I guess there are some improvements in the sequel...?
I'd say, though, they're not enough.
Firstly, I'll just ask: What is the meaning behind these "Spike Hell" mods?
Yes, sure, difficulty; it's supposedly made to make people suffer, yada yada yada... Well,
crud. It's doing exactly what it says. Is that what you want to see? Personally, if I wanted to play a rage-inducing super-difficult platformer game, I'd go to the I Wanna Be the Guy fanbase and play some "I Wanna Be the Boshi". Or, heck, "I Wanna Kill the Kamilia 2". These games, fully intended to be (almost) unbeatable, are directed to the
community that is ready to play them.
Cave Story? No, no, definitely not. Didn't Project Insanity and True Hell gain infamy because of their outrageous difficulty? And no, you can't say that you included more savepoints than before, it doesn't change the fact that it's all about avoiding spikes. Granted, I can see where it has improved. The death duration is shortened. More savepoints. No enemies. Not as punishing level design as the previous mods. Yet I am
still avoiding instadeath at almost every corner. That's all I'm doing. Here are some highlights:
1) This, to start from;
2) The RNG of Hell B2 becoming even worse; by far this is potentially the most outrageous section, and it has been made much, much worse.
3) This section, where I had no idea how to continue and had to abuse the spike's hitbox;
And the rest was only a little bit easier and more predictable.
A mod can be hard and enjoyable at the same time. It's a good point to consider. In my opinion, SeasonsOfDestiny's "I Wanna Be the Story" mod does exactly that: it's made to be difficult, but it also mixes in fun elements, fun mechanics, good aesthetics, completely original and well-structured level design, enemies as an element (not a chaotic factor, mind you), bosses and level structures specifically designed for them, no random elements, and some things that remind you of IWBTG, but don't actually obstruct you as much.
I get it, level design is hard. In fact, it's the vital point of a mod, and everything should always be carefully planned while designing a level. But you can't sell bad level design by saying it's "intentionally hard", or "made to make people suffer". If this is exactly what you're trying to pursue here, then sure, more power to you.