Don't Like The Figure - Not One Incy Wincy Bit

There. I said it. Don't know why I'm trying to finish it. I know I can skip it, but still... It's driving me up the wall.

Rest of game is ace. After all this time, to finally realise that exploration games are what I love over all other games. Thankyou thankyou thankyou. But damn, The Figure... really? I mean it now... really?

Had to get that off my back. Carry on!

Hehe. The figure is actually added to please those who seek a challenge once in a while. Its a secret and its not necessary to complete the game. Basically, so you always have something to go for in the game.

I love all figure areas except for one, which I am currently forgetting the name of. It is the only one whose music bothers me, and it is extremely annoying. (not difficult, just annoying.) I love the others though, especially good old Mofa Dabusu and Lady Tufe

Hehe. The figure is actually added to please those who seek a challenge once in a while. Its a secret and its not necessary to complete the game. Basically, so you always have something to go for in the game.

Absolutely!  Because the rest of the game isn't challenging at all.  (/sarcasm)

I do find the frustration level of the Figure to be a bit much.  The Mini-Figure wasn't such a problem.  What truly vexes me about the Figure is that passing a challenge doesn't generally help.  If you fail at a challenge, you go back three challenges to the last save point, and get to repeat the obnoxiousness you'd already put behind you.

That said, the only purpose to the Figure is itself - there's no special areas accessible only from it that would be particularly nice to see except the Figure itself.  (/sarcasm)  Returning to the truth, there is something accessible only from the Figure that isn't the Figure itself, and that's the only reason I ever attempt the Figure.

That said, the only purpose to the Figure is itself - there's no special areas accessible only from it that would be particularly nice to see except the Figure itself.  (/sarcasm)  Returning to the truth, there is something accessible only from the Figure that isn't the Figure itself, and that's the only reason I ever attempt the Figure.

Another purpose is to get its achievement - yay badges!

I remember a few areas where harder challenges come later in the sequence of challenges. This I consider wrong design. It's always more fun to fight the main challenge than repeat easier parts over and over. It wasn't such a big deal though, as the Figure isn't too hard. (no sarcasm!) Lunatic KS levels are where this gets really bad, and also I abandoned a game called Magicka because of this.

and also I abandoned a game called Magicka because of this.

Actually, there's a different philosophy behind Magicka. Magicka is actually a co-op game that you can play single player. I've completed the main campaign of Magicka in SP but its really really hard. Co-op is much much easier and way more fun too, but you don't always have a co-op partner, so thats why SP exists in the first place. The developers have stated this themselves. They made the game really hard just so you can have fun in co-op. Alone, its doable but really hard. Also, every boss/enemy has their own strategy to combat, where some are far more effective than others. Having the wrong strategy can mean that it seems nearly impossible.

Anyway, back to KU.

I remember a few areas where harder challenges come later in the sequence of challenges. This I consider wrong design. It's always more fun to fight the main challenge than repeat easier parts over and over. It wasn't such a big deal though, as the Figure isn't too hard. (no sarcasm!) Lunatic KS levels are where this gets really bad, and also I abandoned a game called Magicka because of this.

There are many reasons for putting easier challenges earlier in a sequence. For instance, introducing the player to a new concept slowly instead of throwing the hardest variation at them right off the bat. Also, each challenge will be relatively new and interesting, whereas if the most complicated one comes first the easier ones afterward will seem trivial and almost unnecessary. You might as well just have the hardest challenges and nothing else.

What you describe is good when there are checkpoints between the challenges. I'm referring to the case when there aren't, in which it rarely works out, if the challenges are difficult.
LPChip, I dropped Magicka on the level that was set in the head of some mage. It was a set of islands each with a different challenge and no save-points between them. One island pretty far in the sequence had some sort of zombie challenge which can't be handled without practicing the strategy against them (which is impossible, as they kill you in a few seconds and you go all the way back). I doubt even co-op would be enough help. It was a design failure of them.

I feel like what I said still applies even with a lack of checkpoints, but whatevs.

I agree with Gorfinhofin. The rest of Knytt Underground gives you checkpoints after every obstacle, so the way Figure Space is set up is obviously quite deliberate. When playing NightSky it's obvious that Nifflas is aware of the technique of putting harder challenges at the start of a set. Figure Space doesn't do this much, which I believe is because A) it's prioritising challenge over fun and B) repeating the same actions over and over again until you reach perfection can result in an interesting state of mind. Several recent acclaimed games, like Super Hexagon and Hotline Miami, also explore this.

Nonetheless, you should feel free to dislike this sort of design, GrayFace! I just can't agree that's it's always or objectively wrong.

What you describe is good when there are checkpoints between the challenges. I'm referring to the case when there aren't, in which it rarely works out, if the challenges are difficult.
LPChip, I dropped Magicka on the level that was set in the head of some mage. It was a set of islands each with a different challenge and no save-points between them. One island pretty far in the sequence had some sort of zombie challenge which can't be handled without practicing the strategy against them (which is impossible, as they kill you in a few seconds and you go all the way back). I doubt even co-op would be enough help. It was a design failure of them.

Ah, yeah this one is hard. Its the final level. You first get a few challenges and then the end boss (which is even harder). Each of the challenge is based upon a theme, but since they are all islands, I beaten that map by purely pushing everyone off the map and protecting myself against their defences. I've finished the game on SP so its definitely doable, but its hard, agreed.

In co-op these are much easier because you can revive eachother, which is the entire point of the game.

The Figure was pretty hit and miss for me. There were a lot of neat challenges in it, but overall I feel like only having one save point before each "set" makes it kind of mind-numbing.

Challenges that stick out in my mind as really bad for that are (and forgive me for not remembering the names) the red-walled one where you have to aim and control yourself perfectly and use a bunch of the flower power ups in succession, which took me probably an hour just on that challenge because I'd die from being a tiny bit off and have to reset, and then as soon as I got it down and made progress I'd not know what to do because new territory, then die, then repeat messing up the first two screens.

The other one that stuck out as kind of bad was the orange-walled one with all the robots. It was made with two really easy, but boring/time wasting rooms at the start, then one really hard room, and then I think it went on to bouncing off ramps, but that might have been a different challenge. Nonetheless, every time I died in that one hard room I had to redo those really boring rooms that just wasted my time over and over again.

I respect difficulty, I'm even working on a Knytt Stories level that might equal or surpass The Figure in difficulty, but I hate having to deal with endurance, and prefer to have a save spot after every challenge. It's no fun doing the same rooms over and over again because you didn't finish a room that comes AFTER them.

I was stuck in Somy Luru for sooooooo long!  I haven't made it through the whole thing yet, but I will.  It's difficult but what fun would it be if The Figure wasn't challenging?  You go through the same frustration in LA Mulana if you decide to play through Hell Temple.  The reward you ask?  You best a super difficult section of the game!  People use to refer to that as bragging rights.  It's all about trophies now speaking for them.  If you want the achievement, you have to play the game.  It's not impossible, it's just difficult.  I say deal with it or don't bother playing it.

I found this the other day on accident... got through one or two of them and decided "nope nope nope", I'll go back after actually finishing the game. I like the challenge, but the story takes priority.