my case when I'm trying to move around via robot magnet. I bounce crazily around, and I try to keep my eye out for a moment when I'm in roughly the correct spot, and then I transform and jump and see what happens.

I have been playing this game for years now, and there's no sign that I'm ever going to get any better at this :-o

Can anyone offer a better explanation of what's happening during all the fast bouncing, or what I should be trying to do?  Maybe a strategy or a tactic or something?  :-)

Thanks.

 I love the game.

 I've had a lot of time to think about it, and I'm still not sure what I think of the ending.

 I realize that, built into the story, you can't know whether ringing the six bells actually did anything.  But I've always felt like one thing *should* happen: The Believers should think you accomplished something.  In theory, ringing the sixth bell could reasonably lead to some kind of thanks or ceremony from them.

 I agree that the actual ending feels anti-climactic.  You don't even get to perform the *action* of ringing the sixth bell before you are cut off.  It's certainly a deliberate design decision.  And it seems, in part, intended to tell you "There was no need to rush through these bells. You've still got rooms to explore, and stories to uncover, etc."

 So, rather than clap your hands happily, fulfilled by a thoroughly satisfying ending (say, like the thank-you ceremony at the end of the original Star Wars), you get a feeling that maybe you're not quite "done" with the game.

The game mechanics aren't exactly set up to deliver a scene where the Believers come to you, congregate around you, honor you in a ceremony, etc.  And, for some reason, as explained by dialogue in the game, they aren't even especially concerned that you will be successful with your effort.  So there are a couple reasons why the ending I would have preferred to see (maybe after completing all the rooms) wouldn't quite be right.

 I love the game. I've played through it three times. And who knows? Maybe if it had an ending as satisfying as the ending to Uncharted 2, I wouldn't still think of it as a world I can return to and play some more.

 I too wish that there were a sequel or more levels, although I'm not sure that a fan-made levels would do it for me, since I feel like the story-telling has to come from Nifflas himself.  Maybe one day, and will think of some new stories he wants to tell, then crowdsource some of the  puzzle design to others, and we can have the best of all worlds.  I get more stories, you get more puzzles, Nifflas doesn't have to single-handedly do it all himself,  but he does retain creative control, and so on.  :-)
 

(Long post. Feel free to skip to the 3 questions.)

I really love this game, and I'm playing it through for my third time.

I've temporarily pulled the Knytt Underground songs out of my iPod playlists for a couple months, so that the only time I hear them will be while I play the game.

I have waited long enough, that there are a few things I don't remember, but not nearly as many as there were on my second play-through.  It's sad to realize that I may soon have gotten as much as I'm ever going to out of this great game.  (I'm in it mostly for the story, not for the difficult jumping puzzles :-)

On my first play-through, I chose whether to let Dora or Cilia speak based on what kind of answer I wanted to give to a person. On my second, I let Dora do all the talking, for all conversations.  On this, my third play-through, I am letting Cilia do all the talking.  From time to time, she surprises me.

I just finished talking to Mi's brother, Do -- one of many dialogues that I enjoyed quite a bit. There is some really nice storytelling here. Add that to the amazing music, and I just love being immersed in this game. Thanks again for making it.

A few questions:

1. I am being asked by Dora, once again, if I think I am really saving the world. I don't think I've ever been able to answer anything but "Maybe" to this question, but I'd like to know: does anything different happen if you choose Yes or No? – Other than Dora or Cilia getting upset?

2. How does wangleflower work?  Does it wear off, and require constant "boosters" to maintain its effects?  Or is it like the love potion in the Twilight Zone episode "The Chaser," where if you take it once, you are stuck with its effects for life?

If it's the former, then that really changes my opinion on a piece of advice that Cilia gives someone during the game.  And, if it's the latter, then I stand by my opinion that Cilia should have offered an *extra* piece of advice (which I guess I won't post here, to avoid the spoiler).

So...  Do the effects of wangleflower last forever?

3. I really love the storytelling and the characters in Knytt Underground.  Are you ever going to make another game like this?

I know that a lot of why you wanted to tell this story was to compare the world views of a believer vs. a nonbeliever.  But in the process, you made each of them into these great, sympathetic characters -- along with a lot of other people that you meet while you play the game.  (all, of course, while listening to the beautiful music.)

Will you ever make another game like this?

Thanks, for this one!

There's so much I want to say in the way of thanking you for making this game.
 
 
I love the music!
 
I downloaded the soundtrack, and plan to add most of it to my playlist of songs that I play while I work.  Your soundtrack will fit right in with my soundtracks to Fantastic Planet, The Mentalist, and a bunch of music by John Barry, John Carpenter, and other guys named John, etc.
 
This might sound weird, but I was hesitant to listen to the soundtrack on its own until I had finished the game (twice now), because I didn't want to mentally separate it from the locations in the game.  (Does that make sense?)
 
 
I love the characters!
 
This is the first of your games I tried, and I think I'm spoiled.  Having Dora and Cilia with me on my adventure, having them speak for me, and talk to each other, was perfect, and a huge break from the potential "loneliness" of just exploring a big place alone.  I also loved the interactions with just about every other character I met.
 
I have gone back and tried some of your older games, but as I've said, you've spoiled me.  Whenever I see a person, I think "I wish I could talk to that guy!"
 
Other things that have spoiled me on KU are the auto-mapping and the ability to come back to life right where I died, so I can immediately try again.  I hope these are things you'll do going forward.
 
 
I love Cilia!
 
"I love Cilia."  The first time I actually said it out loud was when she told off that guy who was questioning why Mi was on the quest, rather than Do.  I said it many more times after that.
 
I quickly caught on that Cilia was my "attack dog," to sic on characters that seem like they'll deserve it.  But I realized she was more than that.  On my second play-through, I took a chance, letting her talk to people even when I was afraid she might hurt their feelings. 
 
My mouth dropped open at the advice she gave to Ji!  But I was pleased with how sweet she was to some of the other characters.
 
 
I (grudgingly) love Dora.
 
Of course I appreciate that she is good to people, but I really love her back story and how she came to be the person she is now.  I also love that she is so dead wrong about certain things -- her opinions on the ray gun, and the letter "O."
 
Cilia and Dora bantering throughout the quest for the diamond was the best!  Right up to Cilia's line at the very end.
 
 
PS3 vs. PC:
 
I read your post where you recommended "definitely the desktop version, it's the one where everything works as I intended."  But I really wanted to use my receiver & HDTV, so I stuck to the PS3 despite my character suiciding off walls, and my inability to control the bouncing ball.
 
When I finally tried the PC version, I felt like an Olympic gymnast, compared to the PS3. On the PC, I was happy to find out that I could solve certain puzzles in about 20 tries (which I think was your intention), rather than 200 or more.  (I'm not a young, agile game-player.)
 
Also, I realized I could hook my Lenovo Yoga to my receiver and play with a wireless keyboard.
 
In short: PC better!
 
 
So much more to say...
 
But this post is too long already.  Maybe I'll write a separate follow-up post where I talk about:
 

• a few of my favorite scenes / characters (Blerbloblah, Hannah, Professor Julie, Wi-Fi, the girl with the invisible friend...);
• an idea I had while stuck and frustrated on the PS3 (basically, once the player has tried the same puzzle 200 times, the fairies should somehow help, possibly at the cost of a stone);
• an idea I had for a kind of cool "plot twist" (for a future game, based on the "see the invisible" power from another Knytt game.  I guess I should PM this one);
• your story-telling is really good (despite Cilia's immediate complaints about how the game ended  :-)

 
In conclusion...

Thanks!
 
Please make another game like this.

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