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I was slightly skeptical about this particular level mainly because of its looks and overall screenshot. It is very hard to have a good screenshot representative of your level, and many designers struggle with plays mainly because of that factor. However, I decided to give Electro the benefit of the doubt and took the “job” so to speak of reviewing the level for feedback. I hope what follows is as helpful as the previous review proved to be and also does the level justice in what it does accomplish and expounds upon what could be worked on a little bit more. When the level starts, you can see pretty much every area (island) from the get-go, which is always neat because it really emphasizes the feeling of progress throughout the level, especially when you can look back and say, “I started all the way over there.”Immediately upon starting you will also notice that you have little to no jumping capabilities, similar to the previously reviewed level, and that you have a whopping thirty minutes with which to complete the game as well. Allow me to say this, you’ll most likely need at least two-thirds of that time the first time you play through, so although it might seem like plenty, keep track of your time as you progress. Your goal is to find the five diamonds on each island, totaling for a hefty 3000 points worth of treasure, and then to secondarily make your way to the finish flag. What I liked the most about each individual island was that they each had their own theme, hazards, platforming styles, and secret areas or general secrets. I’d expected them to be different, but the degree to which Electro went to distinguish each area surprised me- which is good. However, although each individual area was aesthetically different, few of them where aesthetically pleasing to the eye- they weren’t terribly crafted or anything, they just came off as incredibly blocky and not very island-like. In the grand scheme of things however, this matters little at most. Probably the one object that threw me off the most and just clashed with the rest of the environment was the sandstorm hazard, since it pokes out a lot and crops weirdly with other blocks.
My favorite thing about the first island, the sand-themed one was the hazards by far. With the exception of the sandstorm block, there were only spike boxes used which doubled as hazards and methods of platforming to the next blocks. Whether it was the simplicity or the final room that did it for me, I enjoyed their usage here particularly. As for the second island area, I think it was my favorite overall merely because of looks alone. The fog went well with the brimstone colored blocks and the plant-life on the granite as well. I’d definitely play a level using entirely that set-up with some nice little puzzles as well, wink wink. What did turn me off of this particular section however was the massive spike balls falling down as never once did any of them hit me, and I really wasn’t paying any mind to them anyway. If they were just for show, that’s fine I guess, but as I assume they were placed in there for sport and challenge, you’ll want to be more aware of where the best places to locate devious trickery and traps are. Otherwise, you’ve done well thus far- I enjoyed this level more than I enjoyed the first Captain Cameron by a long shot, even if this one was ridiculously easy in comparison.
The third area probably has the best atmosphere out of all the island areas- dark and mysterious, which was pulled off without a hitch. However, it is easily the weakest area in the entire level as it has nothing else holding it together. The traps are much more easily dodged in this area than any other, the area itself is smaller than the rest, and the diamonds are all shoved into such close proximity as to not require much thinking of the player. Otherwise, it wasn’t overtly bad or even terrible- just weaker than the other segments. What I did however also like about the third area was the final little jump puzzle, intentional or not. It was neat that you had to wait for the spike box rather than just jump and immediately move onto the next area. It was good to see some more thought put into the area instead of it being bland and lifeless completely, and having no distinctive puzzle element of its own like the previous two had.
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