Platform Masters - Will you be the world's next platform master?

Last updated: Feb 1, 2011 (third version)
Level 2 update on Mar 17, 2011 (added an image)
Level 2 update on Jan 17, 2012 (screenshot updated and some proofreading)
Level 2 update on Jun 14, 2012 (various minor edits and grammatical errors being corrected)

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1 What is a level in a video game?

A level, in a video game, is an assembly of game objects in the foreground (good, bad, and indifferent) often with a set course to follow, sometimes with side paths. Each world in Platform Masters has 16 levels and there are over 300 total playable levels. Each level involves a series of platforms (including the all-important goal platform), hazards (like spikes, fires, and mud), enemies (to either defeat or dodge), and collectables (gems, extra lives, and hearts).

2 Types of levels

There are 6 types of levels in Platform Masters.

2.1 Regular levels

Platform Masters has 10 levels that, for a fairly skilled player that knows the way and doesn't use any shortcuts, only take 1 to 2 minutes to complete (getting longer in later worlds). These levels are required in order to progress the story in the game, opening up the boss level to come later on.

2.2 Boss levels

Boss levels are required in order to progress with the game. These are only about 15% of the size of regular levels, but generally take just as long to complete. To complete these levels, the boss needs to be defeated. Once the boss is defeated, access to the next world becomes available. Worlds 19 and 20 do not have a boss level.

2.3 Jumbo levels

Jumbo levels are significantly larger in size, covering 4 times the area, but they take relatively 3 times longer to complete. The reason for these levels not needing 4 times the time to complete is because these levels contain more treasures and side routes than regular levels. By treasures, I mean high-scoring objects like diamonds, rare items like 3ups, and more frequent treasure chests. These 3 levels are not required, however, but they are very useful. Worlds 19 and 20 have 4 jumbo levels instead of 3, the extra to replace the missing boss level since worlds 19 and 20 are special.

2.4 Supersize levels

A supersize level is similar to a jumbo level, only far bigger. They cover 8 times the area of a regular level and take 4 times longer to complete. This single, optional level contains a lot of treasures and side paths, far more than any other type of level. Later supersize levels played at difficulty 0 gives more than a half hour to complete the otherwise 6- to 8-minute level, among the highest possible maximum time limit.

2.5 Tutorial levels

Tutorial levels are used to learn the basics of game play, including any new elements present in the current world. Unlike the other types of levels, there is an infinite amount of time and lives so you can feel free to experiment and learn the basics, or perform crazy stunts. Unfortunately, any items that are collected have no effect on the main game, thus, any scores, extra lives, etc. have no effect, as if the level was never played. At least the knowledge gained from them is kept. Infinite time is possible on the other 4 types of levels, but how that's done is something you'll need to figure out.

2.6 Story levels

Story levels are used for story-related events to take place. They cannot be played.

3 Game play

Game play is pretty much the same with each world in each type of playable level. However, depending on the world, some variations are present.

3.1 The primary task

To clear most levels, reach this different-looking goal platform before time runs out.

Platform Masters has 2 different primary tasks to accomplish, depending on the type of level. Regardless of the task, each level begins on the start platform.

Reach the goal platform before time runs out. This is the most common task. In each level, there is a time limit. The amount of time you are given depends on the difficulty setting, the level type, and also the world. A higher difficulty setting means less time is available, but there are rewards for playing at high difficulty settings. To complete most levels, simply land on the goal platform.
Defeat the boss. This task is only used when playing boss levels. To complete these levels, defeat the boss before time runs out. Bosses take considerably more hits to defeat than regular enemies, and they're also considerably more powerful, taking more HP away each hit.

3.2 Difficulty

Most games tend have 3 difficulty settings, some, particularly fighters, as many as 5 (from what I can recall 10+ years ago). Platform Masters has far more - 9. Difficulty is based on a scale from 0 to 8. As difficulty decreases, enemies and hazards take less HP away, more time is available to complete a level, and the slower the scoring is. The speed that moving platforms and enemies move at cannot be affected by difficulty due to this game's physics. If you jump on a platform that's moving up, the speed of the platform plus the speed of your jump combine to make for even higher jumps and thus opening up possible shortcuts. A faster platform will only allow for higher jumps which makes higher difficulties pointless in some levels.

3.3 Completing levels

Once a level is completed, the score will increase. There are several fields present.

Time bonus - score 5 points here for each millisecond left on the clock. 5 seconds left over means 25,000 points here.
Item bonus - jewels and the rare gold bullion score here. Blue sapphires are 100 points, green emeralds are 500 points, yellow topazes are 2000 points, red rubies are 10,000 points, white diamonds are 50,000 points, and gold bullions are 200,000. Collect lots of rare items to get a big score. The gold bullion is one of the game's rarest items.
Enemy bonus - for each HP a defeated enemy has (undefeated enemies don't count, even if they have HP missing), you'll score 50 points here. Bosses score 250 points instead. Defeat lots of enemies to score big.
Level bonus - get points for simply completing the level. The amount depends on the world, the level number (the 7 in "World 5-7"), and the type of level.
Extra bonus - you'll have to figure out what this one does and how to score points here. Once you figure it out, you can get massive scores here.
Subtotal - this is the total of all 5 bonuses above.
Multiplier - the subtotal is multiplied by this. Raising the difficulty will increase this from 1x at difficulty 0 to 500x at difficulty 8. The recommended difficulty 4 gives 20x and difficulty 5 gives 50x.
Grand total - this is the subtotal multiplied by the multiplier. This value is what the main score increases by.

You might be thinking that playing at a higher difficulty will result in less points. That's actually very rarely true, even for the time bonus. A sapphire at difficulty 0 is only worth 100 points, but that same sapphire at difficulty 5 is worth 5000 and you'll find plenty of sapphires along the way. That's like collecting 50 sapphires at once! A defeated enemy with 10 HP gives 500 points at difficulty 0, but that same enemy gives 50,000 points at difficulty 6. That's like defeating 100 of such an enemy at the same time.

You might also think that the time bonus is sacrificed because time is so limited at higher difficulty settings. You'd be surprised as to just how false that is and here's a table listing the scores for the same level where it takes 60 seconds to complete it each time. Keep in mind that further bonuses from items, enemies, and others are not included in this and they'll only magnify the score even more.

Proof that higher difficulties provide higher time bonuses despite the reduced time
Diff	Time to complete level	Time remaining	Time bonus	Mult	Final score (time only)
0	260	200	1,000,000	1x	1,000,000
1	206.362	146.362	731,810	2x	1,463,620
2	163.79	103.79	518,950	5x	2,594,750
3	130	70	350,000	10x	3,500,000
4	103.181	43.181	215,905	20x	4,318,100
5	81.895	21.895	109,475	50x	5,473,750
6	65	5	25,000	100x	2,500,000
7	51.591	Time over	0	200x	0
8	40.947	Time over	0	500x	0

Notice how difficulty 5 actually gives the greatest actual score in this case? You'll run out of time with difficulty settings 7 and 8 so no score is given. Despite having almost no time left over on difficulty 6, you still get 2 1/2 times the points, thanks to the massive 100x multiplier.

3.4 Deaths

There are 5 ways for the character to die in Platform Masters.

Run out of time - when the clock strikes 0, a life is lost. If this happens frequently, reduce the difficulty setting. It is still possible to complete a level with 0 time left - you just don't get any time bonus.
Lose all HP - when HP drops to 0, a life is lost. Spikes, enemies (unless bopped), enemy projectiles, fires, lava, and other such objects do HP damage. Be on the lookout for hearts to restore missing HP.
Drown - starting in world 5 where water is present, staying underwater too long without surfacing will cause a death, from drowning. Be sure to surface whenever you can, or, if possible, take the upper route that doesn't go in the water.
Falling into a bottomless pit - starting in world 6 where no solid ground is below, when falling below the point of no return, a life is lost. Make use of the background scenery's hints to indicate the proximity to this low point. Staying to upper paths can help avoid the pit, along with looking down frequently.
Get crushed - when moving platforms force the character into another platform or object and in too narrow of a space, the character will get crushed and lose a life. Be careful around dynamic platforms in enclosed areas.

Any time a death occurs in any type of level except boss levels, you will be returned to where the start platform is and the level must be replayed from the beginning. Coins collected from treasure chests are lost and must be obtained again. Fortunately, the 10 required levels are generally quite short so there isn't much progress lost. Once a level is completed however, all progress with it is saved.

When a death occurs in a boss level, the boss level does not restart from the beginning, rather, a 5-second time penalty is applied. The exception to this rule is if you've run out of time or a death will cause the time to run out - the boss level must be replayed from the beginning in that case.

3.5 Enemies

Scattered throughout the levels are an assortment of enemies. Enemies come in all sorts of types but they're defeated in 2 ways. The amount of HP taken away is based on the "power" stat. A "power" stat of 5 means that 5 HP will be taken away from the enemy. When the enemy's HP drops to or below 0, the enemy is defeated and you will earn points on the "enemy bonus" field. Jumping on top of an enemy or casting an energy beam at it will deplete the enemy's HP. Here's a few examples of enemies and what they do:

Snake - these slide back and forth on a given platform at a fixed speed.
Spider - these move back and forth on a given platform, but, upon landing on the platform, will suddenly dart toward the character at double the speed.
Cannon - these do not move, but they fire cannon balls that move at a continuous speed at an upwards diagonal. The cannon balls are dangerous to touch.
Clown - these walk to the edge of their platform and when close enough, they start kicking beach balls.
Scorpion - these are stronger and faster versions of the spider.
Pirahna - these swim back and forth in any water (except in the arctic) and give chase when near them.
Biting flower - these innocent-looking flowers go on a rampage when the character gets too close. Otherwise, they lie in wait.

There are several other types of enemies present, each with strengths and weaknesses. Some enemies sacrifice power for swiftness making it more difficult to dodge these, like the spider versus the snake. A few use projectiles or strike from a distance but have very limited movement, such as the cannon, clown, and biting flower. Others prefer intelligence and power but are extremely vulnerable and take very few hits to defeat, such as the pirahna.

3.6 Game over

When all lives are lost (1 life remains and it gets lost), game over occurs. All of the points obtained will be lost, but there are an infinite number of continues. Abilities and stats are not affected. Grabbing extra lives and scoring big will help.

4 Game objects

There are dozens of objects in Platform Masters, some useful, some not, and a few that are a mix. Here's a detailed list for the game's objects.

Slopes. Starting in world 3, sloped platforms and hilly terrain are present. Slopes limit and improve movement, depending on the direction of travel and intended use. Running uphill slows movement and improves braking, but increases the jumping height in exchange for horizontal speed. Running downhill accelerates movement, allows the character to run faster than otherwise possible on level ground, but jumping height is reduced in exchange for a boost in horizontal speed and braking is less effective. Use slopes wisely to find shortcuts you might not have thought possible or, perhaps, reach phenomenal heights or speeds if used wisely.

The terrain in Platform Masters spans 64 kiloblocks or just over 58 1/4 miles (58.2542 miles, 93.7511 km to be more precise). The typical level is actually spaced nearly 3 miles apart (longer for the jumbo and supersize levels), a huge distance. The reason is covered in the game's story.
Extra lives. Often found in out of the way areas, these very useful items grant an extra life. Extra lives are basically extra chances to complete a level. The number before "up" is how many extra lives will be obtained by collecting the item. The 5up is one of the games rarest items.
Valuables. Jewels and gold bullions are scattered around every level. The more valuable the item, the rarer they are and the more effort it'll take to reach them. Valuables are for scoring.
Treasure chests and coins. Treasure chests are similar to valuables, except, once obtained and the level is cleared successfully without dying right afterwards, they do not replenish. By bopping (jumping on top of) a treasure chest to open it, a coin will appear. Coins are extremely valuable items and they score far more than even the gold bullion. Some coins are worth even 25 million points at difficulty 0. Throw in the 500x multiplier with difficulty 8 and that's one huge score of several billion! You'll have to search high and low and fully explore each level to find them, even in very dangerous areas that you may have to wait for. There are 400 total treasure chests to find so that'll keep you busy for a while.
Hearts. Hearts restore HP. There are 6 varieties of hearts and they restore either 10 (blue), 20 (green), 50 (yellow), 100 (red), or 200 (white) HP. The other type, pink, fully restores all HP. When HP is getting low, keep an eye out for hearts.
Springs. Springs are like a super jump without improving jumping ability. They come in 5 varieties - blue gives a 50 mph jump, green is 75, yellow is 100, red is 125, and white is 150. White springs are one of the game's rarest items.
Tools. There are 3 types of tools present. Two of which are classified. Signs are used in tutorial levels to explain stuff.
Fluids. There are 3 types of fluids present.
- Water. Water is an obvious fluid. There are 2 variations for water. The first is the wavy form for water-dedicated worlds like Lake Keveran or especially Barugan Reef. The second is water pools enclosed by platforms. Water slows movement but does increase jumping height and makes springs more effective. Do beware that, by staying underwater too long, running out of air, a death occurs from drowning. Be sure to surface frequently. Water in Nodera Ice Shelf can take HP away due to it being so cold so avoid it. Pools of water in the icy-themed environments are solid ice, very slippery ice.
- Mud. Although mud is harmless, it's troublesome upon falling in. Movement and jumping are severely limited and the deeper the mud is, the more severe movement and jumping are limited. Avoid mud as much as possible. Sometimes, however, items can be found in it.
- Lava. Exclusive to Mount Sentusia is lava. Lava functions exactly the same as mud with one key difference. By touching lava, HP drops at a blazing fast rate and the deeper the lava, the faster the HP depletion, maxing out at 120 HP lost each second. Avoid lava at all costs.

Hazards. There are several hazards around. By touching them, HP will deplete. Thus, avoid them at all costs. As difficulty increases, hazards cause an even greater amount of HP loss. For example, spikes take 19 HP away at difficulty 6, 5 at difficulty 0, and a massive 30 at difficulty 8.

Cactus - exclusive to Keveran Desert is the cactus. There are 2 varieties of cacti - a tall one with branches (much like a saguaro) and a short one resembling a barrel (a barrel cactus). Both of which are dangerous, but they're only found on the ground.
Spikes - spikes are common and can be found on the sides or even bottoms of platforms. They are extremely dangerous and they take away a lot of HP.
Fire - fires are not all that common. They sap HP away fairly slowly, but at least fires do have a good use in Carnivalesta - they light up the dark areas far above the carnival grounds.
TNT barrel - they explode when bopped or hit by the energy beam and they can cause a huge loss in HP. The closer to the explosion the character is, the greater the HP loss. Stay clear of these. At least they do take out enemies as well so perhaps there is a way to use them?

5 Loading levels

Levels are tiny files and thus, they load in an instant too short for the human brain to register. Even if loaded from a 1x CD-ROM drive (150 KB/s), levels still load in a tiny fraction of a second (ignoring seek and spin up times), barely registerable by the human brain. The largest of the supersize levels only needs about 15 KB, loadable on that CD-ROM drive in 100 milliseconds. Today's hard drives hover around 100 MB/s, some approaching 200 MB/s making the loading times for levels have to be measured in microseconds (again, ignoring seek time).

Navigation menu
Basics & game play		History of development								Buy & download
About	Parallax	1-10	11-20	21-30	31-40	41-50	51-60	61-70	71-80	License
Levels	Worlds	81-90	91-100	101-110	111-120	121-130	131-140	141-150	151-160	Requirements
Platforms	Overworld	161-170	171-180	181-190	191-200	201-210	211-220	221-230	231-240	FAQ
Controls	Story	241-250	251-260	261-270	271-280	281-290	291-300	301-310	311-320	Purchase
Stats	Audio	321-330	331-340	341-350	351-360	361-370	371-380	381-390	391-400	Download
Glossary		401-410	411-420	421-430						Known issues
										Forum

Footnotes:
None.