[Challenge][Normal][Medium][KS+] Calexico

Behold! A desert adventure in which Juni leaves her prairie hometown and travels across dusty landscapes to get to her friend’s wedding. You’ll see many unique sights and meet many colorful characters along the way. There’s also gameplay and enemy challenges throughout.

This level is almost completely linear with traps designed to prevent backtracking. It was inspired by my journeys along Interstate 8, which traverses one of the grimiest areas in California. Almost every area is a place you can really visit, and I attempted to portray the lives of the people you might find there—with a lot of humor, of course. This isn’t a super serious level about a meth epidemic or anything. OR IS IT?

https://knyttlevels.com/levels/Lucinda%20-%20Calexico.knytt.bin

Also, OVERSIGHT! I stupidly forgot to credit plural for making the crystal shop and some custom ground. I'll add that to the next version.

Awesome! Congrats on finishing the level
Downloading now, will play tonight

So great!

I came into it blind and was not expecting so many unique slices of life. I've never been but it feels like you captured the atmosphere of each (do they really have camels??). My favorite screens were the campground with the turbines, the crystal lady's house, the motel with the skater girl, and the golfcourse. (really smooth animations)

The dialogue is perfect. "Mornin' Junebug! Get along lil doggie!"

The Gate of the Five Zero Coin was a funny cameo, but they found a way to take my money in the end. (At least the burgers were free)

Those cutaways were a really nice touch (the hacking mechanic, drug trip, girl's fish story). Gives me inspiration for a future level....

p.s. I thought the reward for finding all of the artifacts was definitely worth it

Awesome work!!

Thank you so much Fishi!

The camels are somehow real, I took that picture in the credits

Make a level pls

This was really awesome Lucinda 
I, too, really loved the cutaways. The hacking one was probably my favorite, despite being part of the LoCP. It was a nice change of pace, and while I thought it was hard it was also very fair. The eye section was also very cool.
The asthetics were incredible and often weird in the best way. "Love mountain" is a great example. You can tell as the player that a lot of heart went into it.

Thank you for making a level I'll for sure replay sometime soon 

Thank you Mr. Puck

Another fantastic level! Great dialogue and atmosphere. Great use of tilesets; I was surprised to see how many authors for tilesets there were. Great music, though it was a little weird to hear vocals at the beginning. Reminded me of Healy. Some nice content like the hacking. Found all artefacts and think the reward is really cute.

Great job!

Thank you P.I. ! I knew this level was gonna be a countdown to the Healy comparison

Hello, I came to the forum to look for some clues because I'm stuck in the level for the moment... but hey, I've only done it once so far. I'm missing 2 secret artifacts and I imagine that when I have found them all I will be able to buy a pickaxe at the store to continue the adventure...
For the moment what I like is the change of scenery and the fact of discovering (through the level) a country and a culture other than mine (France). I also became aware of the importance of music in a level, which means that we will perhaps remember it more than another...
So, thank you :-D

The artifacts aren't necessary to win the level but I can give you hints. Which ones have you found so far?

Hello Lucinda, it's ok, I found them all :-) I missed the one in the desert
Refreshing and exotic level, I loved the passage with the palm trees and the choice of music to which I am sensitive. Well done :-D
(PS : I thought I hadn't finished the level because I thought there were 50 GCs to collect)

Lovely level that makes me nosthalgic about place I have never been to and somehow reminds me of going home by car with dad driving and listening to some of his CDs with 1980s rock when sun goes down which is really curious because the soundtrack of this level is nothing like that.
There is so many funny little details and Knytts in this level really feel like they are alive outside of being in this level. My favourite parts are the campground and the salt lake.

I love this, have played it twice already. Great sense of place and nature in it, and it really does feel like a roadtrip. I also really enjoy all the little vignettes of the people you meet along the way. (The camel facts blew my mind.) And as usual for a Lucinda level, there are lots and lots of little touches that give it character, everywhere.
(One of these days I'll get around to commenting on your other levels, too, I promise! Kinda need to replay first, though.)