LDtk vs SonLVL

LDtk is a free, open-source 2D level editor for game developers, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It supports Grid-vania, linear, and free-world layouts, with levels rearranged by drag and drop. Its visual auto-layering editor lets users define rules for tile skinning, while custom entities can hold typed properties such as hit points, patrol paths, or inventories. LDtk exports PNGs and JSON entity data, with optional Tiled TMX export. It can load Aseprite files directly and reload them when saved. The editor focuses on platformer and top-down perspectives, rather than isometric 3D. Backups can restore unsaved changes after an application crash. The maker lists community importers and loaders for engines including Unity, MonoGame, Godot, Playdate, GameMaker Studio, Löve 2D, and Bevy. LDtk has no usage limitations stated, and content created with it may be used commercially. Documentation and an official Discord community are linked from its site.

SonLVL is a level-project editor in a public Sonic Retro repository of tools and disassemblies. Its interface has Objects, Foreground, Background and Art tabs, with controls to open, save, undo and redo project changes. Object editing includes selecting, moving, creating, deleting, copying and pasting objects and ring groups. Users can draw level layouts with chunks, select areas and toggle the Sonic 1 loop flag. Chunk and block tools cover rearranging, swapping and flipping, along with solidity, priority, palette and tile-index changes. Collision views can be disabled or set to show paths and angle values, and a Sonic CD control can display objects from all time zones. The INI Files directory includes configurations for Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3K, Sonic CD PC and Sonic & Knuckles Collection. The repository is written primarily in C# and lists Linux, macOS and Windows. Snapshot-2026.14 is identified as temporary until an automated build system is in place. It includes a 703 KB SonLVL ZIP and source archives; an unhandled exception creates SonLVL.log.