MW's 'Unbeatable' V3 (Mystery Wolf): The obstacle course of death.
[Lunatic][Large][Challenge]
Overcome unique but vanilla platformer challenges, such as bouncers, lasers, and spikes, often at the same time.
Difficulty: 5
The difficulty of this level is just into Lunatic terrority. Screens range from "somewhat Hard" to "just about Lunatic," but nothing is too incredibly difficult.
Fairness: 8
There are plenty of save points, at least one per screen. There are some random enemies, including a few challenges where it seemed best to just run through at full speed until the RNG permitted passage. Those were rare, however, most challenges were predictable and skill-based.
Fun-factor: 7
The challenges in this level are varied and fun. While they're all vanilla, and make predictable use of only vanilla KS mechanics, there is something very unique about them. All challenges seemed very intimidating at first, but always felt fair and fun; the author seems to have a knack for making a challenge seem a lot more daunting than it really is, allowing for greater satisfaction upon completion.
Quality: 3
There is no custom music, no custom tileset, no custom objects, and no real story. Challenges are jarringly thrown together in a haphazard way. However, I could find no wall-swims or other way to break the level. Having said all of that, the challenges themselves are the focus and by themselves show that care was put into make a cohesive, progressive experience.
The Tree of Life (Purple Ink): Explore the world, save the world.
[Very Hard][Large][Misc]
Explore an enormous Classic Knytt World and save it from a terrible machine.
Difficulty: 4
The difficulty of this level is mostly Normal/Hard, with a few screens that barely pass the threshold into Very Hard. The vast majority of the level is scenic or even environmental, with maybe a quarter of the screens actually containing hazards and only four or five challenge areas.
Fairness: 7
The level loses two points for a severe lack of save points, mostly lacking in the scenic "overworld," and another point for frequent use of random enemies. Fortunately there's almost no hidden/offscreen hazards or trick deaths. It does feel frustrating to explore 25+ screens of a mostly environmental world only to die to one random enemy and have all of your progress lost.
Fun-factor: 5
There's a few problems with this level from the perspective of someone seeking a challenge level. Most obvious is that it starts as an enormous exploration level with few hazards or challenges at all. The player must retrace steps and cross enormous areas and dozens of screens, to find one powerup or another. (Granted, this isn't a problem for most KS players!) The second is that the challenges are aren't too difficult, and the difficulty that is there generally relies on random enemies and longer stretches between save points.
Quality: 7
The level is huge and was an clearly a passion project of enormous undertaking. There is an overall story, custom ambiance, custom music, and a few custom tilesets. Although most of it uses vanilla KS graphics, this isn't a terrible thing as it feels very Classic Knytt. There are a LOT of screens to see and explore. While some have minimal scenery, many of the areas were absolutely excellent. The Underforest is a memorable puzzle maze, utilizing warp and flag shenanigans to effectively invoke a sense of insanity. In another memorable encounter, the player visits a microcosm world four times, each time during a different season. New areas open up depending on snowmelt or flooding or animal behavior. The finale challenge was both fun and appropriately styled.
By the Road of Dreams(Deni & Dima STDN): Wake Up Juni!
[Hard/Normal][Medium][Challenge/Misc]
Juni must overcome a series of challenges to escape her nightmares.
Difficulty: 4
The difficulty of this level is on Very Hard territory. Screens range from "Easy" to "Very Hard," and nothing ever really verges into Lunatic.
Fairness: 7
There are enough of save points, but there are a few spots that I feel could use one more. There are few random enemies, but one or two screens that rely on them to be challenges. There are several areas that use trick deaths or unseen spikes. Having said that, none of these are persistent problems, and none of it feels like the author is trying to make things intentionally unfair.
Fun-factor: 7
The challenges in this level are varied and fun. There are a few unique challenges that I haven't seen anywhere else, and a few of them offer multiple paths to solve. Several reward the player for choosing the more difficult path. The author cleverly disguises easier screens as intimidating challenges, and seemingly benign screens pose hidden difficulties.
Quality: 7
I was able to break the level once or twice with wallswims, and the second ending requires a patient persistence for finding secrets. But there's a lot of new content here, with some genuinely scary thrills. This level utilizes custom music, an intriguing story, and a plethora of custom tilesets. In fact, the tilesets are nothing short of magnificent. A few of them are absolutely gorgeous, while others manage to evoke a genuine sense of Lovecraftian alien horror. The level somehow manages to feel both unnerving and heartwarming.
Ruins of EGA-Lana(Vegetal Gibber): Where few dare venture
[Easy/Hard/Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
Juni must traverse a temple though one of three challenge paths.
Difficulty: 1/3/7/9
There are four modes: Easy/Hard/Lunatic/True Lunatic. All are appropriately categorized, except Easy is closer to Normal.
Fairness: 9
There are plenty of save points, almost all challenges are well-broadcast, and there are few random enemies. There is at least one which spawn only after you've entered the challenge.
Fun-factor: 8
The challenges in this level are quite varied and very fun. I believe any challenge-seeker of any skill level can find something here to enjoy. Each path has several unique challenges that I haven't seen anywhere else. If anything, the level suffers from feeling a little bit too short.
Quality: 10
As usual for Vegetal Gibber levels, everything is TOP NOTCH. Custom music, tilesets, and objects all synergize to create a unique feel and a cohesive experience... this level almost feels like its own game. The unique content feels like a reward to the player.
The Ultimate Climber(Tiger NDV): He who shall seek me, shall find me
[Very Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Playground]
Juni must climb the ultimate tower, consistenting of every Default Tileset included in Knytt Stories.
Difficulty: 6
I would call some of the tougher screens solidly lunatic, but almost every single challenge falls into the "trick jump" category. There are almost no enemies or death-hazards to speak of, though you may end up wishing there were!
Fairness: 7
This is a unique level. There are very few save points but there are also very few deaths. There are a lot of trick jumps, with hazards that can significantly impact your progress. Hitting a hazard in this level will almost never kill you, but will almost always send you back at least one screen. Because hazards are stationary, there are no random enemies or RNG components at all, (beyond what is built into the jump mechanic.) When the player fails, the player can often "correct" the failure quickly. But sometimes failures can cascade and feel very frustrating. Additionally, there are a few (very few) hazards that are not broadcast well to the player and feel like surprises.
Fun-factor: 7
The jumps in this level feel very unique and very fun. There are plenty of unique mechanics, and the player has an element of choice in which powerups to collect and in what order. This offers a variety of paths and challenges to choose from. Several players completed a grueling run with no powerups at all, while others find a more leisurely approach by stopping for each power-up.
Quality: 7
This is an excellent level with a lot of replay-ability! However, it can feel like a tedious chore at times. While there are no unique tilesets, each tileset was used creatively and inventively, with care. There is no story element present, but the dialogue is short and sweet and occasionally profound.