Entry #1 Level Name: Mario's travels through a previously addressed land which hack players have known for a long time preview Author: mariofan1000 Creativity: 3/10 Difficulty: 3/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 2/10 TOTAL: 21/50 ST's comments: To be honest, there was noting especially interesting or fun about this level. The main theme seemed to involve grabbing a shell or P-Switch, then backtracking in order to get through, which wasn't very fun to go through, and the terrain itself was very bland, lacking in decoration and enemies. The palette for the main area was alright, but there was no custom palette for the cave. While it was a good effort, the level honestly felt too bland and short to play, with a goal only a tiny bit past the midway point. -- Entry #2 Level Name: Star Cave Author: 10204307 Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 2/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 22/50 ST's comments: This level ended up being a lot more frustrating than fun. There were several sections that required luck and even some savestate abuse, such as the area with the fish you had to jump across. It also seemed to use generators, like fish and bullet bills, just for the sake of adding difficulty. The level was really linear overall, and grabbing P-Switches and other items over and over again got tiring. There weren't any custom palettes in this, which hurt the score, but there were also a couple graphical errors, such as glitched GFX when the fireballs fell into the lava and some cutoff in the background. While not an awful level, this one wasn't as enjoyable to play as it could've been. -- Entry #3 Level Name: Contest Entry Author: SomeGuy Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 34/50 ST's comments: This level wasn't bad overall. The palette for the first area was a nice, pastel hue, but it didn't carry over into the cave. There were some areas that were nonlinear, which was nice to see, and quite a few different enemies were thrown in for good measure. While there wasn't a whole lot that really stood out about the level, it worked well, though there were a couple aesthetic issues, like the edge of some of the ledges. A good effort all around though. -- Entry #4 Level Name: Shine Forest Author: Brad172 Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 35/50 ST's comments: There were some things I liked about this level, such as the leaves you could go behind and the switch unlocking the secret exit, but there were also frustrating parts, such as enemies you couldn't see and platforms you simply phased through. Aesthetically, it was decent, though the cave area with the trampoline didn't have a custom palette for the BG, whereas another cave area did. The path to the secret exit was disappointing and I was hoping for another segment to play instead of the key and keyhole. Overall, while this level wasn't especially eye-popping, it functioned well from the most part and was solid. -- Entry #5 Level Name: Water Island Author: super pokemon world Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 23/50 ST's comments: To be honest, there was really nothing that positively stood out in this level. No custom palettes and decoration was rare in the level, and what's more, there were a couple graphical issues, such as ledge corners being filled in. The level was short and linear, and while it wasn't "bad," it simply wasn't that much fun to play. In the future, I'd suggest working more on engaging the player with interesting design, while making sure the visuals contribute to the overall product. -- Entry #6 Level Name: The Grassy Hills Author: Master S Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 40/50 ST's comments: This was a nice and enjoyable level to play. What especially stood out to me were the palettes: they had a very nice, dark and subdued look to them, both in the main area and the cave. The green on the bushes looked a bit off in comparison though. The level had a good difficulty, quite a bit of decoration, and had some alternate paths to take. The one main glitch that hampered the score though occured in the cave: if you brought a Buzzy Beetle through, it showed up as glitched graphics and was permanently stunned. Other than that, it was a very good level to play. -- Entry #7 Level Name: Subaqua Adventure Author: Tails_155 Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 39/50 ST's comments: This level was, without a doubt, aesthetically brilliant. The palettes were great and there was a lot of nice decoration. This being said though, the design itself was disappointing. It wasn't difficult to get through, and really felt repetitive, with not much variation in the actual design. The one minor issue I noticed was the Cheep-Cheep flopping at the top of the area to the left of the entrance. Other than that, it was visually stunning, but overall was brought down by level design that just wasn't fun. -- Entry #8 Level Name: Travel to the Bottom Author: jur132 Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: This was an interesting one, and overall had a good theme as you traveled downwards. The level design was alright, and had a couple alternate paths, though it felt like the hell portion was a bit on the easy side. Palettes weren't bad, though some of them, such as the crystal cave one, came across as a bit odd near the top of the ledges. The end was humorous too, and poked fun at the original Bowser battle from Super Mario Bros. Overall, while not an amazing level, the ideas helped bring it up. -- Entry #9 Level Name: Chalk Road Quarry Author: RedToonLink Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: This was a really great level overall, showing a lot of care and effort. There were literally tons of paths to take as well as many secrets, including five coins and a secret exit. The palettes were great, and I really liked the sprite graphics used for objects in the last part. My only real issue with this level was the difficulty: especially toward the end and the cloud area with the cutters, it felt a little too difficult, relying on precise jumps and dodging. Still, this was a great and fun level to play, despite a couple gripes with the difficulty. -- Entry #10 Level Name: Pirate Ship Dip Author: sky_blue_wiggler Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: The premise for this level was rather clever, though its execution could've been better. The colors were hard on the eyes in this level, and it would've been nice to see a faux BG made up of FG tiles instead of a colored void in the distance. The level was rather linear, and some parts of it didn't make sense, like a portion that had water on water. While the idea was good, the design itself could've been tweaked to be more fun, engaging and polished to play. -- Entry #11 Level Name: Late Evening Stroll Author: Z. Raffle tikt Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 40/50 ST's comments: A fun, solid level to play. It was just about the right length: long enough to where you weren't surprised at reaching the end, but not too long to drag. It was a bit too easy, but the palette used for the main area was nice and fit with the "evening stroll" theme. It would've been nice to see a custom palette for the cave area as well though. There were no glitches I ran into, and while it could've been a bit more memorable in places, it was fun to play without getting frustrating. -- Entry #12 Level Name: Sunset Fortress Author: Neutron Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 46/50 ST's comments: "Creative" and "fun" really come to mind when playing this level. The design was very good, with some nonlinearity as well as a choice to take the regular or secret exit. The graphics were astounding: not only were the palettes excellent, but SMW's graphics were used so well that I nearly forgot they weren't custom. This was a very creative and fun level to play, with a lot of different elements and pieces put together. The only minor glitch I ran into was with the Magikoopa, which sometimes showed up in odd spots, but other than that, great work. -- Entry #13 Level Name: Elemental Adventure Author: Senjan Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: This was a really interesting one. The four element concept was great and was executed well for each portion of the hack. The palettes used in it were nice and effectively added to the level rather than getting in the way. There was some solid level design as well, though it would've been better to see more in terms of alternate paths. There was a layer issue toward the end with the skulls and a ledge, but other than that, there were no real issues. -- Entry #14 Level Name: Splash Castle Author: Luigi Pikachu Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 31/50 ST's comments: To be honest, the first part of the level was decent, with some good (if linear) design, but the castle part was a bit diappointing. The first part was rather empty on enemies, while the second felt like a blatant edit of a portion in Iggy's Castle, harming the creativity score. Other than that, it was alright and didn't seem to have many huge errors. The palettes used could've been a bit better, though they weren't bad overall. -- Entry #15 Level Name: Entry Author: DragonManGuyDude Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 10/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 10/10 TOTAL: 0/50 ST's comments: Incredible, absolutely incredible. Really, I never thought I'd play a level this great, but the original design, great graphics, and overall fun factor just blew me away. However, I was forced to get rid of all 50 points for one small issue: you misspelled "really" as "realy." Please, do check up on your spelling next time. Thanks. -- Entry #16 Level Name: Bianco Hills Author: BBkaizo Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Graphics outside the original ones in SMW were used, so this level will not be judged. -- Entry #17 Level Name: Some Random Level Author: jailerman Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 3/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 5/10 Fun: 2/10 TOTAL: 16/50 ST's comments: This was not a very fun level to play. There were blatant issues, including cutoff tiles, floating munchers, glitched Yoshi coins, bad palettes, and more, and this, combined with poor design and overall blandness really hurt the level overall. It's advised that when levels for this contest are submitted, you check the hack submission guidelines first. If this was submitted as a hack, it wouldn't have been accepted. -- Entry #18 Level Name: NO EXIT Author: hebesphenomegacorona Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 40/50 ST's comments: This was probably one of the most interesting and creative levels I've played. The whole gimmick of the level was really interesting and creative, with clues and a confusing but good layout. Sometimes, though, it did feel a little tedious to get through, but it was worth playing all the way. The palettes used were eerie and surreal, going a long ways toward the mood of the level. While the level itself is supposed to be difficult fun, I did feel like the difficulty did hamper the hack a bit, and hurt its overall enjoyment, especially if newer members wanted to try it. Still, one of the most unique levels and a very different take. -- Entry #19 Level Name: Super Marathon Mario Author: Lunar Rico Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 33/50 ST's comments: I can't say that I really understood the premise of this level. I suppose it was intended to be one based on speed, where you try to get to the end as fast as you can, but the level itself was really short and there was a generous amount of time. The level design was decent and a bit linear, though it fit with the running idea. The palettes, especially the glowing mushrooms, were a bit hard on the eyes. It feels like this level was a bit of wasted potential: if it had been more of a rush to the goal instead of a short level with plenty of time, it would've been more fun to play. -- Entry #20 Level Name: Dust World Author: DemXiX Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Patching this to a clean ROM causes it to freeze, making the level itself unplayable. Be sure to test your patch to be sure it works ahead of time. -- Entry #21 Level Name: Vanilla Contest Entry Author: joeblevins123 Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 30/50 ST's comments: This was an interesting one. At first, it felt like a generic level, but it did have an interesting twist at the end, counting the amount of Blarggs in the level. However, the punishment for guessing wrong (a room you can't exit and can only die in) was far too harsh. A way back to the beginnning of the level would've worked far better. The rest of the level was rather average, containing no custom palettes, and a couple issues like cutoff with the pipes. Though the counting portion had a fair share of problems, it was creative and brought the score up a bit. -- Entry #22 Level Name: Opticallity Author: Fakescraper Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. While the premise for this level is great and really clever, it's clear that things outside Lunar Magic were used, which, with a few minor exceptions, means the hack isn't accepted. -- Entry #23 Level Name: Luna Bridge Author: Darkdata Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 31/50 ST's comments: In terms of aesthetics, this was a very interesting and creatiev level, one that was almost all black and white. This was really cool, though changing it in a couple other places as well, like the status bar, would've been even better. Aside from that though, the level was honestly disappointing. It was a straight, boring, linear romp that didn't throw any interesting game elements that utilized the visuals and it honestly wasn't fun to play. While it was creative and nice visually, the design for the level itself was disappointing. -- Entry #24 Level Name: Multi-Colored Castle Author: Miguel20 Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 31/50 ST's comments: The flashy background for this level was interesting, but often, it ended up being more distracting than anything. The design for the level itself was decent and had some nonlinearity, but it felt rather tedious at times, especially the portion with backtracking. The level seemed to drag on too long, and there were a couple glitches, such as sprites disappearing due to their settings. Though this wasn't a bad level overall, it felt like quite a few things could've been done to make it more polished. -- Entry #25 Level Name: Pika Plains! Author: Doownayr89 Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Graphics were edited for this including the player and the overworld. A level will not be accepted if it contains graphics outside those in SMW. -- Entry #26 Level Name: Colorful Castle Author: cyphermur9t Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: This was a very long and intricate level showing a lot of care and effort. The level design was solid and the difficulty felt fair, though the sheer length of the level meant that dying forced you to repeat a lot of the level. The palettes used for the foreground were subtle enough, but they worked very well. It would've been nice to see more custom palettes for the background though. There were a couple minor glitches, such as parts of the Ball 'N Chain disappearing, and being able to go through the bottom of the red blocks. Still, while it felt like it dragged a bit, this was a solid level that was well designed. -- Entry #27 Level Name: Mystery Mine Author: Chikane Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 45/50 ST's comments: This one ended up being really creative and really fun to play overall. There were a lot of clever elements incorporated, such as bats that didn't fly and blocks that flickered on and off between frames. Though I wasn't too fond of the palette outside, a lot of the interior ones were very good, especially the ghost house. It was rather linear, with not much at all in terms of alternate paths, and it was a bit easy, but it was entertaining and a very creative level. The design and concept made sense and were excecuted well here. -- Entry #28 Level Name: Cherry Blossom Ruins Author: Immortality Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 6/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 21/50 ST's comments: In terms of visuals, this level was not easy on the eyes. I can understand going for the pink scheme, but the colors were too bright and too obnoxious to enhance the level and ended up detracting from it instead. The design for the level was poor, with a few glitches like Goombas appearing in ledges, and a lot of enemy locations were very cheap. It felt like a lot more effort could've gone into this level, and if it had, it would've been a lot more fun to play. -- Entry #29 Level Name: Up or Down Author: Toad8642 Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. The author asked for this entry to be removed from the contest. -- Entry #30 Level Name: Crumbling Defeat Author: TiersWTF Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 4/10 Functionality: 6/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 24/50 ST's comments: While there were a couple interesting elements in this level, the overall package was a frustrating experience. There were several blind jumps as well as cheap areas that required you to take a hit in order to continue. No custom palettes were used and there were several instances of blatant cutoff. What's more, there were quite a few sections that you could get permanently stuck in, forcing you to wait out the clock. While the "1, 2, 4" part was interesting, the rest of the level honestly suffered from poor design and could've used more polish and testing overall. -- Entry #31 Level Name: Overgrown Author: dottedboy Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 41/50 ST's comments: Overall, a pretty nice level to play. The palettes and decoration used here were very good, though I felt like the animated water weed didn't really fit. The design of the level was good, though it tilted a bit to the easy side, and there were some alternate paths to take. It was a bit short, but there were no glitches, and it was a polished and good level overall. -- Entry #32 Level Name: The Lost Land Author: TOS Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: This was a really interesting and fun level to play. One of the things I enjoyed most about it was how it actually incorporated a bit of a story. While the cutscene style was simple and the status bar could've been removed, it was interesting nonetheless. The palettes were good, though a bit lacking in decoration, and the design was nice, utilizing the switch. It was fairly long, but parts like the airship were clever and fun. The level overall had some good ideas that were executed pretty well, and it was fun to play. -- Entry #33 Level Name: Mystery of the Green Switch Palace Author: TRS Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 43/50 ST's comments: A really fun and interesting level. At first, I thought the 8x8 tiles were on accident, but it was interesting to see they were intentional. Unless I was missing something, I didn't end up figuring out the "reason" for the random tiles, but it was interesting nonetheless. There were some nice gradients and palettes used here, though some, such as the first part, could've been altered a bit in the FG. Difficulty was a bit on the easy side, but it was overall unique and fun. -- Entry #34 Level Name: Foresty Forest Author: LunarYoshi Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 39/50 ST's comments: This was a fun level to play. Though some of the palettes felt a bit bright, there were some nice ones, and there was good decoration overall. The level felt a bit long, and it could be on the claustrophobic side, but it was decent overall. I did encounter a glitch that made me fall through the ledge when getting the trampoline. The "credits" at the end were especially interesting and creative in this one. -- Entry #35 Level Name: Scaling the Icy Mountain Author: ZMann Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: What I really liked about this level was the atmosphere. You could really tell, and you really felt like you were scaling one big mountain, and the palette changes as you ascended really helped with this. I feel like you could've done even more with it, but it was great nonetheless. The palettes were very nice, though the aesthetics were hurt a bit by the layer priority issues with the bushes. The level was a good length, and there was quite a bit in terms of alternate paths to find. All in all, it was a good idea executed pretty well, and it was enjoyable to play. -- Entry #36 Level Name: Beetletarian Author: booblock Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: To be honest, this wasn't a very fun level to play. The design and layout was confusing, it went too far on the easy side, and it felt like the backtracking was excessive. The palettes honestly could've been better: often the FG and BG didn't have palettes that fit, and a lot of the sections were too short overall to be very entertaining. While I can tell effort was put into this, the overall level could've been more appealing to the player. -- Entry #37 Level Name: Mountain Fortress Author: superwiidude Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 46/50 ST's comments: This level was, above all, atmospheric. Each area was great visually, like the first section with the palm trees, and even the top of the castle. There was a clever cutscene as well. The design was really nice, and there were no real glitches. Still though, the level sometimes felt like it dragged a bit. It would've been nice to see some parts cut a bit, as the level started getting frustrating, more like a rush to the finish than an enjoyment of the actual level. Still, this was put together really, really well, and showed a lot of creativity and effort. -- Entry #38 Level Name: Super Mario World 2 Author: playnoweverbody Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. This is a bad patch, and it causes glitched graphics. Since this doesn't work, it won't be judged. -- Entry #39 Level Name: The Invisicave Author: Best Video Gamer Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 3/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 2/10 TOTAL: 24/50 ST's comments: The idea itself wasn't bad, but overall, due to some not-so-great execution and monotony, the level really wasn't fun at all. It was extremely linear with a single shot to the goal and had no variation in terms of pipes or other areas. Though it was changed up a little, it relied heavily on a single gimmick, one that didn't always work. Sometimes, you couldn't tell where a platform was, and you'd randomly fall through, even if you followed the spike tops. Overall, this level was too monotonus and too frustrating to be fun to play. -- Entry #40 Level Name: Mario's Adventure Author: Wizard the Wizzisential Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 2/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 23/50 ST's comments: Overall, this was a really simplistic and odd level to play. Until the end, there were virtually no enemies, decoration was very limited, and the level was really linear. It was far too easy to play, and was able to be finished with little effort. Though there were some creative parts, like the clouds and the castle blocks that went behind you, it was overall way too easy and short to be much fun. -- Entry #41 Level Name: Misted Mountain Author: DarthYoshi492 Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: All and all, not a bad level. There was a bit of nonlinearity with the switches, but it was frustrating to have to carry it over a long distance via backtracking. Still, the way to reach the goal was interesting. The mist was used well in this level, especially the cave part, and while the palette wasn't great aesthetically, it was decent and didn't really detract from the level. There were a couple sprite issues though, caused mainly by the Sumo Bros. Still, a decent and solid level to play. -- Entry #42 Level Name: Mario's Endless Adventure Author: Ddoomm10 Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 47/50 ST's comments: The hard work and effort put into this level really, really shined through. There were tons of great ideas, from the message boxes, to clever uses of sprites like the floating skulls. The palettes were great, and the level design was solid. Some parts of the level felt a bit easy, and other sections dragged a little, but the overall length made sense. There were tons of creative and really fun elements in this one. I did feel like the very end was a little anticlimatic though: it felt like the return was random, and I was looking forward to fighting Ludwig, even in a regular SMW battle. Still, excellent work. -- Entry #43 Level Name: Temple of Time Author: Time Traveler Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: While it wasn't bad, to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot to write home about with this level. The design was alright, but the area with the switches felt a bit on the repetitive side. The palette wasn't bad, but it seemed like it lacked variety in color and got hard on the eyes over time. Considering the level name, there wasn't a ton in terms of creative ideas, ones that could've utilized time a bit more, but other than that it was decent. There were no glitches in it either. -- Entry #44 Level Name: I R Maek Levl 1337 Author: HuFlungDu Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: This level was really mixed. The first part, utilizing the foreground and background was very clever, and reminded me a lot of Paper Mario. The upside-down portion was great as well. At the same time though, the rest of the level was rather underwhelming, with boring sections that didn't utilize many gimmicks. I felt like these overall hurt the level, especially compared to the better parts, and made the entire level feel disjointed. I did feel like the gimmicks themselves could've been executed even better, but they were good and added quite a bit to the level as a whole. There wasn't much in terms of custom palettes used. -- Entry #45 Level Name: Whatever the Weather! Author: boredman Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 30/50 ST's comments: It really felt like something was "missing" in this level. It was linear, with no real alternate paths, and the difficulty felt artficially added with Lakitus and Cheep Cheeps. I felt like more could've been done with the palettes as well, to do a better job at capturing the icy atmosphere. The palette use was minimal, and I didn't end up encountering any glitches in the level. The design was decent, but there was nothing particuraly noteworthy that made it especially fun to play. -- Entry #46 Level Name: The One Level Challenge Author: Diddy Kong Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: This level was rather interesting, with several smaller parts that went together. Unfortunately, each of these parts didn't feel especially notable. Each was fairly short, simplistic, and easy to get through. Though the choice in the beginning was nice, the rest of the level felt rather linear. Not a whole lot of decoration as used, and the palettes remained vanilla. While the design was decent, it felt like more could've been done here to make this stand out. -- Entry #47 Level Name: Midnight Canopy Author: Desert-Fox Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Graphics outside of what's available in SMW were used and edited. Graphics within the level must remain vanilla for the entry to be judged. -- Entry #48 Level Name: Exploring the marsh Author: CCF9Unite Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: A rather short and simplistic level. While this one was pretty fun to go through, it felt pretty easy, and the palettes could have been even better. A marsh can have a lot of variation to it, so I was a bit disappointed by the level overall. I didn't encounter any serious issues with it, but I felt like it could've been more cleverly designed and memorable. -- Entry #49 Level Name: A Normal Day for Mario Author: Dotsarecool Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: There were a lot of really neat and memorable parts to this level. The palettes used were very nice, as well as the background combinations, and the first part had a bit of a puzzle to it, which was nice to see. The last part of the level felt a bit on the simple side in comparison, but overall, I didn't encounter any glitches or other issues. It was nice to see a little cutscene toward the end as well. -- Entry #50 Level Name: Topsail Havoc Author: vindew332 Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 4/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 27/50 ST's comments: A very short and very easy level, I felt like this one had a good idea, but lacked really good execution. It was interesting to see the combination of a cloud BG with a ghost house FG, but that was about all there was to the level. It was very repetitive and lacked variety, and the absense of custom palettes kept the FG and BG from really blending well. It didn't take long to finish this level, and it felt like it could've been a much stronger effort. -- Entry #51 Level Name: Strange House Author: Randoguy101 Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 38/50 ST's comments: There were some pretty clever parts of this level, such as the cutscenes and some of the graphical choices. Though some of the palettes weren't perfect, there were some pretty good ones, and the level overall did a good job at providing a different experience for each time you play, with several different paths and places to go. Some parts of the difficulty felt a bit cheap though, like the forced hit before the castle. Still, this was a pretty entertaining level and I liked playing it. -- Entry #52 Level Name: Mario Takes a Stroll Author: Zildjian Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 46/50 ST's comments: This level had a very interesting structure to it, utilizing little cutscenes to signify chapters. While each chapter wasn't really long, they were quite a bit of fun. Above all though, what stood out to me the most were the palettes. There were some terrific colors used, as well as great utilizations of SMW graphics. The level itself felt a bit linear in terms of actual alternate paths to take, and the secret exit was pretty easy, but this was a really nice and pleasant level to play with some good ideas. -- Entry #53 Level Name: A boy and his boo Author: kurosaga Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 2/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 6/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 18/50 ST's comments: This level wound up being too frustrating to be very much fun. The difficulty seemed cheap in terms of its difficulty, using small areas and traps to trip up the player. There were some cutoff and bad tiles here, and no custom palettes were used. There were also a couple of glitches as well, mainly sprite related. Overall, it felt like this level was thrown together and could've been a bit more cohesive and fun rather than frustrating. -- Entry #54 Level Name: Super Happy Fun Time Author: Mariowings77 Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 33/50 ST's comments: Though it didn't throw out a lot of interesting ideas or concepts, this level was put together fairly well. The palettes felt a bit too saturated and were lacking in some areas, and the level itself had decent design, but none of it really stood out. There were no glitches in the level, but because it felt a bit on the plain side, it wasn't as fun to play. It would've been neat to see more ideas in the level rather than basic design. -- Entry #55 Level Name: Tundra Author: GoldRogerPirateking Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 28/50 ST's comments: There were some things I liked about this one, but overall, the level design left a bit to be desired. There wasn't much in terms of decoration for the level and no custom palettes were used. Otherwise, the design was alright, but felt boring at times, specifically the parts with the one tile jumps and Red Paratroopas. It seemed unnecessary for the normal and secret exit to be spelled out that way, and there were a couple parts of the design that felt cheap. With a bit more effort and feedback, this level may have been more polished. -- Entry #56 Level Name: Acacia Valley 2 Author: Snowshoe Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 26/50 ST's comments: Overall, this was a very short and simplistic level. There were many flat sections that didn't introduce much, and the level was pretty easy. The midway point came very close to the end of the level and the cave area felt repetitive. More decoration and custom palettes could've improved the visual aspects of this level. All in all, while this one had potential, lackluster design, but in terms of the level and graphics, didn't really make it stand out. -- Entry #57 Level Name: Cave Escape Author: MarioFan22 Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 30/50 ST's comments: This level felt like it was a lot longer than it had to be. There were some interesting parts of it, such as the layer 2 area with the munchers, but the overall level felt unnecessary lengthy, made even more so by the switch palace. This ended up hampering the fun. I wasn't too keen on a lot of the graphical choices: some of the palettes had some off colors or didn't look the greatest. Still, I can tell some serious effort was put into this level, which was nice to see. -- Entry #58 Level Name: Muncher Sphere Author: Darky Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 45/50 ST's comments: A really neat level, this used a lot of interesting elements that went together well. I liked the parts you could go through, marked with a darker color in the FG, as well as a lot of the graphical choices and combinations. The level as a whole felt a little short and like it could use more in terms of design, but let's just say the little face at the end more than made up for it. -- Entry #59 Level Name: Isle of Confusion Author: Pikerchu13 Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Patching this to a clean ROM causes it to crash. Please test your level before submitting to make sure it works! -- Entry #60 Level Name: Vile Volcano Author: E-Man Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: A fairly short and simple level, but one that thankfully had some secrets and alternate paths to take. This helped give an incentive to try the level over again, and otherwise, the design was decent. While nothing especially stood out and it felt a bit too easy to keep the player engaged, there weren't any glaring issues. The palettes used were nice and did their job, but more decoration would've been even better. Not a bad level overall, but I felt like even more could've been done with the concept. -- Entry #61 Level Name: Shoot the Bullet Author: neosaver Creativity: 3/10 Difficulty: 2/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 1/10 TOTAL: 18/50 ST's comments: This level was not fun to play at all. While I understand there's a certain appeal behind Kaizo levels, this level ultimately felt stuck in the middle. It didn't really have the Kaizo level difficulty, but it was too frustrating for the average player. There were no decorations and custom palettes in this one either, and it relied on a single element the whole way through. Overall, consider the audience before creating a level like this. -- Entry #62 Level Name: Element Castle Author: GanonTEK Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 4/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 29/50 ST's comments: The design of this level was alright, but overall it felt pretty linear. The "run to the left" style stayed pretty consistent in this level, though the palettes for the first two parts detracted rather than added to the level. The difficulty felt a little cheap at times, but it was decent, and there wasn't a whole lot in terms of actual errors. Overall, an okay level, but one more creativity could've helped. -- Entry #63 Level Name: Blocks of Chaos Author: Smallhacker Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 25/50 ST's comments: Great level overall. There was a lot of variation in the design, the palettes were incredible, and it was a whole lot of fun to play. The blocks just came at you left and right, you had no idea what to expect next! Unfortunately, all the categories were hurt after discovering no goal post, how disappointing! -- Entry #64 Level Name: Yoshi's Back Yard Author: mootbooxle Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 27/50 ST's comments: What would have been an average level was hampered by some graphical issues. There was garbage in the background in one portion as well as some generally lackluster palette choices. The level design itself felt a bit on the boring side, and wasn't able to keep me engaged the whole way through. While the story behind the level was good, I felt like more effort could've helped it. -- Entry #65 Level Name: Isle of the Damned Author: HighVoltageGamer Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Patching this to a clean SMW ROM does nothing. The patch doesn't seem to work. Please test your patch to make sure it works and can be judged. -- Entry #66 Level Name: The Castle Raid Author: K3fka Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 34/50 ST's comments: To be honest, this level ended up being a bit disappointing overall. There were some nice palettes here, but overall, the level design wasn't the greatest, with rather easy sections and a general lack of enemies and decorations. By jumping, it was possible to completely bypass the race with the koopa shell. There was a bit of nonlinearity here, but overall, the level was lacking and rather easy. -- Entry #67 Level Name: The Haunted Church Author: Elite Goomba Hacker Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: I felt like a lot of neat ideas could've been used for this level, but ultimately weren't used. I went in expecting a haunted church, but found the level to be like most ghost houses. Overall, it was really linear, with pretty much nothing in terms of alternate paths or puzzles, and it was quite easy to beat. The visuals were decent, but could've used more decoration and a custom palette. I think the idea of a haunted church itself is good, but a lot more could've been done with it. -- Entry #68 Level Name: Cerulean Cove Author: Snifit Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 4/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 30/50 ST's comments: There were some interesting ideas here. I liked the use of the water levels and the switch with fire, as well as the accompanying cutscenes. The rest of the level ended up being really long and frustrating to get through. The layout was confusing, making it difficult to figure out where the player was supposed to go next. While there were some good ideas here, the palettes distracted from the hack, especially the flashing areas. All in all, some issues prevented this level from being even better. -- Entry #69 Level Name: Volcanic Grassland Author: xman0444 Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 6/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 26/50 ST's comments: Overall, this was a disappointing level. It felt like some basic errors of SMW hacking weren't corrected, such as issues with vertical scrolling, which led to being hurt by unseen enemies and losing track of yourself. Other than that, the level was very linear and really lacked a good challenge. No custom palette was used and decoration was very limited. There was also a glitch with the lava tile.It felt like this level really wasn't a serious effort overall, and I think more time and work would've really helped here. -- Entry #70 Level Name: The Swamp Demon's Lair Author: Hadron Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: Overall, a really memorable and fun level. There was some great, nonlinear design here, with a smooth difficulty and a good fun factor. Having a story here helped the level too, and it was interesting to see how it ended up. I especially liked the idea behind the end part, though I think it went a little too long. Palettes were generally great, though sometimes the FG was a little hard to see since it tended to be so dark. Still though, a really nice level that shows a lot of care and effort. -- Entry #71 Level Name: Jungle Labyrinth Author: ---smwExpert-- Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 35/50 ST's comments: Overall an interesting level in terms of design, but one that had difficulty keeping the player interested. The palettes were decent, but could've used a bit more variation. The level was fairly linear, but used vertical and horizontal space well. Overall, the design was solid and had no real issues, but felt plain and could've used more to make it especially stand out. -- Entry #72 Level Name: HAUNTED UNDERWATER VOLCANO Author: MajorasMask9 Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 39/50 ST's comments: I must say, this is one of the most interesting and creative concepts for a level. It was interesting to see how it played out, and true to its word, it ended up being an underwater volcano filled with Boos. The actual level itself had a mazelike layout, which was both fun and frustrating to get through. It felt easy to get lost and lose track of where you were supposed to go, hurting the fun a bit, but interesting ideas like the boss and Chargin' Chucks made it worth it overall. Palette was pretty good, and it was overall a very unique level. -- Entry #73 Level Name: Mouldy Mansion Author: RealLink Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: This was a really interesting ghost house. It was able to actually "feel" like a mouldy mansion in large part because of the palettes, which conveyed the atmosphere very well. The actual level design was solid too, with a nice difficulty, though I had trouble understanding the ghost at the end was a boss to defeat. I felt that part was a little too frustrating to get through. Other than that though, it was interesting and fun to play. -- Entry #74 Level Name: Get Out of my Face Mario Author: Posiedien3 Creativity: 3/10 Difficulty: 1/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 6/10 Fun: 1/10 TOTAL: 13/50 ST's comments: I could tell this honestly wasn't a serious effort. Bad palettes galore, plenty of cheap traps, and lots of sprite abuse made this level downright painful to play. Joke submissions can be fun, but after stuff like this, they just get old. -- Entry #75 Level Name: Mystical Orb Search Author: reghrhre Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 40/50 ST's comments: A pretty nice level, this one utilized a lot of different elements and had some good graphical and palette choices. Some of the palettes felt a bit too strong though, such as the first area. The mechanic with the switch feels like it's starting to get old, and it would've been nicer just to play the level with just one exit. I felt like having the second one felt tacked on and made the level drag a bit. Still, otherwise, it was well put together and nice to play. -- Entry #76 Level Name: Ghost Ship Author: losoall Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 38/50 ST's comments: A really interesting and creative level, what I liked about this one was how it was able to split up the paths you take, all the while encompassing the feeling of exploring a new area. At some points, it felt slow because of all the swimming that was needed, but the design was otherwise pretty good. It was a little unclear exactly what the P-switches were for, since the silver ones act like blue switches when taken through a pipe. Palettes could've been a little nicer, but they were pretty good, and I enjoyed the level overall. -- Entry #77 Level Name: Vanilla dome level Author: masterdud Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Patching this to a clean SMW ROM causes it to crash. Please test your levels before submitting so they can be judged. -- Entry #78 Level Name: The Great Dimensional Rift Author: Akhenderson Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 3/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 5/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 19/50 ST's comments: Above all, this level lacked cohesion. It was made up of several parts that were frustrating on their own, and didn't really come together in a meaningful way. No decoration was really used, and the few custom palettes added could've been better. There were a couple glitches, like areas you could go through, and the difficulty felt cheap in the muncher section. All and all, more polish and work on solid level design would've helped this one. -- Entry #79 Level Name: Climb To The Clouds Author: Kristian Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 10/10 TOTAL: 45/50 ST's comments: This was a really nice, pleasant, and above all, fun level to play. It clearly showed clever and thoughtful design, utilizing pipe transitions and even had some nonlinearity, such as the secret exit. Though the cloud palette was a bit underwhelming, the rest of the graphics used were great, with plenty of decoration and color. Sometimes it felt a little too easy, and it would've been nice to see even more in the cloud area, but overall it was a great effort. -- Entry #80 Level Name: Azure skyland Author: Creatorofchaos Creativity: 5/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 33/50 ST's comments: This level had a neat location but ulitimately it wasn't able to really stand out. The palette was semi-decent for the FG, but better for the BG, and the level overall felt too short and easy. There was little in terms of creative ideas for the level, but it was nice to see some nonlinearity with the alternate area. More creative ideas and clever design could've helped this level, but either way, it was solid and didn't have any serious issues. -- Entry #81 Level Name: Cleft Cliff Author: swamp cecil Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Entering the level caused the ROM to freeze. I'm not sure what the cause of this is, but the glitched title screen may have had something to do with it. Either way, it can't be judged. -- Entry #82 Level Name: CASTLE OF DOOM Author: LaularuKyrumo Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Patching this to a clean SMW ROM does nothing. Please test your patches before submitting so they can be judged! -- Entry #83 Level Name: SS Castle Author: arnpoly Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 34/50 ST's comments: As a castle, this was decent, and in ways felt similar to one Nintendo would make. The difference here though was some sections that were cheaply difficult, such as the one with the trampoline and the Thwomp. Other than that, it was very linear and lacked a custom palette, but the design was decent and worked. I feel like more effort to smooth the difficulty and maybe some attention to aesthetic elements could've helped, but otherwise, the design was solid. -- Entry #84 Level Name: Cookie's Fortress Author: Dashie Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: There was a neat atmosphere to this level with the exterior, really making it feel like the outside of a castle. Other than that, the level design was good, but not really memorable, and there were a couple of cheap sections. It was on the linear side too, but had a secret area. Custom palettes weren't really used here either. While the design for this level was overall good, more creativity would've made it even more fun to play. -- Entry #85 Level Name: Volcano Fortress Author: ToasterTank Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 34/50 ST's comments: Graphically, what stood out to me in this level was the use of the decorative parts of the FG, which worked nicely overall, but it led to some cutoff. This, combined with a lack of custom palettes where they would've been useful and hurt the aesthetics a bit. Otherwise, the design was decent, if a bit linear, and the message felt like a no-brainer. There were a couple minor glitches, and the end felt a bit anticlimatic. Overall, while not a bad level, it felt like something was missing that could've generated more interest. -- Entry #86 Level Name: Lava Rush Author: everest700 Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 3/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 2/10 TOTAL: 21/50 ST's comments: This level felt very frustrating to go through and really didn't seem like a serious effort. From the beginning, the palettes were hard on the eyes and detracted from the level. While the location for the level was good, it suffered from poor, bland design and didn't do a good job at keeping the player engaged. I'd suggest looking at some of the other entries to see how level design can be improved. This one honestly needed work. -- Entry #87 Level Name: Volcanic Valley Author: MoogleEmperor Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 10/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: What would have been a "good" level overall was made even better by some great mechanics. Some ideas, such as the use of the timed lift as a raft, were ones I'd never seen before in a hack. The obstacles did a great job at keeping you engaged and providing a challenge, but not feeling cheap. The palettes were pretty good and the level was linear, but fun to play. It's one I enjoyed going through overall. -- Entry #88 Level Name: Magic Forest Author: DaxterSpeed Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 41/50 ST's comments: Some neat gimmicks were utilized in this level, such as the day/night paths and the bushes, though the latter ended up making the section more frustrating than fun. Still, though there were a couple bland parts, the level design was nice and the system made it worth playing through more than once. While it could've been even better, this was a good level with some nice ideas and creativity. -- Entry #89 Level Name: Castle Ruins Author: Hach Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this level. While the atmosphere was nice, with some pretty good palettes, the design itself felt a bit easy and bland, where more creativity would've helped. I felt like if it was more expansive and had creative designs, it would've been even more fun to play, but it was put together well, with the only error being the infinite lives from the bullet bill. -- Entry #90 Level Name: Iron Grotto Author: Lu-kaz Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 35/50 ST's comments: The design for this level was pretty solid and didn't have much in terms of glitches or other issues and the palettes worked well, but it felt a bit bland in terms of design. There weren't a lot of great ideas that jumped out here, though having two exits was nice to see. Overall, this was an alright level, but one that could've been made more memorable. -- Entry #91 Level Name: Re-Embodiement of the Scarlet Devil Author: PwndGames Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 26/50 ST's comments: While I can understand the idea you were going here with a Touhou themed level, it overall didn't come together well. Unlike what the message box said, it's generally not a good idea to force players into using savestates, and the difficulty felt cheap and detracted from the fun. There were some pretty bad palettes here and a couple of glitches, as well as messed up tiles, but it was nice to see the (9) at least. Overall, a good idea that needed better execution. -- Entry #92 Level Name: Tech Support vs WWSPA Author: MalcolmBellman38 Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 2/10 Appeal: 2/10 Functionality: 4/10 Fun: 2/10 TOTAL: 17/50 ST's comments: What in the world... really, it's hard to think of something to say for this one. The concept was interesting, though pretty hard to follow, but the actual level design involved cheap deaths with no warning as well as really bland sections with poor design overall. Palettes used here weren't good, and it was difficult to tell if this was a serious hack. If you're going for an idea like this, it's better to present it in a way players can understand and enjoy instead of a confusing mess. -- Entry #93 Level Name: Death Mountain Author: mrwannabe Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Applying this to a clean SMW ROM made it freeze. Please test your levels before submitting so they can be judged. -- Entry #94 Level Name: Oasis Isle Author: PowerStrike Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: A nice, clean little level. It had no graphical issues or other glitches, and while it didn't look incredible visually, it was nice and worked well. The level design was good, though it felt a little too easy. Players could breeze through the level, and I felt like some more difficulty would've made things more fun and kept interest. While it would've been nice to see some more ideas, this was a good, well-designed level. -- Entry #95 Level Name: Chrominus Castle Author: Riolu180 Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: A really memorable and creative level, from the get-go I could see some inspiration from Castle Bleck for this. As for the level itself, it had some solid design, though some things, such as the puzzle with the Koopas, felt a bit confusing and cumbersome. Otherwise, the black-and-white palette didn't always work well, like with the line section, but it generally was great and helped the level. A lot of creativity here and some good design, though it felt easy to get lost. -- Entry #96 Level Name: Forever Factory Author: Lynnes Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 10/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 49/50 ST's comments: One word: wow. This level was able to take a single, vanilla level and transform it into something great. The story was surprisingly well told, with lots of interesting twists, the level design was great, and it was visually stunning. Really, this level was a real showcase of time, effort, and great ideas, such as the ice/water switches, and going up in the air in general. The very first part felt only a little repetitive with the item collection, but other than that, the level was pretty much flawless. Awesome work. -- Entry #97 Level Name: Larry's Volcano Author: GN Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: The visuals started out pretty good for this, but wow, they got really amazing later, with some great faux HDMA. Other than that, the level design was pretty solid for this, though it did go a little on the long side. There were some neat ideas, such as the rope section with munchers, and overall it had a nice, solid atmosphere to it. I didn't encounter any real issues either. A nice, balanced level to play. -- Entry #98 Level Name: Underground Castle Author: Patgangster Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 35/50 ST's comments: Made up of several small and linear sections, this level provided some variation but could've used even more to make it stand out. The palettes were decent but not great, and the level design didn't have a whole lot of creative elements to it. The flow of the level generally made sense and it was enjoyable, but it could've been even more fun and interesting to play with more ideas. -- Entry #99 Level Name: A Normal Day for Mario Author: x-treme Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: There wasn't a whole lot that really stood out in this level, but it wasn't bad overall. The palettes were decent, though the rocks didn't fit in the cave area. There were some oddities with palettes as well, such as cement blocks and the boss door. The underwater portion at the end was creative, but didn't make a whole lot of sense. I liked some of the things here but felt they could be a bit more developed to augment the level. -- Entry #100 Level Name: Randomness Author: PercentN Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 41/50 ST's comments: True to its name, this level was pretty random, but it was surprisingly cohesive. It kept a nice, consistant ruins theme through the whole level, augmented by some great graphical splices and uses. Some parts didn't look the greatest graphically like the cement blocks, but it was overall nice. The level design itself was pretty good too, though more variation could've helped it even more. It was on the easy side, and while I felt the idea was different, more could've been done with it. It was disappointing to see how abruptly it ended as well. -- Entry #101 Level Name: Mossy Castle Author: kirbyeatsbomberman Creativity: 4/10 Difficulty: 4/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 25/50 ST's comments: This level was short. Very short. There was really very little in the first part, then the boss came right after the midway point. Apart from that, the level was really easy, and it felt like the design was hastily put together rather than showing some serious effort. The palettes were a bit hard on the eyes and the level overall felt empty. It ended up seeming more generic than anything and wasn't a whole lot of fun to play. -- Entry #102 Level Name: Teleporter Room Author: yogui Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 40/50 ST's comments: Some really strong Mega Man vibes from this level, this was an example of several small parts actually coming together well and keeping the player engaged. Each section was unique, and while some could've been fleshed out a bit more, they were fun to play. I really liked the idea with this level, but felt even more could've been done with it. The design sometimes felt too simplistic, and graphics could've been used even further to convey level themes. Still, an interesting, creative, and fun level. -- Entry #103 Level Name: Mario/Yoshi Visit Adventure Island Author: mariocool1999 Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 4/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 3/10 TOTAL: 26/50 ST's comments: More than anything, this level felt like it went for far too long, which wasn't helped by the fake exits and doors in the level. It relied heavily on backtracking and was far too long, not able to hold one's interest. The palettes ranged from decent to really difficult on the eyes, and the level felt pretty underwhelming. While the idea was good with the Yoshis, I felt like it could've been used even more. -- Entry #104 Level Name: Castle of Illusions Author: BlackEagle766 Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: True to its name, this level was more than what it seemed. At first it felt really generic and bland, but picked up later with some interesting elements. This being said, I wasn't too keen on all the palettes, and it felt like the level went back and forth too much between basic SMW things and more creative ideas. Instead of enhancing the level, it made it feel more disjointed as a result. Still, it's nice to see some interesting ideas, and it was good otherwise. -- Entry #105 Level Name: Magma Cave Author: Rocket Sparkster Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: It was interesting the way this level went between the different sections and palettes. The design was alright, though not extremely varied or creative, and the palettes were hit and miss, but the design for this one worked. It was a bit on the linear side and felt a little too long, but it was solid regardless, especially the scrolling segment. -- Entry #106 Level Name: Purple Mario at the Red Cliffs Author: Triple Q Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 28/50 ST's comments: While I liked the idea of smaller, more puzzle-themed levels, the ones used here weren't especially clever and didn't really rely on much brain power. This kept it from being fun and made it more of a chore to get through the level. The palettes were underwhelming and the level didn't flow together all that well. Overall, the idea was decent, but it could've been executed better. -- Entry #107 Level Name: Lunar Island Exploration Author: Aqualakitu Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 45/50 ST's comments: This level had one of the best atmospheres overall. The palettes used here are great, such as a dark, subdued cave, and a summer-themed grassland. The level design was really nice, and there were some really creative ideas overall, especially the area with the 3 Up moon. Sometimes a bit more could've been added to the design itself to add variety, but otherwise, it was an excellent and fun level to play. -- Entry #108 Level Name: The Secret in Mario's Pad Author: BloodyToothBrush Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. This level was removed from the contest at the author's request. -- Entry #109 Level Name: The Maze of Puzzles Author: FUGGNUTZ Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 4/10 Fun: 5/10 TOTAL: 27/50 ST's comments: Ultimately, while I got the idea behind the level, it lacked really effective execution and faltered in terms of design. The palettes were okay and there wasn't a whole lot of decoration, but while some of the puzzles were decent, most of the time it was fairly obvious and not fun to go through. What's more, it was entirely possible to get permanently stuck several times, forcing you to either die and reset. Having some reset doors would've really helped here. This was a good idea, but it just needed more work to really be used well. -- Entry #110 Level Name: Koopa Kaves Part 1 Author: Rayman Man Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 5/10 Appeal: 6/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 31/50 ST's comments: Above all, this level felt rather simplistic. It was really easy to get through, presenting little challenge, and each section was very short and linear, not allowing much exploration. The colors themselves were washed out, similar to the GBA version of SMW, and overall, it didn't feel that creative or different. I felt like this was a good start of something, but that even more may have been done. -- Entry #111 Level Name: Watch Tower Duke-Out Author: Agent Q Creativity: 10/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 10/10 TOTAL: 47/50 ST's comments: Downright brilliant and atmospheric. The graphics choices were incredible here, making you pretty much forget it was vanilla. The watchtowers and background were awesome and really used well. The level itself was great: fun to play through, and kept up a good difficulty. I only had a couple gripes, and those dealt with the platforms you could fall through, as well as the black flame you could only understand by checking the readme. Still, aside from this, an excellent level. -- Entry #112 Level Name: Parallel Dimensions Author: VideoGuy Creativity: N/A Difficulty: N/A Appeal: N/A Functionality: N/A Fun: N/A TOTAL: N/A ST's comments: DISQUALIFIED. Applying this to a clean SMW ROM causes it to crash. Please test your levels before submitting them so they can be judged! -- Entry #113 Level Name: Checker-Filled Mountain Author: Marioman Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 44/50 ST's comments: A really interesting level overall, this one started and ended on a high note. The checker-themed grass area was great, and really added a lot of life to the area, also sporting some good level design. The panic area toward the end was great too, with a fake HDMA effect. This being said, the design for the middle of the level seemed to falter, with the interior areas. Compared to the rest of the level, they felt bland and not as ambitious. It would've been neat to see the checker pattern somehow carry there as well. Regardless, it was a fun and creative level to play. -- Entry #114 Level Name: Mario: Lost Color Author: Whoamme Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 9/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 42/50 ST's comments: True to its name, this level went with good old black and white. It was a really neat gimmick, and generated puzzles in surprising ways, such as the P switch. The design of the level was puzzle-like and confusing, but it worked out pretty well and was fun to play. A clever level overall, sometimes it was too hard to figure out where to go next, and more enemies would've helped, but it was great otherwise. -- Entry #115 Level Name: Vanilla Rain Author: TheGamer Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 8/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: A very interesting submission, this one took a popular meme and made it a basis of the hack. The cutscenes were interesting, but were frequently mispelled, making it hard to understand. Level design was pretty good, though the cave area felt pretty excessive, and the overall level was on the long side. It was a shame parts of it weren't complete, as it would've really helped the hack, but it was pretty good regardless. I liked some of the palettes, but they could've used even more effort. While this was a nice level, parts felt rushed and it didn't really come together as well as it could have. -- Entry #116 Level Name: Twilit Hills Author: Argumentable Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 37/50 ST's comments: While there wasn't a whole lot that really stood out in this level, it was pleasant to play. The difficulty tilted a bit to the easy side, and the scrolling parts seemed a tad excessive, but it was nice to have a choice of areas. The palettes were decent, though more decoration in the level would've been nice. It felt like this level was missing something, and while it was put together without any errors, some more creativity and innovation in the design would've helped here. -- Entry #117 Level Name: The Hills Seek Vengeance Author: keckcellent Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 41/50 ST's comments: This was a really bizarre and creative level with an interesting premise. The hill enemies was shown several times in clever ways, from huge hills down to ones that popped out of pipes. There was a very interesting mix of sprite graphics used for objects here, and it was fun to see. Other than that, the palettes were alright. It was pretty fun to play and see what happened next, though the difficulty could be a bit spotty at times. All in all, an interesting level and one that was fun to play. -- Entry #118 Level Name: Black Day? Author: Counterfeit Creativity: 9/10 Difficulty: 9/10 Appeal: 10/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 9/10 TOTAL: 47/50 ST's comments: This was a really interesting, eerie, and above all, fun and memorable level. It's clear a lot of effort went into this one, with some real emphasis on more puzzle-oriented design. Though it was possible to just blaze through the level, finding the secret exit was well worth it and required some thought with the cryptic clues. This puzzle is great and I really enjoyed it. My only wish is that the first half of the level carried it too. It felt a little basic compared to the rest, but it was a great level to play overall with some nice palettes and great mu- oh i can't judge that -- Entry #119 Level Name: Cinnamon Coast Author: Bowser's Level Designer Creativity: 6/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 3/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 4/10 TOTAL: 26/50 ST's comments: If I could describe this level in one world, it would be "messy." The level itself felt really jumbled, with ledge tiles, arches and the like all over the place, and the palettes could have been better. It created an experience that was a bit hard to take in, and over time hampered the enjoyment. The level was pretty long, and I found myself losing interest over time. While I wouldn't call the level bad, it felt unpolished and needed more consideration of the audience. -- Entry #120 Level Name: Stop the Pollution Author: MAGUSANDMETROIDFTW Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 38/50 ST's comments: An interesting story and premise, this level did a good job at making you feel like you had a mission to do, and the progression made sense. The palettes did their job, though some parts, like the Rexes, felt a bit random. The level design was good, though a bit on the linear side, and there could've been a bit more in terms of decoration. Overall though, some neat ideas, such as going inside the box, helped make this one shine more and maked it memorable. -- Entry #121 Level Name: Bowser is a Jerk Author: tatanga Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 5/10 Functionality: 7/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 32/50 ST's comments: More than anything, this level really conveyed a sense of humor. I really got a laugh out of the cutscenes with Bowser and it helped drive me through the level. As for the actual design though, it was pretty disappointing. There were some neat parts, like the scrolling, but overall, it felt rather generic and heavily based on single themes. The ending also felt pretty anticlimatic and there was a general lack of custom palettes. Still, the level wins points for creativity here through its humor. -- Entry #122 Level Name: A Magical Mystery: The Saga Author: imamelia Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 6/10 Appeal: 7/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 6/10 TOTAL: 36/50 ST's comments: This level was long. Very long. At first, I only went through the nearest pipe and thought it was all there was to the level, but there was a lot more than I anticpated. I honestly didn't understand why all the pipes were clustered in level 104 with some glitched graphics though: some other sort of area would've fit a lot better. The areas themselves were varied, and some could be quite fun, but others felt a bit empty and frustrating. The dialogue was interesting, though sometimes felt out of character, and the level overall was a mix. It was interesting to see so many parts to it, but it ultimately made the level drag a bit more than it should've. Condensing each part would've helped: this is a single level, not an entire adventure. -- Entry #123 Level Name: Mountain Path Author: jesus Creativity: 7/10 Difficulty: 8/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 10/10 Fun: 8/10 TOTAL: 39/50 ST's comments: A really neat level, this one started out fairly basic, but had some interesting twists later, such as the glass section, as well as some neat graphical choices. Clearly, this was designed to be a difficult level, and those who like tougher ones will really like this. Thankfully though, it's tame enough so moderate players can enjoy it as well. The design was linear, but clever, and it stayed faced paced and enjoyable the whole way through, even when it got a little frustrating. -- Entry #124 Level Name: SMWorldbound 2: Bowser's Rage Author: TLMB Creativity: 8/10 Difficulty: 7/10 Appeal: 8/10 Functionality: 9/10 Fun: 7/10 TOTAL: 39/50 ST's comments: This contest wraps up on a high note with this level, that combined a lot of interesting elements together. There were a lot of neat parts, such as the tropical, snow, and airship area, and the design was pretty good. Colors and graphics were utilized well. The level itself felt a little jumbled though and didn't really fit together as a whole. It felt like the locations were random and had little to do with each other, but each was pretty nice otherwise. They did feel a bit short and easy though.