Yeah you are definitely not wrong about the leaps of feith. Our programmer had to crunch most of the levels in a few sleep deprived hours right before the deadline so the quality of the level design could have been better if we managed our time more efficiently, I guess it’s one the leasons we learned from making this...
Either way thanks for taking the time to critique our game it helps a lot.
No problem, and sorry if I sounded harsh in the gameplay section, after reviewing it, I could have been more critical and less biased. I also wanted to let you know some ways you could flesh out the game into something somebody would purchase.
I would start by adding many new levels and gameplay mechanics to the game. Things like the golden rings help with making the game feel more diverse and dynamic, though I feel as though you could do more. Things like power-ups that either increase the height of the jump or give the player a bit of resistance to the lava(something like a shield or some boots).
One other issue that I had was when some mechanics weren't given time to be taught to the player completely. The level that introduced the mushrooms and rings is the best example for this. When the player jumps to the right he sees both the mushrooms and the ring at the same time. The player not understanding how these items work, and will most likely die due to a lack of understanding how these new mechanics works. One way to fix this issue is what I call the "Mario Mechanic" method. When playing a newer Mario game you are presented with the level's mechanic in a safe environment before you are put in danger. EX: At the start of the level there is a hole that Mario can't jump over. There is also a platform that is above that hole that moves right when you are standing on it, and left when you aren't. You cannot die in this section, so if you fall into it by accident, you won't be punished for it.
This can be applied to the Mushroom/Ring room in two ways. One is where you need to enter the ring in-order to get the bullet that allowed you to jump, so you learn how the mechanic works in a save environment. Secondly you can split up the mechanics into different levels, one level for the mushrooms, and another for the rings, and then finish it off with a room that uses both of them.
I hope this has been helpful and if you are at all confused, please let me know.
