Time to bring this review thread back to life!
Map: The Tree of Life
Author: Purple Ink
Type: Misc
Size: Large
Difficulty: Very Hard
This level can only be found in the Knytt Stories Level Releases section of the forum
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This level is a special case for me, since I actually contributed to it in a few ways. Starting several months ago, it finally sees the light after a long period of silence. I was expecting a level that was big, fun and cute, and got all 3 of those, but what I wasn't expecting was the difficulty! Let's get into it!
Playthrough
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We start with *GASP* an actual intro for once! Accompanied by the level's very nice soundtrack, we learn that an object exists in Juni's world called The Tree of Life, and that it has always existed. This tree is responsible for keeping everything alive, but recently, an unknown evil has been harnessing its energy for some unknown purpose.
It is later revealed that this evil entity is the same as the one which built the machine in 'The Machine'.
These words are epiphanized to Juni in her sleep, and she decides to go visit the town chief. That is when the game begins proper.
The level begins with Juni standing outside her familiar stump house and she is equipped with the Run and High Jump powerups. From here, you literally have an entire world to explore, which, if you run far enough, will loop in on itself. You will see many things in this world, from the two towns of Casa and Belden, to a few tall mountains and several deep caves, to the giant waterfall where the Oracle lives, and the maddening Underforest, with several other quirks to see as well.
The soundtrack is consistent with each area, and unlike most other levels, it plays on loop and shifts quickly. Due to the nature of the soundtrack, I think this is actually a better way to implement it in this case. Each area has an appropriate song anointed to it, and all of them are nice to listen to.
Save points are a bit rare in this world, and, with the exception of sub-areas and towns, are only located in grottos where sub-divisions of the Tree of Life grow. Every time you save there, or die and return to one of them, you are given an encouraging message from the trees. (This is a nice antithesis to James1011R's abominable level 'Knytt Metaverse', btw.)
End:
After visiting the Oracle and passing her trials, Juni descends into the deepest regions to find a much larger and more heavily guarded Machine than Nifflas's counterpart. Once you reach the core, you turn off the machine and see the credits, after talking to the Oracle one last time. As you drift down the credits list, you will see that I, your endlessly humble reviewer, am mentioned not once but TWICE in the credits! 8). Once you hit the bottom, you are given three options. You can either restart the level entirely, return to the overworld (losing your umbrella) or, if you found enough secrets, access the bonus ending.
Secrets:
There is one very large, overarching secret to this level, which involves many sub-areas, which need to be sniffed out using the Detector Powerup, and/or a little brave exploring. In order to obtain the Detector, one must pass the Chamber of Ordeal on it's harder setting, which will make most of you, myself included, pull your hair out in frustration! (Assuming you have hair to pull out. If you have no hair at all, you could just pull on your nose or ears :P) Once you have that, it's a hunt to find all the symbols (and sometimes cats which come along with them), and then find a hidden zone where you input an 18 digit code. From there, you have to hunt for another secret zone where you can find the purple key which you need to unlock the bonus ending.
For those who are too lazy to do that, the bonus ending is
simply a teaser for Purple Ink's next level, or so I assume.
Also, there is a warp zone which one can access using the yellow key. The yellow key can only be found by inputting the three-digit code within the Chamber of Trial.
Scoring
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Construction:
8/10While most of the level uses standard tilesets (with the exception of a secret zone which utilizes tilesets made by Yours Truly,
and some tilesets by Oft99) it is put together quice nicely. While it is a bit more minimalistic in nature than the usual Nifflas fare, it succeeds in making itself look pretty. I didn't find a single Void Screen or Wallswim while playing, or fishing around in the level with the editor. The only thing I would really complain about, in regard to construction is the way my Ruined Olive Temple tileset was lain out, but then again, my tilesets are kind of confusing anyways.
Challenge:
7/10The challenge is nice and hard, as portrayed by the difficulty. It actually took me several days to beat this, because I kept dying in certain places and had to take a break, especially in that accursed Chamber of Ordeal. The lack of save points did wear on me quite a few times, though, particularly when I was making long voyages in the overworld.
In the end though, it is well done.
Exploring:
9/10This level really shines in this area! There is a LOT to see here, and it is only made better by the unique soundtrack! I would dare say that it is almost as fun to explore as the original Knytt!
In addition, the Underforest is truly mind-bending, which is hard to pull off!
Atmosphere:
8/10I've complimented the soundtrack enough, but it really deserves kudos. The atmosphere it portrays fits the feel of the level very well, and while it is more active than the typical Nifflas fare, it serves as good ambiance. I think my favorite area has to be the giant waterfall, solely because of the sound that plays there.
Story:
5/10The story is kind of standard, but it does its job. However, it is kind of unremarkable. Its only real claim to fame is the fact that it is an expansion of the story to 'The Machine'.
Secret Hunting: 8/10
Lots of secrets and quirks to find here! If you don't cheat, you will be searching this world for a long time!
Explorer's Bonus:
+ 0.5 to final scoreOverall Score:
8/10 (Excellent)If you have the time, you should definitely play this level! It is lovingly crafted, and is unique enough to sate the appetite of a veteran KS player.
Here is the link to its topic:
http://nifflas.lpchip.nl/index.php?topic=5684.0