escape from dark castle finished

Well its finally finished i was going to make it longer but dont have the time anymore these days to work on it so i hope you enjoy   

http://knyttlevels.com/levels/shadow11223%20-%20Escape%20From%20Dark%20Castle.knytt.bin

Just played it. I thought that it wasn't too bad. But it needs a good amount of polishing. Everything is in spoiler tags because I don't want to people to take my word for it.  Story line wise, there wasn't much. Just "You're in a castle. Escape." But it is your first level, so I can't expect perfection. :p

Please don't get discouraged. You used shifts in ways I have yet to fully master. You clearly are very creative. Keep at it! This level has a lot of potential! Not bad for your first level.  

The music was amazing by the way. It really set the mood.

First of all, I think this level has to be removed, because it uses music from Shadow of the Colossus, and I'm pretty sure that you are not allowed to use it as you wish. I may be wrong, but someone who knows more about it look at it please.

I always have a hard time understanding why ever level gets such a warming reception in this community, I guess it is what makes it unique. Because lordmarzog said pretty much what I would say, except I would curse a lot more.
It really blows my mind at how this had 2 betas and a final version and still feels so unfinished. What the hell happened in the begining cutscenes? There are 2 versions of them and they are both broken.
There are WAY too many invisible death objects, tiles that are used simultaneously in the background and as solid tiles, tiles that all of a sudden kill you. Lots and lots of voids and wallswims, even when trying to follow the main path. The player is made to follow a very, very strict path, or else everything breaks. There are some essential invisible shifts that can be completely avoided, and the player has to realize they are there in order for things to work.
And that boss... how was I supposed to guess where I had to hit him?

The only thing I can think was good in this level was the atmosphere, that was actually very good. Also, I don't usually play Knytt Stories levels but for some reason I had to finish this one, maybe thats a good thing

I'm sorry if I'm being a bit harsh, it just feels like you never played through your own level. If you ever decide to make another one, try to test it a bit every time you do something new, and this forum is here to help, everyone likes helping new level makers, you can always make a level preview thread and ask for people to volunteer so you can send them the betas, works much better that way Don't give up, you've got the creativity and that's one of the most important qualities here.

Sorry to be so harsh in saying this, but: This is not a finished level. Maybe you don't have time to work on it anymore, but that doesn't mean it's finished. There are too many void screens, wallswims, and design issues as mentioned above (for a look at common problems in level design, dessgeega's latest release is really good). You do handle the shifts-bringing-new-landscape bit really well, so you clearly know your way around the editor, so maybe you just didn't have the time to test this out properly (which is a great reason to ask other people to test your level).
Please don't think this is a personal attack; I think it's great that people like you are still keen to make KS levels, you just need a bit more practice and hopefully constructive criticism will help.

I think you've fallen into the old, common designers' mistake of aiming to kill the player. Being killed and punished for it doesn't make a level fun; it's frustrating. A good level should give a player a chance to survive, to know what's coming, and isn't too cruel for a player's mistakes. You shouldn't try to kill the player, but to make it challenging to stay alive. Things that kill you without warning or challenges that depend on pure odds that are stacked against you are frustrating, and distract from the enjoyment of a level.

I made the mistake on my first level, and so do most other people; my first level was rubbish. But it taught me how to do my second level better.

I made the mistake on my first level, and so do most other people; my first level was rubbish. But it taught me how to do my second level better.

Can I ask what level that is?

You can ask!