Kato's TLDR Level Reviews

[DawnBreaker_23]

Brings tears of joy to my face when I hear that someone was confused about my level (^:
Anyways, thanks a bunch! I'll try to fix a few things up.

[bonner123]

I love reading your reviews so much that I will put some of squid's heavily miscarried babies on the chopping block (if you want to review them that is).

https://lbp.me/v/mqzmgk
https://lbp.me/v/qn-nddq

Also, my friend who does a lot of the voice acting (SLS10) makes some pretty great platformers (and multiplayer esports) on occasion. They don't need to be reviewed at all, but maybe you might be interested in playing them? https://lbp.me/u/SLS10

[Kato•]

Sorry for my delay on these. I'm on vacation starting tomorrow so the days leading up to it have been busy! I should be able to get to playing/reviewing these this weekend.

[Nickey211]

Can you review my level?

It is called "dream."

https://lbp.me/v/m89bn-

[Mean_Creek]

Can you review this level. Its called
Pogo Painter [VS/HIGHSCORE] [MINIGAME]. Thanks.
its best to play with multiple people.

https://lbp.me/v/h09cep

[Kato•]

Sorry I've been getting behind on these reviews. Sims 4 was released recently, but it's been a big disappointment. Plus I've been going through a bit of a self-esteem crisis that's not appropriate to discuss here. XD

On my current list for reviews:
(LBPC11) The Dangerous Departure to Misery Marsh - by squid2723
(Tearaway Competition US) Demonic Fleshtemple - by squid2723 Double-Billed with above)
SLS10's Infinite Party - by SLS10
The Whyld West - by Matthaniel (It's already a Pick, but I got to play the in-progress, so I want to review the finished.)
dream. - by Nickey211
Pogo Painter - by Mean_Creek

In other new, I've got a PS4 on the way with LBP3, so I'll be able to review LBP 3 levels soon as well.

[Kato•]

(LBPC11) The Dangerous Departure to Misery Marsh and (Tearaway Competition US) Demonic Fleshtemple Double Bill
by squid2723
Link: https://lbp.me/v/mqzmgk and https://lbp.me/v/qn-nddq





Jackson Pollock. An artist famous, or perhaps infamous, for taking cans of paint, hurling them at a canvas, and somehow making art. While some of his creations really are esthetically pleasing, mimic artists have ridiculed the technique, or created less successful versions of the same. In these cases, these "Pollockites" really are just throwing pigment at canvas and calling it a day. It's the same technique, with its own twist. And that is how I feel about the two Squid levels I played. They feel like splatter-paint versions of existing LBP levels.

Gameplay wise both levels are very short, simple, and easy. Both are platformers which contain a handful of simple obstacles made zany, such as dragging a demonic egg, exploding a grandma, and pressing gameplay buttons. There's the occasional jetpack sequence as well. All in all, I felt the obstacles could have been created in LBP1, which in my opinion is not a bad idea. If you use simple game physics rather than obsessive logic or emitters, you'll end up with a more entertaining ride as it were. This was more prevalent in the Demonic Fleshtemple, where you got to the end, then had to do the obstacles in reverse.

I wouldn't say either of these levels is particularly outstanding, and I wouldn't say either of them are going to appeal to a vast audience. But I would say that Squid sat down and decided he was going to make a level that he'd enjoy making, and continuity be darned. Jokes weren't done for shock value, and platforming was not done for your benefit. These levels are not for you. They are for the Squiddites.

I'm left with a contradiction that I didn't really like the levels, and I felt they were lazily constructed, but I still respect them because they were made by a creator who doesn't care that I didn't like them or that I felt they were lazily constructed. And making paint-splashed together levels with simple elements is just fluff here. The excessive characters and dialogue are what this level is about. And they're not there to make a point, or even much sense at all. If anything makes sense at all, it's because it has to be clear enough that other people can wade through the level.

The question you need to ask is: "Do you like Squid's other levels?" If you answered yes, then you probably have already played these two, and probably found them very entertaining. If not, then you will find some simple amusements, some decent visuals, incoherent babbling, and a yaranaika face on a cloud.

TLDR:

Navigation – Super easy navigation. There were only a handful of obstacles in both levels, and without the characters constantly chatting, the levels would have been criminally short.

Visual – A lot of grid-block objects. I don't hate on it. I am nothing if not an expert on grid-block levels. A very inorganic feel.

Sound – Custom tracks are always fun! So a plus for using those.

Gadgetry – Nothing particularly outstanding in the gameplay department. I don't hate on this either, because they at least worked, and didn't rely on funky physics.

Glitches - I did not find any glaring ones, but it looks like there might have been at a time, if the bounce pads sitting out in the open are any indication.

Story – In one you escort and condemn a demonic egg to a watery abyss. In the other you find new ways to redecorate a blood covered underworld without explosive bowel syndrome. I'm saying all that with a straight face.

Notes – I wish I could dream too.

[Kalawishis]

OMG! You're doing reviews again! Yes!

[xaeku]

Hello. I really enjoy your work, and was wondering if you could review a level of mine.

Thank you for your time.

[Kato•]

Technically I never stopped doing reviews. XD Just the Sims 4 came out, and that game is the worst time waster to ever exist. I even missed out on the Halloween contest. But I'll have my entry done before Christmas at least, lol.

SLS10's Infinite Party (HARD)
by SLS10
Link: https://lbp.me/v/qr4kzn9



SLS10's Infinite Party. Or as I like to call it, "that level which called me a numpty and forced me to finish because I don't like being proven wrong". If there's one thing I'm grateful for in life, it's my stubbornness. While it doesn't serve me well in conversations, particularly conversations with my equally stubborn mother, it does keep me a head above the water line in a drowning sea of rage-quit. And if patience is a virtue, I'm almost a saint. That said, if you notice in the level's title right away is the word HARD. And for once, the creator is not lying. It is hard, and not simply challenging, average, broken, or ceiling-grab heavy.

Actually, lately my ceiling grab woes are being tempered by the fact that players are only using them in short bursts and small supply. My whole hatred for the obstacle came from a level that was about 50% ceiling grabs, and it was awful. Hatred aside, this level had none, focusing instead on grappling hook puzzles and attract-o-gel disco dancers.

Once again, I fail to be a master musician, and for me, a rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with more than one instrument is a masterpiece. But this time I recognized the stage music as the Courtney Gears theme mp3 created by SLS10, which could potentially be from a Ratchet & Clank game if I recall correctly. It's a pretty sweet jam and it works for this level quite well. Plus the start of the actual stage is synced up to the music. And that's actually pretty hard to do sometimes. Point is, I still like the music, and it's a great choice for this level.

As far as platforming and style goes, it's more substance than visual appeal. It's a neat look, but it's dark, and fairly monochromatic favoring pinks/purples. You spend the level ascending a tower, one floor at a time. Each level has a challenge to the left, to the right, and sometimes in the middle area as well. The goal of each challenge is either to press a button, or stay within a circular range to trigger a timed player sensor. Often, you need to hit several ranges within a short span of time to finish the challenge, and I loved it. Oh, and I hated it too. Can I do that?

Hate is more of just player-rage rather than vehement accusation, as a number of challenges were quite challenging, since they require you to have at least a Moron's Degree in basic physics enough to know about inertia and velocity. But once you get into the flow of things, it's neat to fling yourself around an area. Also, call me a simpleton, but I actually liked seeing SLS10's avatar with its pompadour popping up every now and again to offer his thoughts with voice acting. So it wasn't a visually enthralling experience, but I had fun with it.

The part I did not like was the ending when you reach the top. Forgive me for saying so, but the payoff for the challenge is inadequate. Without wishing to spoil much, there is a small floating head at the apex which rambles for a while, then the level is over. Honestly, I would have preferred an open playroom area where I could faff around with harmless gravity and attract-o-dancers before settling in to complete the level. And hey, if I'm reviewing a level I'm allowed to whine.

My overall opinion is that it's a decent level with some good challenges, but I don't consider it a maximum achievment. There's fun stuff to do, but little replay value. And aside from moving grapple/attract points there is very little animation to the level making it a very un-lively party. I still think it's worth playing though, and only wallflowers should deny it a dance.

TLDR:

Navigation – Challenging, and requires some practice. Oddly enough, the part I had the most trouble with was a transition between floors where you have to grapple yourself off a single point to make vertical gains. In unrelated news, I finally discovered how to make vertical gains with the grappling hook.

Visual – I hope you like neon purple and pink. That intro movie really serves no point aside from Numptiness. And since the staring checkpoint is not infinite, you may see it several times.

Sound – Courtney Gears Theme FTW.

Gadgetry – Some fun physics puzzles, and attract-o-tweaked sackbots.

Glitches - None aside from the starting checkpoint, which you ought to replace with an infinite one.

Story – You climb the tower to talk to a floating head.

Notes – It also serves as a moisturizer.

[julesyjules]

These are the most entertaining LBP reviews I've read for ages. Cheers!

[Kato•]

dream.
by Nickey211
Link: https://lbp.me/v/m89bn-



Warning: If your dreams involve giant rainbow giraffes in outer space that have their own gravitational pull, you are not dreaming, you are tripping. Either that or you need to seek serious psychotherapy. Or dream therapy. Or heck, just go find a native american shaman who can hook you up with a spirit animal to combat the evil, giant, space giraffes. It's not too late. You can save thousands! (Of brain cells.)

So dream. And yes, it is called dream. All lower case with a period at the end, therefore it can only be at the end of a sentence, dream. So last night I played dream. It's certainly not my dream. Last night I dreamt that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were all super old, and only Superman had the sense to say something about it. Also Batman was totally wearing a teal cowl and cape with white pajamas. It was great. But the one thing I don't dream about is prickly attract-o-tweaked, motionless sticker panels.

If I had to guess, the construction of this level came about because the author said "having attractable sticker material is cool and lets you fly" because the actual semblance to any sort of dream-like atmosphere is fleeting at best. A better name for this level would have been "Imagine" or "Empty Galaxy"or "Rainbow Giraffes of the Apocalypse (in Space)". Again, I like my reviews to be honest, so I'm going to honestly say this was either your first level, or that you need a bit of practice. (Don't kill me!)

Throughout the journey I discovered several cardinal sins, number one of which is the camera which has only a distant relationship with the player, and tries to stay as far away as possible, so the player can get a view of a few immobile objects or some spinning circles. Sackfolk are tiny little things, and if you zoom too far out, they become difficult to track. While playing a level, my focus is on my sackboy, and my sackboy alone, so if you want to add detail, you need to keep it within that small range of vision. The second cardinal sin, is the fact that there really isn't any detail. You created about 5-6 attractable objects, then copy/pasted them over and over. The entire second half of the level is the same blue circles sticker over and over, but because each one pulls you back right after it pulls your towards, you lose inertia quickly, which breaks flow.

And okay, this one I've done before too, so I'm not totally upset. But having bright red holo material rectangles bordering your level looks really bad. You know if you set hologram brightness to 0%, it will disappear, including plasma effects, or gas effects. If you're going to have a blob of gas, or plasma, fine. But don't use gas to mimic clouds, and don't use red holo-panel plasma to a make a "there is no level beyond this point" wall.

I could go into more notes, so I will! Space giraffes. Why? And why space? Why not like... space... and theme parks! When people dream, their minds don't just stay in one scenario. And while events in a dream don't often make sense, they still follow some semblance of logic. If you're going to have giraffes in space, make them aliens, or make a space zoo. And after the space zoo, transition into a jungle with an office complex. And from there a building that you scale vertically. It seems oddball, but there is a flow of logic. Space -> aliens -> giraffes look like aliens -> giraffes belong in a zoo -> space zoo -> zoo animals sometimes come from the jungle -> urban jungle -> like my office building -> I want to climb it.

It's not a hopeless level, and there's potential to improve, but more... well... dreaming may be required on this one.

TLDR:

Navigation – Little deviance to the left -> right formula. Attractable objects were obnoxious to navigate. The second half of the level is a copy/pasted marathon with no checkpoints.

Visual – Very empty, and not well animated. Nothing moved, and there wasn't enough color contrast to differentiate things.

Sound – Music was nice, but it was a drowsy tune. Oh, I get it. You want to make people sleep through the level.

Gadgetry – Nothing particularly enthralling. Seen one attractable spinning planetoid, you've seen em' all.

Glitches - The attractable circles in the second half, cannot be navigated like you'd hope.

Story – Giant evil alien giraffes from space are invading.

Notes – Naming it 'dream.' is less artsy than you'd think. Or it's a typo. At any rate, 'Dream' would be preferable.

---------------------------

Mean_Creek

I don't have a full review for your level, but I did play it. It's clearly intended to be multiplayer, but I'm just not a multi-player kind of guy! (I'm enormously introverted.) And the couple of people I do have on my friends list are LBP3ing XD.

- The concept of the level was fun, but the power up icons seemed cheap. Why not create your own?
- The logic worked well. Pogos are a bit slow.
- Tutorial needs a way to click through.
- Some of the materials used were not very fun choices. If you're using white, spruce it up with some colors too.

xaeku

I don't have a full review for your level either, because it is not a level, it is a hangout.

- The visuals are excellent, and there's a nice assortment of details.
- Evangelion posters? Seriously? If I were rich enough to afford that house, Evangelion is the LAST thing I would put in it. The word 'weaboo' comes to mind.
- Kudos for the pool with actual water.
- Why is a bedroom cabinet also a water slide? Not that I'm complaining.
- Did I miss out on a zombie invasion? Once it started getting dark, I was expecting a zombie or two.

[Kato•]

Atraxy
by xaeku
Link: https://lbp.me/v/qtr7mtc



Saying something gets better later is never a fun excuse. An illness gets better later, but only after coughing, sneezing, and fluids leaving your body like its monsoon season in your sinuses. Atraxy is a level like that. It gets better later, but honestly, it's not enough.

At first glance, Atraxy is a hangout. A modern, slighty-asian-in-design house with controlinators everywhere, so every other step you take makes a ping noise. It's very detailed, and it looks very nice. I'm not a fan of the anime posters everywhere, even though I am a fan of anime. Like massages, anime is enjoyable, but if someone followed me everywhere giving me massages, I'd end up sore, and cranky. If you can look past those though, or are an Evangelion fanatic, you'll find bathtubs that fill, toilets that flush, TV's that turn on, stereos, computers, beds, the works. But it's just a hang out. Sit in one chair, you've sat in them all.

Or so they'd have you believe....

Yes, believe it or not this hangout house comes pre-packaged with a demonic possession, just that you may not notice it at first. Or at all. The question is: can horror be too subtle? The answer: yes. And this is that example. Until I was specifically told, I had no idea anything was awry. I thought it got fairly dark at night, but all of the lights worked, so whatever. Little did I know those subtle scratching noises I didn't notice before were the work of evil entities, and not just shoddy speakers.

The story 'officially' begins once you reach the attic, and once you do you'll wish you hadn't. Not because of monsters, but because the attic stairs are about as unobtrusive as Jar Jar Binks in a clown costume at funeral for the world's least interesting accountant. Okay, fine, so attic steps work like that IRL too, but IRL you can return them to their upright and locked position, instead of battling them, a couch, a window, and a lightswitch to exit the room.

If there's one thing I give credit for, it's the fact that the scary aspects were actually scary. So much so, that I was able to look past the ridiculousness of my beef-sack in his spiky collar, wristbands, bright red hat, bright green eyes, and half-a-shirt. I was getting immersed in the story. I was noticing the subtle shapes moving outside the window. I actually locked myself in the bedroom at night. I hid under the covers. And before the sun set every night, I turned on every light in the house.

And then I died, and had to restart the level. (Accursed attic!) The events didn't change, it was the same hunt for paper scraps, I got to the end, and then confronted the evil presence, who called me a sack-thing, and I died again, restarted, did it, right, and got my prize: nothing.

Atraxy is a level which gets better later, then trips at the finish line. The massive blob of climatic speech bubble text demolishes your immersion. Then, if you didn't do everything right, you die, and have to do it all again from the start. And the reward for completing the story, is that you don't have to have anymore story. Yep. Once the story's over, the house is yours, and it upgrades from Awesome demonic possession house hangout with nice visuals, to just a hangout with nice visuals. If you're the type of player who can't get enough of chatting with friends while your sackperson is in a controlinator, you will have found Valhalla. In my case, when the story was done, I was done.

I'm griping a lot, because there was just so much greatness, and potential, alongside so much disappointment. It's like I was given a magical tupperware which at first glance does nothing. But if you shake it just right, it fills with chocolate truffles. They are delicious truffles, and their wrappers each have a letter on them. There's also a note attached which tells you to keep eating truffles, and collecting letters to spell out the awesome secret message and a prize! The letters together spell out "Ha ha, you suck!" and then the tupperware is forever empty.

TLDR:

Navigation – Blisteringly poor notifications that start your path, but once I finally found the road, the tightness of the house made it easy to get around, and I never got too lost.

Visual – The best hangout I've ever seen, but 99% of the time, visuals are all there is to a hangout.

Sound – Quality use of quiet whooshes, scratches, and other noises REALLY contribute to the atmosphere.

Gadgetry – Gadgets are very tight and intricate as well, but the abundance of controlinators became a nuisance.

Glitches - I didn't try very hard to break everything, but I'll be the thermo is in danger of spontaneous combustion.

Story – It was so good while it lasted. I was genuinely intrigued, excited, and joyous. Then it was over, and I was sad.

Notes – My sister had a dog like that. His name was Toby.

[Kalawishis]

These are great. I'm honestly compelled to just churn out a level to give something for you to review.

[Kato•]

Woot! Level review topic is ALIVE AGAIN!!!! Also, I can review LBP3 levels now.

[actio1_618]

Good news! Can you check this one out?

https://lbp.me/v/qvpmkc-/topreviews?p=1&l=12

[Kato•]

Actio's Agility Abbey (1P)
By: actio1_618


Halleloo! I say can I get a Halleloo! Blessings be to the saviors who restored our status quo and delivered us this kingly crown. In other words, church jokes incoming. You have been warned.

No but really, the level Actio's Agility Abbey is by no means a religious level, although you might be praying to your Lord for more. The concept of the level is that you have the ability to instantly switch between Boost Boots and Hook Hat at any given moment, lending some neat tricks required, such as boost-booting onto a high up rail, hooking over to some thorns, dropping down, and then boost-booting back up. Amazing!

Let me preach about how nice everything looks. No really, the painting tools were used to create several custom stickers for this level, such as the tree tops, which made the level look like a painting. If I may be honest, I was in a bit of a hurry to get out the door, so I didn't do nearly as much exploring as I should have, and the level lends itself to a bit more exploration than you'd suspect.

Now, I'm not going to pray for salvation all day on this level, because there was a small issue I had, which has become increasingly apparent with LBP3 levels. The Abbey, for all its divinity is inert. I don't know how else to describe it. It's just that you the player are the only thing moving at any time, and it makes the level feel eerily dead, and I don't get the impression that if I wait a few days it'll rise from the grave. (Too soon?)

And like I mentioned, there was a bit of exploration required for this level, but in some cases the blisteringly obvious path was not as blisteringly obvious as I would have liked. Looking back though, that small sin is forgiven because I was in a rush, and I've discovered I'm terrible at realizing things like 'layers matter'.

Still, this level is a blessing, and it does little to offend, and please don't consider this blasphemous, but it's better than some of the picks I've played lately. It's no Holy Grail like your LBP2 Cube level, but it's still exciting because all LBP3 platformers are still exciting since they have so many new and awesome tools to play around with.

One more thing of note however, and worth mention, is that there's apparently a lot going on behind the scenes of this level. The Lord works in mysterious ways, as does Actio, and it all gets presented through a very excellent stained glass window at the end. The meaning and purpose behind this logic remains a mystery, but I am told the window changes color depending on your level performance. There was also a race gate earlier in the level, but I did not find out how to access it. Again, I was in a bit of a hurry. Sometimes it's just like my life has the devil at its heels!



Navigation - Some fun motions switching between powerups, though there was the occasional "I'm lost!" moment with solutions that would probably have been more obvious to other players.

Visual - Very nice visuals with bright and vivid grass, and painted tree tops. I'm assuming this is a custom sticker. It looks super nice, as does the Window-Head at the end!

Sound - The descriptions promised Mozart, which would have been vastly preferable to the farty-seasiside tune currently in place.

Gadgets - The platforming contraptions were fun, but the hidden logic intrigues me more.

Story - N/A

P&A - Neat powerup switching gimmick.

Notes - TESTIFY!

[actio1_618]

Thanks a bunch! The mozart tune is only active with the race, but i'll definitely try to find another custom track for non racers. It is not easy to discover the race on first playthrough, but I felt like giving credit anyway, sorry that looked like an unkept promise! These reviews are pretty great, am also compelled to make more stuff for you to review!

[bonner123]

I am pretty bummed out on LBP3 because of its... erm... mediocrity, but now I want to make something for you to review.

I don't think that's normal.

[Kato•]

@bonner123 & @actio1_618 Lol. Well make away. The levels you guys send my way are typically really good, and LBP3 could definitely stand to have more good things in it.