 Let It Slide: A Beginner's Guide
by super_wario9
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Let It Slide may sound confusing at first, but it's actually a pretty good platform-based game. I'll be showing you the basics of getting a good score. The levels do have features that I'll explain over. Especially those dreaded Gabars. There are also power ups you must be on the lookout for getting since they make up your score.
The Goal
You will be completing 3 levels as a petpet named Snuffly. You must complete each stage with at least 1 life left in order to advance. Completing levels faster give you a time bonus while collecting gems will make up the majority of your score. So the very minimum score for completing the game would be 150 points, but nobody wants that score. ;) Controls
Like with most platforming games, you move Snuffly with the directional arrows, left or right. The up arrow makes your player jump and there's also 2 other features with it that we'll go over later. The spacebar also allows you to jump and use those features. Power ups
As you practice playing your game you notice some good power ups that you must grab. The green gem comes in different variations of green and they give 10 points each if you finish the current level or not. There are 80 gems scattered in each level. The hearts will give you 1 extra life and there are 3 of them hidden in each level. Some of those are visible by the average player, while others are in secret areas. Each life will give 50 points if you finish the level. You are allowed 6 lives maximum as you start each level with 3. The lives don't carry over to the next level, if you finish level 1 with 5, you'll begin level 2 with 3. Last but not least, is the helicopter hat. Starting at level 2, if you manage to get one, holding on to the up arrow will allow Snuffly to fall down slowly after jumping. Fun fact, if you hit an enemy you'll only lose the hat, so it's pretty much a shield for one hit. Technically this isn't a power up, but if you complete a stage within 200 seconds you get a bonus of 1 point per second remaining. Those precious seconds can help get closer to a decent score. Obstacles
There are a couple of obstacles in-game that will cost a life just for touching them and maybe another just for staying in it. The only other petpet that appears in the game is the Gabars and there are variations of them. The green ones can either walk around, jump in one position, throw snowballs, or jump while throwing snowballs. The red ones wear helicopter hats and fly in a pattern. Some of them can throw snowballs. The last two types of Gabar appear in level 3. The yellow one can walk, throw snowballs, and jump. Note that hitting one of these enemies will also make them disappear so they can't bother you anymore. The last Gabar is a boss, but you are unable to fight him. To get past him, you can walk under it when he jumps, or with the helicopter hat you can jump and hold on to the up key and hover past him. The next type are those that'll stay in their position indefinitely. Starting level 2, you see some ice cold water that'll cost lives if you fall into a pool so get out immediately by jumping to any nearby platforms/ice cubes. Next are the stalactites, they are bunch of spikes that can be avoided by jumping quickly over them. You would go to the left for speed, then charge and jump. The last obstacle is the falling ice shards, to avoid them you must keep going right. Platforms
The first kind are the wooden objects that float and move in a certain pattern, like up/down or left/right. Strategic use of them can lead to more gems and maybe hearts. The second kind are ice platforms that'll melt in a couple seconds after stepping on them. If you continue to jump on the same one, you could be jumping higher. If it melts completely, it'll respawn in a couple seconds. Some of these icy platforms make look like there's just one, but stepping on one can cause another to show up in a pattern. They're found in areas with large pools of water.
Swinging Platforms are platforms that swing left/right and can be tricky to maneuver because they can be fast so timing is very crucial, but you won't see these until level 3.
The next ones are ice cubes, however they could tilt, but they don't melt. They're found floating on the water. Also starting at level 2, you'll see wooden wheels and you'll control it using the left/right keys to travel a little bit faster. Some of them are used to reach certain heights or to avoid Gabars. Another note to make is you'll see a platform with a stream of blue coming out of it, if you use the up arrow key in the stream of blue, you can reach the higher platforms and gems. They are found in level 2. These icy platforms, called ice coats, are what makes your Snuffly slide and are found in all levels. They do help in getting past those stalactites. Level 3 is the only level in which ice coats surround the entire ground in place of normal ground. The normal platforms are pretty much, normal. They don't make you slide or anything. You won't see them in level 3. Scoring
When you finish a level you get points based on this formula (Number of Gems x 10 + Number of hearts x 50 + Time Bonus Remaining). So for example 60 gems, with 5 lives, and 18 seconds left on the time bonus would mean 868 points for that level. Conclusion
I had fun writing this guide for all the beginners of this game and let's hope you can get a good score maybe worthy enough of a trophy. Nice music and awesome graphics makes it an all-around good game. If only there were more stages and a separate soundtrack for each level though. :)
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