TELEKINETIC AQUARIUM

Design 38/50
Creativity 22/30
Aesthetics 13/20
Use of Gimmick 12/20
	AQUARIUM [3]
	ELECTRIC [4]
	CHEEP-CHEEP or BLURP [4]
	MANSION [1]

Total 85/120

Summary:
A neat level, nice simple mechanic introduced carefully and expanded upon in some interesting ways. The intro got a bit tedious after dying a few times, and the background was slightly hard on the eyes. I'd have liked to see some expansion of the idea beyond just combining things too.

NOTES:
-Vibrating text makes it hard to read - less extreme effect
-high camera feels odd at the start
-Blurp at the start suggests enemies you may encounter later, and its motion suggests how you might avoid it - maybe a bit tooo soon after spawning
-Aesthetic not too busy, but not uninteresting in first section
-Backdrop in second section has high contrast - hard on the eyes
-Telekinetic fish is neat idea - good use of introduction followed by expansion
-Jelectro are a fairly standard, but provide an interesting obstacle
-Reasonable handle on 4 step design - solid principles
-swimming section at the start can be a bit tedious since swimming down is so slow especially since powerup is out of the way - account for dying
-Powerup distriution is mostly good
-Spawn sync issues after midpoint - redoing the section with falling bubbles can wildly vary in difficulty depending on when the npcs spawn - keep that in mind
-bubbles are awkward due to smbx npc physics not being particularly intuitive (no momentum)
-final challenge before end is a nice wind-down addition


THE SOLAREAN HIGHLAND

Design 25/50
Creativity 28/30
Aesthetics 19/20
Use of Gimmick 14/20
	SNOWFIELD [5]
	DEPRESSED [5]
	SHY GUY [0]
	SILENT [4]


Total 86/120

Summary:
More an experience than a level, but started off excellently. Really fantastic tone. Let down a bit by some issues with conveyance (hitting those switches in the dungeon several times wasn't too obvious), and a really abrupt ending, but I had fun.

NOTES:
-Immediately liking the aesthetic - good use of colour and sound
-Theming is very nice - good use of the environment and mechanics to set the tone
-switch mechanic is a VERY neat idea, and well introduced
-conveyance issues - locked doors are generally ignored unless the player has a key, keep that in mind
-conveyance - switches in the dungeon clearly do SOMETHING, but very unclear what - the gradual increasing darkness isn't immediately obvious
-extremely abrupt ending


ICE BRIDGE

Design 16/50
Creativity 9/30
Aesthetics 10/20
Use of Gimmick 4/20
	CLOUDSCAPE [0]
	COLD [2]
	SPIKE TOP [1]
	CRAB [1]

Total 39/120

Summary:
Nothing particularly special. Didn't seem to have any ideas other than "ice physics", and didn't utilise that in interesting ways. Design seemed more or less random, and I don't know what was up with those spike tops at the end.

NOTES:
-ICE PHYSIIIIICS
-First powerup is awkward thanks to the ice physics
-Nothing particularly special to start off with
-kind of all over the place - no real themes other than "ice", and lots of seemingly random enemy and platform placement
-random spinning enemies introduced fairly late in the level... and don't really do anything, so they can't exactly be seen as a theme or gimmick, more a non-sequitur


BRING IN THE BULLETS

Design 6/50
Creativity 12/30
Aesthetics 7/20
Use of Gimmick 6/20
	MOUNTAIN RANGE [0]
	EXPLOSIVE [1]
	BULLET BILL or BANZAI BILL [4]
	JAZZY [1]

Total 31/120

Summary:
What were you thinking? Visually cluttered, mechanics are not taught well, puzzles are very broken and can be skipped or put into an unwinnable state, far too cramped. Remember about creator bias, and that finnicky makes frustration, not difficulty.

NOTES:
-Aesthetics are immediately confusing to look at - lots of clutter on the screen
-the first bullet jump is asking a LOT for a mechanic that hasn't been introduced yet (bullet jump one block from the cannon? youch)
-design is very messy and awkward - difficult to keep track of
-the sign telling you about the bullet jumps is unnecessary (since you've already had to use it and then had it demonstrated to you) and comes across condescening
-the idea is creative and used in some interesting ways, but let down by the lack of structure
-creative ideas let down by their implementation - buggy physics, inconsistencies, and visual clutter due to non-consideration of negative space
-uncollectable red coins are not a good way to indicate things to the player - they just add visual clutter
-very difficult to parse information given to the player
-puzzle levels need to make sure the player can read and understand the information given - the puzzle should be about piecing information together in the right way, not about understanding what that information is in the first place
-level is also very cramped - ths causes problems when the gimmick is about explosions
-also important to make sure the player has feedback - if they try an incorrect solution, make sure they know the solution is incorrect and that they don't think they just executed it wrong
-FINNICKY IS NOT THE SAME AS HARD
-level is extremely infuriating, difficulty curve is mostly due to very finicky jumps, but is also all over the place
-keep in mind iteration time
-big mario discrimination... immediately after a powerup mushroom. why.
-this level is bad and you should feel bad
-creator bias is a real thing and you should ALWAYS take it into account
-there is simply not enough space to deal with explosions like this sensibly
-bullet jumps immediately out of a canon should not be necessary - they extraordinarily unfair
-it is possible to break the level to be unwinnable
-the last challenge is ludicrous


THE OL' SWITCHEROO

Design 21/50
Creativity 25/30
Aesthetics 16/20
Use of Gimmick 14/20
	CASTLE [3]
	STORMY [4]
	GOOMBA or GIANT GOOMBA [4]
	MANIACAL [3]

Total 76/120

Summary:
After an hour, I could not beat this level legit. 3 things would make it bearable: instant respawn, checkpoints, and safe spots. If you're going to emulate Super Meat Boy, think about how your physics are different, and the changes made to gameplay. This was punishing and frustrating, not hard.

NOTES:
-Aesthetic is immediately compelling
-wall jump is taught well and feels tight
-tutorial region is nice that it's optional - would prefer the designer be more confident in teaching through play
-would be better to give the player a bit more time to get used to the switch mechanic before throwing in very hard challenges - design around teaching!
-too much thrown in at once - give the player time to aclimatise
-keep in mind iteration times! games like IWBTG and super meat boy use very frequent save points which lets them get away with challenges like this
-super meat boy also had instant respawn - that helps
-there is a difference between teaching the player the mechanics and teaching the player ABOUT the mechanics - this does little of the former
-also keep in mind that while the player is acting, it is difficult for them to observe. Presenting them new challenges without safe spaces makes the game frustrating, not harder - even Wings of Vi had plenty of safe spots to give the player time to observe
-points lost not for making a hard level, but for not considering how that should change the design
-the death animation kills this level
-throwing as many challenges as you can think of at the player all at once does not make for a good experience
-design around momentum gameplay - don't just recreate the style of games with different physics


ROCKY ROCKY RUN

Design 43/50
Creativity 16/30
Aesthetics 17/20
Use of Gimmick 10/20
	CANYON [2]
	TUBULAR [1]
	KOOPA TROOPA or PARA-KOOPA or GIANT KOOPA [4]
	UNDERGROUND [3]

Total 86/120

Summary:
A really fun romp. Nothing special or unique going on, but what was there was tight and focussed, and made for a really fun little level. Excellent job.

NOTES:
-Very concise, not overstepping boundaries, very focussed
-No complex gimmicks, but the mechanics that were used were kept focussed and introduced with increasing complexity
-Very fun romp
-Couple of minor things with enemy placement (like one homing guy showing up near the start and not anywhere else in the level)
-Nothing really bad to say about it, no real problems, it just could have done more to stand out