Re: DISCUSSION: Keen 6 level design.
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:38 pm
Okay, I think it's about time we move on to the next level, which appears to be our final destination: Bloog Control Center. Oh, and here's the level on Abithar Online!
This level has a rather eerie atmosphere, with the music, darkness in the first room, eyeballs, and hands (the latter two of which bring up some questions that are never answered in the game; are they fake props, parts of a creature that is now dead, or what?). There's quite some stuff in this level that's never seen elsewhere in the whole game; besides the hands and eyeballs, there's also the literally flipping bricks and a couple backgrounds. With those stuff, this level feels rather special, which is especially nice for a level that serves as the finale of this adventure.
As for the level design itself, it wasn't too hard if I remember correctly. Some might find that to be disappointing for a final level, but I think this level is meant to be more about the atmosphere rather than being a set of expert-level challenges, something that some Keen levels go for (the domes in Keen 1 are a notable example of this). The door puzzle isn't too bad, I'll say, especially when you take note of how the corrected door is indicated by points that form an arrow above (which is rather clever; I may not have noticed if it weren't for some post on this forum that pointed that out). I remember finding that secret area in the dark room thought the jump cheat and wondering where is the door that leads you out of that vent duct for a very long time. The way to getting there without cheats is rather well-hidden, although I think the passage to that is rather tight (I've tried numerous times and only got between the spiky balls like only once or so), but since there's so many goodies in that secret area, that's probably intentional.
This level has a rather eerie atmosphere, with the music, darkness in the first room, eyeballs, and hands (the latter two of which bring up some questions that are never answered in the game; are they fake props, parts of a creature that is now dead, or what?). There's quite some stuff in this level that's never seen elsewhere in the whole game; besides the hands and eyeballs, there's also the literally flipping bricks and a couple backgrounds. With those stuff, this level feels rather special, which is especially nice for a level that serves as the finale of this adventure.
As for the level design itself, it wasn't too hard if I remember correctly. Some might find that to be disappointing for a final level, but I think this level is meant to be more about the atmosphere rather than being a set of expert-level challenges, something that some Keen levels go for (the domes in Keen 1 are a notable example of this). The door puzzle isn't too bad, I'll say, especially when you take note of how the corrected door is indicated by points that form an arrow above (which is rather clever; I may not have noticed if it weren't for some post on this forum that pointed that out). I remember finding that secret area in the dark room thought the jump cheat and wondering where is the door that leads you out of that vent duct for a very long time. The way to getting there without cheats is rather well-hidden, although I think the passage to that is rather tight (I've tried numerous times and only got between the spiky balls like only once or so), but since there's so many goodies in that secret area, that's probably intentional.