Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Nov 5, 2021

  What a great game. As others say, it's like Mario Maker for the PC, but with a better level sharing system, very precise controls, instant level restarting and a switch/channel system that allows for endless possibilities of contraptions. It also has a lovely Discord community of speedrunners, builders and streamers. [i] *sings with cracking voice* "Your goods, delivered real good!" [/i]
• gamedeal user

  Jun 28, 2022

  The amazing 2D platformer with an incredible level creator. The good: Great looking art Lengthy campaign with memorable levels Hilarious Best level creator I have seen Brilliant system to make sure new levels get played Tight, responsive controls Powerups add variety and imitate other games Instant respawns with checkpoints make brutal levels fun Can sync with phone/switch port of game and edit/play levels there The bad: I would appreciate even more (completely cosmetic) level themes The ugly: Nothing! Thoughts: If you are interested in this game you should buy it. I have now purchased it on my phone and here on Steam and I just wish I had done this sooner. This is Mario Maker if Mario Maker were basically perfect. This really is that good. This controls like a dream. GR-18 (your character) controls effortlessly and within seconds the game feels like you have been playing it for years. Every bit of momentum and friction feels exactly right, you increase in speed after continuously running a short distance, and jumps at full speed are an extra block higher. You have a grappling hook that is actually a short distance grab, allowing you to pull off some absolutely bonkers tech (like 'floating' by sprinting, repeatedly grabbing a shell, throwing it downwards to propel yourself upwards, and grabbing it again off the floor before it is out of reach). It is all so finely tuned that everything just feels "right" from the first time you use it. These controls being so precise is necessary because the game can be incredibly difficult. A single hit kills you (unless you have certain powerups), there is a large variety of enemies (including several that mimic genre mainstays, like a robot who you can kill and then throw their shell, or thwomps), and the campaign levels quickly ramp up in challenge. You will die. A lot. You won't care though, as there is no delay at all in your gaming. The levels have frequent checkpoints, there is no death screen, there are unlimited lives, and the only death animation is GR-18's face briefly showing an exclamation point as you warp back to the checkpoint. This cute little detail of animation is part of the overall polished presentation of the game. Everything has a lovely cartoon look and there is excellent detail in everything. GR-18's facial expressions change as you do different things, and when running at full speed he flaps his arms around with an expression of pure joy. There are multiple variations for artwork for each "tile" implemented automatically and blended together seamlessly. This means that even player created levels that would otherwise have a repetitive pattern instead come out beautiful and clean. Even the level editor has a lovely and easy to use UI with lovely icons for everything. The level editor is truly something special. I could not cover in detail everything it does, and I do not even fully understand all of it. I can tell you things I have seen, though - I have seen players completely remake levels from other games like Sonic and Mario - including music and bosses. GR-18 controls more like Mario than Sonic, but the creator still pulled it off. I have seen players make levels that completely transform the game into a puzzle platformer, with locks, switches, and secrets. I have seen players make minigame levels, including one where I was controlling several machines at the same time as GR-18. I took a stab at making my own level and was able to easily include areas that react to GR-18 and tweak it to be as challenging as I wanted. You would expect that nobody would play my level, as that is par for the course in other "maker" games - but it has already been played over 100 times in less than a day (not by 100 different players, but still!). I am not bragging - this is yet another brilliant part of the core design of LevelHead. Every level you make immediately goes to an area for other players to play. There they (or you) can donate "exposure bucks" to move the level up the list for visibility. You get exposure bucks automatically by playing levels created by other players, with more exposure bucks coming from the area with new levels. This means that the best way to promote your new level is to play other player's new levels. Once they are played enough, they graduate to a searchable area that generates less exposure bucks. This simple loop means everyone's levels get played. You can still search for levels, and you can like or favorite levels you enjoy. If a level is particularly great you may want to follow the creator so you can play all their levels as they make them. It is all just so damn polished and smooth. This is basically the perfect 2D platformer. For a tiny upfront cost you get infinite content, with a super polished 15-20 hour campaign for completionists. Though obviously not every player made level is good, the level editor makes it incredibly easy to create great levels. Verdict: If you think it looks interesting at all you will love this.
• gamedeal user

  May 26, 2023

  mario maker but better sue me
• AtlasPUP

  Aug 7, 2023

  Best Level maker ever!!!
• gamedeal user

  Apr 19, 2019

  Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of platformers. I never really was, even as a kid, and now that I'm in my 40's and my lobes have slowed, my already luke-warm interest in the genre has become tepid. Is tepid less than luke-warm? Let's say yes. As an example: I purchased a platformer with the word "spoon" in the title because I found the artwork interesting and thought, "hey, I haven't played a platformer in a while, I'll give it a go." That game reminded me of exactly why my perception of the genre is like a day-old tub of bathwater. I played for a few minutes, died a bunch of times, and moved on with my life. Levelhead is different. It's not just different because it enables player crafted experiences or because it supports multiplayer. It's different because it has a heart. The spirit of the game, much like the spirit of the developers who make it, is joyous. Don't get me wrong, the game is hard. I have died a bazillion times so far in the single player campaign and I'm not even half way through. But the overall experience is so delightful that I just don't feel bad about it. Add to that an amazing community of joyous people (at least so far) and... Just pull the trigger on the purchase. Your life needs more joy.
• gamedeal user

  May 7, 2019

  I've been a fan of creation-based games for a long time. The sort that give players the tools to create and trade their own content. Starting with LittleBigPlanet, and much later moving on to the excellent Mario Maker, I've been doing this sort of game for a long time. However, they are quite rare, and they're difficult to get right. So I was extremely happy to stumble across Levelhead. FInally, a new entry into this funky genre, and one that does everything right. Now, I mentioned Mario Maker, and I'll be making comparisons to that in this review. There are good reasons for that... while they are very different games, there are still alot of similarities in terms of how they get the main concept across. Like Mario Maker and LBP, this is all about using the in-game editor to create your own levels. Which means that the editor itself is very important. It has to be done right, or the whole thing falls apart. Fortunately, it's done very well here. It's extremely easy to use, and reminds me alot of Mario Maker's editor... the one huge difference is the presence of switches, allowing you to create complex logic to control your levels, and adding lots of puzzle potential... Mario Maker didnt really do that too much. Overall, it's more complex than Mario Maker, yet nowhere near as complex (or as hard to learn) as LBP was... it occupies a comfortable middle ground, Very accessible, yet with enough potential for skilled and creative players to make some amazing things. It's important to know though that you wont be using the editor from the beginning. The vast majority of gameplay elements start out locked, requiring you to dive through the campaign to unlock them all. While unlocks in many games can seem kinda tedious, in this one there is a very good reason for them being locked, in that it prevents players from using a given element before they have really gotten a handle for what it can do. The campaign does a superb job of slowly introducing each block/item/enemy/thing, followed by showing you some examples of said object being used in creative and interesting ways. Through this, you get to see the extreme versatility and potential that every single object in the game has. And fortunately, the campaign itself is a joy to play through. The levels are very well designed, and there is alot to do. Levelhead is no slouch in the gameplay department, either. I keep mentioning Mario Maker, but the actual gameplay isnt really anything like that. Well, aside from the controls... it has the same perfect, tight controls that MM is known for. And there's also the fact that you can damage enemies by stomping them (usually). But outside of that, it goes in it's own direction. Simply reaching the end of the level isnt enough. Your job is to deliver the "package" to that spot. A smiling, happy little box full of who knows what, this object is the focus of each level. But it's not just a "key" that unlocks the exit. Levelhead features a grab/carry/throw sort of mechanic. Your little robot guy can extend this sort of... suction cup on a string... and pick up various things, such as the package, to carry around. You can then throw said object in any direction. This allows for all sorts of potential for things like puzzles, or trying to hit distance targets with bombs, or other stuff. The package itself also then becomes something with it's own unique potential. It may be the means to get out, but it can also be used in many ways. Throw it onto spikes, and then use it as a platform, for instance. You'll do that one alot, and you'll have to master the "package jump", which involves standing on it, jumping up, and grabbing downwards at that very moment, allowing you to jump off of the package without leaving it behind. Or you can use it to hold down switches, or throw it to collect jems (the game's version of coins), and so on. That this ONE object can be used in so many ways is a testament to the game's excellent design. Because EVERYTHING in the game is just as versatile. And that is one of the hallmarks of a good "editor game". Each single object, regardless of what type, adds exponentially to the sheer potential of the levels that you can make. And every single time the game updates with even one new whatever, the potential grows ever further. A recent patch added one new enemy, the Flipwip, a monster with a funky tongue-wip & hop attack pattern that can be all sorts of trouble. This ONE new foe added so many possibilities to the game, and it didnt take long for players to start doing amazing things with it. The most versatile things of all though are the game's transformation items. Grab one of these, and your robot dude changes into a new form, complete with crazy new powers, allowing the player to tackle situations they couldnt before. These are superbly done, and there's no end to the stuff you can do with them. There's some other items too, such as this sort of.... slowdown milkshake thing... or an invincibility orb. One odd thing though is the "little" items. These are objects that large foes dropped. Each type of large monster drops a different object when defeated, and each one does a different thing. But these are smaller effects, not crazy stuff like new powers. However, they're still interesting and useful, yet oddly the campaign doesnt really touch upon them. Most user levels dont either, despite that there's some real potential to these things. You'll still find yourself using them anyway though, probably. It's also worth noting that this is a very hard game. You are going to die alot. Like, ALOT. Fortunately the checkpoint system is excellent, but still, you may end up frustrated or stuck at certain points in the campaign. User levels, on the other hand, vary really wildly in terms of difficulty. Some are super easy, others are Kaizo Mario on steroids. There's actually a "Kaizo" tag that you can put on levels. Speaking of tags: It's really easy to sort and find new levels to play, and the game does a decent job of helping you to get YOUR levels noticed and played. I wont go into it here, but you'll see what I mean when you check out the "marketing department". I really like the ideas behind it. There's also a very friendly Discord where you can share levels and all that fun stuff. Overall... this is a masterpiece of platforming excellence, with an equally amazing editor and level trading system. The replay value is endless, and I just dont tire of this one. Absolutely incredible. Dont miss out... buy it now, and join us in making horrible mountains covered in a bazillion spinning blades and teleporting sharks and whatever. Regardless of whether you're making or playing, you'll have a blast. I daresay this may end up being my game of the year on here. Yes, it's THAT good.
• gamedeal user

  May 30, 2019

  Basically a cooler Mario Maker for PC Sign me up
• gamedeal user

  Jun 13, 2019

  Just go play it. It's only $20, and you have a 2hr refund limit. You'll love it way before then. ...still here? Quick review. Awesome platformer, hits all the marks in flying colors. Let's compare w Mario Maker, the most similar game to this one: [edit: Updated to compare to SMM2 instead of 1] What Mario Maker 2 Does Better - Mario - Different themes/gameplay physics across multiple mario games - Much larger playerbase What Levelhead Does Better - Oh my god the search functionality - Search by creator, difficulty, tags, what's popular, etc. - TL;DR you can find the awesome, and avoid the crap - Level discovery - Can actively advertise my levels - Get rewarded for playing people's levels - $20 - Dying doesn't take 12 years to respawn - Fun, short campaign to slowly unlock more creative tools after seeing how they are used - Local Co-op (or online with Parsec) - Leaderboards (if you care, I personally don't) I cannot stress enough how AMAZING it is to not have to suffer through crap levels. The search functionality is soooo good; as a casual player, it is the sole reason I stopped playing Mario Maker 1. Mario Maker 2 is better, but it still falls terribly short. I think the best part is that Levelhead gives people control over the visibility of their levels, as well as incentives to play other peoples, and that is something that SMM2 unfortunately lacks.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 9, 2019

  [h1] Indie Mario Maker [/h1] Levelhead is a 2D platformer that's heavily focused on building, sharing, and playing user levels. For those of us that don't own a Nintendo Switch, this game is a fine replacement for the Mario Maker games, and might even be better? [h1] CHARACTER [/h1] The controls feel pretty tight and fluid. There are a ton of powerups that you can use, and each of them serves a different purpose. Compared to mario powerups, there's some unique ones here. One powerup lets you wall jump, but also lets you sneak by enemies. Another has a jetpack and propellers. Levelhead allows for some decent precision and very rarely did I feel it was my character's fault when I died. [h1] CAMPAIGN [/h1] The first main goal when you boot up Levelhead is to go through the extensive campaign. It's sort of a tutorial, but at the same time is fleshed out and takes a pretty decent amount of time to beat and has some challenge to it. From what I have played of the campaign, levels are fun and well designed. Now, I have played very little of the campaign, it's not what I purchased this game for. I asked a friend for a 100% save file so I could skip the campaign and go right to creating levels. Why did I do this? because of Levelhead's biggest problem: the unlock system. To unlock things to create levels with, you have to beat the campaign and find secrets. So basically they gated off Levelhead's largest appeal, the level editor, behind a campaign that's several hours long and requires you to do some secret hunting. I understand they did this for tutorial reasons, but it still annoys me. [h1] LEVEL EDITOR [/h1] Once you finally get your hands on the level editor, you'll quickly notice how accessible and easy to use it is. The UI has nice big and understandable buttons. Almost everything is as simple as pressing left click on what you want and where. Even more complicated things such as a timer or a switch connected to a door are made very simple and understandable. It has to be the best level editor I've ever used, purely for the simplicity of it. [h1] SECOND GOAL [/h1] The second primary goal of Levelhead is to create levels and have them become apart of The Tower. The tower is where all the good levels go, and you can sort levels there by difficulty, release date, tags, etc. First you have to get through the Marketing Depertment. To do this, you need Exposure Bux, which is a currency you earn while playing marketing department levels. It's a neat system that works pretty well and encourages you to play other people's levels. [h1] MINOR ISSUES [/h1] I wish you could name levels without using preset words. I understand why they did this (their target audience is young), but at times I have a genius level name and am unable to use it. Another issue is more of a community-based issue. A lot of the levels in the marketing department are garbage (including my own levels probably). It's kind of rough to sift through the mess to find great works. I also wish you could filter levels in the marketing department the same way you can in the tower. The Rumpus system for friending others is frustrating and borderline useless. People can't search others by name, but rather by a randomly generated code. All of these issues are pretty minor and don't effect the game enough to bother me too much. [h1] CONCLUSION [/h1] Levelhead is absolutely worth owning, especially for those without a Switch. It's polished in nearly every way, and is just very fun to play. The price point is pretty high though, so possibly wait for a sale unless you think you desperately need to play this. Fully recommended! [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34946548/] Check out my curator! [/url]
• gamedeal user

  Jul 10, 2019

  All of my friends should get this game and we can share levels! Really though, this is really good. It's similar to the famous Mario Maker in the fact you can build levels just like it, but after playing awhile I'd say it's superior for a number of reasons. It has all kinds of awesome options like weather and customizable cameras triggered on switches and more. The way they made it so the more levels you play the more you get to promote your own level is an awesome way to get players to your stuff. My first level already has over 100 tries with 30 unique players! There are MAJOR updates every week. New items, gameplay adjustments, community stuff and more. There is multiplayer. Yes you can play and design multiplayer. The campaign is awesome. Even without all the great level editing stuff I'd buy it just for the single player. It's somewhere in between Mario Bros. and Super Meat Boy. Each level is a challenge that will test your skills just enough until you beat it then on to the next with another unique challenge that seems just perfect for challenging but you can actually beat it. Tons of unlocks, pickups, and unique items will keep you entertained for hours even before you start making and playing user created levels. It's labeled as Early Access but is a complete game right now. They just keep adding stuff beyond a complete game. $$ BUY IT NOW $$