Duration: 3:45

257 views

1

Authors: Magiluigi & Nimono
Rank: 21st

Thematically, the lava cave section is so different that it feels out of place sandwiched in between the two snowy sections. I suppose the level was going for a hot-cold vibe, but the transitions feel a bit too abrupt somehow. Maybe it's just that the cave section is visually understated compared to the other two, or maybe it's that the ascent only comes in the second half and has completely different obstacles from everything else in the level so far.

Another issue is how much of the vertical section you have to repeat if you fall off the rope mechanism at any point, or if it disappears at any point. The first time I grabbed the fifth Yoshi coin, it did disappear off the bottom of the screen right before I jumped down to grab it again, so I had to drop all the way back to the beginning of that segment, plus the rope mechanism was now short instead of long for some reason. The level in general is a bit long, so I'm also concerned about repeating much of the first half if you die in the cave area before the midpoint.

These issues aside, though, the platforming is mostly pleasant throughout, and the snowy sections in particular have a distinct look to them. The varied obstacles and area types ensured I was never bored along the way, even if it was at the expense of some thematic cohesion.