There's a surprising amount of thought required in making a platforming level. I was responsible for the first obstacles the player has to face.

I tried to start easy with simple platforms to jump on. In addition, introducing each of the mechanics in an isolated manner would hopefully give the player time to get used to them. They'll have to avoid squirrels, falling rocks, move boulders, and stop falling platforms.

Beyond that, I placed the hidden collectibles so that they required some exploration of the mechanics, but not too much since it's the start of the level. Since the goal is to reach the top of the level, I included gaps and areas where the player can get knocked down.

Lastly, it was difficult for me to make the level more open ended and to have some sense of exploration. I ended up revising the level multiple times to try and achieve this.