I saw a thread on Reddit regarding this mode, so I wanna see if people share similar sentiments or not. Original link to the thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ANTONBLAST/comments/1hbd80w/feelings_on_combo_chain/

Anywho, what are your thoughts on the Combo Chain mode? Is it well-thought out or a mess? (Keep in mind the mode was apparently a late addition too, so judge it based on that as well.)

I'm... personally mixed on the mode. Concept-wise, it's a great expansion on the whole "destruction" aspect of the entire game. And on some levels, it's... fine. Levels like Bomb Candy Mines and Concrete Jungle feel alright to play on and manage.

But other levels weren't built with the concept in mind. Cinnamon Springs is a prime offender here, though really, any long level can count. Cinnamon Springs, as a whole, is based around timing-based platforming, what with the in-and-out platforms and the dragon statues shooting projectiles at you. Mess up just once, and there goes your chance at beating the level, since you won't have enough time to grab enough pick-ups to keep your combo timer in check. Doesn't help that a majority of the problems in the level show up in the last third of the stage, where you also might be hurting for health. And not to mention sometimes the dragons shoot off-screen, resulting in attacks you can't see coming.

Keep in mind as well, I'm not trying to do CRACKED or anything, I'm just trying to get past the mode normally. I get it's trying to make you learn the levels in and out, but other levels don't punish you as harshly for minor mistakes. Not just Cinnamon Springs, either. Crimson Factory is another contender, with its length and punishing last section (Mecha Satan definitely needs to be tweaked.) I haven't even attempted Glasshouse or Deviled Gardens (though it's mainly the Moonits dialogue taking forever to go through that's putting me off.)

Keep in mind, I'm fine with hard difficulty, Hell Manor took a long time for me to complete, but I find it fine to go through! It's a level that bases its difficulty on your skill level, rather than mechanics sometimes playing against you. Meanwhile, some of the problems on this mode feel more intrinsic than anything, and can screw you over without much fault of your own. The two main problems I have are as follows:

1. The damage animation when you're damaged from the combo timer. It interrupts any momentum you have. Picture you're in a level that has a big jump with hazard below, and the combo timer goes off in the middle of the jump. You lose momentum, and end up falling into the hazard. Anton/Annie's hurt momentum is slow, so you can't get out of the hazard. You then proceed to lose all your health and have to restart, due to the combo timer screwing you. Simple fix here: just make it so the damage is registered, but it doesn't disrupt your movement.

2. The health limitation. It seems arbitrary, and feels like it was put in to make the mode difficult without thought on WHAT it'd do as a whole. It synergizes with the first problem to make levels far more difficult than they need to be, especially, again, the longer levels where mistakes are far more costly. Finding solutions for this while still keeping a sense of difficulty is far more difficult, so I've come up with two.
-Remove the restriction on permanent heart containers, allowing you to bring them into the stage.
-Keep the restriction, but allow health crates to spawn. Maybe at a lesser rate than the other two modes.

This should make going through long levels far more tolerable instead of feeling like an endurance test, and should make the mode feel a tad more cohesive.

I'm not a hyper-casual player, keep in mind. I'm at 99%, with all collectibles, a third of the par times, two thirds of the Combo Chain levels done, as well as having completed Skeletons in the Closet and unlocked Paul. I don't consider myself a pro at the game, but I've at least got some experience.

Anyways... any other thoughts on the mode?