HEDGE1'S PROFILE

So I'm really surprised that the enemies killed you on the way down. All of the enemies were very precisely placed so that they posed no threat so long as you followed the coin path (with some margin for error). Even more odd is your comment that if you hit one, you're dead, since in many cases you are INTENDED to hit them. Moreover, even if you did get hit by one it's only once since they all continue to fall while you "shrink." It took a lot of time to plan out all of the enemy placements, and I'm sad you found them arbitrary.

That said, one thing I never considered was if people actually attempted to avoid the enemies rather than just follow the coin line. I probably should have put a note at the start to explain that. If I had to guess at this point, I'd assume your difficulties stemmed mostly from not strictly adhering to the coin line and trying to avoid the enemies.

Other things on "the fall" that could have been changed:

- A mushroom at the start screen. I liked the mushroom when you're falling so that you don't have to waste time, but it's important you grab it, so it's not newbie friendly.
- The first time you have to get into a 1-block sized gap on the right side. That was honestly the only part of the fall that ever tripped me up in practice, and (having just played it again for the first time in 3+ years) is still the only part that trips me up.
- The small bullet bills are the only enemies I'm aware of that can get de-synced and hurt you if you follow the coin line. I never managed to fix that problem (I think the hit box is too narrow) but I figured it was rare enough that it was OK. I know now I should have just removed them.
- I probably should have put in more powerups during the fall. The point of the fall was to be hectic and fun, not necessarily challenging, so a hectic barrage of mushrooms would have been appropriate. You will notice a barrage of leafs and 1ups, so I did do this concept, but I should have done it more.

Otherwise I still really like the fall and had a blast playing it again just now. As mentioned previously, I'd be really curious to know if you find it easier now that you know how I play it.

As for the "long way up," I'm less enthusiastic. While in production I knew the Koopa Troopa section of the elevator was iffy (and another section halibabica questioned), there were other aspects I didn't fully realize until my play through today, namely the sections where you get crushed and the end platform section.

When I first encountered the spiked ceiling" I was totally like "wtf." I remember now having issues trying to find a way to warn the player, and I'm really sad I never did.

As for the platforms at the end, not being able to see their path made that part just annoying. I think I could have gotten away with the confusion that was there, but only if I added like 2-3 times as many platforms so that you weren't stuck waiting around so much.

Two more things to say. First, I originally intended there to be multiple check points in the level, both during the fall and during the rise. I think the level would have been drastically improved if that was the case. However, given that such a scenario was not possible, I should have abandoned the scope of the level. That or demand that it was easy enough to beat on the first try.

Second, during production there were a few issues I noticed (among many I did not), and I really should have fully dealt with them rather than got them to a point that was acceptable. It would not have fixed the level, but at least then I could have blamed more of my naïveté on Mario level design and less on my game design. Live and learn, I guess.

Bonus note: this was originally called "The Rise and Fall of Mario." I'm kind of sad I didn't keep that name.

2nd bonus note: I had planned to hide 10 Yoshi coins throughout the level, and if you search for them you'll notice many of them along your journey. The ultimate goal was to convert the level into a mini game of sorts that I'd release separately with all of the little secrets listed for people to find. Have I mentioned before that I really liked my level? Ya, I really liked my level.