yahoo, play time.
EDIT: Ok, only played this for a while, but i gotta say, this is gorgeous. I'm jealous and profoundly elated you've done this.
EDIT 2: Correction, this is profoundly gorgeous. You've accomplished something here that I've been trying to: using knytt stories to make a game that is about exploration of the psyche, a delving into philosophy and reality. The way you handled the landscape says it, and your "thought boxes" or whatever you would like to call them are perfect for it; the discovering of truth within the maze of darkness and light.
I agree totally with the implications of your thoughts at the beginning: knytt stories has the potential to be a mode of artistic expression having nothing to do with knytts. I keep wishing there was a version of knytt stories either called Open Stories, or simply Stories, that has no prior commitments to any other stories. We can use knytt stories to do that, but it could be so much more if there was not that commitment. Anyway, I ramble too much.
I did find some kind of warp error I think around screen x1009y996. After exiting the cut scene, I warped backwards into the wall, then could exit normally.
EDIT 3: Ok, since I'm still the only poster, Ill keep the edits coming.
There is a lot of great potential symbolism in here... hmmm... perhaps I need to do...
It is very interesting that:
1. Everything, even the dark areas, have a silent and still beauty to them.
2. That even the light areas conceal a mechanical darkness deep within and on their edges, as if to say that here too, our darkness resides.
3. The use of silence is fantastic. I always tend to use music to set a mood, but emptiness is a profound mood as well.
4. The endless ocean of doom below feels symbolic as well. It could be simply an easy way to say "stop right there," but it feels more like the abyss at the bottom of the mind, a barrier to our thoughts which we cannot cross. Even more interesting are the small islands that poke like black shadows from that abyss. And you supply a small umbrella their so we can explore those few islands, but which we cannot take back with us. Very nice. 8)
I admit that as far as the question "did the psyche thing work well for you in play" I was hoping for an expanded answer detailing whether or not you felt the game design choices (level design specifically, here, layout and variety, etc) explained and narrated a non-redundant theme of sorts.
I'm not very good at explaining my reactions to pieces of art that impress me, unless technical criticism is required and specifically asked for; so I usually post small replies to people whose levels I like. But since you asked...
I confess I never got the psyche element when I first played the preview level - have I realized back then what you were doing, some of my criticisms would've never been made. For instance, the confusing warp layout would probably be a perfectly fine thing given the nature of the level, as would the lack of animals. It seemed that, since the level was unfinished, you would add a typical story somewhat reminiscent of The Machine. And so I only discovered the psyche element now, and even now it was due to the title (mostly), glancing at Headgrinder's post for a second or two, and finally, the texts in the level. When I did discover it, it made the playing experience considerably more deep and interesting; all kinds of symbolism suggested in small details, and so on. I'm not sure I like the texts - I'm sorry to say that, I'm guessing there's more importance there than I can see; but then I can be pretty dense at times (e.g. not seeing the psychological aspect from the start). The one thing that broke the immersion somewhat was the umbrella island at the far right, since it had this little blurb of text from you, the creator of the level. (Speaking of umbrellas; am I correct in assuming that the umbrella can only be reached in places from which there is no escape? If so, that's an incredibly beautiful thing.)
However, like I said I worked on a psyche exploration level myself, Pestilence, and I had a somewhat similar problem making it clear what the level was. In order to make it more understandable, I had to make it less vague, and I regret the decision to this day - I would've changed it and released an updated version, except that I have no idea how to fix it exactly right (and besides, I don't think anyone who played it ever figured it out, or even had a desire to do so, ergo I failed completely there). So while I can't appreciate the opening narration of your level, or the texts inside the "boxes", I can't really say what I would be satisfied with. Perhaps I'm dissatisfied with the limitations of KS levels rather than with your design decisions here.