Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I have been a fan of this fine game since the early days, playing many magnificent levels such as Cocoonworld, Stone Tiers and Seashell the day they arrived. After a long break in which I pursued many other noble pursuits such as a college double major in philosophy and history, spending time with my incredible and drop-dead beautiful girlfriend Tamara, along with perfecting the craft of furniture making, I decided I wanted to create a grand tribute to the glorious creative tool that is Knytt Stories.
I have been working on this level for around two years and seven months, often at night by my fireplace with a glass of the finest cab. It is titled Odyssey to Ataraxia, after one of my favorite literary works and the Greek philosophical concept of ataraxia, or tranquility. I have chosen to reject the new-fangled Knytt Stories Plus, for I believe that flashlight filters, extended dialogue boxes, and golden vermin go against the simplicity that Knytt Stories always stood for. I will also be using mostly default tilesets, for those in my view have always been the finest ones.
My Odyssey will have no less than 63 areas and twenty-eight optional secret side-quests. It also contains eighteen secret passageways for speedrunners and three fast-travel systems. All powerups will be acquired three times, as you lose all powerups twice over the course of the level in fall-from grace scenarios much like that of the Roman god Saturn, and Icarus flying too close to the sun. While I have crafted some of the toughest challenges this game has to offer, I also have crafted some extended viewing experiences, as challenge is obscenely overused in this game and I wanted to create soul-soothing walking simulator experiences, free of infiltration such as jumping, running, climbing, and enemies. Knytt Stories is as much about gorgeous sights as it is a gaming challenge.
I use all the rather excellent default music except for the vomitworthy Song14 and I'm also using custom music from talented artists such as Adrian von Ziegler, Kevin MacLeod, and the legendary rock band Jethro Tull.
It is being playtested by no less than eight of my closest friends. I am now in full speed ahead mode, and this level, at a formidable 300 mb, is due for release before the beginning of summer.
Godspeed!