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Requested Review: Treasure Hunter (papaya)

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SirWrek
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Requested Review: Treasure Hunter (papaya)

Post by SirWrek »

Image (Click the Picture for External Link to Review) Veteran designer Papaya (formerly Papaya255- yes, I have good memory some days) has crafted yet another masterfully pieced together treasure collecting adventure, not to be confused with several other excellent levels of note so far released on the constantly erratic Atmosphir downloadable client the community has resurrected. This review, as with the others I’ve so far concocted at the behest of community members seeking feedback is for- you guessed it, purely feedback and critiquing of the selected levels. If you’d like to request a review of a level (preferably of your own creation or of the designer’s own volition) then by all means shoot me a message or post on the hub thread in the reviews section. And now that this much has been established, let’s actually talk about the treasure trove of goodies we find before us today! The aptly titled Treasure Hunter features- you guessed it, treasures upon treasures! Wow, you guys are a really perceptive bunch out there today! Jokes aside, allow me to earnestly begin. Upon starting Papaya’s level, I noticed immediately that it took several design cues as environmental design goes from both Protector II and Ascension- two of Pap’s other excellent titles. This being said, I also particularly enjoyed the erratic sense of ‘randomness’ and yet equally present sense of ‘purpose’ with the design of the overall environment- both inside and outside the sections of the level I explored, although I’m sure there are plenty of hidden catacombs and sideways paths I’ve yet to delve deeper into. The level’s usage of hidden areas and religious use of treasure also of course provides plenty of motivation to explore deeper and deeper, and as there is no play clock the only thing stopping you from having free reign is your own skill level…and the one life you are given to waste or use to your advantage. As promised however, you can’t possibly not finish the level unless you rage-quit, as you’ll spawn upon death in the finish area, unlocking any achievements you may have earned along the way as well and collecting still more treasure from those. Enjoy the icing on the cake- this one isn’t a lie. The best thing about this level is that- even with all of its semi hidden areas the entire thing feels like one big hidden mineshaft of pleasure and pain (contradictory as those might sound, it’s quite accurate I assure you). I had a pretty good chance to explore what I believe to be the majority of the level for this review, although I wasn’t going for much of a score run and therefore didn’t really focus on treasure much- or so I tell myself anyway. I especially enjoyed the thought put into each achievement, as well as the encouragement of replayability- not only to see new areas you may have died before entering, but also in order to get different achievements since it’s pretty difficult I’d imagine to get all of them in one go. So excellent work in that respect Paps- so far you’ve gotten full marks from me where environmental design and overall replayability are concerned. This review is going to be a bit shorter than some of the others have been, and that is mainly because unlike the other more linear levels, since this one is a lot more open to exploration I’m hesitant to thoroughly spoil all of the goodies for those who have not yet been
bathed in the blood of
steeped in the full immersing nature of the level in question. So ha- not too many spoilers here today! I particularly enjoyed the thrill of platforming through specific areas- mainly when attempting to obtain the various masks throughout the level, as well as some bonus bombs and whatnot. The sense of achievement I got from each piece of treasure I did painstakingly collect highly dwarfed that of surviving in Protector II even though there were absolutely no checkpoints here as opposed to II’s one main one. Regardless, I felt falls here- short of fatal ones, were a lot more forgiving. And the difficulty not being on the level of Ascension’s was a godsend as well. Good call Papaya, good call.
So now for the endgame notations, and then my final, final remarks and whatnot… Thankfully, unlike some other levels that have otherwise been good (recently) but littered with sporadic glitches thanks to physics or other issues, I found no such complaints within this adventure. The concept, while simple, is fun and doesn’t get old as you can simply end it (quite literally) at any time with minimal regret since you’ll still finish with whatever you’ve thus far collected. Again, the environmental work was above average by far, the general aesthetics pleasing and enjoyable, and the level a blast to continually replay. Few others can really say that and mean it. Now, here are the final pros and cons I’ve found for the time being… Pros: Environment, Concept, Achievements, Fun, Replay Value Cons: Lolwut cons? Umm… Too easy to beat? 0_o Play Browser Score: 5 Stars, Intermediate Challenge Official Rating: 9.5/10.0
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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papaya
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Post by papaya »

thanks babe

you're right, it is impossible to get all the achievements in one play through. I think one of the gold ones is pretty hard to get in any casual playthrough without knowing it exists (the one that requires you to retrieve the key in 3 minutes) and another requires you to avoid the rest of the level (get the key without getting any treasures). A couple others include one that involves dying in the room just before the key, which would cut out some big point achievements. There's one that requires you to skip collecting bombs, which also cuts out a bunch of achievements and points, and there's one that requires you to just not visit most of the level (which, if you get the speedrunning achievement by heading straight back after getting the key, you will get.

also did you know that the first room you enter is ripped almost completely from the Ascension Babby Mode level, and therefore from Ascension itself? The room above it with the brownish bricks is even more close to how it is in the original Ascension, with some of the dangers removed and the way up also removed. In fact, I probably took more out of that room than added in when I put it in this level.

also I always like to make absolutely sure that my game is not easily exploitable or has any glaring issues. I playtest all my levels constantly, and often times even in levels like these I will play the whole level just to test one small part. This way, I know I'm making levels that I would enjoy playing.
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SirWrek
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Post by SirWrek »

papaya wrote:thanks babe

you're right, it is impossible to get all the achievements in one play through. I think one of the gold ones is pretty hard to get in any casual playthrough without knowing it exists (the one that requires you to retrieve the key in 3 minutes) and another requires you to avoid the rest of the level (get the key without getting any treasures). A couple others include one that involves dying in the room just before the key, which would cut out some big point achievements. There's one that requires you to skip collecting bombs, which also cuts out a bunch of achievements and points, and there's one that requires you to just not visit most of the level (which, if you get the speedrunning achievement by heading straight back after getting the key, you will get.

also did you know that the first room you enter is ripped almost completely from the Ascension Babby Mode level, and therefore from Ascension itself? The room above it with the brownish bricks is even more close to how it is in the original Ascension, with some of the dangers removed and the way up also removed. In fact, I probably took more out of that room than added in when I put it in this level.

also I always like to make absolutely sure that my game is not easily exploitable or has any glaring issues. I playtest all my levels constantly, and often times even in levels like these I will play the whole level just to test one small part. This way, I know I'm making levels that I would enjoy playing.

Yep, I figured the gold ones especially would be pretty much near impossible to get multiple of, except maybe those two at most. I can actually see the Ascension bit as you mentioned too now that I think of it- it is quite similarly themed and looks about the same size and shape there haha. And yes, I respect your level of non-exploitation and playtesting. I too normally playtest a bunch except when I'm just churning out concept or BS levels (like basically my last 4-5, save for Creativity's Death- which was conceptual but actual thought as well into it). I was pleasantly surprised to find virtually nothing really wrong with the level, despite not giving it a perfect score because- well, then I'd have to explain myself a million times to anyone who couldn't enjoy the level for some insane reason. ;-)
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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papaya
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Post by papaya »

I think the most gold achievements you can get is 3 out of 4. You gotta get all of the masks and all the treasures involving moving physics blocks, after getting the key within 3 minutes.
you can get all the silver achievements at once, and I already mentioned the bronze ones that cut out other achievements. So the most you can miss is about 4, which is only 1150 points.
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SirWrek
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Post by SirWrek »

papaya wrote:I think the most gold achievements you can get is 3 out of 4. You gotta get all of the masks and all the treasures involving moving physics blocks, after getting the key within 3 minutes.
you can get all the silver achievements at once, and I already mentioned the bronze ones that cut out other achievements. So the most you can miss is about 4, which is only 1150 points.
That's not too bad then.

Still, it is after all, all in the name of replayability- a noble intention! :3
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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