TL;DR, I played and rated every Knytt Stories level that publicly exists to my knowledge.Overall, my hope is that this resource improves the accessibility of the archive. Downloading levels often felt like treasure hunting and I had wished that there was a resource to give me some sense of what I was getting into beforehand - so I decided to create one. Hopefully this sheet highlights those really fantastic levels that are often lost in a sea of outdated links and better helps players find the types of levels that they enjoy.
Disclaimer:
Levels are a form of personal and artistic expression and there is value alone in that. Simply put -- a level doesn't need a reason to exist or need to conform with someone else's expectations. I am not an authority on what makes a "good" level and it's a lot easier for me to fill in a single letter on a spreadsheet than spend hours making these levels. My ratings aren't (and shouldn't be interpreted as) some objective criteria. This is just one player's subjective experiences, looking at levels within a narrow framework, with my biases shared up front.
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How to use this sheet:The tabs along the bottom are grouped according to author: A-C, D-H, I-M, N-S, T-Z, and Non-Archive levels. Each tab has been pre-sorted by rating. If you wish to sort alphabetically, by date, etc., you must first make a copy of the list and click the down arrow next to the column title that you wish to sort. You are free to use it however you wish, such as adding a new column for your own ratings!
In the CRITERIA tab, you can find the aspects that I looked at, my personal biases (+) and (-), things that may negatively impact ratings, and further notes.
OUTDATED Obsolete versions of levels (see newer version for review)
N/A Tileset showcases, feature demonstrations, unfinished levels etc. that can't be judged for gameplay
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F Broken / flawed to the point of unplayable
D Severe issues (see criteria) that makes completing the level unenjoyable / will not replay
C Average levels / no strong feelings one way or the other / good aspects counteracted by flaws
B Great levels that are replayable, or great level concepts
A Must-play levels
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This sheet will be continuously updated, and ratings are subject to change as I add new levels and replay old ones. I will also likely go back and assign more specific subcategories to the N/A rated levels.
Feel free to DM me on the Nifforum / Discord or comment below if:
- you want me to replay a level
- you want to request a more detailed review of a level
- you notice a mistake
- you have a lost/missing level to add
Much appreciation to
Lit Knob for compiling the list of non-archive levels and his time spent reviewing and improving the sheet,
Comhon for his editing help while working on their archive project,
Pie_Sniper for their
spreadsheet which was cross referenced for level metadata, and
Lucinda for her encouragement!
KS Level Ratings [Mastersheet] Enjoy!