A simulation screenshot showing how the game will likely look when played (accurate as of Apr 12, 2010)
What is the game Platform Masters and what is it about?
Last updated: May 9, 2010 (version 3 - second complete rewrite, now containing numerous new details in greater depth)
Features < Previous page | Next page > Worlds
1 Overworld
With the 250+ levels and 18 worlds present, the overworld serves as a way to access each of these, and also provide a visual reference as to the game's setting and environment. Not only that, but the overworld also allows you to replay story scenes, access the tutorial level, or visit certain special areas marked with blue and magenta flags. You'll be coming here quite often so it makes up a sizeable amount of the game play, even though there's no danger or challenge here.
The overworld consists of 4 sections. The top section is the main graphical component, taking up the top 2/3 of the screen. This is where you'll see the flags and scenery, along with the character for positional reference. Red flags mark worlds, where all the action takes place (see section 2 for how this works). As of May 9, 2010, the blue and magenta flags, of which have a purpose, are classified as to what they are (kept secret from the public). The 4 directional buttons (to move between flags) and the selection and cancellation buttons are all that's used here. When you start to play levels within that world, you'll find that the background scenery very matches what you see in the overworld. Each pixel on the overworld represents 1600 feet. Thus, if a river, for example, was 2 pixels wide and started 4 pixels away from a flag, you'll see it in the actual levels as if the closest part of the river was 6400 feet away and the furthest part was 9600 feet away.
The bottom left corner contains basic navigation. Arrows blink to indicate which color flag pressing in that direction will take you to. Text adjacent to it helps identify the place that direction will lead to. If your current position, for example, was Lake Keveran, the left direction will blink a red color to indicate a world is in that direction with "Keveran Desert" as the text, as, by pressing the left direction, you'll move to Keveran Desert and the arrows and text will update accordingly. If the arrow does not flash, there's nothing in that direction.
The central part is where level selection and world/level status is shown. If you haven't chosen a location yet, this area only contains the location's name, along with the stats for that location. This includes an assortment of general, low-importance statistics such as the number of levels cleared at a particular difficulty setting at the highest for each level. The best 3 scores and times of all the levels are included as well, among others. If a location has been selected, a cursor will appear here as a green (adjustable) highlight. Here, you'll be able to select a level to play, including watching the story events and playing the tutorial level. Some locations even have more than one story event. Below the story and tutorial level selection are the list of the 15 regular levels. The top row lists all 11 required levels (10 regular ones and the boss level). The bottom row contains the optional jumbo (marked as J3 and the like) and supersize (marked as SS) levels. Below this is where configuration settings can be adjusted such as difficulty, cursor speed, on-screen information precision, measurement units, volume, and numerous other things. The 3 best scores and times for the highlighted level (excluding the story and tutorial levels) are displayed at the bottom. Best times are based on the total time spent playing the level as opposed to the time remaining (since difficulty affects that).
The right part contains other statistics, specific to the character, such as lives, score, attack, HP, and others.
2 Story events
Upon starting a new world for the first time, story events automatically play. Here, you only need to use the selection button to move to the next dialog balloon as you sit back and watch the events unfold. If you replay a story scene, from accessing it on the overworld, you can use the cancellation button to return to the overworld at any time.
3 Tutorial levels
Tutorial levels are special - they are used to explain any new game play elements you'll encounter in the world you are accessing. For example, Keveran Forest (world 6) introduces bottomless pits, water pools, and spikes. Its tutorial level will cover these 3 elements together in one, using separate sections. Although you don't get credit towards score, lives, etc. for completing them, they are among the most useful levels. Every world has a tutorial level and it is highly recommended that you play it. Except for the first world and boss levels, the tutorial level is much shorter and smaller than any other level. Unlike all other levels, except story event levels, there is no time limit to complete this, regardless of difficulty (you'll see an infinity symbol). Any lives lost playing tutorial levels won't count against you either, so drown, fall into bottomless pits, lose all HP, or get crushed all you want.
Playing a tutorial level uses the same mechanics as normal play for normal levels. The only difference is that you'll see signs scattered around. By holding up while pressing the selection button in front of a sign, you can read them, which explains how to do certain things or explains new elements, sometimes in a funny or silly manner. Just like regular levels (see section 4 below), completing tutorial levels is done by merely landing on the goal platform. You can also exit from them early without penalty (you'd normally lose a life once "GO" appears) and return to the overworld.
4 Regular, jumbo, and supersize levels
The screenshot at the top shows how these levels and actual game play may look (it's simulated). All regular, jumbo, and supersize levels play exactly the same way. They are also where all the game's platform-hopping and treasure-hunting action takes place. The task to do in these may seem simple, but it's not as easy as it sounds - reach the goal platform before time runs out. The amount of time you get for each level is dependent solely on difficulty. The higher the difficulty, the less time you get to complete a level. Although Platform Masters doesn't use checkpoints like most other platformers, the small size of levels makes up for this. Levels only take about a minute to complete if you know what you're doing and don't focus on treasure-hunting or using shortcuts. You may be given 50 seconds to complete an early level at difficulty 6, but when playing the same level at difficulty 3, you are given 100 seconds instead. Can you find shortcuts so you can complete levels at difficulty 8?
However, along your way from the start platform to the goal platform, you'll encounter an assortment of items, enemies, objects, and platforms. Items include hearts (which restore HP (health)), valuables (jewels, gold bullions, and treasure chests; used for score), and extra lives (extra chances). Enemies range from spiders and beach-ball-kicking cartoon-style jailbirds to cannons and plants. As difficulty increases, enemies can deal more damage, but they have the same amount of HP. You can defeat enemies by either attacking them with the energy beam or jumping on top of them (bopping them as the latter case is called). Objects come in an assortment of forms, most commonly as springs, but there are also spikes, water, mud, TNT barrels, and many others. Use these objects well to make the most of each situation and location. Platforms come in 8 flavors. The start and goal platforms are two such flavors. Static platforms don't move. Dynamic platform move using a node-based system. Vanishing platforms disappear after some time. There are 3 others - see what they are as you play. Platforms are randomly colored and their colors don't mean anything in particular. The goal platform is the most important of all the objects in a level - you must land on it before time runs out without dying to complete levels which in turn opens up the next level and you'll score points.
While playing a level, you'll see up to 8 pieces of information displayed along the edges of the screen. The number of lives remaining is in the top left corner. If you run out of lives, it's game over and your score is reduced to 0, but you have an infinite number of continues. If playing a boss level, the boss's HP using only a small bar is directly below the lives. The time remaining to complete a level (infinity in tutorial and story levels) is in the top center. Running out of time causes you to lose a life and you'll need to start the level from the beginning again. The score is at the top right corner. Every 20 million points earns you an extra life. When you go underwater, the amount of air remaining is shown directly below score. If this drops to 0, you'll drown and lose a life, starting the level from the beginning (except boss levels). Be sure to come up for air when exploring underwater regions. The speed you're moving is indicated in the bottom left corner. How fast can you get? The current level is in the bottom center. The amount of HP remaining and the maximum available is in the bottom right corner. Lose all HP and you lose a life and must restart the level from the beginning (except for boss levels). Recover HP by collecting hearts.
When a level is completed, you'll get an assortment of bonuses. You get 5 points for every millisecond left on the clock, the time bonus. Item bonus is accumulated from collecting jewels, gold bullions, and treasure chests. Enemy bonus is accumulated by defeating enemies. Level bonus is obtained by simply completing the level. There are numerous ways to accumulate extra bonus, but you'll have to figure out how on your own. Multiplier is determined by difficulty - as difficulty increases, the multiplier increases, and rapidly. Difficulty 0 only has 1x, but difficulty 8 has a monstrous 500x. Although time bonus is sacrificed at higher difficulties, items, enemies, etc. are unaffected which makes higher difficulties a faster way to score.
What's the difference between a regular, jumbo, and supersize level? Simply put: size. Regular levels, 10 per world, normally take about a minute to complete (shorter for earlier worlds, longer for later worlds). Jumbo levels, 3 per world, are 4 times bigger in area of coverage but take 3 times longer to complete. It's offset like this as there are more treasures and more valuable treasures to be found in jumbo levels than there are in regular levels. Supersize levels, only 1 per world, are 8 times bigger in area of coverage but take 4 times longer to complete. Supersize levels are riddled with tons of high-value treasures and valuables, but all 3 jumbo levels have to be completed before access to it is available.
5 Boss levels
Once you've completed all 10 regular levels within a given world at any difficulty (even 0), the boss level is available. Although the boss level is significantly smaller, the smallest of all levels, they are just as challenging. You are put face to face with the region's boss, a more powerful enemy. Like with other enemies, the higher the difficulty is, the more HP damage the boss can inflict in one hit. Unlike other levels, dying in any way outside running out of time won't cause you to have to start over from the beginning. Thus, if you dealt 50 damage to the boss then died due to running out of HP (or drowning, being crushed, or falling into a bottomless pit), you'll have a 5-second penalty applied to the clock and you'll reappear with the boss still having 50 HP missing. If you run out of time, however, then it's back to the beginning where the boss has full HP.
Unlike other levels, there is no goal platform. The level is completed upon defeating the boss and landing on solid ground (in water or mud still counts, but not lava). The clock stops immediately upon defeating the boss, though the 5-second penalty can still be applied if a death occurs afterwards in any way.
Like with regular levels, you'll get the same assortment of bonuses in the same way.
Once the boss level is completed, the next world opens up and the whole process repeats from the overworld, unless you want to play the optional jumbo and supersize levels.
Features < Previous page | Next page > Worlds
9.1.5 Platform Masters - The fast-paced, action-packed 2D platform game
9.1.5-1 Introduction
9.1.5-2 Features
9.1.5-3 Gameflow
9.1.5-4 Worlds
9.1.5-5 Frequently asked questions
9.1.5-6 End user license agreement
9.1.5-7 System requirements
9.1.5-8 How to buy
9.1.5-9 Downloads
9.1.5-10 Development history - multiple pages
9.1.5-11 Progress checklist
Footnotes:
None.
