QUILLS JUDGES THINGS Design: 60/60 How well-designed is the level? Is it overall fun to play? How well does it execute its theme, gimmicks and level setups? Is the difficulty consistent or is it frustrating or boring? Does the level function properly or are there issues such as unintended slowdown? Creativity: 30/30 Does the level present any unique or interesting ideas using SMW’s resources? Does it have any original, nice setups? Is the theme/gimmick innovative? Aesthetics: 10/10 How does the level look aesthetically? Is it polished? Does it do anything interesting with the original game’s graphics? Does the music fit? Is the music a nuisance to gameplay? Are there any broken sound effects or samples? ================================================================================ #42 Fort Hoversaw ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 63/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: much turbulence The design teeters on the kaizo light side with the amount of precision leaps and precision spin jumping you have to pull off, but luckily, the level has mercifully short sections. I got a good feeling of accomplishment with each checkpoint, and I appreciate the creativity in figuring out how to bring your ride along. Unfortunately, I took a LOT of deaths, even if most were fair. It could have stood to be more lenient, either with less cramped spaces or a mushroom at the beginning. And as for the boss, it is unfortunately marred by the bullet generator, leading to many unfair deaths; it could have done without it. All in all, kaizo folks would enjoy this level, but I can see some despising it. ================================================================================ #64 Forest Blitz ------------------- DESIGN | 9/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 5/10 TOTAL | 29/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: i can't see the forest for the trees The trees are the biggest issue with this level. They hide essential elements (chucks, spinies, diagonal platforms) too well, and while I see the effort in distinguishing background trunks and foreground trunks, it's not enough contrast. Meanwhile, the difficulty curve meanders awkwardly in the first half, with two very difficult jumps near the beginning and very disorganized enemy placement. The second half then gets really easy as you can float over the majority of obstacles during the autoscroll. The ending bothers me. The final screen has this key sitting on a tree that you need to grab, and turns out that it's the ONLY tree with leaves you can actually stand on. I thought I had to do a fancy maneuver to get it over there at first since you pass through all of the other leaves in the level. ...yeah, this level is a bit of a mess. The vertical section near the end is ok, at least. ================================================================================ #54 ok boys let's get it (Caelum Coast) ------------------- DESIGN | 38/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: so pretty, so many secrets, and yet i end up perplexed I love the little hints given through the Yoshis and friendly koopas; they helped point out hidden paths and areas where you can spin jump to unlock powerups. The aesthetics are also wonderful. However, I find it unfortunate that most players will miss the level's nonlinearity since the the structure is seemingly straightforward. If your goal is to only get the exit, this is pretty much an average level with a few springboard and throw block puzzles. But if your goal is to get all dragon coins, then the level's creativity and design shines... until you realize it's impossible to get one of them. Yeah, one dragon coin seems to require a cape, and I can't find it anywhere. This is SUPER unfortunate, and the design took a hit from that. I can only hope I'm missing something. ================================================================================ #30 The Frozen Way ------------------- DESIGN | 45/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 72/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: why can't i defrost things?? D: I like how the aesthetic plays into the level design, even if it's very minor. The main gimmick encourages the player to pay close attention to what's frozen and what isn't frozen, and while you can get tricked, it's mostly not lethal and mildly amusing. I enjoyed how playing well lends to good rewards e.g. the moon and the hidden capes. While this level isn't particularly amazing, it pulls off an aesthetic-design element combo pretty well. ================================================================================ #20 The red ghost house ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 14/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 56/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: suddenly layer 3 smash This is a pretty typical level. I like how it uses layer 2+3, but it doesn't do anything amazing with them. Nothing else really stands out, but the design doesn't commit any atrocities. The dragon coin paths were simple yet enjoyable. However, some parts felt empty, like the midpoint area, and others had some waiting like the layer 2 elevator. It can be occasionally be a bit boring. So yeah, this ends up being an okay ghost house. ================================================================================ #106 Shrine of Souls ------------------- DESIGN | 49/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 82/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: gloomhaven What an adorable level. A lot of ideas seem inspired by VLDC9's Unsettling Bastion, but it feels more puzzle based and atmospheric. The puzzles are well crafted around boos and layer 2, and it's cool how finding souls changes the environment. In addition, there is a nice difficulty curve, and the dragon coin side areas are a nice touch. One thing though is that the puzzles seem a bit too straightforward and easy. They are pretty linear aside from the ones where you need to find the transforming boos. The action segments involving the pokeys and fires were also not that amazing, but they're not bad. At the end of the day, this is a nice sequel to Unsettling Bastion. ================================================================================ #96 Technical Loopholes ------------------- DESIGN | 51/60 CREATIVITY| 28/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 85/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: it's raining everything Nice use of the new vanilla vertical wrapping! There are so many clever setups with continuously falling enemies and platforms, and the level is well restrained in it's difficulty. It's very action packed and fun. However, as much as I love all the setups, the midpoint placement makes the level feel super lopsided. I can see you're trying to make the second half more of a long gauntlet of increasingly difficult obstacles, but it would have still benefited from being shorter. The easiest way to do this is to cut the time of the "waiting for a platform" areas. Yes, I know they are cool and set up such that they are not boring, but they still stick around for too long. Despite these shortcomings, I still had a great time with the level. Kudos! ================================================================================ #71 LIME GREEN LANE ------------------- DESIGN | 25/60 CREATIVITY| 7/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 38/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: it is actually very easy, being green A level that is too average and easy. I can't really say much other than it's super linear and you bop enemies while jumping over pipes and rocks. Not much changes throughout the level, and I wished it had more content, but hey at least it's green... maybe too green, though. ================================================================================ #104 AMBROSE ASYLUM ------------------- DESIGN | 38/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 60/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: i like my castles blue A very run of the mill level. The enemy placement is alright even if I got ambushed a few times, and I like how the second half gets a bit more challenging especially with the thwomp placements. The dragon coins were also placed pretty well. Not much else to say other than it ain't bad. The chucks gave me quite a surprise at the end too. ================================================================================ #56 MUSHROOM LANGS ------------------- DESIGN | 37/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 56/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: alright This was pretty alright. I like how it stuck to SMW's general design philosophy in its enemies and dragon coin placements, as well as having its aesthetic style. It's clean and well designed, but not something that will stick out well in a contest nor is amazingly fun to play. As always, alright ain't amazing ================================================================================ #110 PRIMARY PIPES ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 65/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: peeping pipes plus platforms This is quite nice. I like how the layer 2 pipes are introduced and used throughout the level, and how things got more complex with the swinging platforms. The dragon coin placements are good too. While the level establishes itself well with its gimmicks, it is still somewhat underwhelming, unfortunately. Things got a bit cramped at times, and there needs to be better indication for that running jump before the vertical section. The wendy boss seemed out of place as well, and didn't involve any of the previous gimmicks. Ah well, this is still a good effort overall. ================================================================================ #62 YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 (Otherworldly Monument) ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: a Pretty alright spooky level! I enjoyed the moving hole shenanigans and some of the platforming in the second half, and the boss was good since it provides a bit of exploration. My only issues are that it's kind of unfocused in the challenges it presents, and that there aren't that many new ideas presented. The boo rings also required some waiting. Nonetheless, this was pretty fun. ================================================================================ #103 GENERAL TROTYL ------------------- DESIGN | 50/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 3/10 TOTAL | 77/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: ugly heck but with fireworks Cannons are super underutilized in SMW and you managed to make a level out of them. Wow. Even if some of the button pressing you have to do is a bit precise, the resets are generous and it's easy to get a hang of the coin guides. There's also the challenge of beating this before time runs out. The only thing I would suggest is to tell the player to not press any directional movement until you see the arrows, since I can see some not understanding that. I also wished it was a bit more than just following coin guides. But yeah, great job with this, even if I really don't like the palette and graphic choices lol ================================================================================ #98 SWEET DREAMS ------------------- DESIGN | 20/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 54/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: deep Quite the peculiar level. This level is relying entirely on setting, atmosphere, and story for enjoyability rather than overcoming obstacles. The presentation is incredible and the tone is intriguing. It's difficult to rate a level like this since it isn't really a level in typical terms, but it's possible to rate these experiences through enjoyment or satisfaction. For me, there is some fulfillment in the story, but it feels underdeveloped with how short the level is. Furthermore, there really isn't much challenge to the level. Even a few puzzles or enemy setups here and there could really bring this level to life. The dragon coins did help a little though. While this level is definitely going to bring up gameplay vs experience discussions yet again, it does a great job presenting a story that could have had more content. ================================================================================ #59 LOOPY LABYRINTH ------------------- DESIGN | 30/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 51/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: nice background yo This was okay. It's pretty wide open and sort of empty, and it feels too easy as a result. Luckily, there are a few enemies and some springy platforming. It's also more fun to get the dragon coins than go straight for the exit. The second half is less than stellar. It's a simple fetch quest for two p-switches which felt like filler, especially since you loop around back to where you were. There are also even fewer enemies. Basically, this level is a bit mediocre in some areas, but it's mostly average. ================================================================================ #97 Have Sweet Dreams ------------------- DESIGN | 50/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 80/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: well this level title is familiar, now im actually having the sweet dreams A lovely level. I really enjoyed how the level structure meanders around vines. The enemies are well placed and the first half is pretty good, even if it's a bit rompy and typical. The second half is where the level shined though. The autoscroll with the three vines is very well done and uses a large variety of obstacles. Everything felt fair and every enemy had meaning. It's also just a bit harder than the first half, lending to a good sense of progression. There are a few things that I didn't like, such as the first dragon coin with the p-balloon and baseball chucks. Those enemies are so hard to use correctly. I also didn't like how the darker rocks are background, but some of the lighter dirt is foreground. I keep thinking the darker rocks are things you can stand on. All in all, this is a good level. It could have been a bit more creative and engaging especially in the first half, but everything is well crafted. ================================================================================ #109 Magnetic Net ------------------- DESIGN | 38/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: also could be called mag-NET-ic The level says Magnetic Net, yet they did not really feel like a focus here. It's actually more focused around puzzles, line guides, and nonlinearity, all of varying quality. Some areas of the level were good, such as the flying green koopas over the nets and the multiple key puzzle in the cave. Others were mediocre though, such as babysitting the shell near the end, a few cramped areas, and the line guide platform "lottery" after the midpoint. I call it a lottery since you need to get the bottom path first and then the top path, which can get boring if you don't figure that out fast enough since you have to keep repeating the segment. Still, it just ends up being okay overall. ================================================================================ #77 VLDC11 - getthefish ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 58/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: aesthetic whiplash This is basically two okay mini levels. The first half is average with a sort of interesting water section near the end. The second half is a dank castle autoscroll with thwomps and water, which was a bit slow yet kind of interesting to navigate. It would be better if one half of this was expanded as it's own level, preferably keeping the castle segment and leaving out the plains since there's potential with the layer 2 autoscrolling water idea. That way the level won't feel super jarring after the midpoint. In the end though, both halves did nothing majorly wrong and were pretty alright. ================================================================================ #58 Timber Tower ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 67/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: there are windows and bricks in this tree... Layer 2 sidescroll vertical levels are difficult to create, and this one fell into a few traps in making them. There are a few areas in the level which require foresight, because otherwise you'll take an unexpected death by actual tree "hugging". It's easy to accidentally go up at the wrong time or take the wrong path. It's also easy to make yourself wait, which isn't as bad but pretty boring if it happens. I'm not a huge fan of the 1-up lakitu near the end since you're too limited in movement to dodge the mushroom or spinies. This level does present some creative ideas though. I like the moving munchers, and the vines are well placed with the how the layer 2 log structure moves. The level has an apparent difficulty curve, and the dragon coins were used well too if you want more challenge. The running part at the end is pretty fun. So yeah, there are a few flaws in the level, but they don't break the design and it ends up being pretty good. ================================================================================ #94 PHANTASMAGORIA ------------------- DESIGN | 18/60 CREATIVITY| 9/30 AESTHETICS| 3/10 TOTAL | 30/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: what While this level features many different obstacles, there isn't a sense of progression nor really any difficulty curve. It wants to be a p-switch level, a cape level, a platforming level, a ghost level... you get the idea. The p-switch run at the end also has blind drop issues due to the camera scroll. It's also on the short end. There really isn't any challenge after the midpoint aside from randomly hitting a boo during the flight segment. If this level focused on developing fewer ideas instead of just presenting a bunch of them, it would fare better. ================================================================================ #38 Rocky Forest ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 53/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: forests have many rocks This feels like a level from SMW itself. The first half is pretty easy and average, but the second half gets better with some nice platforming with the timed platforms and turn block bridges. The aesthetics are also pretty good. The only thing I really question is the area with the four question blocks and turn block bridge underneath in the first half. You have a piranha plant there so it looks more challenging to take the path above the question blocks, but if you take it, there's a blind drop onto the turn block bridge and no reward. Aside from this one issue, this is a nice looking average level that could have taken more risks with the design; it's not the most enjoyable level but it's adequate. ================================================================================ #1 Vanish Castle ------------------- DESIGN | 49/60 CREATIVITY| 27/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 84/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: how to utterly destroy smw's memory management system This is pretty great! I loved how you took complete control over how SMW spawns sprites to make such a creative presentation. The rooms are all well designed with and without enemies, and the little enemy puzzles were a treat. The enemy looping sections were also very good. However, while the enemy despawning trick and enemy puzzles are cool, it's really not much different than entering a different room or just having a differently arranged set of obstacles. The amount of things you can do with messing with sprite memory also makes the level a bit unfocused, and so it doesn't fully develop on each of its gimmicks aside from the enemy looping. Still, the creative touch of messing with sprite management helps with the creativity. The boss was a bit of a let down however. You basically just do the same thing 3 times. There's also lag, probably due to how the key spawning works. Overall though, this is a very creative use of LM3; great job. ================================================================================ #113 Dude, Jill ------------------- DESIGN | 20/60 CREATIVITY| 30/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 59/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: feels like matterhorn 2 The beginning area looks so promising, but then the difficulty went from 0 to 100. Yeah, there's ridiculous amounts of creativity with layer 2 and enemy setups. But it's too hard not because of length or kaizo-ness, but because of how unforgiving the level is, especially when the penalty of messing up a timing is instant death with the layer 2 juggling over lava. No amount of mushrooms can really help in that area nor in the swimming parts near the end. I do like a few of the design choices though, considering some of the progressive setups, secret paths, dragon coins, and how the midway point makes it so you don't have to do the beginning repeatedly (?). But this is unfitting for a vanilla contest where all sorts of players play these levels; it's a very brutal level that will take a lot of deaths to figure out, at least in my experience. I can already tell that pro SMW players will adore this though. ================================================================================ #32 Frozen Grassland ------------------- DESIGN | 35/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 57/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the most anticlimactic ending ever I'm not sure what to think of this. There are a few enemy placement issues where you're suddenly bombarded with a bunch of them, but it's manageable. The day/night gimmick is creative, and it helps when you're backtracking through the level, but ultimately not much changes when day turns into night. I think the level is a bit too long. It didn't really need that timed platforming section at the end, as there's a lot to redo if you mess it up. It didn't help that not much changes throughout the level aside from aesthetic. All in all, the design is mostly ok, but I think the backtracking and long length hurts it. ================================================================================ #45 Skyway Sanctum ------------------- DESIGN | 45/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 72/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: lots of blue levels this year This level makes pretty good use of 1F0. It introduces the gimmick well and utilizes it a lot throughout the level, mostly through spinjumping challenges. I like how each dragon coin involves some advanced use of 1F0, especially the last one. I think what would make this better is if 1F0 is used with some other idea, besides just spinjumping. Both spinjump bouncing and 1F0 has been used a ton over the history of SMW hacking. Nonetheless, the level doesn't do anything wrong and it's pretty well designed. ================================================================================ #114 YOSHI'S ISLAND 2 (Tangle Race) ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 65/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: day at the races You don't see vine racing often, and this level does it pretty well. The level as a whole is an athletic racing exercise that is not too hard for the average player, and it ends up being pretty fun. The only gripes I have is that it's easy to mess up the ending with the disco shell. You can easily get trapped bouncing on it in the narrow chute since you have to jump over it to get the silver p-switch. I also wished this was a bit longer and more creative in it's obstacles, since right now it's mostly throwing blocks and jumping over enemies. Still, this is pretty good as a whole. ================================================================================ #78 Vanilla Plains ------------------- DESIGN | 23/60 CREATIVITY| 7/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 36/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: level 105 This is essentially YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 from SMW with a strange difficulty spike in the middle. It features the same enemy set; rexes, banzai bills, etc. all used without much flair. There's a blind jump before the midpoint, and a bunch of really big jumps after the midpoint. They are very out of place, and you have to make those jumps at the last second. Then it goes back to YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 territory as it ends. I suggest keeping to a central, new idea and evolving it as the level progresses. ================================================================================ #15 Brown Block Factory ------------------- DESIGN | 56/60 CREATIVITY| 28/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 93/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: brown block basement's big brother Fantastic level. I love how the level is based around brown block shenanigans, and it's more than just removing barriers; they can activate elevators, trigger obstacles, and even be used as timing puzzles. The creativity in this level is just so good! The level is also well designed. Many of the obstacles are puzzly or even action puzzly, but none of them are too difficult. The autoscroll section is especially nice and engaging. I do have a few minor gripes: for one, the second half with the falling diagonal blocks could be better indicated, perhaps with lines instead of exclamation points. Second, the sinking platforms at the end of the second half is a bit too hard, and I found myself taking a hit there too often. But still, this is quite amazing and well made, great job! ================================================================================ #80 bridge i guess ------------------- DESIGN | 46/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 71/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: loosely defined as a bridge Pretty good level! It's short, sweet, and to the point with the platforming. I liked how the swinging, falling, and winged platforms provided some enticing gameplay, especially when aiming for the dragon coins. The great aesthetics is a nice bonus. Interestingly, I didn't really find anything wrong with the level. I have to say that it's not super amazing nor super creative with what it provides, but it sets out to provide a solid platforming experience and does it well. ================================================================================ #13 KingOfTheMountain ------------------- DESIGN | 32/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 3/10 TOTAL | 51/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: sorry im not counting the little boss afterwards This level sort of went all over the place. The outside sections were alright, and it had some funky graphical replacements. However, I'm not a huge fan of rocks and enemies suddenly falling on me, even if they are indicated with coins. It also took me a while to understand that the little notches in the hills allow climbing. I like the gimmick involving the on/off switches in the cave sections, they were probably the best thing about this level even if they were a bit cramped. This is where most of the creativity comes in. The final area is a bit of a explorative puzzle which is interesting, though those footballs were kind of annoying. Not a fan of the message that keeps popping up either. In the end, this is an okay level with some annoyances here and there. Also, the aesthetics could definitely be better; there is some cutoff and there seems to be something static-y with the music. ================================================================================ #112 Level Entry ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 55/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: ghost house has been upgraded to ghost mansion The entire level is just one giant room. There are a lot of paths to take, and each one has an adequate set of challenges, mostly involving ghosts and nets. My favorite paths tend to be the lower ones, especially the one with the boo lasers and nets. Good use of switch palace blocks to make the level easier, by the way. There are dragon coins in this for replayability, and they are well placed except for one. This particular one is hidden way high up in a random alcove; it's way too easy to miss (and also too easy to unfairly hit the spikes while spin-flying). I also don't like how getting all coins requires both switch palaces, but that's not a big deal. As a whole, this is an alright nonlinear level with my only gripe being dragon coin placement. ================================================================================ #27 HARMONIOUS HEAVEN ------------------- DESIGN | 53/60 CREATIVITY| 26/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 88/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: bombs aren't very harmonious but ok This is great! I love the level's focus on bomb puzzles; each one is interesting and very forgiving if you mess up. I also enjoyed the cloud and scaling platform side gimmicks, even if they weren't really intertwined with the bombs. They provided good breaks from the main gimmick. The level generates a difficulty curve by making the puzzles more complicated, and then by removing the spinjump function, which is very clever. My only big issue is that the last dragon coin can easily be bypassed by tanking the spiny hit. I think most players will find that out by accident. Still, this very well designed and fun, awesome job. ================================================================================ #4 SUGARLESS CAVE ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 52/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: tbh i dig the color choices here A pretty generic cave level. It features chucks and cave enemies without overwhelming the player. I'm not a huge fan of the buzzy beetle suddenly dropping from the heavens before the midpoint. There's a secret path if you're trying to get dragon coins, but there's no real indication of it other than seeing the blue switch block bridge after you drop off from the top area. It just features some podoboos though. Yeah, not much else is memorable aside from those few things I mentioned. ================================================================================ #34 go directly to jail ------------------- DESIGN | 45/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 78/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: oh no, vaporwave jail A bizarre autoscroller level with a great first half and a pretty good second half. The cage constrains movement, but not enough to feel like you couldn't do anything to avoid the thwomps and holes. Speaking of which, those holes were used amazingly and were never an issue despite how janky they can be. The second half is not as great as the first, though. It's another cage autoscroller but you're only dodging eeries underwater. I think it's designed to be played as small mario, so this half doesn't give you a mushroom. This makes any sort of mistake result in a death, and with the autoscroll as slow as it is, catching up to where you were is a bit of a slog. Anyway, both halves are pretty creative and fun, even if I was let down a bit in the second half. ================================================================================ #7 le Reservoir ------------------- DESIGN | 48/60 CREATIVITY| 25/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 83/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the water off switch is rather talkative today Such clever use of flying galoombas and tides. I love how the level loops around itself whenever you turn off the water, and loops around itself again when you turn it on. Each pass is a different experience with the thwomp, fish, and galoomba setups. One unfortunate thing about this is that once you've seen the first half, you've pretty much seen the whole level. I wish there was something surprising in the second half than just dragon coin puzzles. Speaking of which, man is it hard to get that last one with all the thwomps and fish everywhere getting in the way of your throw block. Luckily, the gimmicks demonstrated are quite creative and the aesthetics are really neat, so this level is still pretty great as a whole. ================================================================================ #23 Buster Quarry ------------------- DESIGN | 44/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: why are you using saws at a quarry- This is pretty nice. The level is entirely focused around saws and line guides, with a bit of a koopa herding intermission if you want to get all of the dragon coins. The setups are designed pretty well, and it gets a bit more complex later on with a platform ride and vine jumping. After you get the dragon coin from the koopa herding sublevel, the camera stops scrolling upward in the main level for some reason. Also there's a pencil at one point that can suddenly ruin your jump. Aside from these issues, this is designed pretty well. Wished it had done something more interesting with saws, though. ================================================================================ #52 Metallic Metropolis ------------------- DESIGN | 50/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 79/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: think i recongize who made these kinds of aesthetics Beautiful level. There's so much attention to detail in the environment I have to say. Anyway, the gameplay is solid. There isn't too much to note in the first half as it's mostly just exploring and dodging some koopas and fish now and then. It felt a bit too easy but it's good. I like that there are two paths, though the RUN path is much more interesting than the upper path. The second half picks up on the action by adding those "sparkies", and the smasher room is a treat. The boss is also really cool and it ties the elements of the second half together well. I managed to find all the dragon coins without much trouble. The koopa puzzle that you need to solve to get one is neat. So yeah, very solid level that gets more fun to play as it goes on. It could have been more fun in the first half but it feels professionally designed around the environment. ================================================================================ #93 PURPLE WAVES (Favorite) ------------------- DESIGN | 59/60 CREATIVITY| 30/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 95/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: holy shii-take mushrooms I've never seen a camera scrolling gimmick done so well before. All the obstacles are super creative and fun to figure out, even if the water is instant death. I love this so much, and there's so much depth added with the falling platforms. I really like where it went with the second half too; it became more about reactions than figuring out what to do. And the final room is just amazing with how you have to puzzle it out and then execute everything using the things you learned from the level. If there's one thing that's missing from this level, it's that I feel like the moving purple water gimmick can be introduced a bit better, but that's very minor. Also the aesthetics can be better but that's whatever. Bravo! ================================================================================ #83 Bouncy Ruins ------------------- DESIGN | 54/60 CREATIVITY| 22/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 83/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: boing Wow this level churned out a million different grinder setups. The first half consisted entirely of grinders and the springy things, and the majority of the setups were quite engaging. The second half brought complexity by adding more thwimps and thwomps to the grinder setups. I really like how the level progresses with its difficulty, and it brought about plenty of creativity. However, I feel like it did a few setups repeatedly, and the level goes on for a bit too long. I almost ran out of time on my first run. Perhaps a few of the obstacles can be cut. Then again, this is a solid level that proves that you can create a good level solely around a single enemy type. ================================================================================ #35 Overless Night ------------------- DESIGN | 39/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 63/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: i dont think overless is a word- Great starry aesthetics, ok design. The first half has some typical enemy dodging and platforming. Sometimes there was too much to deal with on the line guides, like the amazing flying hammer bro and the double saw setup. Nothing was overwhelming though. The second half kind of teeters on the border of engaging gameplay and overwhelming gameplay with the bullet generator and enemies. I like that it's harder, but at the same time it probably has a bit too much going on. As a result, the design feels a bit inconsistent, but ultimately it's alright and nothing frustrating. Again, love the nighttime feel of this. ================================================================================ #24 Cloudcracker Ruins ------------------- DESIGN | 28/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 46/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: https://i.imgur.com/Ed4LdEW.jpg There are a few things in this level that leave me a bit confused. The first half is rather alright. It's pretty much your average cloud level. Though, I don't think the goomba statues should have a solid ledge as that tripped me up a few times. The second half is where things fall apart. You have to enter the doors through the doorframe apparently. I don't think the saws going behind the clouds is intentional. Same with the empty line guide. Finally, the rope part has this issue where the bottom half of the rope doesn't exist but the top half does; I hope this isn't a baserom issue. This didn't really matter too much in the end, since there's this enemy pizza party near the bottom of the screen and I can just chill on top of the rope. It ends up being a bit boring. The issues in the second half really brought the design score down, unfortunately. ================================================================================ #8 Plumbing Job ------------------- DESIGN | 45/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 70/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: transluscent dirt Pretty nice water-ish level. The level is well built around high and low tides; unfortunately, the only interesting thing about it is that you can kill the fish during low tides. Not much else changes aside from swimming vs. land physics, though it does provide good interplay between the two. I like how you're supposed to lower the tide in the second half. The dragon coins were also placed well. Still, the level would benefit from having more interesting fish puzzles or a larger variety of enemies. ================================================================================ #14 YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 (Roaming Fiber) ------------------- DESIGN | 48/60 CREATIVITY| 28/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 85/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: thought there would be more grinders, but this is different Nice! I don't think I've ever seen a level combine nets and layer 2 like this before. The design is well crafted so that it eases you into the gimmick and introduces how you can manipulate screen scroll with the nets. I really like the advanced uses of the gimmick when getting the dragon coins, especially the puzzle where you have to magically climb in mid-air for a second. It's unfortunate that there's a bonus area that (sometimes, I later found out) leads to an endless bonus game in the first half. Then again, that side area isn't very good since there's no indication that the net will quickly move off screen. The scrolling net gimmick can also be a little bit janky sometimes, probably because of the variable layer 2 scroll in combination with L/R scrolling. It can be very hard to predict how all the level elements will react to your controls. Plus, the part where you first see the nets move forces you to wait. Luckily, you pulled off such a creative and unique level with great design overall, so nice job even with a few point deductions in design. ================================================================================ #69 Altair ------------------- DESIGN | 37/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 61/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: is this smbx? I have VERY mixed feelings about this level. The bad news is that the graphics absolutely hinder the design; please don't hide your spikes in dirt! The things that are hurting you should stand out a lot more, and it's very easy to get distracted by, well, everything that is everywhere. I kept fearing I was going to hit the ceiling in the first half with that massive canopy. However! While I hate how the graphics hinders the design, at the same time I'm in love with the aesthetic you're going for. The music is amazing, and the second half is very, very nice. Only the detailing needs to be toned down. A lot. Plus, the underlying design is actually very good. I love the dolphin setups and the platforming in the 3-up moon area. The second half I must say is easier than the first, though the platforming design is still good. Basically, this level has a lot of good ideas. It's just a shame that the aesthetics get in the way. ================================================================================ #66 ATHLETIC SYNERGY ------------------- DESIGN | 2/60 CREATIVITY| 14/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 22/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: no It looked pretty innocuous until I realized I had to carry an item to hit a turn block in the wall. Then it started getting more and more difficult with the enemy bounces and such... And then I realized it had invisible block traps... This would do alright in a kaizo contest with how demanding it is. ================================================================================ #76 Dents d'Ouranus ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 12/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 55/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: level of long leaps A basic athletic level. It's mostly focused around jumping over gaps and not much else. It's pretty short, but it provides some nice difficulty with the enemy hopping near the end. The dragon coin placements were nice. Not much else to say other than it's not bad, and that it could have been more creative and developed. ================================================================================ #3 Bounce and climb! ------------------- DESIGN | 25/60 CREATIVITY| 7/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 38/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: light loggy labyrinth Kinda cute level. It's incredibly easy, and the most challenge you'll find are some flying koopas. I appreciate the dragon coin side content but it's really just checking out little alcoves. The moon placement is nice for such an easy level. The p-switch area is not necessary. The level is also very samey throughout, and it gets boring quickly. Next time, try to push your creative limits with enemies and obstacles. ================================================================================ #81 dont climb mountain ------------------- DESIGN | 46/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 71/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: eat plant This is a pretty good plant-focused level. The plant setups are pretty easy and fun, and I like that the dragon coins make the level a bit harder. The second half is also great, bringing complexity through nonlinear design and kicker koopas. I think there's more potential in the plant and kicker koopa setups, but what's present is still good. Overall, this level has no major design mishaps and it plays well. ================================================================================ #43 CLOUDY LAKE ------------------- DESIGN | 31/60 CREATIVITY| 14/30 AESTHETICS| 4/10 TOTAL | 49/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: hello i am the creator and this is the gimmick of this level Aside from destroying the sense of immersion by announcing yourself in the level as the level maker, this is alright. The first half is a standard water level with a color-coded twist, and the second half is a slightly harder typical cave level. I find it weird that you're forced to take damage at some points. I guess that's one way of making a level engaging. But yeah, the design is ok, the creativity is ok, and the aesthetics, well, they can be better. ================================================================================ #40 BONEY BASIN ------------------- DESIGN | 33/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 52/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: very chill for all the dead things everywhere A standard level with two very different themes. The first is a rather deadly cave with lava and enemies in close quarters. It's easy, but not ambitious. But the second is just a SMW water level. It's pretty average yet provides exploration with dragon coin collecting. It's a safe effort for sure, so this gets a safe score. ================================================================================ #9 YESCROLL ------------------- DESIGN | 53/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 81/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: autoscrolls are really just rail shooter mario levels Really neat autoscroll focused level. It started off pretty slow, but I really like how the cave is designed. It's made so you can traverse multiple paths with autoscroll, but rewards you with full exploration once you find the right path. The dragon coins make for really nice side content in this area. The second half is less about exploring and more about action segments based around autoscroll. Even if the screen scrolls pretty slowly, it's quite fun and provides many increasingly difficult obstacles. It complements the first half nicely. So yeah, this level is a great sampling of autoscroll gimmicks. My only complaints are that the beginning is probably too slow of an introduction, and that it's easy to miss the fact that you can explore the cave without being restrained to the sides of the screens once you found the correct path. ================================================================================ #33 Dimension Traveling ------------------- DESIGN | 44/60 CREATIVITY| 23/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 73/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: everything and the kitchen sink Very bizarre level. There are 3-4 completely different gimmicks that all managed to fit in a single level, and yet it didn't feel too long. As a result, the whole level feels unfocused and disjointed. However, that doesn't mean the level is bad; the design is above average, actually. Both the flip gimmick and time stop gimmick were pretty fun, and each of the gimmicks had its own difficulty curve. There are a few design mishaps in the level, such as the spiny + bubble galoomba that's too difficult to react to in the flip section, and the fact that the diaper rocks are solid if they're frozen in time. Still, this is good, but would benefit from cutting the green urchin section and the invisible terrain section so that everything feels more cohesive and developed. ================================================================================ #101 GRAND KOOPALOPOLIS ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 69/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: why are there so many red ! blocks used as something else in this contest Pretty level that is pretty good, though with some design flaws. The first half is too long, and it gets uncharacteristically wild with the castle enemies at some points, especially in the first layer 2 section. Speaking of which, I find it weird that entering the bonus area in that section makes the layer 2 smash easier, while skipping it makes it harder. Guess it really rewards exploration. The boss is also somewhat disappointing. Luckily, there are some good points in this level, such as the small throw block puzzles and some conveyor setups. It's pretty challenging and engaging as a whole too. All in all, this is a pretty nice castle level with a wobbly difficulty curve and unbalanced length, but these issues don't hurt the design too much. ================================================================================ #84 CANYON OF BOMBS ------------------- DESIGN | 40/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: canyon of gray hot dogs An okay level featuring bombs. While bob-ombs are an underutilized enemy, they weren't used that creatively in the design. Still, I like how they appeared as normal enemies, bubbled enemies, and parachuting enemies; it helped provide some variety. The level is pretty much the same throughout, though it does add some bullet cannons in the second half for more difficulty. The first few cannons that appear can unfortunately be bypassed quickly before they can even shoot. I don't think the foreground hot dogs are necessary, as they tend to hide enemies a bit unfairly. Anyway, this is an alright level overall that doesn't commit any design mistakes, but does not really stand out. ================================================================================ #6 Adventurous Ascent ------------------- DESIGN | 37/60 CREATIVITY| 14/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 58/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: even more blue levels An adequate climbing level with some nice gray buildings. Most of the gameplay involves dodging sparkies, dinos, koopas, and dry bones, and it pretty much stays that way throughout the entire level. I like how some areas require you to bounce on the dry bones, but that was never really developed upon. Each bounce is the same maneuver. There is a small issue with one of the dragon coins, which requires a really awkward running jump since you have to jump 6 blocks high. Otherwise, you're softlocked. It is sufficient to say that while adventurous in its name, it could have been more adventurous in its design. ================================================================================ #111 CREVICE CLIMB ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: mechanical mock mlimbing Mostly solid level. There are some neat challenging obstacles with the line guided platforms and saws, and even a few puzzles. The dragon coins provide additional difficulty too, and are well placed. I think the hammer bro near the beginning plus the chuck is a bit overwhelming. I also managed to make a dragon coin despawn somehow (the one near the midpoint), as I was able to get the p-switch and wonder why nothing was behind the brown blocks. The go-behind-the-net portion of the level was unnecessary. Anyway, I found this to be a kind of fun level with some simply designed line guide shenanigans. ================================================================================ #47 Deep Soda Sea ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 12/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: i am utterly disappointed at those half ? blocks A pretty nice effort on a soda lake sequel. It has tighter spaces, but that also makes the enemies more engaging. I like that you provided throw blocks for the occasionally different swimming experience. However, I think the level could have been more ambitious with its design, since it just feels like harder soda lake. Nothing is wrong with what's present though; it's surprisingly well restrained on the enemies despite the small spaces. Also, the palette is very nice I have to say. So yeah, this is a simple and pretty level. ================================================================================ #88 Militarized Iceberg ------------------- DESIGN | 55/60 CREATIVITY| 28/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 91/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: where ice cutting site's ice goes This is a beautiful take on ice sliding. I love how each obstacle gets harder and harder, to the point of high precision and engagement at the end. Plus, while some have seen ice sliding gimmicks before, this is a unique perspective on it that involves 1F0, eater blocks, parachuting bombs, bouncing flames, and layer 2; the creativity shows for itself. My few issues are that it is a bit long, and that I think I messed up a few of the setups. I was blocked by a pipe at one point and I accidentally fell through the ground. It's also unfortunate that the level is less exciting if you're small. Luckily, having dragon coins be the reason to stay big is good design. Despite these small problems, this is pretty amazing and very well designed in its difficulty. ================================================================================ #60 Reach ForThe Summit ------------------- DESIGN | 50/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 81/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: wth where are the strawberries First off, FANTASTIC job on recreating Celeste graphics using vanilla resources. I had no idea that was possible. If I could give you 15 points for aesthetics I would, but unfortunately it caps at 10. The design is solid too. It has some good platforming at the beginning, and a cute puzzle element with the "space juice". I find it interesting that most of the earlier challenges are spinjumping based; I guess it's to make it very athletic like actual Celeste levels since Mario doesn't have a wall jump. Nonetheless it was all quite fun. I really liked how you incorporated the feather powerup, first as simple flying challenges and then as some interesting platforming near the end. My few issues are that the clouds did not look like you could stand on them, and that there were too many fire flowers in the hotel section. It's also a bit simple creativity wise if the Celeste aesthetic is set aside, and it's long enough that I ran out of time on my first run. Overall though, this is phenomenal in the graphics department and very solid in design. ================================================================================ #57 TRAUMEREI ------------------- DESIGN | 53/60 CREATIVITY| 25/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 88/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: sunsets and stones Nice puzzle platformer! I really like the creativity that was implemented with 1F0, bowser statues, and thwimps in combination with throw blocks and turn blocks. Each little gimmick is introduced well and there's some nice challenge with some of the precision jumping that needs to be done. I also love the dragon coin placements. I guess the only thing that holds this back design wise is that the gimmick can involve waiting. In some areas it was okay since you had to dodge things while doing so, while in others it's a bit boring; the thwimp immediately after the midpoint is the biggest offender. It could have also been a bit more creative and developed in its design, but currently this does the job. So yeah, this is a really neat and nice looking level. ================================================================================ #16 PLAINS WATER ------------------- DESIGN | 49/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 79/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: i actually dig the wild aesthetic What a weird, great level. The gimmick is that literally anything that's blue is swimmable, and it's utilized well and hilariously. I especially enjoyed the second half where the layer 2 was introduced, as well as the jape ending. You also made footballs tolerable which is in itself a feat. I have to admit that I wanted more though. I think the first half could have had less precision swimming, and that the level could have expanded on the layer 2 section more instead. Nonetheless, you made (mostly) water levels fun again, nice job! ================================================================================ #100 MECHA MOUNTAIN ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 65/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: switchback oriented like real mountains A nice looking but rather standard level. I can tell that the aesthetics are the focus here, which are nice but could have some of the background objects toned down. The overall design is fine; there are a few obstacles involving line guides and some enemies, but unfortunately once you've seen a few of them you've seen the whole level. However, I do like how the level gets a tiny bit harder after the midpoint, since the penalty for missing a jump becomes getting hurt or losing a life instead of being able to try again. It also gets a bit more action-oriented. While the most memorable part of the level is the aesthetic, the creativity certainly could have been pushed more. ================================================================================ #26 Easiest Judgment ------------------- DESIGN | 10/60 CREATIVITY| 6/30 AESTHETICS| 2/10 TOTAL | 18/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: doot doot doot Very short level. There's like two instances of obstacles and both are extremely easy. The creativity is also minimal aside from the cape segments I suppose. The aesthetics could definitely be better, but nice music choice. Sorry, I don't think this is going to win D: ================================================================================ #2 YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 (Crystal Forest) ------------------- DESIGN | 20/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 43/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this time a lighter blue A spooky forest with quite a few design mishaps. The ideas look good on paper, but the execution is lacking in several places. - The shell to trampoline fetch quest in the cave section is surprisingly difficult despite how normal everything else is in the level. - You can completely bypass the key by using the trampoline. - The boo circles require waiting quite a while. - The rope platforms look like they continue behind the trees they're attached to, but they're not. - You can easily miss the midpoint thinking that the area after is bonus content. - The brown block digging chuck section can be negated by camera scroll - There is not enough viewable space for some of the chuck hopping - The boo cloud section is Bad and unexpected, leading to unfair moments since it's combined with precise platforming. I do like what it's trying to do with the hidden item puzzles and action segments like the line guides with digging chucks, and the dragon coins are nicely placed in the first half. But there's unfortunately a lot of design mistakes I had to mark this down for. ================================================================================ #48 Knuck If You Chuck ------------------- DESIGN | 51/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 78/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: quicktime player Great level! The platforming is action-packed, and all of the different kinds of chucks were used well. The fact that you're moving most of the time really helped with how well this plays. I especially enjoyed how the level added complexity with layer 2 falling lands. You still need to rush, but you also need to deal with moving rocks and slopes. The podoboos were a nice touch to the quick thinking. I also liked how one area forced you to deal with 3 chucks. The last section is nice as well like the last section. I guess this is the part that could be improved the most since it's similar to the previous section and a bit samey, but I still had a good time with it. All in all, very nice job. The design is tight and while it's not the most creative use of platforms and chucks, I really had a fun time playing it. ================================================================================ #18 Quiz Mario Academy! ------------------- DESIGN | 33/60 CREATIVITY| 22/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this level REALLY requires thinking Cute quiz, but I'm not sure if it's really a level??? There are no actual enemies nor platforming, but you do have to think about your answers, and that's where the fun is I suppose. There's good design in how the questions get harder as it goes on, though a few near the beginning are not common knowledge I think. Many players are gonna get a D- lol. I also believe that the level could be better if there was a bit more of a punishment if you got an answer wrong like some obstacles, because right now your punishment is, uh, weaker morale because you got a bad grade. I do admit this idea is creative, but it's not something that will win a level design contest. ================================================================================ #44 Underworld Chapel ------------------- DESIGN | 33/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 58/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the green parakoopa is the scariest enemy here An alright level sort of plagued by enemy saturation issues. The beginning area doesn't give enough space for the player to dodge enemies, so it's either a waiting game or a try to kill everything game. The level opens up after that, but the top path is way more beneficial than anything else. The secret sublevel path is cramped and makes you miss the midpoint, and the bottom path has too many enemies to avoid and has you potentially miss the midpoint. I don't like how super hidden the p-switch is. The level gets way better after the midpoint though. The layer 2 sublevel has this flashing bg gimmick which makes platforming interesting but not frustrating. The block boos and parakoopas are placed better. And the bright hurtful layer 2 is good aesthetic and obstacle design. Basically, I'd say this level has a bad first half but good second half, so it sorta cancels out. ================================================================================ #12 ZA WARUDO TOWER ------------------- DESIGN | 31/60 CREATIVITY| 23/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 60/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this time a less saturated blue A level with a lot of potential, but kind of missed the mark. The anti water is kind of neat in how it constrains you, but it made the first half a lot more difficult than necessary. There are quite a few precise movements you have to do in the first room, I kept getting hit during the fishbone obstacle, and the bowser statue right by the anti water is a bit mean. Strange enough, the level gets easier and nicer before the midpoint. The second half also has conveyance and precision issues. I thought the level was unfinished until I realized the stairs trigger layer 2 falls and you were supposed to go back. The blue-purple room is cool, but the saw race isn't well designed since it looks like you have to wait for the thwomp, yet you can barely manage to rush past it. Furthermore, the level breaks its own rules on what blocks act like what, and since nearly everything was blue or purple I had a hard time distinguishing what's solid and what's not solid. On the other hand, this level is creative. I like how the room completely changes when backtracking. Both the anti water and blue-purple room are cool gimmicks. Finally, I enjoyed the japes and traps near the end. In short, this level has a lot of creative things going for it, but it's massively held back by clarity issues. ================================================================================ #91 SUPER MARIO BROS? ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 69/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: where all the pits lead to Short and sweet. I was actually wanting a bit more especially with how short the first half is. Both the moles and timed platforms were used well with other enemies and munchers. In addition, the little ascension sections were cute though a bit simple. The level didn't really make any mistakes, but it definitely could have been longer. Some of these obstacles have more potential than what's presented. Btw, those level transitions are cool. ================================================================================ #10 STALWART RAMPARTS ------------------- DESIGN | 44/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 71/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: heard you liked winged platforms A solid level focused almost entirely on the winged platform sprite. The level is kind of massive, but each thing it does with the winged platform is pretty creative and interesting. I like how there are two paths after the midpoint, but the right one is more tolerable than the left autoscroll one, even if the left one is pretty rad in how it's designed. There is a clear difficulty curve throughout the whole level too. The only issues I found are a sprite limitation problem with a hammer bro and the autoscroll room being janky in that you can't really run across all three platforms. I think the level could have brought in these new ideas on a less massive scale, but the gameplay is solid and the winged platforms were used well. ================================================================================ #73 Vanilla Valley ------------------- DESIGN | 47/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 72/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: athleticism at its finest A well designed ice level. The slippery physics, moving platforms, bullets, and line guide obstacles may appear to be a bad mix, but this level used all of them well. The combination brings a good engaging challenge. The fact that the bullet generator was used in the second half and it made the level better surprised me to be honest. It's rare to see a generator used without making the level worse. The second half is longer too, making it a bit more difficult. I managed to find all the dragon coins on my first run, and they were all decently placed. So yeah, I cannot think of anything that's bad in this level, and this was a solid effort. Good job. ================================================================================ #50 Crystarp Hollow ------------------- DESIGN | 54/60 CREATIVITY| 30/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 94/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this is so not normal This is incredible. I love how the level introduces two very different gimmicks involving 1F0 and then meshes them together at the end. Each of the baby yoshi and fireball puzzles were very cool and creatively utilized 1F0 in ways I haven't seen before. I especially enjoyed the fireball run segment and the baby yoshi waterfall. Also, the moon placement is super clever. The level isn't perfect though; I ran into three problems. One is that the obstacle with the hammer bro and thwimp on 1F0 is unclear. I thought you had to get across rather than just drop down. Another problem is that you can tank the fourth and fifth dragon coin without much issue. Finally, it's a bit long for all the puzzles you have to do. Regardless, this is amazing and top to near top marks on all accounts, congrats! ================================================================================ #74 HIDE AND SEEK ITEMS ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 74/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: brute force method ftw Cute and clever level. I don't think I've seen a level where you have to look for items like this. I like the rooms where you can barely see where the items are, but unfortunately a lot of the rooms can be solved via guess and check AKA brute force. It's too long on a first playthrough as well, so it's easy to run out of time. Nice job on making some rooms have multiple solutions, by the way. The ghost house puzzles were better than the outside ones in my opinion. Finally, I really suggest toning down on the message boxes; a lot of the rooms and conditions speak for themselves. Anyway, this level is pretty good and has some occasional creative bits, but could have pushed the envelope more. (BTW I think this would be a fun level to speedrun, though I'm not sure how you can add a prize for that vanilla-wise.) ================================================================================ #67 Panic at the Docks ------------------- DESIGN | 29/60 CREATIVITY| 10/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 46/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this existed Nice aesthetic, but the gameplay is kind of lacking. The most interesting thing in this level is that you need to do a bullet hop in the first half. Everything else is either koopas on a dock or koopas and bullets in a building. Basically, the creativity definitely could have been pushed more here. ================================================================================ #107 OH THAT'S HOT ------------------- DESIGN | 51/60 CREATIVITY| 21/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 78/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the red switch block aesthetic appears yet again Very solid level. Despite how hectic the skull rides are, I was able to read everything on my first try quite well. The level surprises and engages the player with well placed obstacles without being overwhelming. There's also a clear difficulty curve. I'm not sure if the third section is needed, to be honest. It's harder for sure, but the giant bat wall was a bit much. The level as a whole also isn't too creative, but I do like the falling skull rafts. At the end of the day, this is a simple, well designed, and interesting level. ================================================================================ #29 Tangerine Wetlands (DID NOT USE BASE ROM BUT HERES A REVIEW ANYWAY) ------------------- DESIGN | 23/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 40/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: "Nowhere in the rules does it say that you have to follow them." - Sancles This is basically YOSHI'S ISLAND 4 if it was in a later world. It's quite a bit harder, though unfortunately if you're not good at the game you'll miss out on all the extra content and dragon coins. The level also isn't that fun if you end up in the moving tide a lot; a lot of the gameplay becomes repetitive. The second half does not change much from the first half; just more out of the way dragon coins and more floating mines/saws. Sprite limitations were a big issue here. This is a decent effort, but would greatly benefit from more creative gameplay and not having most of the interesting content be side content. Also use the base rom next time so you don't have sprite issues lol. Took quite a few design points from that alone. And it's gonna get this dq'd despite the quote up there. ================================================================================ #108 Sunset Land ------------------- DESIGN | 32/60 CREATIVITY| 11/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 49/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: from rexes to moles An okay level. It feels like YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 and YOSHI'S ISLAND 2 mixed together as different halves. There's nothing really outstanding in terms of creativity or design, and I suppose it gets a bit harder in the second half. As a result, it's fairly average and ordinary, even with the dragon coin placements. This would be fine in an easy hack, but it won't stand out in a contest. ================================================================================ #87 Black And White ------------------- DESIGN | 15/60 CREATIVITY| 7/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 30/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: yay super mario land- oh it's over This level is too short, and not much happens. Nearly all the enemy placements were nothing new. I almost got unfairly ambushed by some parakoopas near the beginning. The 2 kicker koopas in the first half were the most interesting thing here but they just knocked the shells into each other. Simply put, this level has aesthetic as the focus, which won't fare well in a design contest. ================================================================================ #51 BORKED ------------------- DESIGN | 0/60 CREATIVITY| 0/30 AESTHETICS| 0/10 TOTAL | DQ/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the patch decided not to patch oh no ================================================================================ #5 Getting Up ------------------- DESIGN | 5/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 2/10 TOTAL | 24/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: tbh i'd kind of dig the palette if it was altered a bit. and also didnt vomit all over mario Bizarrely bad. But bizarre enough to earn some creativity points; if we put the design aside, it's fairly interesting with its use of castle enemies. Putting the design back, the thwomp traps are unfair, there is a part where I feel like I'm forced to take a hit, and the thwomp spinjump near the end is essentially a kaizo obstacle. This level would actually be kinda cool if it didn't have all of these bad design decisions. Also if it had better music and aesthetic. Better everything really... ================================================================================ #72 BORKED ------------------- DESIGN | 0/60 CREATIVITY| 0/30 AESTHETICS| 0/10 TOTAL | DQ/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: doesnt work oh no ================================================================================ #28 Cold and Colder ------------------- DESIGN | 35/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 56/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: level has a very loose definition of cement An okay level with a sort of creative element near the end. I like the dino rhino usage, they don't get much attention. The kicker koopa parts were adequate. The colder area is a weirdly big and scary difficulty spike. For one, precise movement with slippery physics while dodging difficult to see 'munchers' is very hard. Second, apparently turn blocks count as cement blocks. Third, there are quite a few cement blocks to dodge in small areas. Compared to the rest of the level, the difficulty of this area is out of place. Despite this, the level gets the gimmick across and it ends up being alright. ================================================================================ #55 NIGHT GRASSLAND ------------------- DESIGN | 37/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 56/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: night landmasses in the sky A decent exploration-based level. The distinguishing feature of this level is that it has an upper and lower path. I like that the upper path is a bit harder and has all the dragon coins. Interestingly, the level has no midpoint, but it didn't feel short with all of the side content. I got hit by an offscreen koopa at one point, but otherwise the level doesn't really have anything bad. It probably has too many powerups. There isn't much new here, but the level makes good use of all the extra space one can have in lunar magic 3.0. ================================================================================ #68 Koopa Kaboose ------------------- DESIGN | 38/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 61/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: where's the engine What a cute little autoscroller. The level makes good use of lakitus and bullet cannons, and while the cars are a bit small, I didn't feel cramped. The dragon coins helped by giving me extra tasks while waiting for the autoscroller. Unfortunately, the autoscroller is slow and the level only gets a tiny bit harder after the midpoint by utilizing bowser statues. It would help if it changed things up a bit more in the 2nd half. Nonetheless, this is pretty alright. ================================================================================ #89 Temple of Fish Gods ------------------- DESIGN | 48/60 CREATIVITY| 23/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 80/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: hey buddy, get your rip van fish off my temple Interesting gimmick, interesting aesthetic, interesting level! This makes really good use of rip van fish out of water, and the first half introduces the enemy well. The saw obstacles make a good pairing with the fish as well. The second half is where things get a little bit squirrely, but it's still good. The platform maneuvers were cool and had a lot of on the spot thinking. Some things could have been a bit more clear though. For example, I wasn't expecting the platform to drop off so quickly by the mushroom, and I could not react in time for both rip van fish hopping sections. Really liked the falling platform and saw setup at the end though. So yeah, this is a nice looking, good level. ================================================================================ #70 MURAMUR ------------------- DESIGN | 50/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 77/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: this is a definitely a recognizable aesthetic Very solid level! I love the sprite placements as a whole, especially the diagonal podoboos, timed platforms, and thwomps. The whole level is pretty simple, but it feels professionally arranged, and fun to boot. The dragon coins provided some extra credit too; they were all satisfying to get. I can't really think of anything wrong with this level. I suppose it could be a bit more creative, prettier, and maybe even a bit longer. The =) in this level sums up my feelings. ================================================================================ #19 Flying Fish Fort ------------------- DESIGN | 40/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: marco polo A level that really felt like it was from the original game. It's simple, and the creativity comes from using fish enemies out of water unconventionally. The megaspikes in the 2nd half aid in creating a difficulty curve. The level doesn't really have anything wow worthy or super fun unfortunately, but the design doesn't commit any mistakes and it ends up being pretty enjoyable. In the end, it nails the polish and simplicity of a SMW level. ================================================================================ #25 THE CAMPING EPISODE ------------------- DESIGN | 23/60 CREATIVITY| 10/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 40/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: jump over everything An okay level in a nice environment. I like the aesthetic changes from day to night to day again. The biggest issue this level has though is that level just amounts to jumping over stuff despite all the different enemies. There isn't much variety in terrain or enemy placement throughout, aside from the stack of logs near the beginning and lakitus. As a result, the gameplay is repetitive, especially in the second half. This also hurts its creativity. I suppose this is essentially an aesthetics focused level. ================================================================================ #95 Get the mushroom! ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 65/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: dont dont eat the mushroom Pretty alright! This is a nice take on item puzzle levels. It's easy to understand and execute and each mushroom puzzle is different. I feel like it ended too quickly though. Plus, while the puzzles as a whole were okay, none were especially creative or enjoyable. I just get an okay sense of satisfaction after each one. So yeah, this is a typical but sort of interesting level about getting your shrooms. ================================================================================ #41 NEVERLAND ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: lol you can die in 2 seconds at the beginning I like how expansive the level is without being too overwhelming. There's a lot to explore and you're usually rewarded with progress or dragon coins. I enjoyed the challenge too; it's at just the right difficulty where it's not too easy, but you have to pay attention to your surroundings. The level is also nicely focused around vines. Finally, the split paths in the 2nd half is an added bonus. There isn't much that is wrong in terms of design. I think the second half's left path is much easier than the right path, but the right path is more fun. I suppose it could have been a bit more fun and creative as a whole, but it's not a huge deal. Anyway, solid job with this. ================================================================================ #36 Silver Sky ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 55/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: are the spike balls what's silver about this sky A level built around its setting. It's atmospheric, and the autoscroll doesn't do much except allow me to enjoy the scenery more. Everything pretty much stays the same throughout the level. Luckily, it does use a few unusual enemies like ninjis and sparkies. Things get a little bit more difficult with the obstacles near the end too. All in all, this level plays it too safe, but it has a nice aesthetic going for it. It really could have used more obstacles during the autoscrollers. ================================================================================ #90 Linear Farms ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 62/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: not really linear This is an impressive aesthetic, but it messes up the design a little bit. Those 1F0 blocks are very hard to notice and can be mistaken for normal blocks. Aside from the 1F0 issue, this plays decently. Most of the gameplay involves jumping over enemies or jumping on enemies on 1F0. However, the level doesn't really amount to more than just that, with the one exception being the falling layer 2 section near the end. That was pretty nice. I also like how the level gives out capes for much of the platforming provided, though I feel it may have made it a bit too easy. Basically: creatively drawn, but could have been more creatively designed. ================================================================================ #11 GLOWING IN THE DEEP ------------------- DESIGN | 36/60 CREATIVITY| 17/30 AESTHETICS| 3/10 TOTAL | 56/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: my eyes This is a bizarre situation where subpar aesthetics make for an interesting gimmick. I see (hah) what you're trying to do here, but the gimmick makes everything incredibly cluttered and not well organized. The palette animation is too distracting as well. Still, I got a small kick out of the glow/nonglow gimmick especially in the second half. This level is good at hiding a lot of extra content. There are a few design flaws though; the upside down bullet cannon in the beginning makes it seem like something is down there, but it's a pit. There are too many enemies at times, and some are poorly placed. Finally, the first half is less than stellar as a whole. I think a "gotta pay attention" gimmick like this can work, and it sort of did in the second half, but it's a very risky one that can frustrate players. This attempt at it only did okay. ================================================================================ #31 hunted as wolves, folly and brey ------------------- DESIGN | 60/60 CREATIVITY| 27/30 AESTHETICS| 10/10 TOTAL | 97/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: it's my highest score because it has wolf in the level name :) i LOVE this! The saws, pipes, sparkies, scale shrooms, and layer 2 setups are all dazzling in design, polish, and fun. During the first half, I feel I could only just squeak by some of the obstacles, which is satisfying. There is also a lot of challenge, yet none of it is frustrating. Basically, the design in this is a winner. The second half gets more complex by getting a little bit more puzzly, but it's still very execution oriented. The dragon coin puzzles and the swimming gauntlet were especially amazing. The only weakness this level has is its creativity; I admit it's not the most creative level, but it did bring quite a few new things to the table in its obstacles. I had no idea you can slow down saws, and I really liked the scale shroom setups and dragon coin puzzles. You really nailed it with the professionally awesome design and aesthetics though, fantastic job. I have an idea of who made this, but I'll hide it in this review. ================================================================================ #92 Petroleum Pipeland ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 23/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 70/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: carefully treading the kaizo line Usually vanilla contests are no place for kaizo and kaizo lite levels. For me, this one nearly crosses that line, but it's doable. To be honest, I enjoyed the challenge and movements the player has to pull off. Some of the platforming and enemy bounces are quite creative, others look ridiculous like the triple number platform at the end. But the level does provide a mushroom at least, so it's not straight up unforgiving. The only bad design remarks I can make are that this is not doable on your first try and that it's too precise at a few points. A kaizo-leaning level does not mean a bad level. I'm fine with something like this as long the design is creative, surmountable, and fun. ================================================================================ #75 THE GROUND IS GOLD ------------------- DESIGN | 46/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 73/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: wheee Cool level. The second half is completely different from the first half, yet the level is fun overall. Kinda reminds me of Indiana Jones a bit. I really liked that you made sliding a main gimmick in the beginning. It's not something you see often, and it's fun finding secrets with slide jumping. The second half is more of a series of action puzzles, but they were all simple and fun. The block snake race is especially good. The way the level's end ties itself to the beginning is a nice touch. So yeah, this is a short and simple level with good execution and design. I kinda wished it did more with the slide jumping but the first half is sufficient. ================================================================================ #21 HOUSE OF HOLES ------------------- DESIGN | 30/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 49/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: number of moons: yes This level features free moons more than it features moving holes. I don't know why that's the case; the level loves rewarding the player. The holes and enemy placements are okay, but it's nothing new nor creative. I suppose the dry bones are a little bit interesting. It's too bad that the level suffers a bit from repetitive gameplay; not much changes as it goes on. In the end, this is an average level while simultaneously being an average life farm. ================================================================================ #53 YOSHI'S ISLAND 2 ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 55/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: a baseball game A decent level that could use some improvement. For one, The level did not need that many baseballs flying around. I think every chuck in the first half throws six baseballs which causes quite a bit of waiting. I'm also not sure if I like the munchers in the canopy since they are kind of hard to notice. The level sure likes to saturate the player with obstacles. The second area is better and easier actually. I liked the ninji and chuck placements. The lava lotus parts were difficult but manageable, though I don't think the area benefited from the spotlight gimmick. There are a lot of enemies which are a bit annoying to see when most of the level is dark. I don't understand the spooky mirror-realm objects. Overall, this has some enemy saturation and clarity issues, but it's a decent challenging level. ================================================================================ #63 Olivine Pass ------------------- DESIGN | 40/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 64/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: them funky trees First off, I kinda dig the outdoor aesthetic and music choices. Yeah there's some cutoff, but the level is well organized. The design is pretty cool as well. The moles were used decently, and there's some nice platforming with the springy things. The level is very open and it definitely benefited from that. The cave goes in a different direction in terms of design and has a few cute puzzles. I particularly enjoyed the climbing section at the end; the player has to hit blocks in an unusual manner while climbing vines. While this level doesn't really push boundaries, I appreciate what it does with the simplistic design and aesthetic. ================================================================================ #65 Muncher Mountain ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 6/10 TOTAL | 68/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: many baseball games Quite the unusual level. It uses a typically annoying chuck in creative ways, which I appreciate. Each obstacle can be quite a task to overcome, but it's doable. The wall running, shell, pokey, and p-switch mini gauntlets in particular were pretty cool. Unfortunately, the baseball obstacles can get a bit repetitive at times. Much of the level is a waiting game where you wait for a chuck to stop throwing baseballs, bop him (or not), and then move on. Even the creative pokey and p-switch mini gauntlets is really just jumping in place over and over again once you figure those out; I'm not sure if mostly sticking to baseball chucks makes for that great of a level. Still, the level is pretty intense and I kind of enjoyed it despite the eventual methodical shortcomings. (I wasn't aware until after the review, but the timer starts at 501 seconds, only discovered because of my emoji judging screenshot... luck hasn't been kind to this level) ================================================================================ #0 BRAMBLE CLIMB ------------------- DESIGN | 45/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 71/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: abandoned brambles Solid bramble level. I like how the level is just right in terms of space; it's not too open yet not too cramped when navigating the brambles. The conveyor belts brought in some nice variety as well, and the level is pretty long. I actually enjoyed the challenge in precision jumping/climbing quite a bit. The dragon coins were a plus in that it allows exploration. However, while it did change it up a bit during the second half, the obstacles felt a bit repetitive at times. Luckily it's not really the same thing over and over again since the climbing arrangements are not all the same. But the go-behind-the-net barriers weren't really that creative after a while, and there's only so much you can do with net koopas. Overall, this is a pretty good bramble gauntlet. ================================================================================ #37 VANILLA EMULATION ------------------- DESIGN | 40/60 CREATIVITY| 24/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 72/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: that readme.txt had me worried I have mixed feelings about this level. First off, I really like how it uses throw blocks in a creative and engaging manner. It makes for a fun action-puzzle platformer, especially the skull raft parts. The other rooms were very well designed in theory, especially the ones where the player loops around. Where it falls is in engine limitations and a few poor choices: - I don't know why, but grabbing the throw blocks quickly can be finicky, especially during the falling platform maneuvers. - Occasionally, the throw blocks don't hit the turn blocks if you're too close. - It's possible to despawn the skull raft by going too fast, despite the level encouraging you to go fast. - I kept dying at the second low spinjump section because of how the spinies are arranged. - Finally, there's no solid wall at the end before the last door, despite looking like there is one. I managed to die at the end because of that lol Anyway, this is a creative throw-block focused level, and while some of it is cool and fun, I had some uncomfortable moments. ================================================================================ #46 G.U.C Plains ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 65/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: wth is underground plains and castle plains A pretty nice level structured around branching paths. The lower paths tended to be more difficult and interesting, but contain dragon coins. The upper paths appear to be more typical levels and are quite easy. These are good design choices, but it ends up feeling like 2 levels in 1. There isn't much wrong with the level. Everything felt fair and doable, except for one setup with the winged platform and ball and chain. Where it falls short is in creativity and interesting elements; if the level was solely the top half, it would not fair well. If it was solely the bottom half, it would do a bit better, but it isn't amazing. I like the platforming and gameplay down there such as the diagonal podoboo section. All in all, I appreciate giving the player choices and the design is pretty decent. ================================================================================ #82 BLUE DABADI DABADU ------------------- DESIGN | 35/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 5/10 TOTAL | 60/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: spiny heck featuring the most vogue color of this contest: blue An action packed level with a fair first half and kinda unfair second half. The first half I will say is quite fun; the spinies, layer 2, and pipe lakitus are a good combo, especially since the layer 2 does not interact with sprites. The pipe smashers near the end are a good challenge, and the only issue I found is that there were a few moments of waiting for everything to line up. I'm not a fan of the second half though. The lakitu is high up on the screen which is better than being offscreen, but it makes it so that you cannot see the full spiny trajectory when it throws one. This caused a lot of unfair moments where in the middle of my jump I'm ambushed by a falling spiny. There were also spiny saturation issues due to how the layer 2 is arranged with the pipe + flying lakitus. I think the level would be better without the flying lakitu and more pipe lakitus instead. It could also be a bit shorter with how difficult it can get. In summary, this is an interesting and engaging level with some major flaws in the second half. ================================================================================ #85 Industrial Desert ------------------- DESIGN | 28/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 4/10 TOTAL | 48/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: what is everything????? Wow this looks messy. There's so much stuff everywhere and it does not look very good. It also messes with the design; I was having a lot of difficulty seeing what acts like what throughout the whole level while dealing with ambushing enemies. The pyramid sections are the biggest offender with the disguised bullet cannons and background that is the same saturation and brightness as the foreground. Speaking of which, it does not help that the insides are pitch black most of the time, which is not fun to deal with. The only way to deal with that part fairly is to wait for the layer 2 to go all the way down and then hit an on/off block, which is boring. The outside parts are better at least. I like how it's more of an exploration, and the falling platform segments were cute. While I can see the effort in making unusual aesthetics and design, this one falls short of being a good level. ================================================================================ #49 DEEP DELUGE ------------------- DESIGN | 41/60 CREATIVITY| 15/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 63/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: soda lake and sunken ghost ship had a baby This is a pretty okay water level. It seems partly inspired by sunken ghost ship from SMW, but this plays around with boos more. I'm not sure why it gives away so many throw blocks when there's nothing to hit them with. I like the fetch quests since swimming with an item is different from swimming without one. The rest of the swimming sections weren't as creative though, as I was mostly waiting for boo rings and dodging fish, urchins, bullets, and boos. Basically, this level doesn't do anything wrong and it's a little bit interesting, with the design, but it may be too safe of an effort. ================================================================================ #39 Turrim Caelo ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 67/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: featuring pro football player Larry Those graphical replacements are adorable! Anyway, this is pretty fun with a few flaws. I like how the level encourages exploration as I was trying to puzzle out how the line guides work. The little dodging segments with the line guide platforms and baseballs are well done, and the ending is cool too. However, I think some of the line guide rides are a bit too long with not much to do. This is easily seen in the area before the midpoint. It could also use more variety in terms of creative obstacles. In the end, this is a fun little level that utilizes the on/off feature of line guide paths pretty well. ================================================================================ #86 Sunny Shoreline ------------------- DESIGN | 34/60 CREATIVITY| 13/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 55/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: volatile tidings A pretty solid commonplace level. There's some nice gameplay with the tide feature as you have to deal with enemies in and out of water. Unfortunately, the tide is the only defining feature. It could definitely use some variety such as different enemies or a new level structure, and the underwater section isn't enough. As a result, the level feels underdeveloped. The design and aesthetic are fine, but this won't stand out well in a contest. ================================================================================ #102 TO2LLY TERRIBLE ------------------- DESIGN | 42/60 CREATIVITY| 20/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 69/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: totally tubular This level took a risk with utilizing the p-balloon, but it's pretty well restrained in the design. I like some of the unusual enemy dodging with the pipe lakitus and parachuting bombs; those are a lot better than footballs and baseballs. I also had no idea that the balloon falls with the falling platform like that, which is an efficient way of bringing Mario down. I'm not a fan of the sudden lakitu near the end. That plus the jumping flames is too big of a difficulty spike compared to everything else in the level. Aside from the ending, this is a pretty good ballooning level. ================================================================================ #17 Darkmoon Riverside ------------------- DESIGN | 38/60 CREATIVITY| 18/30 AESTHETICS| 4/10 TOTAL | 60/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: the crows nest is now officially the safest part of the ship Some questionable palette choices, but it plays alright. The first area has some interesting gameplay due to the tides and the terrain. The lakitu at the end is a bit much but doable once you have the right tools or galoombas. The secret bonus room in the first area is creatively done; the shells give more points when you throw them at the fish bubbles, and I like how you're either catching or dodging stuff. The key and p-switch probably shouldn't be in the lineup of items though, unless they have uses that I'm not seeing. The ship is quite a thing. It's more fun if you're in the crows nest as trying to deal with enemies on the actual ship is a bit frustrating. The pipe and landmass obstacles the ship passes through are well designed as it forces you to move around more. And while there are enemy saturation issues at times, this is mitigated with a star. It's unfortunate that the entire ship part can be skipped by using a lakitu cloud. Then again, the ship part does go on for a bit too long. All in all, this is a pretty okay unique level. ================================================================================ #79 Flames of Muspell ------------------- DESIGN | 40/60 CREATIVITY| 22/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 71/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: at this point just resprite everything as fire So much chaos! It's quite difficult with all of the enemies and obstacles you have to pay attention to. Unfortunately, it can be too much at times especially when the lakitu is around. I'm grateful this level gives out a cape to deal with everything, but I still feel exhausted at the end, probably because both halves are fairly long. The castle segment I feel is better than the outside segment. There's some good interplay between skull rafts and the rambunctious layer 2 smash. The bowser flames were used well. Finally, the boss fight is cute though I felt like I had to tank it. Even with the obstacle saturation, this is a fairly good level that could have been a bit shorter. ================================================================================ #22 Greystone Grotto ------------------- DESIGN | 51/60 CREATIVITY| 27/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 86/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: is this JUMP? I love the meticulous obstacle design. I found the outside section to be really good; all of the enemies had a clear purpose and it's fun performing everything correctly. The lotus, bowser statue, and rotating platform segments in particular were fun to navigate. The inside section is also good, but a few things caught me off guard. I wasn't sure how long I was supposed to stand on the sinking platforms, and there's a thwimp that didn't jump for a long time which is awkward. I really liked how the level has meaningful and clever backtracking, but this isn't clear after the midpoint. Finally, the section with the podoboos is super creative, but I always feel scared going under them because I don't know when they'll come down. While this level has some truly one of a kind obstacles, it has a few flaws in terms of clarity in its design. I still found this to be a great level though. ================================================================================ #61 Sky Castle ------------------- DESIGN | 43/60 CREATIVITY| 16/30 AESTHETICS| 7/10 TOTAL | 66/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: please refer to the level name A pretty standard sky castle. It uses the castle enemies pretty well though there wasn't anything outstanding in terms of creativity. Nothing felt out of place, unfair, nor frustrating, so props to that. I particularly like the line guided platform ride and the bowser flame placements. The biggest issue this level has is that even if it's well designed, it's not very memorable. There are many other castle levels out there, and this doesn't stand out of them in aesthetics nor creativity. Having a bigger focus would help here. That doesn't stop it from being pretty good though. ================================================================================ #105 Grandma's Paradise ------------------- DESIGN | 47/60 CREATIVITY| 19/30 AESTHETICS| 8/10 TOTAL | 74/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: most dangerous level with grandma in the name Pretty fun level! It has a clear focus on parakoopa bouncing, and it adds on to the gimmick with ice slide timing puzzles in the second half. I really like how the turn block bridges were used as a whole. The main problem I see here is that I felt like I've done the same obstacle several times, even if some setups were slightly different from one another. It would help if the level design got going a bit faster, but this is still pretty creative. So yeah, this is a simple but enjoyable enemy bouncing level. ================================================================================ #99 Mountan Castle ------------------- DESIGN | 10/60 CREATIVITY| 30/30 AESTHETICS| 9/10 TOTAL | 49/100 ------------------- COMMENTS: 1F8 sequel anyone? I'm pretty sure if this is done perfectly, it looks really spectacular and satisfying to pull off. However, this is waaaaaay too difficult for a vanilla contest. It will take so many deaths to figure out everything in this level. Honestly, this could win a kaizo contest, and I think I know who built this. Top notch creativity as a whole though. The aesthetics are nice too. ================================================================================