Delicious FruitI Wanna Kill The Kamilia 3
Creators: Influcca, Kamilia, どるっぴ, こあら, サイバー, ルキト, LunarMagic, Betty, Shi.Yu., ヨーヨー, ところてん, あお, ThenewGeezer, Ouka, Tomo
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DanMario24
DISCLAIMER: I folded at Cyber Area 31 hours into the boss (with 10 final attempts), this means that this review isn’t finished, but there’s just no hope that I’ll beat Cyber so who cares. Final also has the most dogshit RNG where it's literally only the density that decides if you beat the attack or not, so I really can’t be asked to go back.
Review based off of 2.0, which I recommend more than 1.50 because of the bullshit it removes, as well as a much more balanced difficulty curve.
DIFFICULTY NOTE: Same deal as K2:R, but with a higher difficulty curve. It starts at 41, mostly contains stuff around 65-70 by the midgame (with one exception in boss rush that goes up to mid-high 70s, another BR boss being 80s if you find it really hard), by Stage 5-3 it goes above 75, and it peaks at 85 with the final boss.
I’m just gonna jump straight to the point, I do not recommend playing this unless you’re willing to push through lots of bad boss design. The needle is all fine, but the bosses are really bad, 80% of them all have at least one questionable design choice that just sours the whole experience. Even if there are some hidden gem bosses among all the annoying ones, it's still not enough for me to recommend this game. I’ll discuss the issues with the bosses in the actual review.
This review will be very similar to my K2:R review, myself going over the ups and downs of all of the content in any%, and giving each one a tier ranking.
Here are the ranks in question btw.
PEAK
S+
S
A
B
C
D
F
Let’s get started, shall we?
STAGE 1:
This beginning stage serves as the gates to hell, a place to relax before plummeting into the depths, and the perilous trials that this game has to offer.
In terms of gameplay… There’s no wacky gimmicks in this stage, well maybe in ETG2 (B), but it's just very standard needle without anything memorable (which is to be expected of a beginning stage). The two Ichor screens stood out the most to me, but the rest of the screens were pretty forgettable. Even outside of that, the very first screen is way harder than anything until Ichor, which is a pretty messy difficulty curve in my opinion.
Generally, this is just your typical first stage, a lack of gimmicks to help ease you into the difficulty, to which this stage also suffers in the memorability aspect because of it.
Secret 1 is pretty cool, it has some really wacky jumps that require you to perform unorthodox movements, and a unique spin on backtracking. I’m also happy that the entrance to the secret got nerfed, as it makes it more accessible.
OVERALL: B Tier
BOSS 1: Flandre Scarlet
The guardian of hell’s gates, a test to see if you’re worthy of stepping foot in hell, and the beginning of the awful boss design…
I'll start off with the good first, some attacks like Rumia, Mystia, and Suwako were pretty good, with some really cool patterns. Crime & Punishment is a great introduction to the curving bullets that you'll see throughout the game, it's a massive difficulty spike compared to the rest of the fight, but one that works quite well.
Now onto my reasons as to why this fight falls flat...
The screenwrapping orbs have a tendency to make parts genuinely impossible, I get that they're meant to add a challenge of spatial awareness, but the problem is that the challenge actually interferes with places you need to go (such as Crazy Spike and Mush Mush). And even after that I still have issues with other aspects of the fight.
The uppermost bullets in the first attack are so low that it just feels counter-intuitive to hitting Flandre, if it's because they don't want you dealing much damage to Flandre, there's so many better ways to do it than using a low bullet ceiling to restrict damage.
Mush Mush is just a gambling simulator, the mushrooms move at random speeds, have random jump heights, and jump at random times, and the most annoying part by far is the fact that the screenwrapping orbs can fuck you over whilst you're jumping over the big mushroom. There's literally no other way to do it aside from going to the far reaches of the screen and praying that RNG decides to let you win.
Lastly, the random height of Flandre during final can also be a bummer, I've had attempts where you can only reach her by following up a full jump with a double jump (and trying not to die to the bullets while dropping back down).
Generally, it's a good fight that's ruined by three really dumb luckspots that are all right after the intro (four if you count Flandre’s height in final), and the sad part is that it’s not the first K3 boss that’s ruined by questionable design choices either.
OVERALL: D Tier
STAGE 2:
With the guardian out of the way, are you ready to take the plunge into hell?
This difficulty of this stage is a decent step up from the first one, but still not as bad as what’s to come. There is also a large variety of creative gimmicks here as well, with every screen being unique to the last, the only screen that I didn’t like was Vanish Needles (B) and the rest were really good.
Vanish Needles requires you to route homing discs, Prism is a nice little quiz that can serve as a break from the chaos, Buy The Crayon utilises speed and gravity really well, Payment is a good test of patience and strategy, and Magnanimity is a nice breezy ride to the end of the stage (as long as you get the crystal when the cart falls at the end). Generally, this stage has some really good variety, even not so gimmicky screens such as PiyoPiyo Trap, Air, and Rose Gear are able to make some unique needle.
As for secret 2… The entrance is a bit meh, especially having to wait for the apples to vacate the diagonal after the platforms, but if you can endure past that, the secret itself is really good. I don’t recommend attempting the secret until you at least beat Stage 4, but it's worth it once you have the skill, plus the upgrade is especially helpful.
If you don’t know how to do number pad cancels, you will be fully informed by the time that you are done with this secret. The jumps are also really well made: Having to stop movement so that you don’t hit spikes, the use of aligns, the wacky movement, and of course the numpad cancels themselves. I personally would recommend this secret outside of K3 progression.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 2: Mr. Bright & Mr. Shine
The descent through hell only gets harder as you go deeper down, thus, it’s up to YOU to adapt to that rising difficulty.
Unironically the best boss in the whole game, let me explain.
Of all K3’s bosses, this one is the LEAST bullet hell out of all of them, which certainly makes it unique in a sense.
The way that the fight plays out is that Shine & Bright have 5 moves that they can perform at random, while both of them share the same moveset, the second set of attacks varies on which one you’re dealing with (for Bright you have to avoid very fast stars, for Shine you have to avoid a moving laser). This adds a lot of variety to the fight, meaning that you aren’t at threat from lots of bullets, but at threat from having to react to whatever moves the bosses choose.
The progression in phases is also well established, phase 1 is pretty slow to allow for the player to learn the moveset of both bosses, phase 2 tests that knowledge by increasing the speed, and phase 3 pushes you to your limit by having to deal with both of the bosses at the same time.
The bosses from the other games flow nicely into the fight as well, having simple but creative bullet patterns that are generally fun to dodge, with the Rose Gear avoidance focusing on dense dodging, a skill that will be useful later in the game.
Finally, the dice are a nice way to mix up the style of the fight, selecting from 9 needle jumps at random (In 2.0, you have a higher chance to roll 1, and a lesser chance to roll 9, 2-8 are all the same chance) which adds a nice element of reaction and strategy for how you’re gonna deal with whatever needle jump the dice select. The higher the jump’s number, the harder it will be, 9 being by far the hardest. Having one final dice roll at the end of the boss really creates a good feeling of tension, especially when the music falls silent.
Absolutely incredible boss, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In terms of issues, I really don't have any, especially now that the chances of rolling a 9 have been reduced, I'd highly recommend fighting this boss once you gain enough skill to do so.
OVERALL: PEAK Tier
STAGE 3:
There’s not as much creativity in this stage, but it’s still really good in the gameplay department. Screens such as Uhuhu Spike 3, Justice, Hope The End Of, and RZ are really fun to play through, with lots of fun jumps to execute and make progress on. There were only two screens that I really didn’t like, and they were Qut A & B (it's a good concept ruined by the fact that the whole screen is nothing but really annoying 16px spam).
Past that, some screens are still decent, even if not very memorable, such as Picture, Flower, and Guy.
Generally, there’s not as much creativity to this stage, but to make up for that, it has really good gameplay.
SIDE NOTE: RZ is when K3’s needle gets really hard, it's down here because I couldn’t see where I could slot that in my notes for Stage 3 (don’t panic about RZ though cause the rest of the stage prepares you well enough for it).
I haven't played Secret 3, so I can’t say anything about it.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 3: The Guy
I’ll be blunt, PLEASE use the practice tool for this fight, as both Scythe & Benzen are really irritating to learn without it.
This isn’t as bad as some of the other bosses, but still has some pretty annoying design choices. To begin with the good parts, everything up until Scythe is fine, the fireball patterns are decent, with the random teeth spike adding variance to the dodging on each attempt. One of my favourite parts about this fight is how it utilises the vines to the side with both Kracko and Sieg, making excellent use of the layout.
Oh boy… After the second fireball pattern, this boss takes a really bad turn.
Scythe is the first memory-heavy part, and its genuinely fucking atrocious, the fact that it can spawn from 3 random heights just makes it so counter-intuitive to routing it, enough that I even questioned “DOES THIS ATTACK WANT ME TO ROUTE IT OR NOT?!?!”.
Next up though is the worst part of the fight: Learning the benzen avoidance. The thing about this part is that if you’re a few pixels off the specific safespots, you’ll cause a butterfly effect. For me, it was just too much to learn for how late into the fight it was, and because of that, the pace of the fight got dragged down solely just to figure out how to survive that one singular part of the fight.
The rest of the boss is fine, the vines and fireballs being utilised one final time, with a really gripping chokepoint at the end.
Overall, this fight had potential to be a great utilisation of OG Guy phase 2, but it got ruined by the really long learning process of two parts dragging the pace down.
OVERALL: C Tier
STAGE 4:
When someone says “Think of a medley stage”, chances are this stage might be the first thing that pops up in their head, and for really good reasons too.
This stage is absolutely stellar, imagine Stage 2’s gimmicky screens, but turned up to 11, with almost every screen having a brand new gimmick, that’s Stage 4 in a nutshell.
Sunspike has probably the least interesting screens of the stage, there’s not much to them outside of a cool trigger grab in the second screen, but at least the visuals are really good. Azure has some really fun cycle needle, especially the diagonally moving gates at the end; I especially like the second screen being centered around a rising platform. Enjoy The Excursion’s first screen plays around with speed and gravity, with some really cool manoeuvres being made out of trying to keep your speed under control, the second screen has you moving in a bubble (that has linear movement) through a long corridor, its pretty fun once you adapt to the janky movement. Tempest is the first big difficulty spike of the stage (the difficulty comes from save 3 alone), with really cool usages of cherries & cycles, and a fun drop to the warp at the end. Butterfly’s first screen is all about a moving line of water, really making excellent use of its strengths & weaknesses. Sadly I wasn’t too keen on the second Butterfly screen, it was fine at first, but then the blue phase ruined it because of the stupidly obnoxious amount of routing required, I feel like the speed and fire rate of the blue rings should have been toned down so that players can fairly react to the blue phase without having to route it.
Hades was really fun precision needle, especially now that they made the good align obtainable without having to backtrack to save 1, it also had some really cool jumps. Dotkid’s apple cycles in both screens are very enjoyable to navigate, and plan ahead for jumps based on the cycles in question, even the regular jumps were made cooler with the reduced hitbox. I didn’t enjoy the two Black screens that much, not only because of the really annoying amount of waiting you had to do, but also due to the maze being invisible, which just turned the screen into trial & error rather than a fun routing puzzle. The first maze screen wasn’t anything that special outside of the cycle after the diagonal spam, but the second screen was by far the most unique of the stage, requiring you to memorise the layout of the maze before it all disappears (the blocks disappearing after you touch them). Finally, the two Emperor screens are by far the hardest of the stage, making creative uses of homing cherries & cycles.
This stage is amazing, the screen visuals are all beautifully distinct from one another, and almost every single screen involves some creative gimmick, with none of the screens feeling like filler. Even though there were 3 screens that I didn’t like, those problematic ones are nothing but small stains on a beautiful art piece, this stage genuinely deserves all the praise it gets, and I’m happy to have experienced it.
OVERALL: S Tier
NOTE FOR BOSS RUSH: The bosses will be in the order that I beat them in.
BOSS RUSH 1/4: Dotkid Miku
DIFFICULTY NOTE: Some people consider this boss to be 80s, others not so much.
This was not a good fight, not just because of the massive difficulty spike at the end, but also because of the fact that half of all attacks in this fight have too big of a difficulty range. I would honestly have been fine if the difficulty of each attack was consistent on every attempt, but no, they're either free as hell, or straight out of an AHoF avoidance.
Red/Blue was by far the worst part of the fight, no thanks to the attack ROLLING FOR ITS OWN DIFFICULTY EVERY SINGLE SECOND, and even then you have to deal with bullshit such as being forced towards either the left or the right (depending on what colour you're at), or having to jump early right as the rainbow bursts fire because some stupid cherry got in your way right as you were preparing to stream the bursts.
Outrage is the main meat and bones of the fight, quality wise... I actually loved this attack (not so much being a massive difficulty spike, but the attack itself). Generally, it's much more skill based than people make it out to be, even when a blue cherry streams along the floor, you can just jump to the ceiling above to make sure that the green cherries don't interfere with your left-streaming. Once you master jumping onto the ledge, and generally reading the attack, it's actually an extremely fun attack outside of being a big difficulty spike.
Overall, Dotkid Miku is not a boss I'd be willing to fight again.
OVERALL: D Tier
BOSS RUSH 2/4: Emperor Miku
Same deal as Guy, practice phases 3 and 4 before doing real attempts, you’ll regret it otherwise.
Honestly, where I didn't expect to have a good time with this boss, it ended up being more enjoyable than I thought it would be, which is good.
To start off with the positives, there was a lot of variety in the attacks, which I liked. Lines had you improvising while trying to hold your route, Fruit Waves was a good way to test your dense reading skills, and final was just a fun way to cap off the fight in general.
The biggest issue with this boss is phase 2 (Count to 15), it really drags the pace down to the speed of a snail, with so much waiting around for gaps to dodge revenge bullets in. Mainly, I just don't get why the green bullets are even there in the first place, they're literally the only thing forcing you to the center and nothing else, so removing them would be a good step to fixing the issue with the pacing.
Even outside of that, there's still my dislike towards memorisation weighing the fight down, mainly phase 4 (Grey Circles) was really irritating to learn for me (again, memorisation just isn't my thing).
I think that this fight definitely has potential, especially with all the variety displayed, but I just wish that phase 2 didn't slow the fight down to hell. Where I’d give it a C rank if you’re using the practice tool, I can’t imagine anyone without it having an inch of fun without it, so I’m giving the boss D tier because of that.
OVERALL: C Tier
BOSS RUSH 3/4: Colonel
Wow! I… Holy fucking shit, this… This is so amazing!
As you can see, this boss is my personal favourite of the four devas. It’s extremely random with very little downtime, that randomness is EXACTLY what I like about it. Every attack feels so fair for how difficult it is, and the insane amount of variety in each individual attack is lovely. My personal highlights of this fight are green seeds, blue arrows, and curving.
If there's one small nitpick of mine, it's that the platform phase does kind of slow the pace down, 2.0's HP & IFrame nerf does partly sort this issue out, but not entirely.
Thank you so much Kamilia for letting this boss be a part of the four devas, cause it was so amazing.
OVERALL: S+ Tier
BOSS RUSH 4/4: Piano
You know how I said that for difficulty, there was an exception in boss rush that went up to high 70s? This is that very boss, and likely to be your first ever boss that you’ll be spending over 20-30 hours in.
Difficulty-wise... I'd say this boss is DRASTICALLY harder than the prior 3 devas, and it's not even close. For one, outside of the sheer difficulty, it's the second-longest of the four devas, Emperor Miku being the only deva longer than this. Another difficulty factor is that unlike other bosses, multiple skills get put to the test instead of just one: Dense dodging, reacting to extremely fast attacks, gimmicky reading, dodges that can end up being under 16 pixels... All contained within this boss.
Damn this fight is good though, for how hard everything is, it's EXTREMELY skill based, and there's a consistent strategy for every single attack. Outside of that, the difficulty curve is really smooth, and the progression throughout the fight is very good, especially the last 4 attacks. Next up, remember how I said that multiple skills get put to the test in this fight? The amount of attack variety in this fight is exceptional, every single one feeling unique to the last, and it even has lots of creative reading required with attacks such as invert, circles, and red/blue.
My only two issues with this boss that stop it from getting S tier though is that Yellow Streams doesn't exclude the colour yellow when Piano starts firing bullets as you stream, I mention this because yellow bullets have blended in with the streaming bullets (which has killed me on multiple occasions). My last issue is that the red/blue burst near the end has some extremely high RNG variance, I would say that getting walled is less common than getting RNG harder than curving, but there is still a small chance of being walled anyway. That's it for issues though.
Genuinely amazing way to test your skill, and I wouldn't have liked to have boss rush end any other way.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 4: Influka
This boss was a really good way to end off Stage 4. The fight genuinely feels like you're in a music video, and it's really good for that, plus I especially love the use of monochrome throughout the battle. Once you learn pre-chorus, Influka’s patterns are pretty neat, my favourite of which being the Sphere during the song’s interlude. Outside of Influka herself, the biggest talking point is the callbacks to Kamilia 2, which were really well executed, and brought back everything I loved about the individual bosses.
Volcano Zone had the Grey Cherry, Jirachi, and the Sticky Keys surprise at the end. The Guy had Space Invaders, the aimed bullet spam that forced you to use the vines, and the Gustav spike burst at the end. Solgryn had Sanae & Koishi’s multitasking, Grolla & Freuda from the start of Phase 2, and the green orbs too. There wasn’t really much I liked about Geezer in K2:R sadly, but the bats & the Big Kid Head were cool (without Beelzebub that is). Big Kid had the omnidirectional cherries and the bouncing ones as well, now with the addition of the water bullets refreshing your jump. Lastly, Influka had all of the avoidance intermissions, even combining two of them together for a lot of her flashback.
Generally, the flashbacks are really well made, it feels like a proper callback to K2:R and I love it.
The difficulty of this boss entirely depends on how good you are with long bosses & nerve control, I personally found it to be between Colonel and Dotkid solely because of Geezer's flashback alone (by far the hardest of the 6 flashbacks, and it isn't even close), but again, it depends.
I only really had one one issue with this boss; its that the middle of Geezer can be a bit nonsensical, especially if the Big Kid Head bullets force you into the corner (which can wall you if not only the lava rises at the same time, but also if a bat spawns to the left). Other than that, thx Influka for being a really good ending to this stage!
OVERALL: S Tier
STAGE 5-1: Kamilia Area
By far the worst thing in the entire game, even worse than all of the bosses too, let me explain.
To start off, Minesweeper was the most tolerable part of this area. Once I tried learning by starting off with unfamiliar places (and leaving familiar ones for last), it was actually decent, the dodging felt fun to perform under the minesweeper game, and in general the board is very skill based if you're already familiar with how minesweeper works.
Oh boy... Past this point, that tolerability gets thrown out of the window.
The Simon Says game afterwards is what pushed me over the edge, it's so unfathomably bad, let me explain. My biggest gripe with this part is how the indication gets removed midway through the sequence, it's just such an unfathomably stupid way of making it harder, and if the new notes end up anywhere in the orange-green range, it's practically an instant death because it's borderline impossible to tell them apart. Worse yet, because of the fact that you're already trying to remember the sequence, you either get so focused on trying to figure out the new note that you forget the prior steps, or vice versa.
What I really would have liked for this part instead, would be to keep the indication, but shuffle the buttons around randomly instead of having the memorisation segment, which adds challenge without having to tell each individual note apart.
For Maze, I feel like my entire relaxation came from the fact that I had a map of the area prior to beating Simon Says, I don't think that it would be fun to find the two crystals without that map. Generally, when you know where to go, Maze is a well needed detox after Simon Says, but if you don't, it's gonna be hell to navigate due to the invisible block pathways and sheer size of the maze.
Generally, this is another area that gets blundered by terrible design choices, which is really a shame because of the potential it has.
OVERALL: Burning Garbage Tier
STAGE 5-1 BOSS: LunarMagic Area
I'm gonna be honest, while this fight is generally good, I have some mixed feelings about some specific aspects of it.
I'll start with the good first, the high speed intensity was really well nailed, most of the attacks were complex to read & dodge (without making bullets hard to see), and the patterns generally resonate well with the song. My favourite attack would probably be Final, it's ludicrous, but its never impossible, and some of the dodges are extremely satisfying to pull off.
Now, let's get to the negative side of things.
The first problem that I have with this avoidance is the end of upstream. When the cherries turn grey, it is possible to go from the right side instead, BUT that's assuming none of the bullets choose an awful angle to move from. When the left side isn't blocked by grey cherries, I found that sometimes I just kind of had to hope that the cherries either wouldn't stop me from getting on one of the platforms below, or wouldn't be angled in a way that makes it impossible to descend platforms without wasting my double jump.
Even past that, my final issue that I have with upstream's end is the two consecutive random 360 twitches, they're fine when you have plenty of gaps to stand in, but having any gaps at all isn't guaranteed. When you have no gaps to stand in, you end up having to pray that the 360 twitches play nice and go in the opposite direction of your position, otherwise you just die.
Another problem that I faced was green lines, which felt like I had to get lucky to even have a fair chance against it, since the attack was impossible half of the time because of how much the green cherries have a tendency to pile on top of each other, leaving me no room to dodge.
After that was by far the most bullshit RNG in the fight, the bullet speedup right after green lines. This part was just a total lottery, not only do you have to rely on the bullets leaving you an open gap either on the ground or in the air, but you also have to deal with whatever random angle they choose. If there are no gaps for you to dodge in, it just becomes a stupid 50/50 that can wall you at will if the bullets go towards you, it's not cool.
On a more positive note, past those annoying design choices, I didn’t have any further issues with the boss, it was mainly just the early parts that I didn’t like.
Like I said, this boss was generally fun, but I really can't deny the problems that it suffered from. It's pretty sad, because those problems downgraded what could have been one of my favourite bosses in the game, to just an okay one.
OVERALL: B Tier
STAGE 5-2: Betty Area
Well, this area was certainly something, a pretty unique something at that. The theme of this area is a mix between ice physics, and trap needle, and it's really well nailed at that. At first, the ice physics might feel super janky, but once you realise that the trick is to use ceilings as much as you can, it doesn't become that much of an issue.
As for the traps themselves, they really make for some great gameplay! Things like the moving giant spikes in save 1, the shifting spikes in save 4, and the growing spikes throughout the whole thing, those traps make for some really fun obstacles.
The saves themselves are also well balanced too, the last save is a big difficulty spike compared to the rest of them, but the difficulty curve is established really nicely in the first 5 saves.
There is one big nitpick that I have with this area though, and its the questionable decision to put the snow particles in the foreground instead of the background, I just don't see the whole point of why they did this. Because of this flaw, you'll end up having to wait for gaps where the snow doesn't pile up, or else The Kid becomes genuinely impossible to see in the particles.
Overall, if you can get around the flaw of the snow particles, it's a pretty good area that I definitely recommend playing.
OVERALL: B Tier
STAGE 5-2 BOSS: Doruppi Area
What I personally found to be my least favourite boss in the game, but thankfully it doesn’t go below D tier, which is good.
Ever since I reached Stage 5, this was one of the bosses that I dreaded the most, it wasn't harder than LunarMagic, just that I really did not enjoy memorisation based avoidances. But to my surprise, it was much better than I thought, which I'm really pleased about.
Where I thought that this boss was going to just be safespot spam, this wasn't the case, as there was plenty of variety in route finding: Streaming, gate jumps, using blocks for lineups, even rushing to the top of the screen at one point.
The biggest problem that sadly holds this fight back however, are the 3 really dumb RNG parts, which can just wall you if they decide. Not only is the RNG so fast that it's practically impossible to react to anything, but you can even get walls consisting of up to 2-4 bullets spawning in (and if they all go really fast, you're screwed without any way to save yourself), and the speed variety can also contribute to getting walled as well.
It's just such horribly designed RNG, and it's not helpful that each RNG part gets consecutively worse as you progress through the fight, and the last RNG part is a total lottery because you're forced to one side (that, combined with the speed of the bullets, is a no go). Luckily I only had one death to the last RNG part, even fluking endkill (shapes & chokes), but I know that others aren't so fortunate.
Generally, the attacks are fun to execute once you memorise them, but once you do learn them, you have to just thug out the RNG parts until they let you win, which is pretty bleh.
OVERALL: D Tier
STAGE 5-3: Rukito Area
I love this area so much, this actually has some of the most creative trigger usages I've ever seen, and it's executed exceptionally well too. Every single save is unique from the last, all requiring lots of creative maneuvers to beat the jumps.
Save 1 is good for easing you into the style of this area, where you learn that triggers are used for progression instead of traps, it generally establishes the basics well. The next two saves after that use triggers for speed, which is such a great way to use them, especially since the timers are in the perfect spot exactly, not too strict that it's borderline impossible to make it, but not too lenient that you can just slack around for the saves.
Save 4 is a nice break from the speedrunning, once again using triggers to make a wacky route of progression, and making some really cool jumps out of said triggers too.
Save 5... If the lack of any triggers is intimidating to you, then your fear is warranted, this is the third-hardest save in any%, and none of the other saves in this area come close to its difficulty. This save is the main bulk of Rukito Area's difficulty, by the time that you get to the end of the first loop, not only must you do it all again, but almost every single jump gets made more complex in some way on the second loop. I personally spent 8 hours in this one single save (for context, the hardest save in Stage 4 only took me 4 hours), it's absolutely bonkers, but I was very satisfied with the amount of progress that I made on it as I spent more time in the save.
Save 6 is a pretty weird one, it's nothing like the previous 5 saves, and is the only one to utilise moving platforms. It's not as hard as save 5, but not so easy that you can just sleep through it, especially since the end of the save gets pretty hard. Good save though, just a bit out of place since it's the only one to use moving platforms.
Overall, this area is actually amazing, Rukito cooked so much with it, and I highly recommend it outside of K3 progression.
OVERALL: S+ Tier
STAGE 5-3 BOSS: Cyber Area
NOTE: I was in a pretty bad headspace when I wrote the second half of this review, I was originally 31 hours deep into the fight when I wrote it. Since then, I have picked the grind back up again, as of writing this note I'm currently 40 hours in with 18 final attempts. Generally, please ignore my complaints about Final, I'll gather my thoughts once I actually beat Cyber, as my opinion on this boss is seriously zig-zagging at this point.
I’ll be honest, I did enjoy this fight for 31 hours, but by the time I realised just how terrible the RNG in final is, all the life was sapped out of the boss.
You’ve probably heard scary stories about this boss just as much as you have from Piano, they’re (sort of) warranted for the difficulty of this boss, but not entirely. This boss is definitely harder than everything in the game prior to it, BUT, the skill boost that you gain from beating Piano is good enough preparation for it, even after the 2.0 nerf.
To start, the idea of the smaller hitbox alone is already a really amazing concept, as it opens up SO MUCH more opportunities for dodging, and the best part? All of the attacks utilise it extremely well, really taking into consideration its strengths and weaknesses. Making precise dodges throughout the various attacks just feels so satisfying to perform.
Outside of the reduced hitbox, the attacks are just so well made too: The really dense dodging, the sheer speed that matches the music so well, the sync, the general variety in these attacks, the really creative reading where you have to memorise bullets so that you can focus on others, everything up to final is generally just really fun to execute.
Also did I mention that this fight has the smoothest difficulty curve in any K3 boss? After Memes You Hard, which is moderately harder than everything up to Like This, almost every attack feels validly harder than the last. Generally, in terms of difficulty, Cyber is very second half heavy, as it only takes around 5-10 hours to master everything up until Bouncy Balls.
Shoutout to the 2.0 crystal change btw, where I would have penalised that part of the boss for being completely RNG luckshit since all you had to do was pray that it was angled in a way where it would be possible for you to grab, they made it infinitely better in the update, which I’m really thankful for.
To my great displeasure, these issues that I realised late into my unfinished grind, especially final as a whole, is what sapped the soul out of this fight.
My first problem (pretty tame compared to the upcoming issues) is that a few attacks have some pretty high RNG variance, not as bad as Dotkid Miku’s RNG variance, but still enough for me to note down. The attacks in question are:
- Ouija Hype
- Like This
- Bouncy Balls
- Bad Setup (more on that later)
- Spooky Shiny Ghost
- Final (Or as I’m now naming it: Trash RNG Clown Fiesta)
Bad Setup in particular is a pretty dumb 50/50, since half of the time you don’t even get enough room for dodging the circles, thus meaning that you have to pray that the angles of the 3 circles don’t screw you over if you have no room to dodge. I personally think that the gaps in the 3 circles should have been made bigger to account for situations where the player is given no space to dodge whatsoever, which should (hopefully) make claustrophobic situations less reliant on the angles of the circles.
What nailed this fight in the coffin was just how terrible final was, its by far the hardest individual attack in any%, but it achieves this in a terrible way because ITS LITERALLY JUST THE DENSITY THAT DETERMINES WHETHER YOU BEAT IT OR NOT INSTEAD OF SKILL. Reading the bullets is worthless, knowing that you can wait until the blue wall reaches you before you move right (as opposed to instantly moving when it appears) is worthless, everything you do is worthless if the density of the bullets say “fuck you” and wall you. There’s no point in putting any effort into the fight if all you have to do is just thug out the last attack until it lets you win, which is why I have to unfortunately give this the title of: The worst boss in K3.
SIDE QUESTION: For Spiral, am I the only one who finds + patterns way easier than X patterns (mainly since I consistently go to the right 90% of times)?
OVERALL: F Tier
STAGE 5-4: Influka Area
Imagine myself actually getting past Cyber Area, that ain’t happening lmao.
OVERALL: ? Tier
M-STAGE:
Nothing to write about.
OVERALL: ? Tier
FINAL BOSS: Kamilia
If Cyber is ultra hell difficulty, then Kamilia is omega hell difficulty, I’m not beating this no matter how hard I try.
OVERALL: ? Tier
Now that all the content I beat at the time of writing this has been talked about, let’s do a tally for needle & bosses. (Excluding Cyber)
NEEDLE:
PEAK - 0
S+ - 1
S - 1
A - 2
B - 2
C - 0
D - 0
F - 0
Burning Garbage - 1
BOSSES:
PEAK - 1
S+ - 1
S - 1
A - 1
B - 1
C - 1
D - 4
F - 0
In all honesty, the bosses that aren’t ruined by poor design choices, they’re genuinely amazing fights, but we can’t ignore the rest of the bad bosses dragging it down. To finish this review off, I’d only recommend delving into this game if you’re willing to stomach terrible boss design, as there are some hidden gems among the terrible bosses, but a lot of annoyances you have to go through to reach these hidden gems, or else you’d probably only enjoy this game for the needle instead. Generally, just pick your poison I guess.
Review based off of 2.0, which I recommend more than 1.50 because of the bullshit it removes, as well as a much more balanced difficulty curve.
DIFFICULTY NOTE: Same deal as K2:R, but with a higher difficulty curve. It starts at 41, mostly contains stuff around 65-70 by the midgame (with one exception in boss rush that goes up to mid-high 70s, another BR boss being 80s if you find it really hard), by Stage 5-3 it goes above 75, and it peaks at 85 with the final boss.
I’m just gonna jump straight to the point, I do not recommend playing this unless you’re willing to push through lots of bad boss design. The needle is all fine, but the bosses are really bad, 80% of them all have at least one questionable design choice that just sours the whole experience. Even if there are some hidden gem bosses among all the annoying ones, it's still not enough for me to recommend this game. I’ll discuss the issues with the bosses in the actual review.
This review will be very similar to my K2:R review, myself going over the ups and downs of all of the content in any%, and giving each one a tier ranking.
Here are the ranks in question btw.
PEAK
S+
S
A
B
C
D
F
Let’s get started, shall we?
STAGE 1:
This beginning stage serves as the gates to hell, a place to relax before plummeting into the depths, and the perilous trials that this game has to offer.
In terms of gameplay… There’s no wacky gimmicks in this stage, well maybe in ETG2 (B), but it's just very standard needle without anything memorable (which is to be expected of a beginning stage). The two Ichor screens stood out the most to me, but the rest of the screens were pretty forgettable. Even outside of that, the very first screen is way harder than anything until Ichor, which is a pretty messy difficulty curve in my opinion.
Generally, this is just your typical first stage, a lack of gimmicks to help ease you into the difficulty, to which this stage also suffers in the memorability aspect because of it.
Secret 1 is pretty cool, it has some really wacky jumps that require you to perform unorthodox movements, and a unique spin on backtracking. I’m also happy that the entrance to the secret got nerfed, as it makes it more accessible.
OVERALL: B Tier
BOSS 1: Flandre Scarlet
The guardian of hell’s gates, a test to see if you’re worthy of stepping foot in hell, and the beginning of the awful boss design…
I'll start off with the good first, some attacks like Rumia, Mystia, and Suwako were pretty good, with some really cool patterns. Crime & Punishment is a great introduction to the curving bullets that you'll see throughout the game, it's a massive difficulty spike compared to the rest of the fight, but one that works quite well.
Now onto my reasons as to why this fight falls flat...
The screenwrapping orbs have a tendency to make parts genuinely impossible, I get that they're meant to add a challenge of spatial awareness, but the problem is that the challenge actually interferes with places you need to go (such as Crazy Spike and Mush Mush). And even after that I still have issues with other aspects of the fight.
The uppermost bullets in the first attack are so low that it just feels counter-intuitive to hitting Flandre, if it's because they don't want you dealing much damage to Flandre, there's so many better ways to do it than using a low bullet ceiling to restrict damage.
Mush Mush is just a gambling simulator, the mushrooms move at random speeds, have random jump heights, and jump at random times, and the most annoying part by far is the fact that the screenwrapping orbs can fuck you over whilst you're jumping over the big mushroom. There's literally no other way to do it aside from going to the far reaches of the screen and praying that RNG decides to let you win.
Lastly, the random height of Flandre during final can also be a bummer, I've had attempts where you can only reach her by following up a full jump with a double jump (and trying not to die to the bullets while dropping back down).
Generally, it's a good fight that's ruined by three really dumb luckspots that are all right after the intro (four if you count Flandre’s height in final), and the sad part is that it’s not the first K3 boss that’s ruined by questionable design choices either.
OVERALL: D Tier
STAGE 2:
With the guardian out of the way, are you ready to take the plunge into hell?
This difficulty of this stage is a decent step up from the first one, but still not as bad as what’s to come. There is also a large variety of creative gimmicks here as well, with every screen being unique to the last, the only screen that I didn’t like was Vanish Needles (B) and the rest were really good.
Vanish Needles requires you to route homing discs, Prism is a nice little quiz that can serve as a break from the chaos, Buy The Crayon utilises speed and gravity really well, Payment is a good test of patience and strategy, and Magnanimity is a nice breezy ride to the end of the stage (as long as you get the crystal when the cart falls at the end). Generally, this stage has some really good variety, even not so gimmicky screens such as PiyoPiyo Trap, Air, and Rose Gear are able to make some unique needle.
As for secret 2… The entrance is a bit meh, especially having to wait for the apples to vacate the diagonal after the platforms, but if you can endure past that, the secret itself is really good. I don’t recommend attempting the secret until you at least beat Stage 4, but it's worth it once you have the skill, plus the upgrade is especially helpful.
If you don’t know how to do number pad cancels, you will be fully informed by the time that you are done with this secret. The jumps are also really well made: Having to stop movement so that you don’t hit spikes, the use of aligns, the wacky movement, and of course the numpad cancels themselves. I personally would recommend this secret outside of K3 progression.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 2: Mr. Bright & Mr. Shine
The descent through hell only gets harder as you go deeper down, thus, it’s up to YOU to adapt to that rising difficulty.
Unironically the best boss in the whole game, let me explain.
Of all K3’s bosses, this one is the LEAST bullet hell out of all of them, which certainly makes it unique in a sense.
The way that the fight plays out is that Shine & Bright have 5 moves that they can perform at random, while both of them share the same moveset, the second set of attacks varies on which one you’re dealing with (for Bright you have to avoid very fast stars, for Shine you have to avoid a moving laser). This adds a lot of variety to the fight, meaning that you aren’t at threat from lots of bullets, but at threat from having to react to whatever moves the bosses choose.
The progression in phases is also well established, phase 1 is pretty slow to allow for the player to learn the moveset of both bosses, phase 2 tests that knowledge by increasing the speed, and phase 3 pushes you to your limit by having to deal with both of the bosses at the same time.
The bosses from the other games flow nicely into the fight as well, having simple but creative bullet patterns that are generally fun to dodge, with the Rose Gear avoidance focusing on dense dodging, a skill that will be useful later in the game.
Finally, the dice are a nice way to mix up the style of the fight, selecting from 9 needle jumps at random (In 2.0, you have a higher chance to roll 1, and a lesser chance to roll 9, 2-8 are all the same chance) which adds a nice element of reaction and strategy for how you’re gonna deal with whatever needle jump the dice select. The higher the jump’s number, the harder it will be, 9 being by far the hardest. Having one final dice roll at the end of the boss really creates a good feeling of tension, especially when the music falls silent.
Absolutely incredible boss, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In terms of issues, I really don't have any, especially now that the chances of rolling a 9 have been reduced, I'd highly recommend fighting this boss once you gain enough skill to do so.
OVERALL: PEAK Tier
STAGE 3:
There’s not as much creativity in this stage, but it’s still really good in the gameplay department. Screens such as Uhuhu Spike 3, Justice, Hope The End Of, and RZ are really fun to play through, with lots of fun jumps to execute and make progress on. There were only two screens that I really didn’t like, and they were Qut A & B (it's a good concept ruined by the fact that the whole screen is nothing but really annoying 16px spam).
Past that, some screens are still decent, even if not very memorable, such as Picture, Flower, and Guy.
Generally, there’s not as much creativity to this stage, but to make up for that, it has really good gameplay.
SIDE NOTE: RZ is when K3’s needle gets really hard, it's down here because I couldn’t see where I could slot that in my notes for Stage 3 (don’t panic about RZ though cause the rest of the stage prepares you well enough for it).
I haven't played Secret 3, so I can’t say anything about it.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 3: The Guy
I’ll be blunt, PLEASE use the practice tool for this fight, as both Scythe & Benzen are really irritating to learn without it.
This isn’t as bad as some of the other bosses, but still has some pretty annoying design choices. To begin with the good parts, everything up until Scythe is fine, the fireball patterns are decent, with the random teeth spike adding variance to the dodging on each attempt. One of my favourite parts about this fight is how it utilises the vines to the side with both Kracko and Sieg, making excellent use of the layout.
Oh boy… After the second fireball pattern, this boss takes a really bad turn.
Scythe is the first memory-heavy part, and its genuinely fucking atrocious, the fact that it can spawn from 3 random heights just makes it so counter-intuitive to routing it, enough that I even questioned “DOES THIS ATTACK WANT ME TO ROUTE IT OR NOT?!?!”.
Next up though is the worst part of the fight: Learning the benzen avoidance. The thing about this part is that if you’re a few pixels off the specific safespots, you’ll cause a butterfly effect. For me, it was just too much to learn for how late into the fight it was, and because of that, the pace of the fight got dragged down solely just to figure out how to survive that one singular part of the fight.
The rest of the boss is fine, the vines and fireballs being utilised one final time, with a really gripping chokepoint at the end.
Overall, this fight had potential to be a great utilisation of OG Guy phase 2, but it got ruined by the really long learning process of two parts dragging the pace down.
OVERALL: C Tier
STAGE 4:
When someone says “Think of a medley stage”, chances are this stage might be the first thing that pops up in their head, and for really good reasons too.
This stage is absolutely stellar, imagine Stage 2’s gimmicky screens, but turned up to 11, with almost every screen having a brand new gimmick, that’s Stage 4 in a nutshell.
Sunspike has probably the least interesting screens of the stage, there’s not much to them outside of a cool trigger grab in the second screen, but at least the visuals are really good. Azure has some really fun cycle needle, especially the diagonally moving gates at the end; I especially like the second screen being centered around a rising platform. Enjoy The Excursion’s first screen plays around with speed and gravity, with some really cool manoeuvres being made out of trying to keep your speed under control, the second screen has you moving in a bubble (that has linear movement) through a long corridor, its pretty fun once you adapt to the janky movement. Tempest is the first big difficulty spike of the stage (the difficulty comes from save 3 alone), with really cool usages of cherries & cycles, and a fun drop to the warp at the end. Butterfly’s first screen is all about a moving line of water, really making excellent use of its strengths & weaknesses. Sadly I wasn’t too keen on the second Butterfly screen, it was fine at first, but then the blue phase ruined it because of the stupidly obnoxious amount of routing required, I feel like the speed and fire rate of the blue rings should have been toned down so that players can fairly react to the blue phase without having to route it.
Hades was really fun precision needle, especially now that they made the good align obtainable without having to backtrack to save 1, it also had some really cool jumps. Dotkid’s apple cycles in both screens are very enjoyable to navigate, and plan ahead for jumps based on the cycles in question, even the regular jumps were made cooler with the reduced hitbox. I didn’t enjoy the two Black screens that much, not only because of the really annoying amount of waiting you had to do, but also due to the maze being invisible, which just turned the screen into trial & error rather than a fun routing puzzle. The first maze screen wasn’t anything that special outside of the cycle after the diagonal spam, but the second screen was by far the most unique of the stage, requiring you to memorise the layout of the maze before it all disappears (the blocks disappearing after you touch them). Finally, the two Emperor screens are by far the hardest of the stage, making creative uses of homing cherries & cycles.
This stage is amazing, the screen visuals are all beautifully distinct from one another, and almost every single screen involves some creative gimmick, with none of the screens feeling like filler. Even though there were 3 screens that I didn’t like, those problematic ones are nothing but small stains on a beautiful art piece, this stage genuinely deserves all the praise it gets, and I’m happy to have experienced it.
OVERALL: S Tier
NOTE FOR BOSS RUSH: The bosses will be in the order that I beat them in.
BOSS RUSH 1/4: Dotkid Miku
DIFFICULTY NOTE: Some people consider this boss to be 80s, others not so much.
This was not a good fight, not just because of the massive difficulty spike at the end, but also because of the fact that half of all attacks in this fight have too big of a difficulty range. I would honestly have been fine if the difficulty of each attack was consistent on every attempt, but no, they're either free as hell, or straight out of an AHoF avoidance.
Red/Blue was by far the worst part of the fight, no thanks to the attack ROLLING FOR ITS OWN DIFFICULTY EVERY SINGLE SECOND, and even then you have to deal with bullshit such as being forced towards either the left or the right (depending on what colour you're at), or having to jump early right as the rainbow bursts fire because some stupid cherry got in your way right as you were preparing to stream the bursts.
Outrage is the main meat and bones of the fight, quality wise... I actually loved this attack (not so much being a massive difficulty spike, but the attack itself). Generally, it's much more skill based than people make it out to be, even when a blue cherry streams along the floor, you can just jump to the ceiling above to make sure that the green cherries don't interfere with your left-streaming. Once you master jumping onto the ledge, and generally reading the attack, it's actually an extremely fun attack outside of being a big difficulty spike.
Overall, Dotkid Miku is not a boss I'd be willing to fight again.
OVERALL: D Tier
BOSS RUSH 2/4: Emperor Miku
Same deal as Guy, practice phases 3 and 4 before doing real attempts, you’ll regret it otherwise.
Honestly, where I didn't expect to have a good time with this boss, it ended up being more enjoyable than I thought it would be, which is good.
To start off with the positives, there was a lot of variety in the attacks, which I liked. Lines had you improvising while trying to hold your route, Fruit Waves was a good way to test your dense reading skills, and final was just a fun way to cap off the fight in general.
The biggest issue with this boss is phase 2 (Count to 15), it really drags the pace down to the speed of a snail, with so much waiting around for gaps to dodge revenge bullets in. Mainly, I just don't get why the green bullets are even there in the first place, they're literally the only thing forcing you to the center and nothing else, so removing them would be a good step to fixing the issue with the pacing.
Even outside of that, there's still my dislike towards memorisation weighing the fight down, mainly phase 4 (Grey Circles) was really irritating to learn for me (again, memorisation just isn't my thing).
I think that this fight definitely has potential, especially with all the variety displayed, but I just wish that phase 2 didn't slow the fight down to hell. Where I’d give it a C rank if you’re using the practice tool, I can’t imagine anyone without it having an inch of fun without it, so I’m giving the boss D tier because of that.
OVERALL: C Tier
BOSS RUSH 3/4: Colonel
Wow! I… Holy fucking shit, this… This is so amazing!
As you can see, this boss is my personal favourite of the four devas. It’s extremely random with very little downtime, that randomness is EXACTLY what I like about it. Every attack feels so fair for how difficult it is, and the insane amount of variety in each individual attack is lovely. My personal highlights of this fight are green seeds, blue arrows, and curving.
If there's one small nitpick of mine, it's that the platform phase does kind of slow the pace down, 2.0's HP & IFrame nerf does partly sort this issue out, but not entirely.
Thank you so much Kamilia for letting this boss be a part of the four devas, cause it was so amazing.
OVERALL: S+ Tier
BOSS RUSH 4/4: Piano
You know how I said that for difficulty, there was an exception in boss rush that went up to high 70s? This is that very boss, and likely to be your first ever boss that you’ll be spending over 20-30 hours in.
Difficulty-wise... I'd say this boss is DRASTICALLY harder than the prior 3 devas, and it's not even close. For one, outside of the sheer difficulty, it's the second-longest of the four devas, Emperor Miku being the only deva longer than this. Another difficulty factor is that unlike other bosses, multiple skills get put to the test instead of just one: Dense dodging, reacting to extremely fast attacks, gimmicky reading, dodges that can end up being under 16 pixels... All contained within this boss.
Damn this fight is good though, for how hard everything is, it's EXTREMELY skill based, and there's a consistent strategy for every single attack. Outside of that, the difficulty curve is really smooth, and the progression throughout the fight is very good, especially the last 4 attacks. Next up, remember how I said that multiple skills get put to the test in this fight? The amount of attack variety in this fight is exceptional, every single one feeling unique to the last, and it even has lots of creative reading required with attacks such as invert, circles, and red/blue.
My only two issues with this boss that stop it from getting S tier though is that Yellow Streams doesn't exclude the colour yellow when Piano starts firing bullets as you stream, I mention this because yellow bullets have blended in with the streaming bullets (which has killed me on multiple occasions). My last issue is that the red/blue burst near the end has some extremely high RNG variance, I would say that getting walled is less common than getting RNG harder than curving, but there is still a small chance of being walled anyway. That's it for issues though.
Genuinely amazing way to test your skill, and I wouldn't have liked to have boss rush end any other way.
OVERALL: A Tier
BOSS 4: Influka
This boss was a really good way to end off Stage 4. The fight genuinely feels like you're in a music video, and it's really good for that, plus I especially love the use of monochrome throughout the battle. Once you learn pre-chorus, Influka’s patterns are pretty neat, my favourite of which being the Sphere during the song’s interlude. Outside of Influka herself, the biggest talking point is the callbacks to Kamilia 2, which were really well executed, and brought back everything I loved about the individual bosses.
Volcano Zone had the Grey Cherry, Jirachi, and the Sticky Keys surprise at the end. The Guy had Space Invaders, the aimed bullet spam that forced you to use the vines, and the Gustav spike burst at the end. Solgryn had Sanae & Koishi’s multitasking, Grolla & Freuda from the start of Phase 2, and the green orbs too. There wasn’t really much I liked about Geezer in K2:R sadly, but the bats & the Big Kid Head were cool (without Beelzebub that is). Big Kid had the omnidirectional cherries and the bouncing ones as well, now with the addition of the water bullets refreshing your jump. Lastly, Influka had all of the avoidance intermissions, even combining two of them together for a lot of her flashback.
Generally, the flashbacks are really well made, it feels like a proper callback to K2:R and I love it.
The difficulty of this boss entirely depends on how good you are with long bosses & nerve control, I personally found it to be between Colonel and Dotkid solely because of Geezer's flashback alone (by far the hardest of the 6 flashbacks, and it isn't even close), but again, it depends.
I only really had one one issue with this boss; its that the middle of Geezer can be a bit nonsensical, especially if the Big Kid Head bullets force you into the corner (which can wall you if not only the lava rises at the same time, but also if a bat spawns to the left). Other than that, thx Influka for being a really good ending to this stage!
OVERALL: S Tier
STAGE 5-1: Kamilia Area
By far the worst thing in the entire game, even worse than all of the bosses too, let me explain.
To start off, Minesweeper was the most tolerable part of this area. Once I tried learning by starting off with unfamiliar places (and leaving familiar ones for last), it was actually decent, the dodging felt fun to perform under the minesweeper game, and in general the board is very skill based if you're already familiar with how minesweeper works.
Oh boy... Past this point, that tolerability gets thrown out of the window.
The Simon Says game afterwards is what pushed me over the edge, it's so unfathomably bad, let me explain. My biggest gripe with this part is how the indication gets removed midway through the sequence, it's just such an unfathomably stupid way of making it harder, and if the new notes end up anywhere in the orange-green range, it's practically an instant death because it's borderline impossible to tell them apart. Worse yet, because of the fact that you're already trying to remember the sequence, you either get so focused on trying to figure out the new note that you forget the prior steps, or vice versa.
What I really would have liked for this part instead, would be to keep the indication, but shuffle the buttons around randomly instead of having the memorisation segment, which adds challenge without having to tell each individual note apart.
For Maze, I feel like my entire relaxation came from the fact that I had a map of the area prior to beating Simon Says, I don't think that it would be fun to find the two crystals without that map. Generally, when you know where to go, Maze is a well needed detox after Simon Says, but if you don't, it's gonna be hell to navigate due to the invisible block pathways and sheer size of the maze.
Generally, this is another area that gets blundered by terrible design choices, which is really a shame because of the potential it has.
OVERALL: Burning Garbage Tier
STAGE 5-1 BOSS: LunarMagic Area
I'm gonna be honest, while this fight is generally good, I have some mixed feelings about some specific aspects of it.
I'll start with the good first, the high speed intensity was really well nailed, most of the attacks were complex to read & dodge (without making bullets hard to see), and the patterns generally resonate well with the song. My favourite attack would probably be Final, it's ludicrous, but its never impossible, and some of the dodges are extremely satisfying to pull off.
Now, let's get to the negative side of things.
The first problem that I have with this avoidance is the end of upstream. When the cherries turn grey, it is possible to go from the right side instead, BUT that's assuming none of the bullets choose an awful angle to move from. When the left side isn't blocked by grey cherries, I found that sometimes I just kind of had to hope that the cherries either wouldn't stop me from getting on one of the platforms below, or wouldn't be angled in a way that makes it impossible to descend platforms without wasting my double jump.
Even past that, my final issue that I have with upstream's end is the two consecutive random 360 twitches, they're fine when you have plenty of gaps to stand in, but having any gaps at all isn't guaranteed. When you have no gaps to stand in, you end up having to pray that the 360 twitches play nice and go in the opposite direction of your position, otherwise you just die.
Another problem that I faced was green lines, which felt like I had to get lucky to even have a fair chance against it, since the attack was impossible half of the time because of how much the green cherries have a tendency to pile on top of each other, leaving me no room to dodge.
After that was by far the most bullshit RNG in the fight, the bullet speedup right after green lines. This part was just a total lottery, not only do you have to rely on the bullets leaving you an open gap either on the ground or in the air, but you also have to deal with whatever random angle they choose. If there are no gaps for you to dodge in, it just becomes a stupid 50/50 that can wall you at will if the bullets go towards you, it's not cool.
On a more positive note, past those annoying design choices, I didn’t have any further issues with the boss, it was mainly just the early parts that I didn’t like.
Like I said, this boss was generally fun, but I really can't deny the problems that it suffered from. It's pretty sad, because those problems downgraded what could have been one of my favourite bosses in the game, to just an okay one.
OVERALL: B Tier
STAGE 5-2: Betty Area
Well, this area was certainly something, a pretty unique something at that. The theme of this area is a mix between ice physics, and trap needle, and it's really well nailed at that. At first, the ice physics might feel super janky, but once you realise that the trick is to use ceilings as much as you can, it doesn't become that much of an issue.
As for the traps themselves, they really make for some great gameplay! Things like the moving giant spikes in save 1, the shifting spikes in save 4, and the growing spikes throughout the whole thing, those traps make for some really fun obstacles.
The saves themselves are also well balanced too, the last save is a big difficulty spike compared to the rest of them, but the difficulty curve is established really nicely in the first 5 saves.
There is one big nitpick that I have with this area though, and its the questionable decision to put the snow particles in the foreground instead of the background, I just don't see the whole point of why they did this. Because of this flaw, you'll end up having to wait for gaps where the snow doesn't pile up, or else The Kid becomes genuinely impossible to see in the particles.
Overall, if you can get around the flaw of the snow particles, it's a pretty good area that I definitely recommend playing.
OVERALL: B Tier
STAGE 5-2 BOSS: Doruppi Area
What I personally found to be my least favourite boss in the game, but thankfully it doesn’t go below D tier, which is good.
Ever since I reached Stage 5, this was one of the bosses that I dreaded the most, it wasn't harder than LunarMagic, just that I really did not enjoy memorisation based avoidances. But to my surprise, it was much better than I thought, which I'm really pleased about.
Where I thought that this boss was going to just be safespot spam, this wasn't the case, as there was plenty of variety in route finding: Streaming, gate jumps, using blocks for lineups, even rushing to the top of the screen at one point.
The biggest problem that sadly holds this fight back however, are the 3 really dumb RNG parts, which can just wall you if they decide. Not only is the RNG so fast that it's practically impossible to react to anything, but you can even get walls consisting of up to 2-4 bullets spawning in (and if they all go really fast, you're screwed without any way to save yourself), and the speed variety can also contribute to getting walled as well.
It's just such horribly designed RNG, and it's not helpful that each RNG part gets consecutively worse as you progress through the fight, and the last RNG part is a total lottery because you're forced to one side (that, combined with the speed of the bullets, is a no go). Luckily I only had one death to the last RNG part, even fluking endkill (shapes & chokes), but I know that others aren't so fortunate.
Generally, the attacks are fun to execute once you memorise them, but once you do learn them, you have to just thug out the RNG parts until they let you win, which is pretty bleh.
OVERALL: D Tier
STAGE 5-3: Rukito Area
I love this area so much, this actually has some of the most creative trigger usages I've ever seen, and it's executed exceptionally well too. Every single save is unique from the last, all requiring lots of creative maneuvers to beat the jumps.
Save 1 is good for easing you into the style of this area, where you learn that triggers are used for progression instead of traps, it generally establishes the basics well. The next two saves after that use triggers for speed, which is such a great way to use them, especially since the timers are in the perfect spot exactly, not too strict that it's borderline impossible to make it, but not too lenient that you can just slack around for the saves.
Save 4 is a nice break from the speedrunning, once again using triggers to make a wacky route of progression, and making some really cool jumps out of said triggers too.
Save 5... If the lack of any triggers is intimidating to you, then your fear is warranted, this is the third-hardest save in any%, and none of the other saves in this area come close to its difficulty. This save is the main bulk of Rukito Area's difficulty, by the time that you get to the end of the first loop, not only must you do it all again, but almost every single jump gets made more complex in some way on the second loop. I personally spent 8 hours in this one single save (for context, the hardest save in Stage 4 only took me 4 hours), it's absolutely bonkers, but I was very satisfied with the amount of progress that I made on it as I spent more time in the save.
Save 6 is a pretty weird one, it's nothing like the previous 5 saves, and is the only one to utilise moving platforms. It's not as hard as save 5, but not so easy that you can just sleep through it, especially since the end of the save gets pretty hard. Good save though, just a bit out of place since it's the only one to use moving platforms.
Overall, this area is actually amazing, Rukito cooked so much with it, and I highly recommend it outside of K3 progression.
OVERALL: S+ Tier
STAGE 5-3 BOSS: Cyber Area
NOTE: I was in a pretty bad headspace when I wrote the second half of this review, I was originally 31 hours deep into the fight when I wrote it. Since then, I have picked the grind back up again, as of writing this note I'm currently 40 hours in with 18 final attempts. Generally, please ignore my complaints about Final, I'll gather my thoughts once I actually beat Cyber, as my opinion on this boss is seriously zig-zagging at this point.
I’ll be honest, I did enjoy this fight for 31 hours, but by the time I realised just how terrible the RNG in final is, all the life was sapped out of the boss.
You’ve probably heard scary stories about this boss just as much as you have from Piano, they’re (sort of) warranted for the difficulty of this boss, but not entirely. This boss is definitely harder than everything in the game prior to it, BUT, the skill boost that you gain from beating Piano is good enough preparation for it, even after the 2.0 nerf.
To start, the idea of the smaller hitbox alone is already a really amazing concept, as it opens up SO MUCH more opportunities for dodging, and the best part? All of the attacks utilise it extremely well, really taking into consideration its strengths and weaknesses. Making precise dodges throughout the various attacks just feels so satisfying to perform.
Outside of the reduced hitbox, the attacks are just so well made too: The really dense dodging, the sheer speed that matches the music so well, the sync, the general variety in these attacks, the really creative reading where you have to memorise bullets so that you can focus on others, everything up to final is generally just really fun to execute.
Also did I mention that this fight has the smoothest difficulty curve in any K3 boss? After Memes You Hard, which is moderately harder than everything up to Like This, almost every attack feels validly harder than the last. Generally, in terms of difficulty, Cyber is very second half heavy, as it only takes around 5-10 hours to master everything up until Bouncy Balls.
Shoutout to the 2.0 crystal change btw, where I would have penalised that part of the boss for being completely RNG luckshit since all you had to do was pray that it was angled in a way where it would be possible for you to grab, they made it infinitely better in the update, which I’m really thankful for.
To my great displeasure, these issues that I realised late into my unfinished grind, especially final as a whole, is what sapped the soul out of this fight.
My first problem (pretty tame compared to the upcoming issues) is that a few attacks have some pretty high RNG variance, not as bad as Dotkid Miku’s RNG variance, but still enough for me to note down. The attacks in question are:
- Ouija Hype
- Like This
- Bouncy Balls
- Bad Setup (more on that later)
- Spooky Shiny Ghost
- Final (Or as I’m now naming it: Trash RNG Clown Fiesta)
Bad Setup in particular is a pretty dumb 50/50, since half of the time you don’t even get enough room for dodging the circles, thus meaning that you have to pray that the angles of the 3 circles don’t screw you over if you have no room to dodge. I personally think that the gaps in the 3 circles should have been made bigger to account for situations where the player is given no space to dodge whatsoever, which should (hopefully) make claustrophobic situations less reliant on the angles of the circles.
What nailed this fight in the coffin was just how terrible final was, its by far the hardest individual attack in any%, but it achieves this in a terrible way because ITS LITERALLY JUST THE DENSITY THAT DETERMINES WHETHER YOU BEAT IT OR NOT INSTEAD OF SKILL. Reading the bullets is worthless, knowing that you can wait until the blue wall reaches you before you move right (as opposed to instantly moving when it appears) is worthless, everything you do is worthless if the density of the bullets say “fuck you” and wall you. There’s no point in putting any effort into the fight if all you have to do is just thug out the last attack until it lets you win, which is why I have to unfortunately give this the title of: The worst boss in K3.
SIDE QUESTION: For Spiral, am I the only one who finds + patterns way easier than X patterns (mainly since I consistently go to the right 90% of times)?
OVERALL: F Tier
STAGE 5-4: Influka Area
Imagine myself actually getting past Cyber Area, that ain’t happening lmao.
OVERALL: ? Tier
M-STAGE:
Nothing to write about.
OVERALL: ? Tier
FINAL BOSS: Kamilia
If Cyber is ultra hell difficulty, then Kamilia is omega hell difficulty, I’m not beating this no matter how hard I try.
OVERALL: ? Tier
Now that all the content I beat at the time of writing this has been talked about, let’s do a tally for needle & bosses. (Excluding Cyber)
NEEDLE:
PEAK - 0
S+ - 1
S - 1
A - 2
B - 2
C - 0
D - 0
F - 0
Burning Garbage - 1
BOSSES:
PEAK - 1
S+ - 1
S - 1
A - 1
B - 1
C - 1
D - 4
F - 0
In all honesty, the bosses that aren’t ruined by poor design choices, they’re genuinely amazing fights, but we can’t ignore the rest of the bad bosses dragging it down. To finish this review off, I’d only recommend delving into this game if you’re willing to stomach terrible boss design, as there are some hidden gems among the terrible bosses, but a lot of annoyances you have to go through to reach these hidden gems, or else you’d probably only enjoy this game for the needle instead. Generally, just pick your poison I guess.
Tagged as: Medley
[4] Likes
Rating: 2.0 20
Difficulty: N/A
Aug 10, 2025
PlutoTheThing
This review is based on a 100% clear on v2.0+
This is my favorite fangame, it has flaws but what it's done for me and what it means to me is unmatched by any fangame and only met by a few other games. I just like this game so much and finally being able to 100% it is one of my proudest gaming accomplishments. Thank you everyone who made this beautiful game :)
[4] Likes
This is my favorite fangame, it has flaws but what it's done for me and what it means to me is unmatched by any fangame and only met by a few other games. I just like this game so much and finally being able to 100% it is one of my proudest gaming accomplishments. Thank you everyone who made this beautiful game :)
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 95 95
Dec 26, 2022
Slick696969
Alright, I'm about to review every single thing in the game (from what I've played up to) with moderate detail, just be careful reading anything past this, as it "could" be a spoiler, but quoting Stonk, "who hasn't seen K3?" (I will put spoiler tags on this anyways just in case). I will update this as I continue to progress through the game.
Also, everything will have a verdict of a score between 1-10, 1 being absolute fucking dogshit and 10 being a fucking masterpiece.
Starting with the intro cutscene:
The cutscene is almost technically a rip from 498 tokio, but it has its own flair, with replaced textures and animations. Of course after watching it once, you'll pretty much never watch it again within the hundreds of thousands of hours you may put into this game
Verdict: 9/10
Menu:
The menu is aesthetically pleasing to look at, with striking visuals and sleek font. It definitely feels like a promising game. Pressing F2 will bring you back to the menu (for those newbies that are playing this as their first fangame... for some reason)
Verdict: 10/10
Opening Screens:
The opening screens are like the character quickly going through the previous two games of Kamilia and Kamilia 2, as the flashcards show. Simple stuff, if you die here somehow, don't play this game. It has a good atmosphere to it, and the animation before the actual first screen is top notch.
Verdict: 10/10
STAGE 1:
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 1 (a):
The first screen of Kamilia 3, which starts fairly easy, with moving spikes, an F jump, and a half diamond. Nothing too hard unless you are unable to jump less than 2-3 frames. The tile set is nice and is a good screen pick for the first screen. The buffs aren't too unfair. Also the music is a banger, super iconic for me.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 1 (b).
This screen is easier than the first. Like, there's not much to say about this. It's just a casual screen with some moving spikes here and there.
Verdict: 6.5/10
Giripossible (a):
Tileset is default block textures but gray. Needle isn't the worst, the double diamond looking jump could cause some struggle with newbies, but otherwise, it's basically just a filler casual screen.
Verdict: 5/10
Giripossible (b):
The first screen that has two paths. Taking the left path introduces you to the various crystals hidden within the game. There are 50 crystals in the game, each varying in difficulty. The crystal isn't too hard, it's well done for an introductory crystal. Otherwise, this screen has some simple needle with moving up and down spikes that could mess with some first-timers.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Heart (a):
First water screen of K3. Visually doesn't look the best. The cherries aren't the worst if you take your time, and I'm glad the newest version removes the corner in this screen. Crystal is in an extremely easy location. Otherwise, simple screen.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Heart (b):
The save is across two screens, which is kinda annoying, but you'll get used to it. The needle isn't too bad, with some cherry cycles that you will need to figure out. The water jumping is slightly tricky for newcomers, and the diamond at the end can be very cucky, but it's a decent screen overall.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 2 (a):
Heart screen, has a platform skip that I assume most people take, crystal can be annoying to get the trigger every single time, but if you know how to do the screen, then it's a piece of cake. Drop gate is wack sometimes. Tileset is kinda meh for me.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 2 (b):
This screen has some interesting needle. The final diagonal from the rising platform can be tricky. Also the crystal is game design 100, as you don't actually need to do a million diagonals; amazing job.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the NCE (a):
This screen has a lot of saves, with a wide range of difficulty for some reason. The first save is piss easy, but then the second screen has two corners in one save, which is a weird difficulty spike. The drop diagonal at the end can be very tricky. Tileset is decent, with a decent background. Overall, strong screen.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the NCE (b):
The NCE screen that I don't usually remember, has quite an amount of diagonals. Be sure you're good at them! The saves aren't too bad in difficulty, and you'll get past them in no time.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Celebrate 100 (a):
A space heaven like screen without the boundary walls. This screen is fairly easy, with one trap, and a super F skip if you're good enough. Crystal is quite obscure, like you'd have no idea the trigger was even there. Tileset is good and background is epic.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Celebrate 100 (b):
A screen with a good amount of skips, and has that brown box thing that activates stuff. As long as you don't choke the final diagonals, and you have a moderate amount of consistency with the beginning drop, you'll be done with this screen in no time.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 3 (a):
Lots of blow game screens, this screen contains our first secret stage of the game. If you are playing this game for the first time and are not good at doing any needle 70 or above, do not go for this secret. I honestly don't even want the health bar as I'm always used to just not seeing it. The tileset itself is quite basic as it's just black lines and white. The needle is quite fun, with a cucky diagonal at the end. A quite strong and memorable screen.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna Possible:
Our first secret stage of the game. This secret definitely has a spike in difficulty with the needle, with some fairly technical jumps, and an upwards plane. Once you get the item, you get infinite jump, and you need to backtrack to save 2. The tileset is basically flashing rainbow, and the background looks like the default background of GD but dark gray. Good screen overall.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 3 (b):
This screen has some moving spikes, and easy 16 pixels that you can just line up for. As long as you can do diagonals with some ease, and can time your jumps with spike cycles, this screen will be done in no time.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Ichor (a):
The screen has some interesting needle and design choices. The tile set is nice, the save barriers look cool, the background looks like a brightened stock image of an electromagnetic explosion. It's actually quite a fun screen.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna be the Ichor (b):
Oh boy this screen. The first time I was playing this, the first save had a jump that I was stuck on for a good hour before I got past it. If you know how to do it, it isn't the "worst", but it can be tricky. The rest of the screen is just a bunch of regular needle with some cycle waiting and minorly technical jumps.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Game 2 (a):
A spotlight screen, with an unnecessary spotlight as you can still see the spikes anyways :). Does have a funny trap on first save. Quite precise needle compared to the previous screens. Ends with a stupid jump I still get stuck on every once in a while. Tile set is just default but gray, with plain gray background. Spotlight idea is cool though.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Game 2 (b):
Funny screen-wrapping screen. If you know what to do, it's easy. You may need to look up a vid on the path, but the needle is easier than the first. Also has a button you need to shoot. Just remember you need to exit through the middle hole on the floor, anywhere else kills you.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the White & Black (a):
A white and black screen, simple design. Needle starts with up and down spike spam, and then separates into two paths, both of which have small pricks. This screen does have a crystal if you choose to take the harder path.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the White & Black (b):
Lots of gate jumps, also has a two path split. taking the harder path reveals the infamous Spike Love achievement. Do it if you have the balls to do it. Otherwise, the screen is simple, and you'll be right on your way to the first boss.
Verdict: 9/10
First Boss:
Oh boy, the first boss of the game. Flandre Scarlet. Basically, the screen wrapping orbs can be piss and cause literal impossible situations. The first attack isn't too bad, the giant cherry is easy, Rumia is just pattern with darkness. Crazy spike is piss at first but not too bad once you know how to do it. Mystia Lorelei is pretty much just see through the darkness as it isn't completely dark. Mush Mush's can be absolute assholes. Hat attack is hard as balls for the first boss. Flandre Scarlet Final can be quick if you did enough damage at the start. The song for this boss is also good to listen to, especially for just keying it out into the background. Crime and Punishment is just curving black cherry RNG. I like the song for it though. Otherwise not too bad of a first boss, could've been better.
Verdict: 7/10
OVERAL STAGE VERDICT: 8.5/10
STAGE 2:
I Wanna Vanish Needles!! (a):
Starts out with a homing rainbow flashing ball chasing you as you go through some fairly difficult needle. Block tile set isn't the worst, but the spikes tile set is literally just pink red, pure pink red. Ending trap is easy. Song is also a banger.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Vanish Needles!! (b):
Literally a buff of the previous screen, with two balls instead of one. Also has a quite difficult crystal if you can't do buffed diagonals consistently. Ending trap is funny. Not much to say, these screens aren't too bad, fair memorability.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the piyopiyo trap (a):
Hey look, it's the funny no save inbetween the first and second screen screen! Drop could be difficult, also has a really easy crystal.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the piyopiyo trap (b):
No save, don't choke. Screen is shaped like a W, save at the end is unnecessary (if you aren't going for the crystal) speaking of which, the RNG crystal... its a thing that exists. With a 1/4096 chance of getting it every time you enter the blue portal, it can take either 1 minute, or 1 full day. I got kinda lucky with it only taking 2 hours, but be aware that you may need to leave your computer on overnight to get this crystal. Just have something hold the right key and then go take a nap or go to school, and you'll get it soon enough. Memorable crystal overall.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the Air (a):
Very crimson red screen. Tileset is meh, background is very pixelated. The traps are funny though ngl. Also has a small prick that can be very hard to jump over. Also it has a very funny tree trap. Overall, it's not too bad of a screen.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Air (b):
Even more traps, personally not as funny as the previous, but it's still fun. Screen is enjoyable.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna be the Prism (a):
Literally a puzzle screen. This screen ends in like 10 seconds. Crystal literally requires you to have beaten the 4th stage secret to get.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the Prism (b):
Another puzzle, which to this day, I still don't know how you figure it out. You just kinda wait and then hit the light switch and then the code pops up. Also, if you have arachnophobia, I'd highly recommend you hit the light switch 20 times, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Overall, kinda boring, the puzzle could've been more "puzzlier"
Verdict: 4/10
I Wanna Buy the Crayon (a):
Epic speed and high jump, second jump is weird to pull off, but should be free once you pass it. Second part has some very weird diagonals that you might be stuck on for a little bit. Tile set isn't too bad. Background is just pixelated shiny particles against a dark blue purple background. Otherwise it isn't the worst screen, kinda memorable.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna Buy the Crayon (b):
First screen with vines. These vines... can suck massively. High gravity with vines is a wack combination of gimmicks. The low gravity diagonals at the top don't help make this save better either. The second save has some technical vines that may take some practice, but it is otherwise not bad of a screen, though there can be some improvements in the gameplay.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Escape the Silver Tower (a):
This screen is a good spike in difficulty. Diagonal gates into diagonal gates, 16 pixels into gates into 16 pixels, diagonal into trap, you name it. The design is sleek and overall, I like this screen.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Escape the Silver Tower (b):
This screen already starts with an incredibly easy skip so you don't have to do the gate at the beginning. Crystal is in an obscure location, and the crystal itself is back at the beginning. Corners are ass at the second save, but you will be out of it soon enough.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Macaron (a):
Screen has our first ledge in the game, this took me hundreds of deaths the first time I went through this. The F jump a couple jumps after is hard as balls, but after that it's easy. Second save has some weird obstacles, but just find a preferable path and you'll be past it easily. The design isn't the worst, with the grate-like blocks and spikes and the gradient background.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Macaron (b):
Save is midair over a spike which means you need to jump every time you die. Kinda annoying, but I respect the idea. The drop diagonal near the end of the first save can be troublesome. Second save has a lot of diagonals, and the ending is kind of bland. Otherwise, it's a fun screen.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna Payment (a):
This screen contains our second secret stage of the game. I genuinely had a lot more fun with this than I expected to. RNG cherries that spawn at a random location at a fixed time, combined with some fairly decent needle. The design is just default with a pure colour background. The secret obviously requires you to backtrack, and then Needle Satan happened. Overall, super fun screen.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna Needle Satan:
Oh god, this screen. Starts with some doable jumps, has an ass F jump into ledge and an even more ass awkward drop gate. The double diamond is easy once you get the pattern, upward plane is doable, F jump is awkward, the ledge into corner is really hard, and the drop diagonal near the end is choke city. The bonk double diamond sucks, the super F upward plane sucks, and literally every jump after that is just don't choke. Design is extremely bright, so don't play at a high brightness, less you want your eyes to suffer. Overall, this was actually more fun than I expected it to be, despite having some really hard needle.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Payment (b):
Pulsing growth cherries... yeah, those are a thing. The first save is really easy, but the second save... that damn cherry gate. If you don't know how to do it, you're gonna be stuck on it for god knows how long. Doesn't help that the crystal requires you to do it three times in a row. This screen is just meh, I prefer the previous screen.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Rose Gear (a):
A very dark aqua blue screen with some interesting needle and trap choices. The traps are not the worst to execute every time, but some can be quite tricky. The needle isn't too hard. Crystal location is super easy, with only one additional trap. Block design looks like four overlapped spikes. Spike design is decent. Overall a screen that just kinda flew over my head
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Rose Gear (b):
Ah yes, this screen, funny button at the start, kaizo blocks, many super F's and a drop gate. Funny w i d e spike trap, and a super funny secret achievement. A little bit of backtracking near the end, but very fun screen overall.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Magnanimity:
A scrolling screen with some interesting needle and sprites. Spikes on rockets, minecart that you need to follow, big boy bugs that give you bad RNG 90% of the time, etc. Minecart also does the funny flip every once in a while, easy to tell when it does that. Screen does have a couple traps here and there, but once you get past all that, you will arrive at Boss 2. Also don't forget the crystal near the end ;)
Verdict: 8/10
Second Boss:
The second boss, Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright. Lots of RNG with their attack patterns, which could be borderline bullcrap on the first playthrough. This boss basically determines whether you're ready for the RNG aspect of upcoming bosses. Cirno can be really wacky with the RNG, tornado girl isn't too bad, I personally like the attack. Yuyuko is stupid easy, as long as you time the run right just right. Dice can be severely bad if you constantly get 9's. I was lucky during my run to get all 1's. Second phase is just first phase but faster and longer. Once you do enough damage, you get to the transition avoidance. We always scream AAAAAAAAAAAA because 1, the song, and 2, because this boss has some really hard RNG to dodge. The visual is nice, but it can be quite hard to dodge. The song for the transition is a banger. After you survive about 8 bars of cherry hell, you get to second dice roll, so just pray. Then the final phase is just both Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright on the battlefield with the attack speed of the second phase. Once you do enough damage, you hold your breath as the final dice roll determines your fate. The song for this boss is also good for just leaving it as the background noise, and it’s a very good song either way. Otherwise this is a very well made boss with some fun attacks. You'll be relieved you're on stage 3.
Verdict: 9/10
OVERALL STAGE VERDICT: 7.5/10
STAGE 3:
I Wanna be the Starter (a):
Starting off with an odd colour palette, and perhaps some of the worst music in the game, though I personally never cared. There is a hidden trigger off to the right that no one would've looked at unless you've played the original starter (where there was a save there). Also the ledge diamond ledge is pain. Definitely more challenging than the previous 2 saves.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the Starter (b):
You have to do two more jumps before you get the save. If you die, then back to the diamond jump you go. This screen is particularly easy, unless you're trying to get the crystal. A downwards plane... on the third stage, brilliant. This screen is easy though.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the QUT (a):
A 16 pixel simulator, definitely and obviously the best design choice! If you're consistent enough at 16 pixels, you'll be fine, but this screen can be piss. Also you can skip 2 16 pixels easily. Design however, is very good. Background can be somewhat distracting, but you'll ignore it soon enough. Overall, design is good, gameplay could be better.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the QUT (b):
More 16 pixels, christ. Both screens are just getting good at 16 pixels. Second save has some minorly technical jumps, but nothing too much to comprehend. There's not really much else to say really.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Forehead (a):
A super ugly screen to look at, the block and spike design is atrocious. Blue and red used like this isn't pleasing at all. The gameplay is filled with traps and weird stuff. Learn the traps, and you'll probably be out soon, assuming you can do the somewhat difficult needle in this screen. Also the crystal is piss easy.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Forehead (b):
Even more traps, some are funny, some aren't. The needle isn't too hard, minus the corner at the end that can get you a number of times. Just take your time, and you'll never have to look at that atrocity ever again... at least until you need to replay it for the secret boss.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Picture (a):
Oh boy this screen, this was a difficulty spike and a half for me. Visually, it doesn't look too bad, but the needle is pretty damn hard. Combine it with traps and you got yourself a hella screen. It's also quite a long screen, especially if you decide to get the secret stage. Perseverance is required to get past this.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Contrary:
The third secret stage of K3, and an odd choice too. There are only two screens in Contrary, as it's a mostly avoidance game. My guess is they chose this just to add the antichlorobenzene part in the third boss. Anyways, I haven't actually beaten this screen yet, but I'll judge off my own judgement, so don't take this part of my review for granted. The beginning jumps don't seem to be the worst. The next save has some weird corners, an upwards plane, and some more weird jumps, as well as a 2 frame. Next save has a double drop diagonal with a platform ledge. Then there's some platform tech, weirder jumps, more platform tech. Overall, seems fairly challenging but doable. The block design isn't the worst, and the background image is just lens flare. I'd recommend you just go for the stage 5 secret before doing any of the other secrets and stuff, so that you'll have enough skill to do it quickly.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Picture (b):
And now we are back to picture. Many traps and fake blocks, some particularly difficult needle, and a pretty much free crystal. Just learn the traps and get gud at needle and it'll be over with. This screen will definitely take a while.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna uhuhu Spike 3 (a):
A visually amazing screen, with some pretty damn difficult, but fun needle. First save is kinda long, second save has two inverts. You'll probably be stuck on this screen for a while before getting past it. Also the crystal is pretty much free. Overall, a very nice screen.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna uhuhu Spike 3 (b):
Starting with some fairly technical jumps, first save isn't so bad. The second save however... my god those three mini spikes at the end. You either need to learn how to jump cancel, or get good at 1 framing. You might be able to clear it in 1 jump, but I'm not sure about it. Once you get past the second save, you're basically free for the next screen.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Justice (a):
This screen is literal conveyor hell. I had so much trouble with this screen first time playing because I suck at conveyors, and the needle is quite difficult. First save isn't the worst, second save sucks because of F jump on conveyor. Block design is very green, but the background animation is cool. Once you get past this screen, another screen of conveyor hell awaits you.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Justice (b):
First save has some piss jumps. The save is short, but the jumps are very difficult. Expect to be stuck on this for a while. Second save is where more conveyors happen. Moving cherries on conveyors, excellent. The first two sections aren't bad, the third is challenging. The crystal is also in a super easy location. Also, don't choke the final jump :)
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Flower (a):
My god this screen sucks. The block design is bad, the visual is bad. The first save needle is ok, it's just some weird diamonds and gates and funny trap in all four directions. Second save needle sucks. So many hidden triggers, and a small prick gate three times in a row. Final obstacle isn't the worst, as long as you focus on the cycles. Overall, a very tricky screen to get past by.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Flower (b):
This screen isn't as hard as the first. However, the water diamond can suck. The corridors near the end have a lot of traps, but it's easy to get past all of them. You can save at a good location at the start so you can just hold left and get past a good amount of obstacles. Otherwise, not too bad of a screen gameplay wise. Gotta emphasize that horrible design.
Verdict: 4/10
I Wanna Hope the End of (a):
A super cool screen with simplistic visuals, and a cool tilting spike gimmick. Super fun to execute the jumps, funny trap at the start. The jumps are fairly tricky, especially with the gimmick. The crystal is in a super easy location. Just keep going at it, and you'll beat it.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna Hope the End of (b):
The way harder counterpart of the previous screen. This screen has some really difficult jumps. A diamond, a weird techy drop, and a super hard jump at the end. This screen is a difficulty spike, but it's really just preparing you for the hell of the next two screens...
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna be the RZ (a):
Perhaps the biggest difficulty spike in all of K3. It starts with four really hard and techy jumps. This save can take hours or days. The next save is longer, with some brutal jumps, and a brutal ending jump. This screen can take days or even a week. The visuals are ok. Overall, a brutal screen that could go with slight nerfs.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the RZ (b):
And now for the first screen but on crack and weed at the same time. The first save is fairly brutal to begin with, with some extremely technical jumps and a fair share of 16 pixels and corners. The second save however... my god I was stuck on that shit for close to 10 hours. Already starts with three diagonals in one jump. No good align jumps. Weird ass corners, and two brutal jumps at the end. This screen is a fucking difficulty spike and a half. Expect to be stuck on this garbage for days to weeks. At least it autosaves as you enter the guy castle, speaking of which.
Verdict: 7/10
The Guy Castle:
The guy castle is an ascension upwards. The visuals are definitely way more stunning than other fangames. The needle isn't the worst. There are some funny traps involving the Boos. The secret achievement isn't the worst to get. The crystal though... requires you to beat most of the guy castle in 1 attempt. There's also the funny jump refresher screen with a diamond and 4 diagonals in a row. This castle has a lot of diagonals in fact. The save gimmick is cool where you basically have to "kill" the saves in order to properly save. If you have the autogun from stage 2 secret, the saves are easy to get. Also the final corner is choke city. Once you exit, the floor will do a funny, and the stage 3 boss will begin
Verdict: 9/10
Third Boss:
The third boss is The Guy in it's super big, head in smashed window phase. The first attack isn't so bad, with a couple times where RNG won't line up. The next attack is basically free, which is concerning since the enemy that pops up is from RZ. The screen flip part is all pattern, so it's easy to read. Kracko is also pattern, so it's easy. Next shooting phase isn't too bad, but the rogue spike can lead to some finnicky situations. The reverse controls can be funky on first playthrough, but it's manageable since scythe is mostly pattern, with only RNG applying to the height it starts at. Sieo can have some weird RNG at times, but it's manageable. The screen shaking is quite violent though, and it can disorientate you quite easily. After that you got the best part of the boss, Antichlorobenzene. Flower part is easy, Contrary part is not. You gotta learn the path, and make sure that you are exact, as being slightly off can cause a butterfly effect. The transition song is an absolute banger. After that, you got super easy RZ attack, a Kracko attack where you can either do it normally or go over the fire, and then final attack, which is very easily chokeable. Also, just make sure you know how to live the choke gun at the very end, because it would suck if you choked that. Overall, a very aesthetically pleasing boss with excellent music choices and great design and attack choices. Now we begin with Stage 4.
Verdict: 9/10
OVERALL STAGE VERDICT: 7.5/10
STAGE 4:
I Wanna Sunspike (a):
And now we begin with a ridiculously huge difficulty spike. The jumps in sunspike are ridiculous to get past. Double corners, bonk double diamonds, etc. At least the song is a banger. I just wish the needle could be better, because the visuals are stunning and are a great introductory to stage 4. If you can get by with the ridiculously hard needle, it's not too bad of a screen.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna Sunspike (b):
Another sunspike screen with ridiculous needle. This time with a double corner, and a double diagonal, both of which are piss. The crystal is located on the right path, so if you're used to taking the left path, you are at a bit of a disadvantage. The block design also changes from a dimmed flashing neon line style, to a white outline, which is a little strange, but I don't mind. It also doesn't help that there is an invisible trigger in the middle of the screen, which seems to do absolutely nothing but is completely necessary. Otherwise a very hard screen to get by, and will be quite annoying.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Azure (a):
This first screen is ridiculously easy. You could replace Azure with RZ and it would fit better. The only semi hard thing about this screen are the final jumps, which could mess with some players who haven't dealt with slopes. You will be done with this screen in less than an hour. The design is kinda meh, but it isn't absurdly bad either. The spikes are cool though.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Azure (b):
This screen is a little harder, but it's still way too easy compared to the hell of sunspike. The only potentially hard part is the F jump near the end, but it's quite simple, and you'll be done with this screen in less than 2 hours.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Excursion (a):
An interesting screen where your player speed is boosted up and there are gravity changes that luckily don't invert your controls. Personally, the first save is the hardest, everything else is fairly doable. As long as you get used to the speed of the player, you'll get this screen over with. The design looks like the inside of an insane asylum, but it's cool to look at.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Excursion (b):
The funny bubble kid part of the game. The kid has momentum physics when you move, so the first half is somewhat challenging. Once you get past that though, the second half is practically free, as long as you take your time. Overall, not bad of a screen, can get boring during the second half, first half will keep you on your toes.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna Be the Tempest:
A downwards freescroll screen, with some hectic needle. Remember to jump when you spawn in the water, and don't miss the crystal trigger if you're going for that for some reason. The visuals are somewhat odd for my liking, and the needle is pretty damn hard. Awkward diagonals, cycle waiting, technical jumps, etc. Tempest is also home to a super piss fruit save. Tempest will require a good amount of trial and error, pattern learning, and consistency to get past. The final drop is pretty epic to do though. Also, tempest has a music change, which is also quite iconic to me, and is a banger. Overall, piss screen, but feels satisfying to get past.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna be the Butterfly (a):
A lane of water scrolling up and down, pretty creative ngl. I actually really like the needle in this first screen, it's quite fun. Visually, looks pretty good, needle is kinda difficult, but I got it done reasonably fast. Overall a very good screen. The secret path will add a lot more needle to the save, but it's fairly doable.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the TAS:
The 4th secret, and personally the 2nd hardest one. Starts off with a steak ledge, brilliant. A corner, and more ledges. First save isn't too bad, second save is easy, third is a double diamond, a weird corner, and a TAS drop into a drop diamond (what), easily hardest save in the secret. Fourth save has that weird upwards plane and then uninteresting jumps. Fifth save is just tiring for your fingers. Design is just basic default blocks. Overall pretty fun, besides the TAS drop.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Butterfly (b):
This screen is wayyy harder than the previous. It is super long, and the cherry in the center can be a massive cuck fest, especially during blue phase. As long as you know your path, and don't choke the final drop gate, you will beat this soon, but it is quite annoying.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Hades (a):
This screen has some very short saves. However, to compensate, the needle is piss hard. Ledges onto ledges, super F corners, bonk double inverts, a buffed ledge, one jump diamonds, upward planes, all of that sweet stuff. The design is quite ugly, but in a somewhat "good and iconic" way. At least the crystal is short. The third save is definitely the hardest out of the first screen saves. Play this enough, and you may get past all the nightmareish stuff... at least until you realize there's a second screen.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Hades (b):
Again, more piss needle. Diamonds, double corners, triple corners, 16 pixels, double diamonds, bunnyhops, buffed upward plane (though it's piss easy if you can jump cancel), weird gates, even more of that sweet stuff. Each save I'd say will take an average of about 1 hour. Once you get past all that, it's all relatively easy stuff until the final 3 screens of stage 4.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Go the Dotkid! (a):
A dotkid screen, with super repetitive jumps, tight jumps for dotkid hitbox, and funny cherries that spawn more cherries at the top. The needle for the first screen honestly isn't so bad. However, I do find the cherries harder to comprehend than in the second screen. Also, there is one more music change here, which is also a banger. Shooting will deactivate/activate your red circle, so touching the save is all that's required to save. If you can get by with reading the cherries properly and doing the somewhat difficult needle, this first screen will be relatively simple for you. The design is extremely simple, with a black background and default blocks, but I find this to be a good use because you can see your hitbox easier.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Go the Dotkid! (b):
Another dotkid screen, this time with water, and twice the cherries! I find the cherries more easier to comprehend because I can just imagine them going up and down instead of constantly down. The needle is quite a spike from the previous, but was manageable after path learning and cycle learning. Some of the later jumps are a little finnicky with the dotkid hitbox, but nothing too much, especially if you're at this point legitimately. Both screens are quite enjoyable overall.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Black (a):
The funny sexy Mario and Luigi screen, with kaizo blocks everywhere, and RNG projectiles shooting from some random place on Mario and Luigi. This entire screen is just learning the path and getting lucky. The crystal is at a fairly easy location once you get the good RNG. Overall, not much to say, I'm just intrigued they decided to pick this screen out of every screen in Black.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Black (b):
Same design, different maze, and also no save so if you fail, you gotta go back to screen 1! This screen is even more of an RNG fest because of the very top. Also not much to say, just gotta get lucky and learn the correct path. Just pray to the Mario and Luigi gods and you'll probably maybe get past these two screens.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Maze (a):
Fairly ugly, but classic looking screen. Starts with a bunch of diagonal spam, followed by traps, followed by gate spam. The crystal requires you to do 12 more gates on top of the 9 already required ones. Also remember to shoot the green block thing to activate the trap. Just learn the path, and you'll be well on your way.
Verdict: 5.5/10
I Wanna be the Maze (b):
A completely different styled screen, this time based around the idea of your path slowly disappearing as you go through the maze. There are hidden triggers you need to hit throughout this save everywhere, as well as specific blocks you need to activate (they show you which ones when you get to the end with actually getting to the end). This screen is easy if you take a screenshot of the maze before you do it, and then just using it for reference. Honestly a very easy screen if you take your time.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (a):
Fairly short screen, has a button you need to press that activates a cherry that follows you. Needle is particularly difficult, but is manageable. Design looks like my grandmother's tablecloth. Pretty fun screen overall
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (b):
Oh boy this mess of a screen. The first save is absolute hell, requiring you to do a slightly nerfed double diamond everytime you fail past that, not to mention there are fake blocks, ass needle gameplay, and a crystal within that save. If you get past that, you are pretty much good to go, as the part where the screen flips isn't too difficult. Also, there is another crystal in the screen after it flips. Note that the part that is 5 blocks high, there is an invisible vine to the right wall. Interesting game design, but it's kinda obvious if you're observant. This is a pretty easy screen once you get past the first save.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (c):
Yes, I'm doing 3 parts since there are technically 3 screens. The third screen is the first screen but flipped upside-down, and is where the second crystal is actually located. This third screen is piss easy. The only hard parts are the corner and the two gates. When you go up back to the starting position, boss rush will start. Boss rush, the biggest roadblock in K3. You will be stuck on this for weeks to months. My experience with the bosses will be written below.
Verdict: 8.5/10
BOSS RUSH: (note: I will be referring to attack names based on their default Deadsplit names)
Let's start with....
Dotkid:
I did this boss first because it was easiest. Most attacks are free besides two of them (red and blue, and outrage). There is quite a decent amount of luck involved with the boss. The layout is just your typical 9 platform layout with black background and default blocks. The first attack is pretty much pattern, stay in the middle can have some cucky RNG sometimes, but it's pretty easy. Three circles is literally free once you know how to do it. Red and blue is our first actually somewhat difficult attack. The cherries can be moving in places that make it near impossible or really hard to dodge, even with dotkid hitbox. Plus, the blue cherries can be moving in such a way that it makes the rainbow burst part of the attack much more difficult than it normally is. "Impossible" is easy as fuck. Gray burst can give some cucky RNG from time to time, but it is a mostly easy attack. Elevating Fruit is literally impossible to die to unless gray burst gave you bad RNG and forced you onto the ground. Triple colour burst can give some really wack RNG, especially into the transition to outrage. Outrage is by far the hardest attack in this boss. Since the bursts of the green cherries are aimed, that aspect is easy to dodge. The purple rings are aimed as well. However, the cyan cherries can give either moderately hard or flat out impossible RNG, and that's where most of the difficulty comes in. You may feel like you have no idea what you're doing and just kinda, "doing" it, which will probably be the most likely scenario. After outrage, you still have final, which is just stay in the bottom left corner and wait in anticipation for the spiral. As long as you don't choke it, dotkid will be a quick fight. Dotkid lasted 16 hours for my playthrough. Overall, a fun boss with a very good song, if you can get over the weird RNG.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Colonel:
I did this boss second. The intro can be weird from time to time, but usually around 2/3 of the time, you'll pass it. The first attack can be kinda weird, especially when it's combined with the orange arrow spirals. This can give some really funky RNG. Dots is actually a super fun attack because the projectiles feel more lenient somehow (at least for me). Green seeds is tricky to read because of the fast slow fast bullets. You'll need to read ahead to know how to dodge them. Blue arrows isn't too bad of an attack. It's mostly just "do I dodge the fast one first or the slow one first". And then curving happened. Easily the hardest attack of the entire boss. The curving starts getting more extreme as you dodge more, and combined with some god awful RNG, this attack can be extremely tricky and in some scenarios, impossible. Final is easily the most stressful as it feels like it's going on forever as your eyes are more focused on everything. It's not the hardset, but it'll definitely feel stressful as hell. Platform is in my opinion, the most scariest part. I personally had a lot of stress coming into this attack... for the first 5 minutes. Do not be afraid to take your time on this attack. I took 20 minutes on this phase just to be ultra safe and not die. Within 5 minutes, I hardly felt anymore stress. It definitely feels very satisfying to beat the boss. And I never got tired of the song looping over and over during platform either, as it's a super good song. The visuals are just default gray blocks with black background. Overall, a super fun boss with some fun attacks and a satisfying end. My total time on this boss is 24 hours.
Verdict: 9/10
Emperor Miku:
I did this boss third. I like to refer to this boss as the Light Mode Boss as it's the only boss in boss rush pre-Influka with a white background. This boss has 6 phases, and you need to shoot Miku 15 times per phase. Pattern is easy once you know the path. Count to 15 is just as it sounds, count to 15. This is because on the 14th shot, you know to just spam her and not worry about the green cherries that aim at you every time you shoot her. This attack lasts for a very long time, and almost feels like a filler. Also, keep in mind there is a crystal here. It is best to get the crystal on this attack. Do not forget about this crystal, or you'll have to do what I need to do and rebeat Miku. Lines is pretty much pattern if you take a general path. The path will vary since the line bursts into random directions. Gray circles is literally just pattern if you do the exact same thing every time. Fruit waves is stressful, just remember to read red before orange, and you'll be good. Final is easily the most stressful and the hardest. Curving cherries, with every 5 shots, getting more dense as you go on. It definitely feels good to beat the boss once you get your shots in. Visually, it's actually a cool concept as the block and Miku sprite hue shifts through the colours of the rainbow, and with each phase, more and more blocks break off and disappear. Also, the song is actually amazing. You'll probably only hear about 5 minutes of the song when playing emperor Miku, so feel free to search up the OG song as it's 8 minutes long. Overall, a super fun boss with some cucky RNG from time to time, and pretty good visuals, minus the white background that makes my eyes bleed if I stare at it for too long. I spent 26 hours on this boss.
Verdict: 8/10
Piano:
I did this boss as my fourth and final boss before Influka. Piano has an infamous legacy of being an absolute cocksucker with the RNG. And during the playthrough, I completely agree with the community. With 54 hours, and 5412 deaths, this boss has stupid amounts of RNG and really hard attacks. Starting with the pre-invert section, early attacks isn't so bad. Spinning attack isn't the worst, the burst can be kinda gay though. Fast attack has some pretty damn fast bullets, so you will need to read them good. Easy stuff is self explanatory, its easy stuff, with only a couple moments for potentially bad RNG. Fountain is completely free until the burst. Those parts of the bossfight aren't the worst, even though I have a 16% success rate to get past that section. Moving on to the next section. Invert isn't so bad, you just need to react or read fast. Circles is easy once you know how to dodge every possible orientation, since there's only like, 6-7 you need to remember. Yellow stream isn't the worst as long as you know what you're reading for and inch your way forward. Triple piano has some pretty fast bullets, you'll need to read them fast. Please has fucking fast bullets, so you will need to read fast. And the spiral attack isn't too bad, until the last couple bullets that are going at the speed of light. Most likely, you'll need to remember some common orientations and just remember what to do when you get it. Slow, is super stressful, and is anticipation city. 45 seconds of slow bullets from every direction, minus a range of up directions. This attack can give you flat out impossible attacks. If you don't have the timer from secret 3, just listen to the high F#'s in the song. The ones that last for 8 beats, or abnormally longer than the rest is the one to listen for, as line happens 3 seconds after that. Speaking of which, line can suck sometimes, especially when the projectiles are in bad locations. Otherwise, just read where the projectiles are, and dedicate your movement to left or right. Red/Blue is easy as long as you read it properly, and the spiral spin thing it does can be cucky from time to time, but just read the red and blue for about 2 seconds, and then focus on the piano's projectiles. Curving can be super hard to read. Just remember cyan bullets curve upwards and green bullets curve downwards. I'm glad they nerfed this in the most recent version of K3. Once they pick up speed, you gotta either react super fast, or read far ahead, as fast curving is hard. Final isn't the most difficult, but there is major stress at that part, and can lead to deaths caused by mega stress. Once the bullets stop and do its final burst, you will be ecstatic that it's finally over. I definitely felt that way. Overall, piss boss with stupid RNG that can go kill itself (I do sometimes replay it just because I still like the boss because it's unique, but I'm not gonna try and beat it again for now).
Verdict: 7/10
And now that boss rush is over, we can now review the best boss in the entire game... (up to this point)
REVIEW PART 2 ON SLICK6969 ACCOUNT!:
[4] Likes
Also, everything will have a verdict of a score between 1-10, 1 being absolute fucking dogshit and 10 being a fucking masterpiece.
Starting with the intro cutscene:
The cutscene is almost technically a rip from 498 tokio, but it has its own flair, with replaced textures and animations. Of course after watching it once, you'll pretty much never watch it again within the hundreds of thousands of hours you may put into this game
Verdict: 9/10
Menu:
The menu is aesthetically pleasing to look at, with striking visuals and sleek font. It definitely feels like a promising game. Pressing F2 will bring you back to the menu (for those newbies that are playing this as their first fangame... for some reason)
Verdict: 10/10
Opening Screens:
The opening screens are like the character quickly going through the previous two games of Kamilia and Kamilia 2, as the flashcards show. Simple stuff, if you die here somehow, don't play this game. It has a good atmosphere to it, and the animation before the actual first screen is top notch.
Verdict: 10/10
STAGE 1:
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 1 (a):
The first screen of Kamilia 3, which starts fairly easy, with moving spikes, an F jump, and a half diamond. Nothing too hard unless you are unable to jump less than 2-3 frames. The tile set is nice and is a good screen pick for the first screen. The buffs aren't too unfair. Also the music is a banger, super iconic for me.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 1 (b).
This screen is easier than the first. Like, there's not much to say about this. It's just a casual screen with some moving spikes here and there.
Verdict: 6.5/10
Giripossible (a):
Tileset is default block textures but gray. Needle isn't the worst, the double diamond looking jump could cause some struggle with newbies, but otherwise, it's basically just a filler casual screen.
Verdict: 5/10
Giripossible (b):
The first screen that has two paths. Taking the left path introduces you to the various crystals hidden within the game. There are 50 crystals in the game, each varying in difficulty. The crystal isn't too hard, it's well done for an introductory crystal. Otherwise, this screen has some simple needle with moving up and down spikes that could mess with some first-timers.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Heart (a):
First water screen of K3. Visually doesn't look the best. The cherries aren't the worst if you take your time, and I'm glad the newest version removes the corner in this screen. Crystal is in an extremely easy location. Otherwise, simple screen.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Heart (b):
The save is across two screens, which is kinda annoying, but you'll get used to it. The needle isn't too bad, with some cherry cycles that you will need to figure out. The water jumping is slightly tricky for newcomers, and the diamond at the end can be very cucky, but it's a decent screen overall.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 2 (a):
Heart screen, has a platform skip that I assume most people take, crystal can be annoying to get the trigger every single time, but if you know how to do the screen, then it's a piece of cake. Drop gate is wack sometimes. Tileset is kinda meh for me.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 2 (b):
This screen has some interesting needle. The final diagonal from the rising platform can be tricky. Also the crystal is game design 100, as you don't actually need to do a million diagonals; amazing job.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the NCE (a):
This screen has a lot of saves, with a wide range of difficulty for some reason. The first save is piss easy, but then the second screen has two corners in one save, which is a weird difficulty spike. The drop diagonal at the end can be very tricky. Tileset is decent, with a decent background. Overall, strong screen.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the NCE (b):
The NCE screen that I don't usually remember, has quite an amount of diagonals. Be sure you're good at them! The saves aren't too bad in difficulty, and you'll get past them in no time.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Celebrate 100 (a):
A space heaven like screen without the boundary walls. This screen is fairly easy, with one trap, and a super F skip if you're good enough. Crystal is quite obscure, like you'd have no idea the trigger was even there. Tileset is good and background is epic.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Celebrate 100 (b):
A screen with a good amount of skips, and has that brown box thing that activates stuff. As long as you don't choke the final diagonals, and you have a moderate amount of consistency with the beginning drop, you'll be done with this screen in no time.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 3 (a):
Lots of blow game screens, this screen contains our first secret stage of the game. If you are playing this game for the first time and are not good at doing any needle 70 or above, do not go for this secret. I honestly don't even want the health bar as I'm always used to just not seeing it. The tileset itself is quite basic as it's just black lines and white. The needle is quite fun, with a cucky diagonal at the end. A quite strong and memorable screen.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna Possible:
Our first secret stage of the game. This secret definitely has a spike in difficulty with the needle, with some fairly technical jumps, and an upwards plane. Once you get the item, you get infinite jump, and you need to backtrack to save 2. The tileset is basically flashing rainbow, and the background looks like the default background of GD but dark gray. Good screen overall.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Conquer the Blow Game 3 (b):
This screen has some moving spikes, and easy 16 pixels that you can just line up for. As long as you can do diagonals with some ease, and can time your jumps with spike cycles, this screen will be done in no time.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Ichor (a):
The screen has some interesting needle and design choices. The tile set is nice, the save barriers look cool, the background looks like a brightened stock image of an electromagnetic explosion. It's actually quite a fun screen.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna be the Ichor (b):
Oh boy this screen. The first time I was playing this, the first save had a jump that I was stuck on for a good hour before I got past it. If you know how to do it, it isn't the "worst", but it can be tricky. The rest of the screen is just a bunch of regular needle with some cycle waiting and minorly technical jumps.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Game 2 (a):
A spotlight screen, with an unnecessary spotlight as you can still see the spikes anyways :). Does have a funny trap on first save. Quite precise needle compared to the previous screens. Ends with a stupid jump I still get stuck on every once in a while. Tile set is just default but gray, with plain gray background. Spotlight idea is cool though.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Game 2 (b):
Funny screen-wrapping screen. If you know what to do, it's easy. You may need to look up a vid on the path, but the needle is easier than the first. Also has a button you need to shoot. Just remember you need to exit through the middle hole on the floor, anywhere else kills you.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the White & Black (a):
A white and black screen, simple design. Needle starts with up and down spike spam, and then separates into two paths, both of which have small pricks. This screen does have a crystal if you choose to take the harder path.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the White & Black (b):
Lots of gate jumps, also has a two path split. taking the harder path reveals the infamous Spike Love achievement. Do it if you have the balls to do it. Otherwise, the screen is simple, and you'll be right on your way to the first boss.
Verdict: 9/10
First Boss:
Oh boy, the first boss of the game. Flandre Scarlet. Basically, the screen wrapping orbs can be piss and cause literal impossible situations. The first attack isn't too bad, the giant cherry is easy, Rumia is just pattern with darkness. Crazy spike is piss at first but not too bad once you know how to do it. Mystia Lorelei is pretty much just see through the darkness as it isn't completely dark. Mush Mush's can be absolute assholes. Hat attack is hard as balls for the first boss. Flandre Scarlet Final can be quick if you did enough damage at the start. The song for this boss is also good to listen to, especially for just keying it out into the background. Crime and Punishment is just curving black cherry RNG. I like the song for it though. Otherwise not too bad of a first boss, could've been better.
Verdict: 7/10
OVERAL STAGE VERDICT: 8.5/10
STAGE 2:
I Wanna Vanish Needles!! (a):
Starts out with a homing rainbow flashing ball chasing you as you go through some fairly difficult needle. Block tile set isn't the worst, but the spikes tile set is literally just pink red, pure pink red. Ending trap is easy. Song is also a banger.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Vanish Needles!! (b):
Literally a buff of the previous screen, with two balls instead of one. Also has a quite difficult crystal if you can't do buffed diagonals consistently. Ending trap is funny. Not much to say, these screens aren't too bad, fair memorability.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the piyopiyo trap (a):
Hey look, it's the funny no save inbetween the first and second screen screen! Drop could be difficult, also has a really easy crystal.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the piyopiyo trap (b):
No save, don't choke. Screen is shaped like a W, save at the end is unnecessary (if you aren't going for the crystal) speaking of which, the RNG crystal... its a thing that exists. With a 1/4096 chance of getting it every time you enter the blue portal, it can take either 1 minute, or 1 full day. I got kinda lucky with it only taking 2 hours, but be aware that you may need to leave your computer on overnight to get this crystal. Just have something hold the right key and then go take a nap or go to school, and you'll get it soon enough. Memorable crystal overall.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the Air (a):
Very crimson red screen. Tileset is meh, background is very pixelated. The traps are funny though ngl. Also has a small prick that can be very hard to jump over. Also it has a very funny tree trap. Overall, it's not too bad of a screen.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Air (b):
Even more traps, personally not as funny as the previous, but it's still fun. Screen is enjoyable.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna be the Prism (a):
Literally a puzzle screen. This screen ends in like 10 seconds. Crystal literally requires you to have beaten the 4th stage secret to get.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the Prism (b):
Another puzzle, which to this day, I still don't know how you figure it out. You just kinda wait and then hit the light switch and then the code pops up. Also, if you have arachnophobia, I'd highly recommend you hit the light switch 20 times, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Overall, kinda boring, the puzzle could've been more "puzzlier"
Verdict: 4/10
I Wanna Buy the Crayon (a):
Epic speed and high jump, second jump is weird to pull off, but should be free once you pass it. Second part has some very weird diagonals that you might be stuck on for a little bit. Tile set isn't too bad. Background is just pixelated shiny particles against a dark blue purple background. Otherwise it isn't the worst screen, kinda memorable.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna Buy the Crayon (b):
First screen with vines. These vines... can suck massively. High gravity with vines is a wack combination of gimmicks. The low gravity diagonals at the top don't help make this save better either. The second save has some technical vines that may take some practice, but it is otherwise not bad of a screen, though there can be some improvements in the gameplay.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Escape the Silver Tower (a):
This screen is a good spike in difficulty. Diagonal gates into diagonal gates, 16 pixels into gates into 16 pixels, diagonal into trap, you name it. The design is sleek and overall, I like this screen.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Escape the Silver Tower (b):
This screen already starts with an incredibly easy skip so you don't have to do the gate at the beginning. Crystal is in an obscure location, and the crystal itself is back at the beginning. Corners are ass at the second save, but you will be out of it soon enough.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Macaron (a):
Screen has our first ledge in the game, this took me hundreds of deaths the first time I went through this. The F jump a couple jumps after is hard as balls, but after that it's easy. Second save has some weird obstacles, but just find a preferable path and you'll be past it easily. The design isn't the worst, with the grate-like blocks and spikes and the gradient background.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Macaron (b):
Save is midair over a spike which means you need to jump every time you die. Kinda annoying, but I respect the idea. The drop diagonal near the end of the first save can be troublesome. Second save has a lot of diagonals, and the ending is kind of bland. Otherwise, it's a fun screen.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna Payment (a):
This screen contains our second secret stage of the game. I genuinely had a lot more fun with this than I expected to. RNG cherries that spawn at a random location at a fixed time, combined with some fairly decent needle. The design is just default with a pure colour background. The secret obviously requires you to backtrack, and then Needle Satan happened. Overall, super fun screen.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna Needle Satan:
Oh god, this screen. Starts with some doable jumps, has an ass F jump into ledge and an even more ass awkward drop gate. The double diamond is easy once you get the pattern, upward plane is doable, F jump is awkward, the ledge into corner is really hard, and the drop diagonal near the end is choke city. The bonk double diamond sucks, the super F upward plane sucks, and literally every jump after that is just don't choke. Design is extremely bright, so don't play at a high brightness, less you want your eyes to suffer. Overall, this was actually more fun than I expected it to be, despite having some really hard needle.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna Payment (b):
Pulsing growth cherries... yeah, those are a thing. The first save is really easy, but the second save... that damn cherry gate. If you don't know how to do it, you're gonna be stuck on it for god knows how long. Doesn't help that the crystal requires you to do it three times in a row. This screen is just meh, I prefer the previous screen.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Rose Gear (a):
A very dark aqua blue screen with some interesting needle and trap choices. The traps are not the worst to execute every time, but some can be quite tricky. The needle isn't too hard. Crystal location is super easy, with only one additional trap. Block design looks like four overlapped spikes. Spike design is decent. Overall a screen that just kinda flew over my head
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna Rose Gear (b):
Ah yes, this screen, funny button at the start, kaizo blocks, many super F's and a drop gate. Funny w i d e spike trap, and a super funny secret achievement. A little bit of backtracking near the end, but very fun screen overall.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna Magnanimity:
A scrolling screen with some interesting needle and sprites. Spikes on rockets, minecart that you need to follow, big boy bugs that give you bad RNG 90% of the time, etc. Minecart also does the funny flip every once in a while, easy to tell when it does that. Screen does have a couple traps here and there, but once you get past all that, you will arrive at Boss 2. Also don't forget the crystal near the end ;)
Verdict: 8/10
Second Boss:
The second boss, Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright. Lots of RNG with their attack patterns, which could be borderline bullcrap on the first playthrough. This boss basically determines whether you're ready for the RNG aspect of upcoming bosses. Cirno can be really wacky with the RNG, tornado girl isn't too bad, I personally like the attack. Yuyuko is stupid easy, as long as you time the run right just right. Dice can be severely bad if you constantly get 9's. I was lucky during my run to get all 1's. Second phase is just first phase but faster and longer. Once you do enough damage, you get to the transition avoidance. We always scream AAAAAAAAAAAA because 1, the song, and 2, because this boss has some really hard RNG to dodge. The visual is nice, but it can be quite hard to dodge. The song for the transition is a banger. After you survive about 8 bars of cherry hell, you get to second dice roll, so just pray. Then the final phase is just both Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright on the battlefield with the attack speed of the second phase. Once you do enough damage, you hold your breath as the final dice roll determines your fate. The song for this boss is also good for just leaving it as the background noise, and it’s a very good song either way. Otherwise this is a very well made boss with some fun attacks. You'll be relieved you're on stage 3.
Verdict: 9/10
OVERALL STAGE VERDICT: 7.5/10
STAGE 3:
I Wanna be the Starter (a):
Starting off with an odd colour palette, and perhaps some of the worst music in the game, though I personally never cared. There is a hidden trigger off to the right that no one would've looked at unless you've played the original starter (where there was a save there). Also the ledge diamond ledge is pain. Definitely more challenging than the previous 2 saves.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the Starter (b):
You have to do two more jumps before you get the save. If you die, then back to the diamond jump you go. This screen is particularly easy, unless you're trying to get the crystal. A downwards plane... on the third stage, brilliant. This screen is easy though.
Verdict: 5/10
I Wanna be the QUT (a):
A 16 pixel simulator, definitely and obviously the best design choice! If you're consistent enough at 16 pixels, you'll be fine, but this screen can be piss. Also you can skip 2 16 pixels easily. Design however, is very good. Background can be somewhat distracting, but you'll ignore it soon enough. Overall, design is good, gameplay could be better.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the QUT (b):
More 16 pixels, christ. Both screens are just getting good at 16 pixels. Second save has some minorly technical jumps, but nothing too much to comprehend. There's not really much else to say really.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Forehead (a):
A super ugly screen to look at, the block and spike design is atrocious. Blue and red used like this isn't pleasing at all. The gameplay is filled with traps and weird stuff. Learn the traps, and you'll probably be out soon, assuming you can do the somewhat difficult needle in this screen. Also the crystal is piss easy.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Forehead (b):
Even more traps, some are funny, some aren't. The needle isn't too hard, minus the corner at the end that can get you a number of times. Just take your time, and you'll never have to look at that atrocity ever again... at least until you need to replay it for the secret boss.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Picture (a):
Oh boy this screen, this was a difficulty spike and a half for me. Visually, it doesn't look too bad, but the needle is pretty damn hard. Combine it with traps and you got yourself a hella screen. It's also quite a long screen, especially if you decide to get the secret stage. Perseverance is required to get past this.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Contrary:
The third secret stage of K3, and an odd choice too. There are only two screens in Contrary, as it's a mostly avoidance game. My guess is they chose this just to add the antichlorobenzene part in the third boss. Anyways, I haven't actually beaten this screen yet, but I'll judge off my own judgement, so don't take this part of my review for granted. The beginning jumps don't seem to be the worst. The next save has some weird corners, an upwards plane, and some more weird jumps, as well as a 2 frame. Next save has a double drop diagonal with a platform ledge. Then there's some platform tech, weirder jumps, more platform tech. Overall, seems fairly challenging but doable. The block design isn't the worst, and the background image is just lens flare. I'd recommend you just go for the stage 5 secret before doing any of the other secrets and stuff, so that you'll have enough skill to do it quickly.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Picture (b):
And now we are back to picture. Many traps and fake blocks, some particularly difficult needle, and a pretty much free crystal. Just learn the traps and get gud at needle and it'll be over with. This screen will definitely take a while.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna uhuhu Spike 3 (a):
A visually amazing screen, with some pretty damn difficult, but fun needle. First save is kinda long, second save has two inverts. You'll probably be stuck on this screen for a while before getting past it. Also the crystal is pretty much free. Overall, a very nice screen.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna uhuhu Spike 3 (b):
Starting with some fairly technical jumps, first save isn't so bad. The second save however... my god those three mini spikes at the end. You either need to learn how to jump cancel, or get good at 1 framing. You might be able to clear it in 1 jump, but I'm not sure about it. Once you get past the second save, you're basically free for the next screen.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Justice (a):
This screen is literal conveyor hell. I had so much trouble with this screen first time playing because I suck at conveyors, and the needle is quite difficult. First save isn't the worst, second save sucks because of F jump on conveyor. Block design is very green, but the background animation is cool. Once you get past this screen, another screen of conveyor hell awaits you.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Justice (b):
First save has some piss jumps. The save is short, but the jumps are very difficult. Expect to be stuck on this for a while. Second save is where more conveyors happen. Moving cherries on conveyors, excellent. The first two sections aren't bad, the third is challenging. The crystal is also in a super easy location. Also, don't choke the final jump :)
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Flower (a):
My god this screen sucks. The block design is bad, the visual is bad. The first save needle is ok, it's just some weird diamonds and gates and funny trap in all four directions. Second save needle sucks. So many hidden triggers, and a small prick gate three times in a row. Final obstacle isn't the worst, as long as you focus on the cycles. Overall, a very tricky screen to get past by.
Verdict: 3/10
I Wanna be the Flower (b):
This screen isn't as hard as the first. However, the water diamond can suck. The corridors near the end have a lot of traps, but it's easy to get past all of them. You can save at a good location at the start so you can just hold left and get past a good amount of obstacles. Otherwise, not too bad of a screen gameplay wise. Gotta emphasize that horrible design.
Verdict: 4/10
I Wanna Hope the End of (a):
A super cool screen with simplistic visuals, and a cool tilting spike gimmick. Super fun to execute the jumps, funny trap at the start. The jumps are fairly tricky, especially with the gimmick. The crystal is in a super easy location. Just keep going at it, and you'll beat it.
Verdict: 10/10
I Wanna Hope the End of (b):
The way harder counterpart of the previous screen. This screen has some really difficult jumps. A diamond, a weird techy drop, and a super hard jump at the end. This screen is a difficulty spike, but it's really just preparing you for the hell of the next two screens...
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna be the RZ (a):
Perhaps the biggest difficulty spike in all of K3. It starts with four really hard and techy jumps. This save can take hours or days. The next save is longer, with some brutal jumps, and a brutal ending jump. This screen can take days or even a week. The visuals are ok. Overall, a brutal screen that could go with slight nerfs.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the RZ (b):
And now for the first screen but on crack and weed at the same time. The first save is fairly brutal to begin with, with some extremely technical jumps and a fair share of 16 pixels and corners. The second save however... my god I was stuck on that shit for close to 10 hours. Already starts with three diagonals in one jump. No good align jumps. Weird ass corners, and two brutal jumps at the end. This screen is a fucking difficulty spike and a half. Expect to be stuck on this garbage for days to weeks. At least it autosaves as you enter the guy castle, speaking of which.
Verdict: 7/10
The Guy Castle:
The guy castle is an ascension upwards. The visuals are definitely way more stunning than other fangames. The needle isn't the worst. There are some funny traps involving the Boos. The secret achievement isn't the worst to get. The crystal though... requires you to beat most of the guy castle in 1 attempt. There's also the funny jump refresher screen with a diamond and 4 diagonals in a row. This castle has a lot of diagonals in fact. The save gimmick is cool where you basically have to "kill" the saves in order to properly save. If you have the autogun from stage 2 secret, the saves are easy to get. Also the final corner is choke city. Once you exit, the floor will do a funny, and the stage 3 boss will begin
Verdict: 9/10
Third Boss:
The third boss is The Guy in it's super big, head in smashed window phase. The first attack isn't so bad, with a couple times where RNG won't line up. The next attack is basically free, which is concerning since the enemy that pops up is from RZ. The screen flip part is all pattern, so it's easy to read. Kracko is also pattern, so it's easy. Next shooting phase isn't too bad, but the rogue spike can lead to some finnicky situations. The reverse controls can be funky on first playthrough, but it's manageable since scythe is mostly pattern, with only RNG applying to the height it starts at. Sieo can have some weird RNG at times, but it's manageable. The screen shaking is quite violent though, and it can disorientate you quite easily. After that you got the best part of the boss, Antichlorobenzene. Flower part is easy, Contrary part is not. You gotta learn the path, and make sure that you are exact, as being slightly off can cause a butterfly effect. The transition song is an absolute banger. After that, you got super easy RZ attack, a Kracko attack where you can either do it normally or go over the fire, and then final attack, which is very easily chokeable. Also, just make sure you know how to live the choke gun at the very end, because it would suck if you choked that. Overall, a very aesthetically pleasing boss with excellent music choices and great design and attack choices. Now we begin with Stage 4.
Verdict: 9/10
OVERALL STAGE VERDICT: 7.5/10
STAGE 4:
I Wanna Sunspike (a):
And now we begin with a ridiculously huge difficulty spike. The jumps in sunspike are ridiculous to get past. Double corners, bonk double diamonds, etc. At least the song is a banger. I just wish the needle could be better, because the visuals are stunning and are a great introductory to stage 4. If you can get by with the ridiculously hard needle, it's not too bad of a screen.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna Sunspike (b):
Another sunspike screen with ridiculous needle. This time with a double corner, and a double diagonal, both of which are piss. The crystal is located on the right path, so if you're used to taking the left path, you are at a bit of a disadvantage. The block design also changes from a dimmed flashing neon line style, to a white outline, which is a little strange, but I don't mind. It also doesn't help that there is an invisible trigger in the middle of the screen, which seems to do absolutely nothing but is completely necessary. Otherwise a very hard screen to get by, and will be quite annoying.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Azure (a):
This first screen is ridiculously easy. You could replace Azure with RZ and it would fit better. The only semi hard thing about this screen are the final jumps, which could mess with some players who haven't dealt with slopes. You will be done with this screen in less than an hour. The design is kinda meh, but it isn't absurdly bad either. The spikes are cool though.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Azure (b):
This screen is a little harder, but it's still way too easy compared to the hell of sunspike. The only potentially hard part is the F jump near the end, but it's quite simple, and you'll be done with this screen in less than 2 hours.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Excursion (a):
An interesting screen where your player speed is boosted up and there are gravity changes that luckily don't invert your controls. Personally, the first save is the hardest, everything else is fairly doable. As long as you get used to the speed of the player, you'll get this screen over with. The design looks like the inside of an insane asylum, but it's cool to look at.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Enjoy the Excursion (b):
The funny bubble kid part of the game. The kid has momentum physics when you move, so the first half is somewhat challenging. Once you get past that though, the second half is practically free, as long as you take your time. Overall, not bad of a screen, can get boring during the second half, first half will keep you on your toes.
Verdict: 9.5/10
I Wanna Be the Tempest:
A downwards freescroll screen, with some hectic needle. Remember to jump when you spawn in the water, and don't miss the crystal trigger if you're going for that for some reason. The visuals are somewhat odd for my liking, and the needle is pretty damn hard. Awkward diagonals, cycle waiting, technical jumps, etc. Tempest is also home to a super piss fruit save. Tempest will require a good amount of trial and error, pattern learning, and consistency to get past. The final drop is pretty epic to do though. Also, tempest has a music change, which is also quite iconic to me, and is a banger. Overall, piss screen, but feels satisfying to get past.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I Wanna be the Butterfly (a):
A lane of water scrolling up and down, pretty creative ngl. I actually really like the needle in this first screen, it's quite fun. Visually, looks pretty good, needle is kinda difficult, but I got it done reasonably fast. Overall a very good screen. The secret path will add a lot more needle to the save, but it's fairly doable.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna be the TAS:
The 4th secret, and personally the 2nd hardest one. Starts off with a steak ledge, brilliant. A corner, and more ledges. First save isn't too bad, second save is easy, third is a double diamond, a weird corner, and a TAS drop into a drop diamond (what), easily hardest save in the secret. Fourth save has that weird upwards plane and then uninteresting jumps. Fifth save is just tiring for your fingers. Design is just basic default blocks. Overall pretty fun, besides the TAS drop.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Butterfly (b):
This screen is wayyy harder than the previous. It is super long, and the cherry in the center can be a massive cuck fest, especially during blue phase. As long as you know your path, and don't choke the final drop gate, you will beat this soon, but it is quite annoying.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Hades (a):
This screen has some very short saves. However, to compensate, the needle is piss hard. Ledges onto ledges, super F corners, bonk double inverts, a buffed ledge, one jump diamonds, upward planes, all of that sweet stuff. The design is quite ugly, but in a somewhat "good and iconic" way. At least the crystal is short. The third save is definitely the hardest out of the first screen saves. Play this enough, and you may get past all the nightmareish stuff... at least until you realize there's a second screen.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Hades (b):
Again, more piss needle. Diamonds, double corners, triple corners, 16 pixels, double diamonds, bunnyhops, buffed upward plane (though it's piss easy if you can jump cancel), weird gates, even more of that sweet stuff. Each save I'd say will take an average of about 1 hour. Once you get past all that, it's all relatively easy stuff until the final 3 screens of stage 4.
Verdict: 8/10
I Wanna Go the Dotkid! (a):
A dotkid screen, with super repetitive jumps, tight jumps for dotkid hitbox, and funny cherries that spawn more cherries at the top. The needle for the first screen honestly isn't so bad. However, I do find the cherries harder to comprehend than in the second screen. Also, there is one more music change here, which is also a banger. Shooting will deactivate/activate your red circle, so touching the save is all that's required to save. If you can get by with reading the cherries properly and doing the somewhat difficult needle, this first screen will be relatively simple for you. The design is extremely simple, with a black background and default blocks, but I find this to be a good use because you can see your hitbox easier.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna Go the Dotkid! (b):
Another dotkid screen, this time with water, and twice the cherries! I find the cherries more easier to comprehend because I can just imagine them going up and down instead of constantly down. The needle is quite a spike from the previous, but was manageable after path learning and cycle learning. Some of the later jumps are a little finnicky with the dotkid hitbox, but nothing too much, especially if you're at this point legitimately. Both screens are quite enjoyable overall.
Verdict: 9/10
I Wanna be the Black (a):
The funny sexy Mario and Luigi screen, with kaizo blocks everywhere, and RNG projectiles shooting from some random place on Mario and Luigi. This entire screen is just learning the path and getting lucky. The crystal is at a fairly easy location once you get the good RNG. Overall, not much to say, I'm just intrigued they decided to pick this screen out of every screen in Black.
Verdict: 6.5/10
I Wanna be the Black (b):
Same design, different maze, and also no save so if you fail, you gotta go back to screen 1! This screen is even more of an RNG fest because of the very top. Also not much to say, just gotta get lucky and learn the correct path. Just pray to the Mario and Luigi gods and you'll probably maybe get past these two screens.
Verdict: 6/10
I Wanna be the Maze (a):
Fairly ugly, but classic looking screen. Starts with a bunch of diagonal spam, followed by traps, followed by gate spam. The crystal requires you to do 12 more gates on top of the 9 already required ones. Also remember to shoot the green block thing to activate the trap. Just learn the path, and you'll be well on your way.
Verdict: 5.5/10
I Wanna be the Maze (b):
A completely different styled screen, this time based around the idea of your path slowly disappearing as you go through the maze. There are hidden triggers you need to hit throughout this save everywhere, as well as specific blocks you need to activate (they show you which ones when you get to the end with actually getting to the end). This screen is easy if you take a screenshot of the maze before you do it, and then just using it for reference. Honestly a very easy screen if you take your time.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (a):
Fairly short screen, has a button you need to press that activates a cherry that follows you. Needle is particularly difficult, but is manageable. Design looks like my grandmother's tablecloth. Pretty fun screen overall
Verdict: 8.5/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (b):
Oh boy this mess of a screen. The first save is absolute hell, requiring you to do a slightly nerfed double diamond everytime you fail past that, not to mention there are fake blocks, ass needle gameplay, and a crystal within that save. If you get past that, you are pretty much good to go, as the part where the screen flips isn't too difficult. Also, there is another crystal in the screen after it flips. Note that the part that is 5 blocks high, there is an invisible vine to the right wall. Interesting game design, but it's kinda obvious if you're observant. This is a pretty easy screen once you get past the first save.
Verdict: 7/10
I Wanna be the Emperor (c):
Yes, I'm doing 3 parts since there are technically 3 screens. The third screen is the first screen but flipped upside-down, and is where the second crystal is actually located. This third screen is piss easy. The only hard parts are the corner and the two gates. When you go up back to the starting position, boss rush will start. Boss rush, the biggest roadblock in K3. You will be stuck on this for weeks to months. My experience with the bosses will be written below.
Verdict: 8.5/10
BOSS RUSH: (note: I will be referring to attack names based on their default Deadsplit names)
Let's start with....
Dotkid:
I did this boss first because it was easiest. Most attacks are free besides two of them (red and blue, and outrage). There is quite a decent amount of luck involved with the boss. The layout is just your typical 9 platform layout with black background and default blocks. The first attack is pretty much pattern, stay in the middle can have some cucky RNG sometimes, but it's pretty easy. Three circles is literally free once you know how to do it. Red and blue is our first actually somewhat difficult attack. The cherries can be moving in places that make it near impossible or really hard to dodge, even with dotkid hitbox. Plus, the blue cherries can be moving in such a way that it makes the rainbow burst part of the attack much more difficult than it normally is. "Impossible" is easy as fuck. Gray burst can give some cucky RNG from time to time, but it is a mostly easy attack. Elevating Fruit is literally impossible to die to unless gray burst gave you bad RNG and forced you onto the ground. Triple colour burst can give some really wack RNG, especially into the transition to outrage. Outrage is by far the hardest attack in this boss. Since the bursts of the green cherries are aimed, that aspect is easy to dodge. The purple rings are aimed as well. However, the cyan cherries can give either moderately hard or flat out impossible RNG, and that's where most of the difficulty comes in. You may feel like you have no idea what you're doing and just kinda, "doing" it, which will probably be the most likely scenario. After outrage, you still have final, which is just stay in the bottom left corner and wait in anticipation for the spiral. As long as you don't choke it, dotkid will be a quick fight. Dotkid lasted 16 hours for my playthrough. Overall, a fun boss with a very good song, if you can get over the weird RNG.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Colonel:
I did this boss second. The intro can be weird from time to time, but usually around 2/3 of the time, you'll pass it. The first attack can be kinda weird, especially when it's combined with the orange arrow spirals. This can give some really funky RNG. Dots is actually a super fun attack because the projectiles feel more lenient somehow (at least for me). Green seeds is tricky to read because of the fast slow fast bullets. You'll need to read ahead to know how to dodge them. Blue arrows isn't too bad of an attack. It's mostly just "do I dodge the fast one first or the slow one first". And then curving happened. Easily the hardest attack of the entire boss. The curving starts getting more extreme as you dodge more, and combined with some god awful RNG, this attack can be extremely tricky and in some scenarios, impossible. Final is easily the most stressful as it feels like it's going on forever as your eyes are more focused on everything. It's not the hardset, but it'll definitely feel stressful as hell. Platform is in my opinion, the most scariest part. I personally had a lot of stress coming into this attack... for the first 5 minutes. Do not be afraid to take your time on this attack. I took 20 minutes on this phase just to be ultra safe and not die. Within 5 minutes, I hardly felt anymore stress. It definitely feels very satisfying to beat the boss. And I never got tired of the song looping over and over during platform either, as it's a super good song. The visuals are just default gray blocks with black background. Overall, a super fun boss with some fun attacks and a satisfying end. My total time on this boss is 24 hours.
Verdict: 9/10
Emperor Miku:
I did this boss third. I like to refer to this boss as the Light Mode Boss as it's the only boss in boss rush pre-Influka with a white background. This boss has 6 phases, and you need to shoot Miku 15 times per phase. Pattern is easy once you know the path. Count to 15 is just as it sounds, count to 15. This is because on the 14th shot, you know to just spam her and not worry about the green cherries that aim at you every time you shoot her. This attack lasts for a very long time, and almost feels like a filler. Also, keep in mind there is a crystal here. It is best to get the crystal on this attack. Do not forget about this crystal, or you'll have to do what I need to do and rebeat Miku. Lines is pretty much pattern if you take a general path. The path will vary since the line bursts into random directions. Gray circles is literally just pattern if you do the exact same thing every time. Fruit waves is stressful, just remember to read red before orange, and you'll be good. Final is easily the most stressful and the hardest. Curving cherries, with every 5 shots, getting more dense as you go on. It definitely feels good to beat the boss once you get your shots in. Visually, it's actually a cool concept as the block and Miku sprite hue shifts through the colours of the rainbow, and with each phase, more and more blocks break off and disappear. Also, the song is actually amazing. You'll probably only hear about 5 minutes of the song when playing emperor Miku, so feel free to search up the OG song as it's 8 minutes long. Overall, a super fun boss with some cucky RNG from time to time, and pretty good visuals, minus the white background that makes my eyes bleed if I stare at it for too long. I spent 26 hours on this boss.
Verdict: 8/10
Piano:
I did this boss as my fourth and final boss before Influka. Piano has an infamous legacy of being an absolute cocksucker with the RNG. And during the playthrough, I completely agree with the community. With 54 hours, and 5412 deaths, this boss has stupid amounts of RNG and really hard attacks. Starting with the pre-invert section, early attacks isn't so bad. Spinning attack isn't the worst, the burst can be kinda gay though. Fast attack has some pretty damn fast bullets, so you will need to read them good. Easy stuff is self explanatory, its easy stuff, with only a couple moments for potentially bad RNG. Fountain is completely free until the burst. Those parts of the bossfight aren't the worst, even though I have a 16% success rate to get past that section. Moving on to the next section. Invert isn't so bad, you just need to react or read fast. Circles is easy once you know how to dodge every possible orientation, since there's only like, 6-7 you need to remember. Yellow stream isn't the worst as long as you know what you're reading for and inch your way forward. Triple piano has some pretty fast bullets, you'll need to read them fast. Please has fucking fast bullets, so you will need to read fast. And the spiral attack isn't too bad, until the last couple bullets that are going at the speed of light. Most likely, you'll need to remember some common orientations and just remember what to do when you get it. Slow, is super stressful, and is anticipation city. 45 seconds of slow bullets from every direction, minus a range of up directions. This attack can give you flat out impossible attacks. If you don't have the timer from secret 3, just listen to the high F#'s in the song. The ones that last for 8 beats, or abnormally longer than the rest is the one to listen for, as line happens 3 seconds after that. Speaking of which, line can suck sometimes, especially when the projectiles are in bad locations. Otherwise, just read where the projectiles are, and dedicate your movement to left or right. Red/Blue is easy as long as you read it properly, and the spiral spin thing it does can be cucky from time to time, but just read the red and blue for about 2 seconds, and then focus on the piano's projectiles. Curving can be super hard to read. Just remember cyan bullets curve upwards and green bullets curve downwards. I'm glad they nerfed this in the most recent version of K3. Once they pick up speed, you gotta either react super fast, or read far ahead, as fast curving is hard. Final isn't the most difficult, but there is major stress at that part, and can lead to deaths caused by mega stress. Once the bullets stop and do its final burst, you will be ecstatic that it's finally over. I definitely felt that way. Overall, piss boss with stupid RNG that can go kill itself (I do sometimes replay it just because I still like the boss because it's unique, but I'm not gonna try and beat it again for now).
Verdict: 7/10
And now that boss rush is over, we can now review the best boss in the entire game... (up to this point)
REVIEW PART 2 ON SLICK6969 ACCOUNT!:
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 93 93
Oct 7, 2020
IPECACMAN
For the things that are worth playing,i dont think its worth doing everything else.
[4] Likes
Rating: 4.9 49
Difficulty: 85 85
Apr 17, 2015