The Ender Pearl Puzzles Minecraft Puzzle Map Download
This map had me at 'sorry the accommodation’s terrible, but I hate you.' I don't usually play puzzle maps on account of the fact that my problem solving skills rank slightly below those of your average lab rat, but with all the latent hostility in this map, I just had to give it a go. My impressions therefore, come from the perspective of someone ill prepared and ill suited for the puzzle genre of Minecraft maps and should be taken with that in mind.
I have to give massive kudos to the map maker for including a series of 'tutorial' levels at the beginning of the game. They don't exactly spell things out completely for the beginner, but they do give you a nudge in the right direction. For those who have no idea what to do with a block of gravel and a pressure plate, allow me to enlighten you. Use 'Q' to throw the block onto the plate. This activates the plate and opens the doors.
The second kudos I must give is for the 'checkpoint' system, a series of beds that you can sleep in to reset your spawn when you complete a series of puzzles. This should be in every semi-long minecraft map. Unfortunately you can only sleep at night, so that means waiting around if you really want to 'save' your progress. It would be rather nice if that restriction was lifted.
The map also (and when I say also, I mean largely) makes use of the 'teleporting' feature of Ender Pearls. In case you're not aware, if you throw an Ender Pearl at something, you then teleport after it. This makes it possible to cover great distances, even vertical distances, in the blink of an eye. We are all become Endermen! Unfortunately there's a greater than slim chance that you'll accidentally teleport yourself inside a wall at one point or another and end up suffocating. It's an annoying glitch, but not one the creator has any responsibility for.
Fans of puzzles are going to love this map, it is challenging, unique and well planned. What downfalls it does have are largely due to the underlying game rather than any mistake the creator might have made. I got hung up around puzzle five, but that is mostly because I am a bear of very little brain, and may have teleported into one too many walls for my own good.