Rating Curve

Man, I really wanted to like this level, but it has too many problems for me to think of it positively overall. I think it's pirate theme is excellent and the environments look fantastic (when you're not being blasted with radial blur) but it's a really big shame that the way Heave Ho plays is straight up unfun and stressful. I do think the first two parts are excellent, they ease you into the level well, show you what you're about to get into, and use camera controls and shaders in a tasteful way. I think the swaying back on and forth on the ship, while pretty hard to get used to the first time around, is a neat idea that I'm glad was included. Sadly, these are the only parts I liked playing, as everything else ranges from okay, to pretty bad from a player's standpoint. The part directly after is okay, but after riding a boat to the next part, you're brought to a pretty bland section of gameplay with some frankly annoying handling of where the player is telegraphed to go. Indicators are actually something I generally don't mind, but if an indicator is the ONLY thing that tells you that a wall of spikes will land on you if you don't click, that's pretty poor design, and it would be better to just have a spike that shows why you should click. I think I especially drop off near the drop, with the constant shifting to the right of the camera and the excessive amount of motion blur. I even tested the level without any of the motion blur as an experiment and I genuinely this this level would be SO much more enjoyable if the motion blur was majorly toned down. Once you reach around 70% the playability gets a smidge better, but still not very good. The endscreen is at least really cool. I really feel sorry for not liking this level, because I can see a version of this level that's really great, but unfortunately, this wasn't my thing entirely.

This level was honestly a bit disheartening to replay. I do think it's better than some give it credit for but some elements of Noel Electra really do not work. I'll start with some positives. I know a lot of people aren't a fan of the hyper-realistic art style in a lot of modern levels, and while that's valid, I personally really like the look of it. I think the theming is a perfect midpoint between a snowy wonderland and a harsh icy climate, and hey, it's around Christmas time (at least at the time of Noel Electra's release) so that fits too! I think some of the camera controls are weirdly floaty and unnecessary but not actively harming the experience before the drop. I like the part where you're on top of the train, and afterwards when you go through the train cars themselves, each one with a little bit of a theme, like a mechanical car, an icy car, and a botanical car. I think the animation going into the drop is cool, but this is where the level becomes a bit of a train wreck (see what I did there?). The drop is an absolute mess of gameplay that feels very unfair to the player with a lot of sudden camera triggers and direction switches with very little indication on what will happen. It is actively not fun to learn nor play, and a lot of deaths felt a bit out of my control. On top of that, there are some bugs which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if this wasn't the hardest and most chaotic section of the level. I also find the square orb use to be really odd, serving as click indicators with not a lot of reason to use them as opposed to something else like arrows or anything. I think the way the train discombobulates is really cool and compliments the song well but it unfortunately doesn't save from the pretty unenjoyable section, and it's a pretty significant portion of the level. I will say I do love the fadeout with the bells letting you take in the atmosphere, it's a very nice touch, and the endscreen with the demolished train is pretty cool. While I do think Noel Electra has a neat style some good ideas, the execution of the later half of the level was quite rough and a bit disappointing which leads to a pretty mixed experience.