Home    LBP Showcase / Reviews / Recommendations    Level Showcase
#1

Esmerelda Teaches Typing [1P]

Archive: 14 posts

Esmerelda Teaches Typing [1P]

https://lbp.me/v/qsxgyv5



"stupid people are going to hate this level" - katoregama


http://i.imgur.com/74Dj3bQ.jpg

(Thanks Mnniska!)

http://id.lbp.me/img/ft/d3dfc23afd2636a8836f7a9750894bd40912c711.jpg
http://ic.lbp.me/img/ft/08c76af5e36dce6c474800e0ab326ed83878e909.jpg
http://ic.lbp.me/img/ft/86c3a4374f374da20c348e8cf57019b3254090f0.jpg

NOTE: THIS LEVEL IS MUCH MORE PLAYABLE SINGLE-PLAYER

Hi folks, I am happy to present my final level on LBP2. Do not let that Esmerelda label fool you, this is probably the best level I have ever made. While the visuals are certainly not my best, my focus this time was on developing original wall jump gameplay. In that regard, I am very proud of this level. Because I started in this in January, some of the earlier sections may not be as fresh but they should still be pretty fun. The pushing and in-out wall jumping I can guarantee has never been seen, but I'll shut up about those for now. :B

This level is fun
This level is hard
This level is stupid
There are dozens of very well hidden / obnoxious secrets

I really think it's my best work in terms of layout, structure, gameplay, and (really stupid) writing on LBP. Hopefully you will enjoy it. I do not want to spoil anything, so go and play it (and hopefully have fun)!

Also, there is one section that - don't worry - I will not make you redo upon multiple playthroughs. You'll know what I'm talking about after you see it.

Special thanks to:
SLS10 for the always excellent voice acting
squid2723, Giant_Robot77, Breezy-The-Pro, and SLS10 for the great music
actio1_618 for some logic help (and lots of paintings!)
Mnniska and squid2723 for some ideas
DebonaireToast for some stickers
All of my beautiful testers

http://i.imgur.com/VU7YHsD.png
http://lbp.me/v/xxxxxx		2014-08-10 22:30:00

Author:
bonner123
Posts: 1487

A Bonner level is always top fun Specially if Esmeralda hides somewhere inside it! Thanks for all the awesomeness throught your work in LBP2, and I definitely expect to see you around in LBP3! Meanwhile, got this little gem queued 2014-08-10 22:52:00

Author:
yugnar
Posts: 1478

Sexy, like you.2014-08-10 23:00:00

Author:
DawnBreaker_23
Posts: 568

You say its your best lvl and I agree, no other lvl can top this, well maybe Haus. It was super fun too. Lets get back to the lvl: it would be awesome too if you would not made another funny stupid Esmeralda story and thats very important, cause I didnt see anyone else, using wall jump in such a great and funny way. I love it. I didnt had so much fun in a lvl since... Idk and I HATE walljump. Im done with it, but this is special. Love to see that you use all 3 layers what most creator should start learning finally, with tasty bubble combos, difficult gameplay and a clear design, good use of corner editing and it was really long, makes it even longer if you're a *no skill sack* .

I love it thank you		2014-08-10 23:57:00

Author:
Sandro8708
Posts: 625

I'll do a full review of this level beacuse why not.

Esmeralda Teaches Typing

The badge and description were simple and efficient. Nothing "negative" to remark here. Now with the actual level. Hearing the Esmeralda jokes by SLS10's brilliant voice acting always makes me grinn like a mad sackman when I just entered a level. When you posted this was possibly your best level yet I couldn't imagine how could you top all of your previous work but you did manage it, at least in level design.

The level is full of original and creative pieces of gameplay. In truth, layering works perfectly with the wall jump mechanic and I can't imagine why nobody had thought it before. This idea can be a little confusing at times but the level never feels really unfair or confusing beyond comprehension. Gameplay related, I also liked the inclusion of hilarious achievements. It was quite a nice touch.


http://i3.lbp.me/img/ft/793c2ce4fe57a6dbdccf23a4ae800743490eeb79.jpg
Mind the electrified walls, will you?

With so many of your levels exploting LBP layering system, I believe you make a great work showing off what can be made in LBP and in LBP only. Another great touch was giving away Esmeralda stickers. Now I feel like I have finally achieved something in life. Hopefully the community gives them good use. Specially I noticed that some of the stickers (like the typewriter or the keyboard) where amazingly well done! How did you achieve that?! Is it truly the Move editor's work?


http://ia.lbp.me/img/ft/6baf2e8bb385c1cc5d4c44a537c88c378dd4d292.jpg
An experiment gone wrong?

Graphically speaking this might not be your best level ever but of course it is top-notch in general. The only thing I didn't liked much was the background for a moment, given the ease of the cool effects, but in truth it does feel very fitting in the level's theme and the level doesn't feel rushed at any time so I guess it is ok. However, be careful when using that material because there are times where this can happen:


http://i6.lbp.me/img/ft/dd6c634491af4cdbda47946088057fccbe9a30ae.jpg

Yeah... two Earths. Just a very small bug I found.

Overall, I loved this thing. I can easily give it a 10/10 or at least a 9.5/10. One question though: I unlocked a couple of achievements and I think I did good for most of the level yet...

... the ending I got... Well I suppose it is the bad one, because dear Esmerlada told me I hadn't typed a single word in the whole level (even though I did activate one sticker detector that detected the "E" letter if I recall correctly. Is that the only ending there is or can you actually unlock a different one, and how do you do it?!

In general a wondeful level. Yay and heart from me 		2014-08-11 01:07:00

Author:
yugnar
Posts: 1478

This level is pretty great. Lots of new gameplay to snack on and if you're into dumb storylines (I know I am!) then you're in for a treat. There's spirit fingers, exploding stuff, metal clumps needing help, and a neat space section.

I've seen this level grow over the dev time so I can't be very objective, but I think it's pretty great and that you should play it probably! 		2014-08-11 06:29:00

Author:
Mnniska
Posts: 531

Oh, this is going to be good.2014-08-11 16:14:00

Author:
Kalawishis
Posts: 928

I'm interested to play this! Queued up!

-hyper		2014-08-11 16:42:00

Author:
hyperdude95
Posts: 1793

There's a plot?2014-08-12 05:00:00

Author:
bonner123
Posts: 1487

The punishment button.. I don't know what to say 2014-08-12 11:21:00

Author:
Willman4
Posts: 170

I love Esmerelda, so... queued and can't wait to play this! 2014-08-12 20:52:00

Author:
SwagosPuntos
Posts: 237

Check out this yummy review from Kato... mmm.


Esmerelda Teaches Typing (1P)
by bonner123
Link: https://lbp.me/v/qsxgyv5

http://i6.lbp.me/img/ft/4b667ee79c11413fe77dd2584b49dac3f1d52d85.jpg

http://i3.lbp.me/img/ft/7f328fc4a4a0b70d4afc3f90d07a23c21ead162c.jpg

So let's get the negative part of this review out of the way first. The Level Icon is pretty lousy, as it doesn't give a very enthralling image as to what the level contains.

That is literally the only truly negative criticism I could come up with.

I'm really not sure how long you've been working on this level, but since the DC comics pack came out at least. Which isn't all that long ago. Since the arrival of the wall jump and hero cape, it seems like every level and every level's mother since then has used it in some capacity. And can you blame them? Wall jumping like MegaMan X is fun. This is science facts. I myself am working on a level which will involve wall panels, and I am very sorry to say that since it is not yet complete, I am going to be blatantly stealing several ideas from this level, because after playing Esmerelda Teaches Typing, I'm not sure there are any creative ideas left. Bonner123 took them from us! All of them!

I am of course referring to some really ingenious wall jump solutions that have never been seen before. I can't say that they WOULDN'T ever be seen, but this is at least the first place I've encountered a wall jump grab, or a mechanism to change your layer mid-flight onto the next panel. Plus the panels that move when you hit them, getting you to slide to the next one was really fun. And it's long, but satisfyingly so. I remember about 1/4 of the way in I kept seeing score bubbles outside of the level, and thinking "I want to go there." And eventually you do. So, YAY.

This makes me think it's an alternate version of HAUS, except with Esmerelda. You go from platforming segment to platforming segment, and meet Esmerelda in between to offer you advice or insults. I recall in HAUS though, we were controlling a sackbot of ourselves to use the right-stick. In this level it is not so, and indeed, probably could not fit. There's just so much crowded in, that it can seem a bit overwhelming at times. It includes a linked level too, and I can't help but suspect that it might have been better to keep it all contained into one thermo for length reasons alone. But then I think back to all of the things that would have been missed, and ultimately silence my query.

Mind you, I am the biggest culprit when it comes to level links, and I still don't know how other players avoid them. But then again, I always end up making things with really complex shapes, and then duplicating them five thousand times over.

The level heavily relies on the use of the DC comics materials as one would suspect, but I'm not sure that's the best idea. It makes me think of the time when the Cross Controller pack came out. Suddenly every level had the same materials, and portals. Personally I own the Cross Controller pack, but without a Vita, I will never see those materials, or play those levels. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I can spot Cross Controller materials and gimmicks with my eyes closed. Figuratively. The same goes with the DC pack. Now that its out, the LBP community has seen a sharp rise in the number of Ancient Jungle Lava Temple levels, and Colorful Wall-Jumpy Space Station levels. (And probably Ice levels too, but I haven't seen any recently.)

It strikes me as a small letdown truth be told, because the level is **** good, and it looks really great. Facts are, I know there are also about fifty other Comic Book space station levels out there that are utter crud , and falling in line with their theme doesn't seem to be the best way to assemble a level that really, and truly, is original. Just as an example, and somewhat harsh example, it's like you've created a brilliant Mona Lisa that's also Naruto fanart. And in case nobody know this about me, I think Naruto is just about the worst anime to ever exist. But that, as I said, is a harsh example, because Batman and the Justice League are infinitely better than Naruto. And yes, I am aware this is not a Justice League level, but it still uses the same materials, and has a similar look and feel to the Watchtower Hub.

I guess falling in line with the theme is the wrong phrase to use. They're new materials, and they look good and work well together. It's logical. I forgive it on the principle that it is done so well, but I still feel obligated to share. And at least it is not an Ancient Lava Temple. Then I'd REALLY call you out on it.

As an extra note, I liked getting the prize bubbles. Actually, I may be one of the few people who really does like prizes. I doubt I'll ever use them, but I do sometimes dump them in a level to mess around. Somewhat recently I got some free dinosaur collectibles for example, and proceeded to do what any twelve year old boy at heart would do. In this level the collectibles include the infamous Esmerelda, and several music tracks. Number one on my list is call like "Courtney Sack" or something. It's really good. I don't specifically remember the title, but it had a Courtney in it. You might consider putting together an "Esmerelda's Top of the Pops" level to showcase all of your tracks.

As I understand it, this may be the last Bonner level for a while, but it's definitely a good way to take a break. (Because once LBP3 comes out, there can be a 16 layer Esmerelda!) It's definitely worth playing. And though I am no judge on criteria for Picks, it seems like it could meet them.

TLDR:

Navigation ? Navigates itself all over the place, and I never got lost. Solutions were simple to discover, and some were difficult to master. Though stupid people are going to hate this level. And I mean that in the sense that some puzzles require a bit of critical thinking, and some people... well... let's just say that the Punishment Room is how they would get their jollies.

Visual ? Excellent visual design with many details that may go unnoticed, including small bits of text and signs that would otherwise be missed. However, uses a lot of the standard DC materials, and evokes a similar feel.

Sound ? Fun custom music, especially the Courtney track.

Gadgetry ? Wall jump puzzles were all original and creative, with some very clever new ideas. Some are quite challenging, but there is always a checkpoint close by.

Glitches - MIGHT be a glitch, but near the start Esmerelda spawns a typewriter that tells you to press X (jump) and this has no effect. The ending led me to believe there were hidden collectible secrets, but I found none.

Story ? Hilarious as always, with some bizarre, but not unwelcome gimmicks. Fantastic voice acting as expected.

Notes ? I just need to get you to build MY levels for me, so they're less boring. XD (Or maybe I COULD just keep practicing. Whichever.)		2014-08-12 23:49:00

Author:
bonner123
Posts: 1487

He learned typing He's wrong Naruto is awesome2014-08-13 00:20:00

Author:
Sandro8708
Posts: 625

He learned typing He's wrong Naruto is awesome

I'm not so sure about either of those assessments.		2014-08-14 11:23:00

Author:
bonner123
Posts: 1487


LBPCentral Archive Statistics
Posts: 1077139    Threads: 69970    Members: 9661    Archive-Date: 2019-01-19

Datenschutz
Aus dem Archiv wurden alle persönlichen Daten wie Name, Anschrift, Email etc. - aber auch sämtliche Inhalte wie z.B. persönliche Nachrichten - entfernt.
Die Nutzung dieser Webseite erfolgt ohne Speicherung personenbezogener Daten. Es werden keinerlei Cookies, Logs, 3rd-Party-Plugins etc. verwendet.