PF's Challenge Level Reviews

Strafe (Salmoneous)[Lunatic][Small][Challenge]: This level is too difficult for me to beat. All challenges involve falling at Terminal Velocity. I personally cannot even beat the first screen without cheating, but other players have beaten it with less trouble.
Azure Serenity Expansion (Shreeps): Wander a mysterious world. (Requires KS+)[Hard/Very Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Playground]: This is an ENORMOUS exploration level with very spread out challenges. There seem to be a few boss fights.
Safety (SecretGlitch): Juni needs to unlock a path.[Lunatic/Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
The Safety Sequal (SecretGlitch): The sequal to Safety.[Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
Safety III (SecretGlitch)[N/A]
The Safety series by SecretGlitch are some of the hardest, most difficult levels that exist for KS. Expect dozens of pixel-perfect challenges. I have occasionally attempted these, but cannot fully complete any of the levels without cheating. I can't review what I can't play, but I would put the difficulty of these levels at 10+. Gliperal/PurplePineapple has some videos of these for interested players.
One Screen Puzzle 1 (Purple Pineapple)[Hard][Small][Puzzle]
One Screen Puzzle 2 (Purple Pineapple)[Normal][Small][Puzzle]
One Screen Puzzle 3 (Purple Pineapple)[Normal/Hard][Small][Puzzle/Challenge]
These levels are definitely fun, and I recommend each one, but they all involve one single short puzzle to solve. I don't consider them comparable to longer, more elaborate challenge levels. OSP4 and OSP5 are long enough to warrant full reviews.

Monochrome Jumping (A Clockwork Lemon): JUMP!
[Hard/Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
This level is a black-and-white boxy challenge meant to challenge the player on some of the longest possible jumps that Knytt Stories allows.
Difficulty: 3
I did not find this to be a difficult challenge. I only missed jumps four or five times. Personally I believe "Lunatic" is being generous and that
this is "Hard" with a sprinkling of "Very Hard," at most.
Fairness: 10
There are no challenges in here that I believe to be unfair. Every challenge is a static, performable jump and the only hazards are obvious spikes. No "random" or even moving enemies exist at all.
Fun-factor: 6
It was enjoyable to make the jumps, knowing that these are somewhat close to Juni's furthest possible jump arcs.
Quality: 4
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This level accomplishes exactly what it intends to: it provides some difficult jump puzzles. It doesn't try to be anything more. There is a secret ending to consider.

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Dark Sea 2 (SecretGlitch): Voyage below the bottom of the sea.
[Lunatic][Large][Challenge]
This is a fairly well-known level that was created for a competition back in 2012. In this story, Juni needs to save the world by reaching an underwater laboratory via submarine.
Difficulty - 10
This is the most difficult level I completed [in batch one]. Reading forum posts, I'm not sure how many people have actually beaten it without cheating. I myself had to add a few savepoints to the game in order to progress.
Fairness - 8
This is an enormous level, and most of the challenges and areas feel pretty fair. The only place it falls short are a few areas (toward the very end) that has no save points. It always feels unfair to make the player repeat countless screens of difficult challenges.
Fun-factor - 10
This is one of my favorite levels with my favorite challenges. There are MANY unique challenges here that you won't find anywhere else.
Quality - 10
This level came close to winning the competition is was designed for. All of the other elements are top notch: story, art, sound, it just feels like one of those high-quality levels that could honestly sell as its own game. The art/atmosphere was simple yet extremely effective and appropriate to the story.

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The Coming of the Dark (Talps): Can you stop the coming dark...?
[Very Hard][Large][Challenge/Maze]
This is renowned level designer Talps' first level. While some parts of it are extremely high quality, others are... not. It's not listed as lunatic in the Game files, but the developer has acquiesced and rebranded it Lunatic on the forums.
Difficulty: 7
It's an enormous level and much of it is Hard to Very Hard, but there are probably a dozen Lunatic-level challenges scattered throughout.
Fairness: 4
There are definitely a dozen or so screens that are difficult only due to scarce save points and surprise hazards. And Talps' has always enjoyed using unpredictable enemies (though mostly in moderation.)
Fun-factor: 7
I personally found it a lot of fun to play, and enjoyed MOST of the challenges. However, I think that's because I'm a fan of the author, and I'm not sure how many others would feel the same.
Quality: 6
It doesn't have the same quality of Talps' later levels but there is a plot there with hints at a larger, deeper backstory, and it makes excellent use of the default tilesets.

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Salvation (PeppyHare4000): To get to heaven, You must overcome trials
[Lunatic][Large][Challenge]
This level was designed to be a lunatic challenge about the end of the world. The author wrote a deep plot and designed a fair number of mazes.
Difficulty: 10
This is probably second most difficult level I completed, next to Dark Sea 2. I had to add a few save points to progress.
Fairness: 4
While there are plenty of Save Points (at least one per screen), and I don't knock the author for not adding more, the author also used a good number of random enemies, often in conjunction with each other, often in conjunction with other hazards. There were many screens I felt impossible to beat without a healthy a dose of luck, and I found myself just blindly jumping through until the stars aligned and the monsters got out of my way.
Fun-factor: 2
I did not find this very fun, but very frustrating. There were screens that took me entire days to beat, and a lot of it felt like poor design or cheap deaths as opposed to well-thought out challenges.
Quality: 4
This is a large level, and the author clearly put in a lot of thought and effort here, but the storyline is bland, the grammar atrocious, many of the screens are clearly copy-and-pasted, and the elements that were supposed to be puzzles I found more tedious than anything. Only one tileset is reused throughout the entire game with minor variations on color, and the same songs are replayed over and over again. The author constantly taunts the player by saying, "You thought that was easy? It's about to get a lot worse!" The bad ending literally has the character being sent to hell for not being adventurous enough. As for the good ending, you can't reach both without replaying about 95% of it.

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Little Labyrinth (Comhon): A little challenge (v 2.0)
[Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
This level was designed to be a small lunatic-level challenge. The title itself is a little misleading, there's no maze or even puzzle elements here.
Difficulty: 5
Most of these are Very Hard challenges that barely pass the threshold into Lunatic.
Fairness: 5
There are plenty of save points but also a fair number of random enemies and surprise deaths. Also, the player spends about 75% of the level without the run upgrade.
Fun-factor: 4
This would probably be a lot more fun if it were tweaked just a little bit... sometimes its difficult to know if you're on the right path or going the wrong way and doing challenges out of order. Surprise deaths are only funny one or twice.
Quality: 3
This would probably be a lot more fun if it were tweaked just a little bit... the story and level are disjointed, and leave the player wanting. There are a few ways to get stuck by going the wrong way before you have certain power ups. And the game ends right as things start to get fun.

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Cosmic Meltdown (Fubaka): Save the Knytts from a Major Disaster!
[Hard/Very Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Misc]
This epic-length, epic story, epic endeavor by Fubaka is widely regarded as one of the best Knytt Stories levels ever created. And with good reason. But does it provide fun, difficult challenges?
Difficulty: 4
I would not have labelled these challenges as Lunatic (unless you count the act of just finding tough secrets as Lunatic). I went through all of the secrets (found via Map Editor) and progressed through every challenge and I would say it was mostly Hard with a little bit of Very Hard.
Fairness: 10
There's no challenges intentionally unfair about this level, though I did get save-stuck once in the last secret section at a place I couldn't leave because I didn't have the correct powerup yet. Also, I don't personally think it's fair to "hide" more than half of the level behind secrets, but that's just my own opinion and has no bearing on the challenges themselves.
Fun-factor: 10
In a addition to the Epic Story and Epic Length, there were a lot of great challenges that felt new and unique. They were difficult without being unfair or tedious, and incorporated well into the world.
Quality: 10
What can I say that I haven't said already? This level was a monumental creation in terms of theme, story, custom objects, tilesets, music, everything.

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IWBTG (BladeOfDarkness)
[Lunatic][Medium][Challenge]
"I Wanna Be The Guy" is based on a stand-alone game of the same name renowned for its difficult nature and unfair deaths. NOTE: I was unable, or rather, unwilling, to finish this level. In my youth I beat it fair and square, but I just didn't have the patience for this kind of tedious experience.
Difficulty: 7
This is a solidly a Lunatic-Level challenge, mostly due to screens filled with enemies and hazards, as well as invisible trick-death tiles everywhere.
Fairness: 0
This level is absolutely unfair, and it goes so far as to ineffectively tease the player for it. Just touching the wrong floating invisible tile can kill you by transporting you to a death screen that literally reads "LOL".
Fun-factor: 2
I don't enjoy unfair challenges or levels.
Quality: 2
There is no story to speak of, no additional tilesets, no art, nothing but the challenges.

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Caged In (James Vaughn): Can you get out?
[Lunatic][Small][Challenge]
"Caged In" is a gloomy, morbid, goth, level about a girl dealing with demons from her past.
Difficulty: 2
Probably the easiest level in Batch 1, easier even than Monochromatic Jumping. Most screens are normal or hard.
Fairness: 10
There is either a save or an auto-save shift at the beginning of every screen. No random enemies are used. There are no surprise hazards.
Fun-factor: 2
In this case, the challenges weren't difficult or varied enough to be fun. They were very short. With a few exceptions, they felt out of place in an otherwise bleak and depressing world.
Quality: 7
The author poured their soul into this. I'm not a huge fan of goth/gloomy/morbid/depressing things, but those who are would love this. My biggest complaint is that it's too short.

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THE WORLD FINAL VERSION (EMMORY V): More than one game in one.
[Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Misc]
"Hello welcome to my game! BUT be warned... this game is no easy game!"
Difficulty: 5
The actual challenges in this level are normal/hard. However, the author uses so many invisible deaths that it is indeed lunatic. Challenges range from absurdly easy jumps to impossible-to-navigate trick death rooms.
Fairness: 1
This level is absolutely unfair. Just touching the wrong tile can kill you in several screens with no warning, rhyme or reason.
Fun-factor: 2
I don't enjoy unfair challenges or levels, and there's nothing else redeeming about this.
Quality: 1
The author spent a long time creating an in-game "menu" allowing the player to revisit areas and listen to various musical tracks, but the actual challenge/game portion is limited to 10 or so screens utilizing default tilesets in haphazard surrealist patterns. The is no story to speak of, no additional tilesets, and no additional content at all except a few callbacks to "Don't eat the mushroom."

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Invisable Coin[sic](MelvonDD): Two sided blank space, open mind trick.
[Easy/Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Environmental]
This is a minimalist black-and-white jump challenge with the tiniest wrapper of an existentialism-based story.
Difficulty: 6
"Invisable Coin" is innocuously hard. It starts out with some very simple easy-difficulty jumps, and slowly works the player up to a few lunatic-level jump challenges.
Fairness: 8
This level is mostly fair, but does rely on a few trick jumps that players may not be familiar with, and could use an extra save point or two during long streteches of challenges. There are a few instances of off-screen platformers the player needs to jump to.
Fun-factor: 7
I enjoyed this level a lot, if only because it taught me a few trick jumps I didn't already know. It's actually making me consider authoring a level specifically aimed teaching players these types of jumps.
Quality: 4
There is little more here. The tileset is as minimalist as could be, consisting of only black and white squares. There is some custom music and the tiniest writings for a story. It doesn't try to be anything more.

Tower of Babylon (Mateus Dalmedico Gessoni): Can Juni climb the tallest of towers?
[Lunatic][Medium][Challenge]
Juni must trick-jump her way to the top of a tower.
Difficulty: 10
This level has probably the hardest JUMPS I've played in at level so far. Every single one of them I would classify as a "trick jump." Many I didn't even realize were possible and most of them took me dozens of tries to finish.
Fairness: 4
I don't believe there were any actual enemies in this level, and save points were frequent. However, there was absolutely NO lead-up to the challenging jumps; the author just kind of throws you in the deep end. And as I said above, almost every single jump was a "trick jump" meaning that even I, a seasoned Lunatic-Level player, couldn't reliably recreate them more than 10% of them time. Also, every missed jump results in death.
Fun-factor: 3
It is rewarding, but it's also VERY frustrating. I don't think the rewarding feeling of accomplishing these particular trick jumps outweighs the frustration.
Quality: 4
It uses all default tilesets, default music, and the bare minimum of a story.

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Regina's Adventure (Purple Pineapple): She isn't very good at listening.
[Very Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge]
An underground adventure exploring the enormous world and overcoming challenges.
Difficulty: 7
This level starts out VERY tame, and the entire first half I would categorize as exploration/easy. There are entire sections devoid of hazards or hurdles entirely. However, there is a STEEP increase in difficulty about halfway through, and the level quickly moves from Easy/Normal to Very Hard/Lunatic
Fairness: 6
I find the steep increase in difficulty unfair in and of itself. I can see some less-skilled players trying it out, finding it easy enough, and getting very invested in the level before suddenly finding themselves unable to progress. Additionally, this level relied on a lot of random monster behavior to progress, in some cases forcing the player to wait for monsters to move into the right place before progression was possible. Save points were thankfully frequent, though there were one or two areas I thought could've used one. Also, several times I didn't know where to go and backtracked many screens before realizing I had screwed up.
Fun-factor: 6
Most of the challenges were fun enough, and incorporated into the world well. There were a couple of screens I felt were more frustrating and unfair than challenging, but there were also a few where the player just needs to learn "the trick" to progressing, which I enjoyed. I never enjoy invisible maze screens, and about 15% of the level constituted one enormous "invisible maze".
Quality: 6
It's clear a lot of effort went into this large level. While there are a lot of default tilesets, there are a few custom ones as well. There were some fun custom objects, and a few intertwined stories.

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The Healer (Pale Imitation): Juni's friend is seriously ill!
[Hard/Very Hard][Large][Challenge]
Juni crosses the land in search of someone to save her friend. This is an older level, and it shows.
Difficulty: 2
"Very Hard" is probably the correct difficulty for it. All of the difficulty comes from enemy monsters and from long stretches without saves; I don't believe there are any tricky jumps at all and no real uniqueness to the challenges. I believe difficulty should arise organically from challenges; not because of infrequent save points.
Fairness: 4
Because the difficulty is mostly monster-based, there is quite a bit of luck and randomness involved. There were also some unfair invisible (black-on-black) enemies, some surprise deaths, some deaths right off screen, and very infrequent save points. This probably could have had 10x the number of save points and felt natural. On the topic of save points, it almost seems like an oversight how few there are during difficult trials.
Fun-factor: 4
The challenges are never difficult enough to feel frustrating (except for the lack of save points). There are at least two boss fights which are always fun in Knytt Stories.
Quality: 6
It uses some custom tilesets and music, and the author built a large world and put a lot of effort in. It has a very open "classic Knytt Stories" feel to it, which in 2020, brings back a bit of nostalgia. It's also very unpolished; there are wallswims, long stretches of flat terrain, sudden screens with too many enemies, and entire side-challenge sections with no reward or goal for completing them. But I think it still overall lands as a positive, fun experience, if only because of the AMAZING cutscenes which are top quality and hilarious. 

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Who Kidnaps The Knytts? (Dr. Korbin): Find out who kidnaps the Knytts.
[Hard][Large][Challenge/Puzzle]
This is as an exploration level first and foremost with some fun mazes and mental challenges. There are a few difficult acrobatic/platformer challenges near the end. I posted a full review on this level in its dedicated thread when it was launched.
Difficulty: 3
80% of this level is "Easy/Normal." The last 20% is "Hard" with a few challenges maybe bordering on "Very Hard." (Reading my old review, I seemed to have found it much more difficult. I guess I've improved with age.)
Fairness: 8
Very frequent saves. Mostly monster challenges, until the end. If you reach the "bad" ending, the game gives you the ability to go back and try for the others without redoing most of the level.
Fun-factor: 6
This is a very fun level, and the challenges are very fun, but if exploration isn't your thing, you will not enjoy this. You have to spend ~2 hours exploring an "Easy/Normal" map before you hit any challenges at all which isn't going to be for everyone.
Quality: 8
Custom music. Nicely designed "classic Knytt" areas. Excellent maps and mental challenges. Some of the few mazes I've actually enjoyed navigating. This level has some excellent technical shift work, and features two fully-realized water pouring puzzles, a compelling story, multiple endings, and takes itself seriously, but not too seriously.

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Deep Freeze (Ultigonio): An Underwater Rescue Mission
[Very Hard][Large][Puzzle/Challenge]
Juni descends into an underwater lab to rescue the Golden Creatures, and encounters a multitude of unique challenges along the way.
Difficulty: 4
This level starts off around "Normal" and slowly works its way up to "Very Hard."
Fairness: 10
This level has frequent saves and a gentle learning curve. There are a few random monsters.
Fun-factor: 10
In terms of challenges, this level is an absolute JOY to play. Ultigonio creates a entirely new, unique mechanic that flows seemlessly into Knytt Stories. Every challenge is different, and builds slightly on the challenges that came before. As I stated in my original review, this level is "money-worthy," so to speak.
Quality: 8
Custom music, sound effects, custom objects, a "custom" mechanic, and a few custom tilesets give this level a unique, unforgettable feel. Having said that, it's really one or two minimalist tilesets used over and over again. There's nothing really artistic/scenic here. Also, on all my playthroughs, I seem to find new wallswims and voids.

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Gehenna (Salmoneus): Tormented, Unhallowed, Dead
[Very Hard/Lunatic][Large][Challenge]
A short, dark challenge about Juni trying escape death.
Difficulty: 8
This is Lunatic-difficult but really only for one reason: lack of saves. I was originally very frustrated with it; but I added a bunch of saves and found it to be closer Hard-level. There are some trick jumps which aren't too difficult (and are actually fun) provided you don't have to repeat them 100 times because you can't figure out the final one.
Fairness: 2
Infrequent saves and a lot of trick jumps with deaths, and some challeneges that literally require random luck, make this feel very unfair. A few invisible enemies and invisible deaths added to the unfairness. I am not a fan of this type of challenge; I believe challenges should be organically challenging, not feel difficult because of having to repeat the same trick-jumps.   
Fun-factor: 4
There was a boss fight that I found very fun (and did not need to add saves for) but otherwise I found this more frustrating than anything.
Quality: 6
Custom graphics, and music. A little gothy story, if you're into that sort of thing.

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As I closed my Eyes (Linus): A small story
[Lunatic][Medium][Challenge/Environmental]
A short little "classic Knytt Stories" level with a lot of trick jumps.
Difficulty: 8
This is Lunatic-difficult due to a high number of trick jumps; mostly corner-jumps and a few put-the-umbrella-away jumps. I am terrible at these jumps and had to cheat in order to bypass one of them.
Fairness: 8
Frequent saves, forgiving (non-death) jumps, and almost no enemies to speak of, made this a lot less frustrating than it could have been.   
Fun-factor: 8
I enjoyed this level; I enjoyed how the jumps were incorporated into the world. I even found it to be a little bit of a puzzle, trying to determine how exactly to reach certain areas. There are a few misdirection-puzzles that lead you towards impossible jumps and you have to find the correct way around them.
Quality: 6
No custom graphics or music, and only the shortest resemblance of a story. However, the "Classic Knytt Stories" feel is done well and the jumps are well-incorporated into the world.

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The Tower (Zetim)
[Hard][Large][Maze/Puzzle]
Invisible mazes, invisible platforms, invisible shifts, you're never quite sure what's what in this level. I do not believe this level was finished, as I reached some "unfinished areas" and could not progress, even with the level editor. No ending scene was created. This is a shame as some real work went into this level.
Difficulty: 8
"Hard" is the appropriate difficulty for the platforming challenges, however the invisible mazes and trick deaths are make this a solidly Lunatic challenge. I actually cheated to reach some of the later areas as the invisible mazes were beyond frustrating.
Fairness: 3
Many off-screen deaths, trick deaths and many uncertain solid platforms. At first, the author seems to be trying to trick the player into dying instead of providing legitimate challenges, but then you sort of realize that that's just what this level is about. Thankfully there are generally plenty of saves. There are many spike challenges that don't cue the player in on where the spikes are, and many platformer challenges that don't show the player the platforms (or even what's solid) which are also good for unfair-feeling deaths.
Fun-factor: 3
Hope you like invisible mazes, spike traps, gravestones, and guessing which platforms are solid... sometimes all on the same screen. If so, this is the level for you! I personally did not find these challenges fun. There was a Invisible Maze bossfight, though, and bossfights in Knytt Stories are always fun.
Quality: 5
This level needs a lot of polish, and it needs to be finished, but the saving grace is that there was some excellent custom art (including an animated cutscene!) and a few UNIQUE ideas that I hadn't seen recreated in other levels. I'd certainly never seen an "Invisible Maze" adapted into a bossfight before.

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Juni's Nightmare (David C. and Sergio Cornaga): That night, she has a horrible dream...
[Normal/Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
Juni has a horrible nightmare in this unique arthouse piece. Sergio Cornaga breathes intrigue and excitement into a surrealist idea by David C.
Difficulty: 4
This is a really hard level to gauge. There is one ridiculously hard, lunatic level challenge, while all of the rest are more or less "normal" at worst. In fact, reaching the first ending is "Easy" and I'm not sure there's anything that can really even kill you (that isn't supposed to).
Fairness: 10
I don't find anything unfair about this level at all. Save points are frequent, there are no "random" monsters, and most of the challenges are easy enough to get on one or two tries. The hard one takes a few tries but it does have a savepoint on the same screen as it.
Fun-factor: 4
The level itself is fairly fun, but the challenges themselves aren't really challenging or unique enough to be fun on their own, and that's what this review is all about. It does get a slight bonus for having one of the only challenges involving an intentional wallswim.
Quality: 10
Everything else in this level is top-notch... the themes, the callbacks, the art, the custom objects, the tilesets, the music, the sounds. There's even two references to my own levels in there. It's short enough; go play it.

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Silver Lining (version 1)(Yohji): An essay on optimism.[/i]
[Easy][Small][Misc]
Washed up on a small desert island, Juni tries to escape a number of mundane deaths.
Difficulty: 1
If you know how to play Knytt Stories, you should be able to complete this level. There is one very small section of easy platform jumps.
Fairness: 5
How can such an easy level be unfair at all? Most of this level involves shifts, decisions, and player deaths that end the game. There seem to be about a dozen ways to get "bad" endings (although to be fair, part of the intended fun is finding these endings) and only one convoluted way to get the "good" ending. With each ending, the player is returned to the menu and has to re-click (and often erase-and-restart) in order to progress. This would feel a lot more fair if the player could "restart" with an in-level shift at an end screen.
Fun-factor: 1
I'm not saying the level isn't fun (it is!) but this review thread is about the enjoyment of platforming challenges, which this level just doesn't have. If you want platforming challenges, look elsewhere. If you want a fun little morbid nonsensical adventure, try this level.
Quality: 6
There are some custom tilesets and a lot of custom endings. A little bit of work went into this, and the right audience might find this a blast to play. It harkens back to the old Sierra Point-and-Click adventure games where anything could kill you and finding all of the deaths was part of the fun.

Paradise Lost was definitely my favorite of the bunch. Thank you very much for suggesting it! I can see where your inspiration comes from; it felt very much like a "Talps" level (though without your polish). My favorite area BY FAR was the "Abandoned Tower" section at the beginning. We've talked about linear design that really makes you feel like you're part of a larger world, and I think that section in particular handled it fabulously. I liked how the progression upwards felt organic, how most floors had extra rooms/offices to explore, and how the offices slowly got bigger and more elaborate as the player progressed upwards. The rest of the level was fun enough, and the challenges were mostly enjoyable, but it never had -quite- that same polish.

Okay, I've never heard about this level until now? By happenstance, I looked in that KS+ post and found an UNRELEASED LEVEL by you! Seriously I need a comprehensive Talps' level list. This is absolutely going to be played and reviewed soon. EDIT: Oh, I see, it was never finished. Too bad, it was a solid concept!

Who Kidnaps The Knytts?
I disagree with your evaluation of it's fairness and/or difficulty level. I had to quit part way through (I'm guessing a bit more than halfway?) due to a precise platforming area, but even before that, locations of some keys and code pieces didn't seem reasonably possible without consulting the editor. And in addition, those same challenges involved extremely precise platforming if you could even conceive of their locations on your own.

You're absolutely right. Let me first say that my evaluation of Who Kidnaps the Knytts was based on a playthrough of hitting one ending (not the best ending, but still somewhat satisfying) and finding no keys. Secondly, with this critique, you've already openned up two problems with trying to boil down "Difficulty" to a single number.

The first is: how to address "bonus" content, such as secrets or optional endings. (This isn't limited to Knytt Stories, even a AAA title like Borderlands 3 or Diablo 2 varies wildly in difficulty between the The Main Story(tm) and the optional end-game content). What do we even decide is "bonus" content vs. The Main Story(tm), when the best ending is hidden behind layers of secrets and hidden keys? This isn't relegated to poorly designed stories, either, Fubaka's Cosmic Meltdown has nearly 60% of the level hidden behind secrets and keys; there's an entire separate set of secret challenges to reach the "good" ending, and layers of secrets beyond that to reach the "final" ending. So in the end, I think it's a personal decision on what to include. I included Fubaka's bonus content because (1) I had never played through it before and this was as good an excuse as any and (2) I think the level's true enjoyability doesn't really come out until you play through it in that fashion. For Who Kidnaps the Knytts and most of these other levels, I played through them one time, found a (proper) ending, and based my review on that. For what it's worth, Who Kidnaps the Knytts at least allows the player to go back and find the keys without replaying 80% of the level, unlike Cosmic Meltdown, where the player does have to start from scratch to get the "good" ending.

The second problem is: how do we assess non-platformer difficulty? The purpose of my reviews has been to emphasize the platformer challenges: namely, those portions that rely on player skill to complete ("How much player skill is necessary to complete all challenges?") Things like traditional mazes, invisible mazes, water-pouring puzzles, hidden rooms, hidden keys, shift puzzles, or even math puzzles simply aren't things I'm assessing here. Maybe I should, but my reasoning is that anyone CAN solve these. Finding hidden rooms is generally more about player diligence than player skill. I'm also pretty bad at finding secrets and I usually need to consult the editor to find 50% of a given level's secrets.

When you say: (Reading my old review, I seemed to have found it much more difficult. I guess I've improved with age.) I would hope you evaluate difficulty in the place of an average or the majority of KS players as much as possible as opposed to your personal experience as an adept. Though, to be honest, I haven't had many opportunities to exercise such Platonic contemplation and restraint myself, so I'm not sure how difficult it actually is.

I am trying to be objective, but I think player skill is mostly "muscle memory" and practice, and its difficult to tell whether something is objectively hard or it's just something I'm particularly bad at. For one, I have a LOT of trouble with close-the-umbrella-mid-jump-then-open-it-again manuevers. Some people may be better at it. I've watched Don Doli struggle with some challenges I found to be a piece of cake, but he makes those umbrella jumps look super easy.

I've also gone back and looked at my first reviews and I sort of want to tweak them... Part of the problem is that I was originally gauging this 100% based on Lunatic and anything less than Lunatic was under 5, but now that I'm out of Lunatic Levels and going into Very Hard and Hard levels, I kind of want more granularity. I've got a lot of 4s (Very Hard) but I do think that encompasses a wide range of difficulty and doesn't accurately do them justice.

Juni's Nightmare
Just wanted to mention I ascribe to a 'one drop' definition of difficulty. If in a giant easy level, there is one lunatic challenge that cannot be bypassed in order to achieve a normal ending, it's a lunatic level in my eyes.

That's absolutely valid. And I -generally- feel the same way. In fact, one of Sergio Cornaga's other levels, This is not 30 Levels gets a Lunatic mark for one single jump. I think though, there are screens like the laser trap in Juni's Nightmare that appear Lunatic at first glance, and maybe they can be overcome by sheer platforming skill, but after learning "the trick" they become much easier, especially with practice. For instance, I've found that in this laser screen, it CAN be beaten through sheer speed by running back and forth over all 6 buttons. However, it becomes MUCH easier, if you run back and forth over the left 3 buttons first, then run back and forth over the right three buttons, to the point where when I played it last, I beat it on the second try.

Silver Lining
I knew this might make me appear foolish when I recommended it. I know I just need to be more creative or more patient, but I've spent hours trying to figure out the correct sequence of shift progression and exploration required to get a good ending to no avail. I think difficulty encompasses more than just platforming and enemy dodging precision. I wish someone would stream this so I can figure it out.

This gets back up to the second point above: how do we assess non-platformer difficulty? Silver Lining is difficult to complete, there is no doubt, but it's just as difficult for a seasoned Lunatic veteran, as it is for someone brand new to the game. Platformer skill has nothing to do with it. To illustrate that point further, take a look at my attached screenshot. This is a screen from one of my own unreleased levels. It's literally a math puzzle in KS. You might be a math professor with arthritis and this is piece of cake for you, but you can barely finish Tutorial. Or you might be an 11 year old Mario Maker champ and find Dark Sea II a piece of cake, but this math puzzle is super difficult. My point is, there is simply no comparison to other KS levels and how easy or difficult it is; it's just its own mental puzzle.

Silver Lining is the same way. What MAY give someone an edge here, is being a KS level designer, and knowing how SHIFTS work. I don't remember exactly how to complete the level, but I think it requires starting several actions but not completing them. Remember that every SHIFT teleports Juni to a brand new screen, that may or may not be linked to other brand new screens.

The Tower
You might know this, but although there is no ending scene, there is a reachable win tile with a default "You Win" screen.

Gotcha. I did not reach it. I didn't even see it in the level editor, but I may go back and play it to find it.

This level has haunted me. It's satisfaction can be most understood not through it's gameplay nor by the supporting narrative or lived-in world, but by the experience you go through ascending into increasing bewilderment and ultimately madness. The experience feels similar to that elicited by internet golden-age horror copypastas or ARGs. As the creator of The Five Minute Hallway (neat level), I'm surprised you may not have noticed a similar possible inspiration.

It remains, in my mind, one of the hidden, unsung important levels of KS. I think everyone should play this once they know they enjoy the game, have developed decent skill at it and have a good knowledge of how to view the editor. I have no shame in using the editor or otherwise cheating past some parts. I don't think it diminished the experience for me.

That's fair, and I'm very glad that you were able to get some real enjoyment out of that level. I did, too, but I guess I was too focused on the challenges to appreciate the storytelling. I did love getting the eye, though. This whole level would be an EXCELLENT candidate to polish, fix, and re-release, for sure.

Cyborg Juni (Sephie)
[N/A]
Cyborg Juni must complete a series of platformer challenges to prove her worth as a Cyborg.
Difficulty: 4
There's a lot of platforming challenges, but I don't think this level quite passes from Very Hard into Lunatic territory, though it does skirt the line. The level is fairly consistently Hard and Very Hard from the very beginning 
Fairness: 7
This level has enough save-points and is fairly straight-forward but it loses points for three reasons: It teases the player with impossible save points, it utilizes an inordinate amount of hidden spikes, forcing the player to die more often than not in order to trigger them and see where they are, and it utilizes a fair amount of invisible platforms that the player doesn't see until nearby. 
Fun-factor: 7
I found this level a lot of fun as far as platforming challenges go. There were a few puzzle-jumps where I had to figure out the proper way to execute a jump, and overall I never found it frustrating or unfair, and found it somewhat rewarding.
Quality: 5
This level uses no custom tilesets, no custom art, and only a minor story (which is very derivative of Portal), but the custom (probably copywrited) 8-bit music is absolutely phenomenal. It really gives the level a fun sense of nostalgia. However, the author made absolutely NO attempt to avoid Voids or Wallswims, and they're accessible in almost every screen and there were a few places where I believe the layering was incorrect, allowing the player to bypass challenges altogether.

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Exquisite Knorpse (Pyoko Crew): A community created level.
[Lunatic][Large][Challenge/Misc]
Juni explores a disjointed, disorganized world and overcomes challenges to find all of the powerups. The intro implies the level was created by many authors, and then stitched together.
Difficulty: 4
This is a difficult level to gauge, due to its disjointed nature, and because of one single unique challenge. The difficulty is all over the map: there are entire environmental sections with no enemies, many sections with sparse enemies, one or two sections just filled with enemies, and a few challenge-runs here and there. There was at least one challenge that I was unable to beat entirely without cheating; I suspect the author had a key-repeating keyboard, which I do not. With such a tool, I don't think it would have been too hard, but setting aside that one single challenge, I would still gauge this as "Very Hard."
Fairness: 2
Most of the challenge in this level comes from avoiding random enemies and navigating mazes. There are two sections that wouldn't look out of place in a "Lunatic" level, though in practice they are more intimidating than difficult. One ultimately comes down to luck, as all the enemies are randomized, and the other involves navigating while wallswimming, which I was completely unable to do with my keyboard, and had to bypass entirely. Yet another section involved precise double-jumps in an area with seemingly random "no jump" squares. Near the end was an area with simple, consecutive flat screens with random enemies deposited. 
Fun-factor: 2
I did not really enjoy any of the challenges in this level. I thought the wallswim challenge was a neat idea, but in practice, it is almost impossible to move "down" (which this challenge required) without the correct hardware. Mostly I found the other challenges boiled down to boring enemy avoidance and random luck.
Quality: 3
It's pretty apparent that this level is by different authors. There's no rhyme or reason to the layout, the story is nonsensical at best, and there are wallswims EVERYWHERE and frequent voids. Many routes lead to dead-ends and it's often difficult to tell where you're supposed to go next. There's a red key door that just goes... nowhere. There were at least two game-breaking situations that I was forced to cheat my way through: one was the aforementioned wallswim challenge, and the other was a shift that save-shifted me one screen wrong into a void.

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Paradise Last [sic] (Johnny): Find the code. Save the world.
[Normal/Hard][Large][Challenge]
She-who-climbs-like-Ivy must explore the world, overcoming many challenges, to save her home from destruction.
Difficulty:4
I consider this a fairly solid Very Hard level. It's consistent in difficulty, from the beginning to the end, with challenges progressing as they ought to as the player obtains powerups.
Fairness: 8
There are a lot of great platform challenges in this level, and only a minor reliance on random enemies in certain areas. It loses two points, one for a challenge that probably should have a LOT easier save for what I suspect was the wrong tile being used, and two, because many of the shifts that are supposed to save the player from the tedium of backtracking simply do not work.
Fun-factor: 9
I found these challenges a LOT of fun to play. They are well-incorporated into the world, and flow with the scenery and music well. They are generally just long enough to be rewarding and rarely feel frustrating or boring.
Quality: 9
This is an excellent level! Completely custom tilesets, custom music, an intruiging storyline, and great worldbuilding make this level a JOY to play. One of the earliest areas (The Forgotten Tower) might be one of my favorite areas in a KS, ever. Other locations don't quite hit that high, and there were several misaligned shifts that either deposited me in walls or did nothing at all. A void here, a wallswim there, it could use some polish, but overall, a memorable and fun challenge level, especially for when it was created.

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Upper Levels (Talps): Cut scenes from 'I Dreamed of the Sky'
[Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
Avoid lasers and spikes in this short bonus level.
Difficulty:4
Consistently and solidly Very Hard. In the intro, the author boasts he can beat this short level without dying at all. Can I? Nope, dead on the third screen. Died about a dozen times total, MOSTLY while trying to avoid the follower robot.
Fairness: 9
There are plenty of save points and no random enemies whatsoever, but there are few places early on where the spike locations aren't broadcast well and it's easy to die to a surprise death.
Fun-factor: 7
If you like platformer challenges, I think you will enjoy this level. Having said that, there's nothing challenge-wise that's particularly unique or puzzling. Jump around, avoid the lasers, avoid the enemies.
Quality: 6
TO BE FAIR this is an (unused) excerpt from a solidly 10/10 level, complete with excellent story-telling, custom art, the works. HOWEVER, judging Upper Levels purely on its own merits, none of that is apparent. We have some custom tilesets and some excellent custom objects but there's no story, no world-building, and very little that's otherwise memorable on its own.

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This Is Not Thirty Levels (Sergio Cornaga): There is nothing misleading about this title.
[Hard/Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
Overcome Sergio's most devilish creations in this small challenge level. I highly recommend playing "Hard," and not "Very Hard." They are the same in every way, except one VERY UNFAIR screen.
Difficulty:5
Everything in this level is "Hard" at most, except for ONE challenge that I would honestly call "Lunatic." The problem with it is that it requires not just skill, but frame-perfect timing AS WELL AS perfect luck. No one really has the skill to execute a frame-perfect jump either, so it really all comes down to luck. You just jump and jump and hope you get lucky and hit the Yellow Key. If you do get lucky and execute the PERFECT jump, the player is able to obtain the key by one single pixel.
Fairness: 5
This would be 10/10 for fairness, except for the aforementioned frame-perfect challenge. Due to the way the game is coded, Juni's height off the ground is constantly fluctuating. You don't realize it, but she is contantly bobing up and down. This impacts your jump height by up to 3 pixels. (http://www.ksruns.com/resources/KS_TASers_Handbook.pdf, pg 24-26) Combine that with requiring a frame-perfect jump, and the player can jump up and down for twenty minutes and never get the key. This is beyond frustrating and should maybe be included as a "Bonus Ending" instead of as a necessary challenge to beat the level.
Fun-factor: 7
On Hard, I'd probably rate this at 9/10. On Very Hard, 5/10. Evens out to 7. Other than the Yellow Key Challenge, most of the challenges are somewhat unique and fun to complete.
Quality: 7
As usual, Sergio picks an EXCELLENT ambient soundtrack and creates a fun, cohesive, expierence. While the tilesets are minimalist, it helps emphasize the challenges and creates a memerable experience.

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Don't Stop Running (Kyodo): Or else.
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Don't stop running in this song-synced level as you navigate difficult, stressful challenges.
Difficulty: 6
I would rate this as a Lunatic level. No one screen is particularly difficult, but they fact that the level strings together so many levels in a cohesive way makes the whole thing feel like one large, difficult challenge.
Fairness: 7
This would be 10/10 for fairness, except that it is 100+ screens of challenges with ZERO save points. While this would normally rate it much lower, for this level, that's really intentional and sort of unavoidable to keep the feel. It loses another two points of fairness because you can not get the "Good" ending without doing this TWICE.
Fun-factor: 8
This level is just a blast to play. I love how the music syncs up perfectly with the challenges and powerup-pickups. Having said that, the lack of save points does make it a bit frustrating. After beating it once, I went back and added one save point per zone. The music de-syncs, but it's worth it.
Quality: 8
While it only uses a generic tileset, the music syncs up perfectly with the challenges and powerup-pickups over the course of 100+ screens. The author put a lot of effort into making it all work cohesively.

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Pumpt it! Chill out (Sergio Cornaga & Ultigonio): Don't Stop Pumping! Or Maybe Don't Start...
[Hard/Normal][Small][Challenge/Puzzle]
Two challenge paths: The exciting path (Pump It!) is very derivative of Don't Stop Running while the calm path (Chill out!) is a classic Ultigonio shift/trigger challenge reminiscient of his other works like Deep Freeze.
Difficulty:3
Pump It! is a soldly hard challenge. If "Don't Stop Running" is too stressful for you, try Pump It! for something smoother, easier, less frustrating, but also quite a bit shorter.
Chill Out is an Easy/Normal challenge that I think you can accomplish with little to no platforming skill and just a little bit of problem solving.
Fairness: 10
Nothing about this level feels unfair at all. Plenty of save points, no random monsters, it's very forgiving.
Fun-factor: 8
I actually love both paths of this level. Pump it! Is so much more accessible than "Don't Stop Running!" but really captures the same feel and effect, while Chill Out offers a tiny glimpse into Ultigonio's style of unique challenges.
Quality: 7
This only uses generic tilesets, and two custom music tracks. There's not much artistic here, though syncing the music up to match Pump It! is impressive. I actually wish both challenges were a little bit longer (though I realize this was created for a two-week challenge event).

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Monocromatica Grotta (B Man): Courage is not the absence of fear.
[Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
Move quickly and complete challenges in this short black and white level.
Difficulty:3
This is a soldly hard challenge, but it borders on Very Hard. To be fair, I personally have a lot of practice with it. I play Monocromatica Grotta any time I haven't played Knytt Stories for a while and need to jump back in and remember my skills.
Fairness: 9
Plenty of save points, no random monsters, but there are one or two tight squeezes where it's easy to feel like your success comes down to luck rather than skill.
Fun-factor: 7
While short, the challenges are fun. They are also a little simple.
Quality: 5
There's no story, no custom music, no custom tilesets. However, the level is well put-together, has a decent minimalist feel, and to my knowledge, there are no voids or wallswims.

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Probability Laser (BloxMaster)
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Enjoy some unique challenges in this tiny pixel-perfect level.
Difficulty:3
This is somewhere between Normal and Hard. I honestly believe some of Nifflas' screens are more difficult than this.
Fairness: 10
Plenty of save points, no random monsters. While there are a few "trick" deaths, you get a save point on every screen and once you realize the rules of this tiny world you'll see there's nothing unfair or nefarious.
Fun-factor: 7
While short and somewhat easy, the challenges are just unique enough to make it fun.
Quality: 8
There's no story and no custom music, but the custom tileset was created with specific hazards in mind, and changes the nature of a few of them.

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Content Load Success (BloxMaster)
[Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
Enjoy some geometric challenges in this small abstract level.
Difficulty:3
This is somewhere between Normal and Hard. I honestly believe some of Nifflas' screens are more difficult than this.
Fairness: 9
Plenty of save points, no random monsters. There are a few "trick" offscreen deaths, and a few places where it's not clear how to progress. The progression tricks are part of the charm.
Fun-factor: 6
I actually enjoyed finding the hidden paths and some of the trick jumps. There were a few challenges that looked impossible at first, before realizing that there is an easy albeit unapparent solution.
Quality: 7
There's no story at all and no custom music, but the custom tileset was created with specific hazards in mind and works well in a modernist abstract kind of way. Given the twists and turns in this level, I'm still not sure I've found everything there is to find, especially after looking through the editor.

Dark Sea (SecretGlitch): ...where an oil plant is!
[Very Hard][Medium][Challenge]
Juni must venture into the undersea lab to shut off the machine.
Difficulty: 6
This level is more difficult than it lets on. Not nearly as bad as Dark Sea 2, but still solidly Lunatic in my opinion.
Fairness: 7
This level loses points for multiple invisible drops, surprise deaths, and long stretches without save spots.
Fun-factor: 8
Challenge-wise, this is a fun level. There are a handful of unique challenges sprinkled around.
Quality: 5
This level is good, but its almost a copied-homework replica of Nifflas' An Underwater Adventure. Its the same tileset, same story, default music, and similar themes. Both have water-level crate puzzles, lights that go out obscuring the path ahead, and even a reality-altering section with a strange machine.

The Oubliette (dessgeega): Listen: the gentle tick of the mechanism
[Normal][Small][Challenge]
Escape the claustraphobic French prison, avoiding spike and mashers.
Difficulty: 2
As advertised, this challenge is accurately and consistantly "Normal."
Fairness: 9
Plenty of save points, no random monsters, and predictable hazards, this only loses a point because there is one place where the spikes aren't well broadcast ahead of time.
Fun-factor: 7
The challenges, though relatively easy, remain fun and keep the player's attention. The unorthodox tileset makes solutions less than obvious, and there's at least one unique challenge in here that I haven't seen replicated elsewhere.
Quality: 9
I can't quite explain why, but I love this tiny level. The custom music and minimalist tileset help create an odd combination of morbid whimsy. The one-sentance intro instantly resonantes despair, while the one-sentence ending elicits a giddy sense of disobedience.

Torchlight (dessgeega): Where there is a light, nearby are shadows.
[Normal][Small][Challenge/Misc]
A rare example of a high quality invisible maze.
Difficulty: 1
This challenge is consistently "Easy" with one screen I might call "Normal."
Fairness: 9
This level takes place almost entirely in an invisible maze, but it never feels unfair or frustrating, and hazards are still well-broadcast. There is one section that I feel could use an extra save-point.
Fun-factor: 7
The challenges, though easy, are fun and keep the player's attention. It's a unique example of an invisible maze that works, which I think adds to the fun factor.
Quality: 7
The unique tileset works very well here, but there is no custom music. The story is minimalist, and while the intro is a bit immersive, there is no ending which leaves the player feeling a bit bland.

Industrial Trap (SecretGlitch): Escape is not Easy.
[Very Hard][Small][Challenge/Puzzle]
Juni must escape a dangerous industrial factory, overcoming very difficult puzzling platformer challenges.
Difficulty: 9
This is a tough level! Do not try it at home! I was able to get the "bad" ending with cheats or editor look-ups, however, it is a tough lunatic level. There is a secret area that I had to look in the editor for, and it was, somehow, even tougher. I did cheat and give myself and extra few saves in this portion just out of sheer frustration, but I did manage to accomplish every challenge.
Fairness: 8
This level is actually very fair. There are save points before every challenge. It loses a point for one instance of random shooting enemies, and another point for difficult-to-see hazards in the secret area.
Fun-factor: 10
I think these challenges were a blast to play! They really are platformer puzzles, and for each one, I had to think about how to approach it, and in most cases, execute it perfectly. The author really has a knack for these things.
Quality: 6
There is a custom tileset, but no custom music and the art and story are quite generic.

Going Left (SecretGlitch)
[N/A]
Juni must go left, no matter how many Lunatic-level hazards stand in her way.
Difficulty: 10
True to the author's reputation, this is an insanely difficult level! I was able to get the "bad" ending with adding save-points only, but I absolutely could not beat the Lunatic-level secret ending without KS+ cheats.
Fairness: 4
Unfortunately, there are a number of challenges here that feel unfair. There are invisible deaths, but those mostly fit in with the theme. There are several screens where the user must cross random-speed spiky mashers that are completely hidden, and a few others that rely on lucky timing from random spayers. On top of these challenges, are lasers and marbles, so it's very difficult to feel like it doesn't rely on a bit of luck.
Fun-factor: 6
The challenges in the main level were mostly fun. There was nothing too unique or head-scrathing about them, most of them were just straightforward, albeit difficult, platformer challenges.
Quality: 6
There is a minimalist custom tileset and one piece of custom music. The art and story are quite generic, although a little bit humorous at times.

Advanced (SecretGlitch): Be a real game boy.
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Juni finds herself in an 8-bit hand-held world.
Difficulty: 3
This level is correctly marked "Hard." It's also very short.
Fairness: 8
There's a place or two that could use an extra save, and there is a (short) terminal-velocity challenge.
Fun-factor: 4
The novelty of the level is SUPER fun, but the challenges themselves are repetitive and boring. Basically every challenge involves avoiding spikes while clinging to the wall.
Quality: 8
The custom graphics, custom music, custom tileset, all work together PERFECTLY to make a FUN, IMPRESSIVE little level! The problem is, it is ENTIRELY too short, and there's really only one type of hazard here. If this was 4x as long and included some different hazards, it would be a very memorable level.

The Delicious Road (SecretGlitch): To Candy Town.
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Juni finds herself on a road made of candy.
Difficulty: 2
The difficulty of this level is closer to Normal.
Fairness: 10
No lost points for unfairness.
Fun-factor: 2
These challenges are not difficult, nor are they fun. It's generally a bunch of enemies placed on a mostly flat screen.
Quality: 3
There is a custom sound track and a custom tileset, but it feels like the author put very little effort into the level. Other than one or two chuckle-worthy gags near the end, there's not much here to enjoy.

Safety III Normal Hack (SecretGlitch): Atmospheric environment design!
[Normal/Hard][Challenge]
Juni waltzes right on through what should be much more difficult challenges.
Difficulty: 2
The difficulty of this level is Easy/Normal.
Fairness: 10
No lost points for unfairness.
Fun-factor: 2
These challenges were made so intentionally easy, they are simply not fun. It's obviously a challenge level where 99% of the hazards were removed. It feels like you're playing a Carnival Game where the operator is intentionally, sarcastically letting you win. There are also signs mocking the player for their choice in level.
Quality: 2
There are a few custom music tracks and a custom tileset, but they aren't really used effectively at all. There's almost nothing aesthetic or artistic about this level, unless you count the level itself as a statement for or against Lunatic levels.

Ascension (Farik)
[Hard][Challenge]
Juni explores a small but gorgeous valley, overcoming challenges to find the keys to ascension.
Difficulty: 3
The difficulty of this level is correctly labelled Hard, and is consistently Hard throughout the level.
Fairness: 9
There are no random monsters and all of the hazards are broadcast to the player well. There is one or two areas that I feel could use an extra save.
Fun-factor: 6
These challenges are well-incorporated into the world, although they are somewhat generic. There are a lot of similar spike-jumps.
Quality: 10
This is a GORGEOUS level, and could pass for Environmental if not for the Hazards. There are some beautiful custom tilesets, excellent music, great custom objects, and an artistic theme with two endings. It's also very short and more accessible.

One Screen Puzzle 4 (Purple Pineapple)
[Very Hard][Small][Challenge]
One single screen of difficult, seemingly impossible puzzles.
Difficulty: 4
The difficulty of this level is correctly labelled Very Hard, and is consistently such throughout the level.
Fairness: 8
There are no Random Monsters here, but the players needs a deep understanding of the Knytt Stories engine to accomplish some of these puzzles.
Fun-factor: 10
I absolutely loved these puzzles and challenges. They're somewhere between "Platformer Challenges" and "Puzzles," maybe something I might call "Platformer Puzzles." There were several items in here I thought were absolutely unique, and I learned a five or six things about monsters, the engine, and Knytt Stories mechanics in general.
Quality: 8
The author obviously has a deep unnderstanding of Knytt Stories from a technical perspective, and constructed a fun, bulletproof little puzzle. There were no custom tilesets or music, and nothing artistic about it, however.

Race to the Pumpkin Patch (Healy): Can you make it to the Pumpkin Patch?
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Juni must escape the monsters and reach the Pumpkin Patch.
Difficulty: 3
The difficulty of this level is Normal, maybe bordering on Hard, but is of consistent difficulty throughout the short level.
Fairness: 11
Is it possible to have TOO MANY savepoints? No, it's not. But if it were, Healy would fall into that category. I'm usually one for "A save point for every challenge screen" and here Healy has multiple save points per screen. There's even one where you have a savepoint at the end of one screen and then 4 tiles away you have a savepoint at the beginning of the next screen.
Fun-factor: 6
The music is fun and the challenges work well within the level, but unfortunately it's almost all the same type of challenge: avoiding the follower bots.
Quality: 7
The author is well known for making cute, fun little levels, and this is no exception. The environment is solid and well put together, the tilesets work well, the music is fun, and even the path that the player takes has them revisiting screens in different areas. It's very short but it's cute and it works well.

Amidst the Clouds (Secretglitch): <SCRAPPED>
[N/A]
Juni must traverse board an airship in this short level, overcoming difficult challenges.
Difficulty: 4
The difficulty of this level skirts the line between Hard and Very Hard difficulty.
Fairness: 9
This level is mostly fair, but there are a few places where traps aren't well broadcast (though you'll see later this is part of the charm), and a few places that require trial-and-error, but really nowhere that requires on luck.
Fun-factor: 7
The challenges were difficult enough to be fun and rewarding when completed. They were exceptionally well-incorporated into the design of the level, and a few of them required a thoughtful approach to solve. They weren't ESPECIALLY unqiue, but different enough to be fun. The level was long enough to feel like a full level, while still being short overall.
Quality: 8
The design of this level is excellent. There's a well-utilized custom tileset, custom music, some EXCELLENT custom objects, and the airship theme is especially fun. There's no story to speak of, though I think a single intro/outro screen would make this level feel fully-realized. One thing I especially loved is that author used custom objects to hide the sprites of several tried-and-true monsters, changing the feel of them from fantasy monsters to technological defenses. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been used more in Knytt Stories. Jumping around the airship, avoiding random propellers had a very Super Mario Bros 3 feel to it.

Normal Day for Juni (Purple Pineapple): Inspirted by Box Girl
[Hard/Very Hard][Medium][Challenge/Trick Jump]
Run and Jump through a minimalist linear level of difficult challenges and trick jumps.
Difficulty: 4
The difficulty of this level starts Hard and slowly works its way up through Very Hard difficulty, ending just shy of a Lunatic note.
Fairness: 8
This level is mostly fair, has enough save points, broadcasts all its traps well, and has only a few off-screen hazards. It utilized a lot of "sticky" and "no jump" tiles, but they were always broadcast well. There were several screens that used random enemies and a few screens that required precise jumps around the invisible-hitbox zapper enemies. 
Fun-factor: 5
The challenges were difficult enough to be fun and rewarding when completed, but there wasn't a ton here that was new. Considering that the author is well-known for exploiting the KS engine to the max, this level was very tame and straightforward by comparison. I personally don't particularly enjoy sticky/no-jump challenges.
Quality: 4
There's no custom music, no intro/outro, and maybe four tile types used. However, there was one excellent custom object used in all of the falling deaths which always elicitted a smile.

Bread World (Purple Pineapple): Juni - SAVE THAT BREAD!!!
[Normal/Hard][Small][Challenge]
Juni navigates a world full of bread, overcoming many tricks and intimidating challenges.
Difficulty: 3
This level has two paths, described as Normal and Hard. They are categorized properly, though the Hard does border on Very Hard.
Fairness: 7
This level is mostly fair, and has plenty of save points. There are a few places with invisible spikes, and at least one room full of teleporters that all kill you, though it's mostly done in good fun. One challenge I really enjoyed involved precise timing by the level creator to ensure that if you were always moving in one direction, you'd be safe. 
Fun-factor: 6
The Hard challenges were difficult enough to be fun and rewarding, and there were a few screens of unique challenges. If anything, it wasn't long enough and the challenges don't really mesh with the surrealist, cartoony nature of the setting.
Quality: 4
There's no custom music, the tiniest cartoon of a story, and a very wierd but boring tileset. I don't think there were any custom objects.

Prison Break (Purple Pineapple): Juni's gumball stealing catches up to her
[Normal][Small][Challenge/Misc]
Juni must break the level and exploit glitches to properly escape hard time.
Difficulty: 1-5
This is a very unique level, and difficult to gauge. If played start-to-finish, a player can reach the ending and see almost every screen without anything harder than "Easy." However, to reach some of the bonus endings, the player needs a deep understanding of Knytt Mechanics, making it at least Very Hard if not Lunatic to reach the toughest ending.
Fairness: 10
This unique level is also difficult to gauge on fairness. You can reach a proper end and see most screens in a perfectly fair, easy way, but finding anything else requries a seasoned Knytt Stories player who knows how to find secrets and glitch the game. Still, since that's what this level is supposed to be, and many of the harder glitches have visual and mechanical clues, I think it's perfectly fair.
Fun-factor: 9
I really felt like this level was immensely fun. At first I didn't know what to expect, and was trying to legitimately break the level, before realizing that the author wasn't just one step ahead of me, but 20 steps ahead. Every time I thought I'd actually broken the level and found something unanticipated, it turns out the author meant for it to happen and then explains the exploit in detail. 
Quality: 10
There is custom music, custom tilesets, a TON of informative custom objects, a fun story with several endings, and a rich, interactive world.

Escape the Spikes (Purple Pineapple)
[Hard/Very Hard][Small][Trick Jump]
Juni must navigate a complex maze of misunderstood invisible spikes who are only trying to protect her.
Difficulty: 3
I consider this level "Hard." There weren't really even hazards until the last four screens or so.
Fairness: 8
Things are not what they seem in this level, but once you realize what's harmless and what can kill you, you will see that the hazards, in general, are well-broadcast. Saves are frequent. The mechanic that makes this level means that a lot of the platform jumps start out "invisible" by their very nature. There are no random enemies at all.
Fun-factor: 3
While this was a fun, unique concept, the challenges themselves weren't all that neww. The player spends a few minutes re-setting expectations, but beyond the jarring, counter-intuitive nature of the safe areas and hazard areas, the challenges themselves are all variations of simple jump puzzles that may or may not involve avoiding stationary hazards.
Quality: 4
No custom music or custom objects, and a short intro, and one custom tileset that renders a tried-and-true hazard inert. It's a short, odd level based on a singular unique idea that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Run (Purple Pineapple)
[Hard][Small][Challenge]
Don't Stop Running and trust the author's action cues in this impressive fast-paced challenge level.
Difficulty: 5
Despite what the author says, I consider the last few screens on this challenge to be "Lunatic."
Fairness: 8
While the author does broadcast every challenge to the player, there are a few enemies and jumps in here that are so pixel-perfect they do come down to luck.
Fun-factor: 10
The challenges in this level are impressive and nothing short of spectacular. It's a lot of fun trying to get the timing right and seeing everything come together. There are many intimidating screens where the player wants to stop, take their time, or do something different, but if you just trust the action cues, you'll watch as Juni narrowly avoids entire screens of enemies and projectiles. This level is a call-back to levels like Don't Stop Running, but it's simultaneously more difficult, more forgiving, more creative, and FAR more impressive.
Quality: 9
While there's only one custom music track, no story, and a minimalist tileset, this level was clearly painstakingly put together from a timing perspective. The author has managed to create a unique, memorable experience that's in almost every way better than its inspiration.

One Screen Puzzle 5 (Purple Pineapple)
[Normal][Small][Puzzle]
The latest in Purple Pineapple's famous series is the most accessible and aesthetic yet.
Difficulty: 2
"Normal" or even "Easy" is a fair assessment of the platforming challenges. There are plenty of puzzle elements, however, that will take even a seasoned player quite some time to spot.
Fairness: 9
The author includes an accessible save-point, there's no difficult or random enemies, and nothing that comes down to luck. There's a single surprise death, but most players can solve this without dying at all.
Fun-factor: 6
While there are is no real challenging platforming, there are some platforming challenges. Everything here is a true puzzle and part of that puzzle is knowing what Juni's limits are looking for a new way to find the next piece.
Quality: 8
The music and art is custom, and every item in the level was thoughtfully placed. The art plays are part in the puzzle itself. There is no story at all, however.

An Evening Stroll (Pentavo Mapmaker): Go for a walk late in the evening
[Easy/Lunatic][Small][Environmental/Challenge]
This infamous creepy level features R-Rated content and Lunatic-Rated challenges.
Difficulty: 5
"Easy" is there because you can reach -an- ending without facing any hazards at all. You can reach a further end through some hard challenges, and the furthest ending can only be reached after some lunatic challenges and near-impossible puzzles.
Fairness: 7
The Platforming challenges are very fair, if difficult. The logic/search puzzles are near-impossible and I don't know anyone who beat them without cheats or clues. A few places could certainly use more save points, and even then, some save points are only contained within hidden secrets. However, there are no random enemies or trick deaths except as part of the plot.
Fun-factor: 5
Challenge-wise, there's quite a few trick jumps. You'll do a lot of climing along the ceiling, jumping from crevice to crevice. There's maybe one new type of jump that is reused throughout the level. While there was only one area that I truly found tedious, there's not lot of creativity or new content as far as the actual challenges go.
Quality: 7
This level is a very subjective experience. The music and art is custom, if mostly recycled, but there are a lot of new custom objects. Having said that, the theme is very, very dark. There is a lot of pixellated gore, and dark jokes about violence. There are also a few jump scares and some loud, jolting, unnerving ambient noise.


The Dithered Temple (Vegetal Gibber): 640 KB RAM required
[Hard/Very Hard/Lunatic][Medium][Challenge]
Explore a retro EGA temple while completing Lunatic-level challenges.
Difficulty: 5
There are to two difficulties: "Hard," and "Very Hard." I played the "Very Hard" and would rate it as just barely Lunatic for a few screens near the end. There are plenty of enemies, traps, spikes, hazards, jumps, chasers, and "platformer puzzles" to overcome on this path. Once the game is beaten, there are some solidly Lunatic+ bonus challenges. Which would definitely be 7+ on my scale.
Fairness: 10
There are plenty of saves and almost no random enemies. There were no surprise or trick deaths.
Fun-factor: 8
The level has a lot of collapsible blocks, disappearing blocks, and object triggers which makes some new, unique, challenging puzzles. The author also strictly controls Hologram usage, adding another new layer of challenges. The level never felt repetetive and always felt fresh, even when revisiting areas for collectibles. The final section does use a number of chasers combined with other hazards, which adds a deep feeling of urgency which lead to a little frustration. I also feel like there are a few places where hazards feel more annoying than challenging.
Quality: 9
This is a FANTASTIC level! Any fan of Retro 80s-90s games needs to give this a try! It brought back a lot of memories, and features some top quality music, cutscenes, tilesets, and custom objects. The only reason it's not PERFECT is because there is no story, like at all.