I'm halfway through the winter world right now, so I can't give a full review or proper appraisal of the hack yet. However, I think I've played enough to confidently say that this is certainly a masterpiece.
I normally play hacks of the hard and kaizo variety, but I also greatly enjoy playing easier hacks as well if the design holds weight. Fortunately, I think that this hack has some of the most interesting and well crafted easy-difficulty levels I've played. While I'm not always keen on exploration, I think that the explorative elements were handled pretty well in the hack: as you explore, you will encounter setups or mini-challenges that are enjoyable in their own right, which makes the exploration much more interesting than just checking out nooks and crannies for coins and whatnot. My favorite levels were the super fun, classic romp levels that didn't have much exploration, but were just good ole classic run and jump fun. These levels were executed spectacularly. I especially enjoyed 2-1, the absolutely adorable gimmick and fantastic level design were paired super well together to make for a really fun level. Other highlights for me so far were 1-2, 2-3, 2-5, 2-7, and 3-5. This isn't really a complaint, moreso an observation, but I noticed that there were a few levels that suddenly trended into more linear, almost quickie world-esque setups. These most notably occurred in 2-2 and 4-2. It's not a bad thing, but I found it a bit odd. My only real design "complaint" is that I felt like the pumpkin's hitboxes were too large in 3-6 and that they sometimes blended into the background. But it's nothing major. Otherwise, really awesome job with the design.
Regarding graphics, I really can't add anything that hasn't already been said. The graphics deserve all of the countless praise they have already received, and then some. The fact that each foreground, background, and sprite graphic was created from scratch by you is nothing short of insane. The hack is very beautiful and you should be extremely proud of the work you've done here. The fact that some of the screens in the outside areas of the water levels are (as far as I know) only used once is amazing and shows how much work went into each little detail.
The music is also wonderful. It's almost like looking into a time capsule, since there are a few porters that aren't actively porting anymore. Really enjoyed getting to hear so many new songs.
Throughout the hack, there are little sprinkles of personal touches and attention to detail that really illuminate how much passion went into this project. Even if I hadn't known it had taken 9 years to make, it would certainly be apparent that this was a massive labor of love and commitment just from playing it. And I'm sure it's a great relief to finally be done as well. Looking forward to finishing the rest of the hack in the coming days, and congrats on such a huge release!
I normally play hacks of the hard and kaizo variety, but I also greatly enjoy playing easier hacks as well if the design holds weight. Fortunately, I think that this hack has some of the most interesting and well crafted easy-difficulty levels I've played. While I'm not always keen on exploration, I think that the explorative elements were handled pretty well in the hack: as you explore, you will encounter setups or mini-challenges that are enjoyable in their own right, which makes the exploration much more interesting than just checking out nooks and crannies for coins and whatnot. My favorite levels were the super fun, classic romp levels that didn't have much exploration, but were just good ole classic run and jump fun. These levels were executed spectacularly. I especially enjoyed 2-1, the absolutely adorable gimmick and fantastic level design were paired super well together to make for a really fun level. Other highlights for me so far were 1-2, 2-3, 2-5, 2-7, and 3-5. This isn't really a complaint, moreso an observation, but I noticed that there were a few levels that suddenly trended into more linear, almost quickie world-esque setups. These most notably occurred in 2-2 and 4-2. It's not a bad thing, but I found it a bit odd. My only real design "complaint" is that I felt like the pumpkin's hitboxes were too large in 3-6 and that they sometimes blended into the background. But it's nothing major. Otherwise, really awesome job with the design.
Regarding graphics, I really can't add anything that hasn't already been said. The graphics deserve all of the countless praise they have already received, and then some. The fact that each foreground, background, and sprite graphic was created from scratch by you is nothing short of insane. The hack is very beautiful and you should be extremely proud of the work you've done here. The fact that some of the screens in the outside areas of the water levels are (as far as I know) only used once is amazing and shows how much work went into each little detail.
The music is also wonderful. It's almost like looking into a time capsule, since there are a few porters that aren't actively porting anymore. Really enjoyed getting to hear so many new songs.
Throughout the hack, there are little sprinkles of personal touches and attention to detail that really illuminate how much passion went into this project. Even if I hadn't known it had taken 9 years to make, it would certainly be apparent that this was a massive labor of love and commitment just from playing it. And I'm sure it's a great relief to finally be done as well. Looking forward to finishing the rest of the hack in the coming days, and congrats on such a huge release!