Favorite Level?

[AironNeil]

Since it would be a shame to have the forum die down completely after the game's out, I thought I'd make the first thread on this (renamed) board that doesn't involve improving the game.

My favorite level is Wayward Dreamer if only because it's the only level where the dolls can kill you. To me, the dolls were built up the most in the game since almost every level had many stationary dolls that added to the creepy, childlike atmosphere in the rooms they were placed. It was only fitting that the dolls would become an actual threat on one of the levels that you're a child.

I like how the ending wasn't clear on whether Thomas was still in a dream or not. It captures the title of the game very well.

Oh well, what's your favorite level?

[matt]

I'm not sure anyone cares about my opinion, but Wayward Dreamer is my favorite level as well. A close second is Together at Last. I love the darkness effect and using nothing but your candle to light the way. I wish I would have done more levels lit by candle only. I'll keep that in mind for the next game.

I also like playing as little boy Thomas because he feels more vulnerable. I also feel really guilty making him run because his asthma sounds just terrible - even worse than when he was an adult...

[Harry Sunderland]

Wayward Dreamer is by far my favorite. I think because the entire game I felt irrationally afraid of all the dolls. They were purely background decoration, so why was I so fixated on them? Sure, every now and then I swore I saw one blink (Matt...am I crazy or did they blink in earlier levels?)

But then I arrived at Wayward Dreamer, and the dolls started coming to life.

In many ways, I feel this is the most effective moment in the game, because I literally felt like I was in a NIghtmare. Something that defied all rationality was coming true, and I felt completely and utterly vulnerable in the situation.

Bravo Matt. That climax has stuck with me, even after finishing the game. It's rare for a game to scare me so much I need a pallet cleanser, but I'm going to have to watch a few episodes of "Bojack Horseman" to help me sleep tonight.

Wow.

[JPrice]

Seems like "Wayward Dreamer" is a popular one here hahaa. I can understand why though because the dolls are pretty great enemies, especially given that they were built up effectively throughout the whole game. Personally for me however my favourite level is "Final Descent".

I just love everything about this level. I mean sure it doesn't have a high amount of enemy encounters but it encapsulates everything I love about Neverending Nightmares as a game. Just the large amount of disturbing imagery and set pieces like the repeating room getting bloodier, falling corpses from the sky and the basement of hanging Gabby corpses. There's just a lot of memorable things in this level that make it my personal favourite. Although I will admit that "Wayward Dreamer" and "Insanity" are close second and third haha

[AndreJ]

I really like The Final Descent as the whole level seemed like a nightmare and it seemed more experimental than the previous levels to me.
I also really like the portions of the levels that were based outdoors as I found that sometimes the outdoor levels were creepier than than the indoor ones.

[matt]

The Final Descent is a great level. I think the artists did a really good job mashing all the different environments into one horrible decline.

I'm glad you like the outdoor segments. I'm planning to have a lot more outdoors in the next game - assuming we can make it.

[AironNeil]

Seems like "Wayward Dreamer" is a popular one here hahaa. I can understand why though because the dolls are pretty great enemies, especially given that they were built up effectively throughout the whole game. Personally for me however my favourite level is "Final Descent".

"Final Descent" and "Together at Last" were close seconds for me.

"Final Descent" felt the most like a last level to the game then any of the other last levels for me because of the use of almost every environment type and a much larger amount of imagery throughout (I even like the Easter Egg Matt hinted at before). The music even felt "last level-ey" if that makes any sense...

"Together at Last" was the first level to make me start thinking about the story much more than I was before; plus, I still think the repeating bedroom is the most effective moment for messing with my mind in the game (not that I haven't seen the effect done before, but usually when other games do it the repeating ends after you go back a few times, or solve some puzzle).

I still like the music in "Lost Child" the best in the whole game, but after looking back on it--yeah it's been said before--the baby monsters are shown a little too much and they do some goofy actions like scratching their head after losing you in the closet, or sniffing and looking straight at the camera (I really hope I'm not being mean, Matt, I'm sorry). But the level showed a natural progression from the previous levels by making the mansion even more broken and dirty, making the whole thing feel like a much worse nightmare even before you meet the first thing that can give you a hug of death.

[matt]

That's okay. Perhaps the animation on the baby monster was not the best. Hindsight is 20/20. It was the first enemy we did, and I think we did a much better job with the later enemies.

[almos666]

"Together at last", and I love how, true to the dream logic, going down to take the glass of milk is actually easier than getting back to bed...
And my second favorite - "The Childish Things", especially because of how the scenes where the light in the corridor goes out and something creeps out of it to eat Thomas - I had similar dreams as a child - and the one where Thomas chases his sister through the woods capture the dream logic - in general, the relentless horror of the "Nightmares" captures the tangled logic of dreams better than any games I've played to date (these include "Dreams: To Reality" and "Weird Dreams").

[matt]

I'm so glad you liked the game and how we wanted to create the feeling of dreams! Those are definitely strong levels.