I scared you, didn't I?
One way to start making the game tougher is to add traps. Tricky traps. And continuing to add more traps will keep the players on their toes.
So, here goes! Traps!
Smash Swings
Smash Swings are large pendulums, mounted on Clockworks paths by small mechanisms. They swing back and forth perpendicular to the path, covering two or three rows of blocks, and swinging by every three to five seconds. Knights hit by the Smash Swings will be slammed for heavy Normal damage and Stun.
Wait a minute! Why would Gremlins put THESE in the Clockworks? Think of IMF- they have live ammunition firing nearly constantly in their own weapons factory. Besides, the pendulums could double as emergency power generators or something.
Alert Towers
An Alert Tower has one to four spotlights slowly patrolling the tower in a circle, usually near a generous amount of spikes or other trap floors. If a Knight steps into one, the Alert Tower turns on an alarm, and all trap floors in the level stay on constantly for the ten seconds the alarm lasts. Usually, this will have trap floors near the entrances to the Alert Tower's area. Also, turret spawners near the tower will activate while the alarm is active; usually the turrets will be protected by trap floors as well. Avoid the spotlights at all costs.
Wind Tunnels
Stepping into a Wind Tunnel is dangerous. You'll automatically be blown down the tunnel; running against the wind will only slow down this forced movement. You have to move perpendicular to the wind and shield to avoid various traps, such as Shankles, Wisps, trap floors, and if the game is feeling like a jerk, Alert Towers.
At the end of the Wind Tunnel, there's a switch that deactivates the Wind effect, in case you need to get back.
Magma Flows
A Magma Flow appears only in Fire stages. These are rivers of magma coming out of either pipes (in Clockworks-style areas) or holes in the wall (elsewhere) with rocks going across them. It's much like a deadly game of Frogger; cross the rocks to avoid heavy damage.
Ice Walls
An Ice Wall appears only in Freeze stages. These massive blockades can only be destroyed with Fire Pots, but normally have ice-themed turrets mounted on them. You can't even approach them safely; they're covered in ice spikes! And the most dangerous part? Ice Walls have little spotlights, like Alert Towers; if they detect a Knight coming in, they'll lock the area before and after them with Ice grates, leaving you alone with the turrets. You may cry now.
Combat Coils
A Combat Coil appears only in Shock stages. These enormous Tesla Coils strike the high areas of the ground, frying Knights that get too close. To avoid them, you need to toss Weighted Statues toward them. Doing that might be difficult; while the statues respawn in groups of however many you need, they'll usually come with respawning guards!
Toxic Fields
A Toxic Field appears only in Poison stages. To pass the noxious gasses here, one has to get a Bubble Helmet, which fits on over your own helmet and respawns at a handy spot. As you pass through the Toxic Field, your breath meter is shown below your vials. If it reaches 0, you start taking constant damage and are immediately poisoned until you die or find fresh air. Don't stick around too long!
Sinister Steam Vent
Just a mist vent that appears in areas like Graveyards. The crimson mist emanating from it will Curse knights that cross it and cause Shadow damage.
Compliments? Complaints?
Change the title to be about traps. I like traps. Not the kind that involve what appears to be female but is proven otherwise later that night.
The pendulums could be part of some kind of ancient-in-a-Mayan-temple-place like all the Draugr dungeons in Skyrim, some of which include small and narrow hallways which have pendulums with blades swinging by. Always a jolly good time. Crouch roll crouch roll. It would be weird if enemies were damaged by it but if it stuns them that would be fine since you would have to lure/push them into it first.
Spotlights are gudd. There would have to be a pretty big area they watch over and a recognizable pattern to keep it fair but to maximize the effects of what it does there should also be cover points where something is hanging overhead that blocks the light in some areas (there would still be spikes/potential turret spawn pads that can hurt you while under these covers) so if someone in your party gets caught you still have to move. Anyone else remember the first time in Wind Waker you see Ganon, where you lose your sword and have to sneak around the island? That was amazing. Except in our case the spotlight towers would be indestructible and the turrets/whatever enemies appear (Mecha guards that only activate when the spotlight sees you, etc.) are the only things weapons would be useful for. I can go on for a few paragraphs longer on this but I am going to save that for later when the discussion here starts kicking up.
I remember seeing this in a couple older threads and obviously in a few Legend of Zelda games. We need more of those games in this one. You have to go down a specific path, but there are huge air currents that would blow you away if you try to walk through it head on. Having movement speed bonuses helps get through it quicker, resists the wind better than without, and can even give you more time while directly facing the gust to get to cover before it blasts you back to the start of the hall. Along these windy trails there are the occasional blocks (destructible and otherwise) which can be used to take shelter behind while the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful. Who said that?
Not that I have ever done anything like this nor anyone else in the past, but lava is another common feature in games which allows many puzzles and thought provoking shenanigans which the normal knight would be too impatient and frustrated to bother with and instead wade through the lava and die in a few seconds. I would say stuff about three dimensional areas with bridges and a few too many puzzles for a lava area but that is a lecture for another day.
Spotlights could also be attracted to attacks that hit things in general. Mecha guards being hit with sword swings? Better take a look while turning very slowly. Oh, look, a knight is still standing there slashing away. Better activate all the trap pads around them. Now they are dead. Spy is dead, sooprise big not. But wait, somewhere else something is exploding. Better turn slowly again to see. I see a bomb with its fuse almost at detonation but no knight. Well solids. Better get back to the routine search pattern before the boss finds out and I get demoted again. Wh- No, this is about the doors that are frozen. Something threw one of those pretty pots that makes funny faces, better look at that while again turning very slowly. It looks like the spikes of ice melted but there are no knights, may as well send some guards so I can go back to my normal search pattern again herp derp.
I would go as far as to make another object for this trap, some sort of lightning rod or conductive battery. Plop that metal stick next to something vomiting electricity and you got an electrically charged stick. Bring that to a machine which needs to be powered and it scientifically powers it because science and it does something. Opens a door. Moves around stuff like switches would. Powers the strobe lights. Microwaves some snipe nuggets.
This sounds earily similar to some of the all-too-many water threads except the thing that helps you stay alive while submerged is part of the map like respawning pots instead of equipment you would have to build and/or buy.
Curse pads are silly.