The game "Ditto" is a fantastic example of tutorial levels that don't spoon feed the player. The level layouts are simple, not giving much of anything for the player to get confused with or mistaken for. The pacing is slow and steady, but not boring because the player is curious about the key element of the game. The shadow reflection of the character conjures up questions like "What is this?" "Can I touch it?" "What can it do?". It is a puzzle platformer, so the obstacles in the game are for the player to maneuver through the caves without injuring themselves or the shadow reflection. The tutorial kicks it up a notch in Tutorial Phase 3, exposing the player to obstacles that will cause them to respawn at the beginning of the space if they land on them. Later on past the tutorial phase the harmful objects become more complex, but it gives the player the taste of danger without ruining the surprise of what awaits them in further levels. Players get a pleasant feeling when they obtain green or black gems throughout the levels, whereas if the player falls too far, gets hurt, or the same fates happen to the shadow the player has to hear the character almost give a ghostly whimper of pain before watching them vanish. Then they are placed back at the start.
After breaking down the game into it's basic components I went into Adobe Illustrator and laid out the maps that made up the Tutorial phase in the game.
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