Levelhead Impresses as a Cross-Play Maker Game

CROSS-PLAY SURE IS AWESOME IN A MAKER GAME

Something that has always fascinated me is games that allowed one to explore what it’s like to step into the shoes of game designers. Most recently games like Super Mario Maker 2 have made creating a platformer incredibly simple and instantly rewarding. Then there’s Dreams on PS4, pushing the boundaries of putting full, approachable graphical suites into the hands of players. Now, we have Levelhead from small studio Butterscotch Shenanigans, a new indie platformer inspired by maker games like Mario Maker that brings a level of cross-connection that’s astounding. Levelhead is a maker game that has cross-platform play on Switch, Steam, Epic Store, Xbox One (including Game Pass), Google Play (including Google Play Pass), and iOS with over 12 languages supported. 

One of the things I always look for in creative games like this is the ability for multiple inputs and Levelhead has that in spades. I can map out some basic designs late at night on my iPhone and then later go in on Steam for some added precision. Then I can toss that level to Zach who’s playing on Switch for testing. It works wonderfully and there are a few items and options that allow for a ton of level design opportunities. For example, switches and gates can be coded with a number so hitting a ‘1’ switch will open ‘1’ doors, and using this you can map out some really different feeling levels. The game also tutorializes building to get players established and while this isn’t nearly as charming as the lessons in Super Mario Maker it gets the job done. Playing through the game’s story challenges though does bring some charm and it’s often downright hilarious. 

Players control a little delivery robot named GR-18 and the whole goal is to take a package to the goal. This involves running, jumping, grappling packages, throwing packages around, gaining power-ups, and more. It feels fluid and fast, reminding me a bit of Super Meat Boy. It’s kind of tough to play on a touch screen but I’ve seen kids decimate high-level PC players with an iPad so that’s probably just a me thing. Scenes before levels involve this training voice that puts me in the mind of the best parts of Ratchet and Clank’s humor. 

There’s also a unique approach to level curation and discovery but I haven’t been able to experiment with it too much. There’s a lot already on offer thanks to an early access phase which also means it can be overwhelming for new players, so I stuck mostly to the various story missions and messing around with creation. 

Overall, early impressions are good and I’m excited to see what creators do with Levelhead. It’s also cheap at $19.99 USD so that makes it a great alternative to Super Mario Maker 2 and can allow for buying across a few platforms to take advantage of the broad nature of the game. We shall see how this community fares through this year and maker games pretty much live and die on the content made by players but with enough interest and frequent updates or events, it could be something special. 

Learn more about Levelhead on the official website or the various store page listings. There’s also a Discord for those that want to connect with the community.

We were given three digital copies of Levelhead, one on Steam, Switch, and iOS for coverage and review.