dont softlock pls
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dont softlock pls
ID
108728788
Creator(s)
mrblackm2
Created
dont softlock pls (pronounced don't softlock, please) is a 2.2 Hard platformer level by mrblackm2, published on 6 August 2024. It requires the player to intentionally softlock in physics-based puzzles by reaching inescapable situations.
Description
[edit | edit source]In dont softlock pls, the objective of every room (sans the final room) is to annoy the narrator (referred to as 'text guy') by intentionally failing to solve a puzzle and getting softlocked. When successful, the music stops, and the narrator's frustrated response appears as confirmation, replacing any text visible at the start of the room. All rooms act as checkpoints.
- Room 1: At first glance, dont softlock pls appears to be a simple raspberry and indigo room level. However, when the player tries to exit the first room, invisible blocks will appear, blocking the exit; this applies to every room except the seventh. The only other feature of note within the room is a pit three blocks deep; if the player falls in it, they will be unable to escape. As the level name implies, this is the intended solution to the puzzle.
- Room 2: The second room transforms the player into a robot; they must make full jumps onto two rectangular platforms, avoid a pair of red sawblades, and use a dash orb towards a cube portal in the top-right corner. To softlock themselves, the player must drop to the ground after entering the cube portal; if successful, they will be unable to make their way back up, as the lower block is three blocks above the ground.
- Room 3: In the third room, three pairs of rectangular blocks move left and right in alternating patterns; between the three pairs is a rectangular tower with a spike in the centre. The right side of the platform is made of passable blocks; this is hinted at by a message that appears at the end reading 'TIP: GET PUSHED BY THE PLATFORMS INTO THE TOWER'. Using the moving blocks on the right side of the tower, the player must jump into the path of one; if successful, they will be pushed by the block and land inside the tower's hollow interior.
- Room 4: The fourth room is the only room in which the player exclusively controls a robot. This room requires two steps. First, the player must climb a series of ledges on the left side to reach a key on the ceiling. The key replaces a keyhole with a blue orb, seemingly allowing the player to reach the exit corridor above. To softlock themselves, the player must land on a lower ceiling to the left of the orb while their gravity is flipped, then jump to the section that contained the key; if successful, they will be unable to use the ledges to jump out of the pit, as the closest ledge is four blocks away.
- Room 5: In the fifth room, the player starts next to the left wall next to a light purple block. It is implied that the player must push the block to the right to jump off it and reach a ledge three blocks above the ground. To softlock themselves, the player must push the block against the left wall; if successful, they will be unable to push it in the other direction and thus cannot reach the ledge.
- Room 6: The sixth room contains two pillars; one each extending from the ceiling and floor. Between them is a semi-solid magenta block with a magenta pad on top, which is controlled by two arrow buttons (▲ and ▼) to the left of the first pillar. To softlock themselves, the player must use the buttons to lower the block by at least eight steps before jumping through it; if successful, they will be unable to scale the second pillar due to the pad's limited jump height. At this point, the irate narrator gives up on the player.
- Room 7: The seventh and final room does not have blocks obstructing the exit; instead, it is marked with text reading 'WIN ->'. However, there is a hidden, three-block-wide troll pit that the player can fall into, which serves as an actual softlock. They must jump over the hidden pit to reach the exit and complete the level.
Narration lines
This is a list of all of the narrator's lines, divided by whether they are said before or after a softlock. Pre-softlock text is visible in each room, while softlock reactions appear sentence by sentence. For the sake of convenience, apostrophes have been added where appropriate.
Room 1:
- Before softlock:
- HELLOOO
- WELCOME TO MY LVL
- :)
- DON'T FALL!
- After softlock:
- WHAAT.
- YOU HAD 1 JOB.
Room 2:
- Before softlock:
- ANYWAYS!
- NEXT LEVEL.
- After softlock:
- WHAAT
- WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS AGAIN
- OKAY LET'S JUST MOVE ON
Room 3:
- After softlock:
- HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN THERE??
- I'M STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE
Room 4:
- Before softlock:
- OKAY, THIS ONE'S EASY
- After softlock:
- YOU'RE DEFINITELY DOING IT ON PURPOSE
Room 5:
- Before softlock:
- COME ON I CAN'T MAKE IT EASIER THAN THIS
- After softlock:
- OH MY GOD DUDE
Room 6:
- Before softlock:
- PLEASE DON'T MESS THIS UP
- After softlock:
- OKAY I'M DONE YOU WIN
Room 7:
- After softlock:
- SIKE; AN ACTUAL SOFTLOCK
Gameplay
[edit | edit source]Trivia
[edit | edit source]- In rooms 5 and 6, the player may see the message 'TIP: YOU'RE ACTUALLY SOFTLOCKED NOW' if they 'complete' the room in what appears to be the intended way.
- Room 5 triggers the message if the block is pushed all the way to the right.
- Room 6 triggers the message if the player manages to reach the exit corridor; this can only occur by lowering the magenta pad exactly 5-7 times before jumping on it.