Hello everyone!
Here's my entry for the KLDC 2020.

The level is called "Double Star", and if the name doesn't kinda give it out already, it's an Ultra Star styled level, and the gimmick is the use of Air Jumps!
And although the level is called "Double" Star, it actually isn't entirely made with double jump! xD

Download Link
Gameplay video

This is actually my first attempt at designing a kaizo level, as this has basically became a standard of my contest entries:
- My VLDC11 entry was my first level.
- My level for the Kochobo Dourado collab (which was held in a contest format) was my first chocolate level.
- My OWDC entry was my first Overworld.
- So now my KLDC entry had to be my first kaizo level, right? =D

My main goal with this level was to make a fun Ultra Star level with a difficulty that feels comfortable for me to play. (That, and not use shell jumps xD)

This level was heavily inspired by 2 levels in particular:
- "Ultra Star" from the original Kaizo Mario World
- "Mario's Jump v2.0" from Banzai Mario World
Ultra Star inspired basically the entire level structure, not only the pacing, theme and stuff, but also some specific choices i made, like using Line Guides on the first half, and Timed Lifts on the second. Mario's Jump v2.0 was a heavy inspiration for double jump setups, it served as a basis for my creativity with the execution of the gimmick.

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My Youtube Channel

Submitting an Ultra Star level as your contest entry is a sweet idea, especially with utilising double / triple jumps. It had some nice setups yet i wonder if it might me too tight sometimes?
However, wishing you best of luck with it!

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Thanks!

About it being too tight, well, i admit, being my first kaizo level, i didn't know exactly what to go for as far as difficulty/tightness goes, or what i should expect from the player as a designer, if i should leave stuff for the player to figure out and let them learn it, or ease them into the setups or something (from my experience playing kaizo hacks, dying to learn timings/setups seems to be a common occurence).

My general idea was that i didn't want any setup to be free, especially in an Ultra Star setting where the gameplay is fast paced, so all of them had a bit of risk, but still having a consistent strategy to overcoming them. (most of them involve a full jump anyways, since the double jump mechanic prevents regrabs)

Although, as i said in the OP, my goal with this level was to have a difficulty that feels comfortable for me to play, and from my point of view i believe i succeeded at that. The majority of my testing was done without savestates, and i can get through it pretty consistently, and as i'm not particularly skilled at playing kaizo, that leads me to believe actual kaizo players won't have problems with it.

Of course there is the fact i'm the creator, and i might be biased due to that, and knowing how to tackle every setup right off the bat (and there are a few where you have to know exactly when to jump, like the one at 0:19 where you have to wait for the platform to sink before jumping), but i didn't feel any setup was particularly tight (there is the one at 1:15, the hardest in the level in my opinion, but that's kinda the intention of that particular setup, and i don't feel it's that much harder than the rest of the level).

So if you, or anyone else who might play it, feel something is too tight or feels like a difficulty spike, feel free to tell me, and i'll try to take a look at it before the deadline. ;)

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My Youtube Channel