runouw.com

Ascent by NanTheDark

OVERALL SCORE: 18/20

Rating details:

--- Gameplay: 10/10
Alright, alright, I'm usually not the one to give away points that easily. But I must admit that this level was really really fun to me. It wasn't hard, which is good, even though if the difficulty slightly peaked at times, but it was long enough to not feel too easy. There is no checkpoint, but the difficulty is so perfect that you shouldn't die, but admitting you do, restarting from the beginning is no problem, because you know you will make it. And in case it IS too easy for someone, the Runouwians add a very nice challenge with an actual reward: a small witty commentary. Gameplay wise, I don't think I can find any flaw in your level. Maybe challenges are a bit redundant, but that is okay. Denouttaden.
--- Scenery: 3.5/5
Graphics were decent without being amazing. However I like how the level transitioned from grass floor to snow, giving a real feel of elevation. That was sweet.
--- Miscellaneous: 4.5/5
[+1] Okay, I really REALLY liked the Runouwians. That is an innovative bonus. Shroom was the best, Yuri also made me chuckle :3
[+1] Sweet God the music. It felt a little out of place at the very beginning, but as I continued my play through the level, it, somehow, fitted all my actions, calming down when I was on a safe spot, and getting intense during a series of jumps. I mean, how is that even possible? Probably mere luck, but it made my playthrough so much better.
[+0] I'm in the level
[-0.5] As much as I liked the Runouwians, some were a bit... unfair and hard to find. More hints would have been cool, I had to go through the Level Designer to find some of them (like Yuri or tnt)

--- Overall: 18/20
Well that was a really freaking sweet level. It isn't the most pretty, didn't feature the most innovative challenges but it was still a complete bliss to play. The bonuses and the music also really added to the experience.

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Sandworm Domain by Yurimaster

OVERALL SCORE: 19/20

Rating details:

--- Gameplay: 9.5/10
Well that was short, that was challenging. Pretty challenging even, but thank god, there was that checkpoint that was beautifully placed. The challenges were really fun and innovative and it really really REALLY had that New Super Mario Bros vibe, which I loved. The unique checkpoint, the creative gameplay, even the music (Zelda music!) fits New Super Mario Bros in a way. It was amazing all around. The fragment at the end with the moving sandworm was really great and amazingly fun. The only reason I don't rate this a perfect 10 is because there were, most of the time, no real room for error. If you happened to slip, you immediately fell to your death; Other than that, it was really sweet.
--- Scenery: 5/5
The tile combination, the worms, the flames, everything was perfect in this level. It all felt professional, so good job with that. I really liked the shine sprite at the end made with tiles.
--- Miscellaneous: 4.5/5
[+0.5] Using blocks to make worms isn't that new, but there is a way you used them that was really creative: the jumping worms with a floating platforms. Especially that part where you had to destroy the block beneath the platform to advance. Reminded me of Asphodel
[+0.5] The part with the moving sandworm ride at the end was also pretty sweet, obstacles were expertly placed.
[+0.5] As I said, music was really fitting. You both really did a good job when it comes to alternate music on this one.
[-0] I'm not in the level

--- Overall: 19/20
Nineteen? Well, that just happened. This level is truly a pure platformer masterpiece and an exact example of what portal levels should be. It has its flaws, but they are almost non-existent compared to the awesomeness packed in this level.

NANTHEDARK, Ascent

Fun: 7.75/10
I had a fun time with this level. Your platforming style was quite perceptible while going through it, and even if the platforming scheme was simple and a bit cheap, it was still fun, and had some pretty little gimmicks that added a special touch to the level. It had no amazing platforming concepts or special challenges, but just the pure old good platforming. The level was not challenging, but in some parts I fell by accident, and no checkpoint was there to help me, meaning I had start all over again.
Overall, it could have some more different concepts, and some changes in the structure to give the level a bit more different experience, but it was fun after all, and I liked it.

Graphics: 3.5/5
Your level, graphics-wise, wasn’t very good. No cutoff, decoration was used, but still, the graphic aspect of the level is kind of mediocre, for lack of a better expression. I couldn’t see tile variation, meaning it felt bland, missing the creativity and the inspiration. In the parts with the cave tiles, instead of putting different ground cave tiles, you just used just one type, so it looked a bit ugly. Also, the decoration items were placed in a rushed way. I could see some vines misplaced and with their bottom part showing (thanks to bugged item layering), some items were unaligned, and there was parts whose decoration was missing.
I was expecting more from you in this term, but there wasn’t any horrible mistake anyway. You just need to use your creativity and use some more tile variations, as well as item placement.

Other: 3.75/5
(+0.5) I liked the Runouwian characters concept. It was fun to explore the level and find them all.
(+0.25) Good alternative music.
(+0.25) Surprisingly, no lag, considering the length of the level and the amount of trees and items. The loading time was a little bit long though.
(-0.25) I was very disappointed with the fact that you did not use any different tile variation in the cave segments

OVERALL: 15/20

YURIMASTER, Sandworm Domain

Fun: 9/10
Fun was a strong point in your level. You used very powerful concepts, and they worked very well together, thus leading to an interesting and fun gameplay. Platforming was challenging, but not frustrating, so it was at the right difficulty. I really had a fun moment while dodging the worms (which is by the way a neat concept you used) and jumping through the varied platforming of the level, so the platforming did not felt cheap. The lag and the loading time were a little bit annoying, though I’m not getting points away from here. Also, sometimes the structure of the platforming was confusing, because I couldn’t exactly know where to go.
Overall, good job. I had a lot of fun with your levels, and it was full of great concepts.

Graphics: 5/5
Wow. Amazing job. The graphics of your level were simply flawless. The tile combinations and the decoration were simply excellent and I could not see anything wrong (except for maybe the worm with the bugged eyes in the end, but it was so small so forget it). If I could nitpick your level and seek every part for graphical fails, I would say that the desert had too much trees, which is not expectable from a desert, but you used the trees in a smart way, so I might as well give you props for that.

Other: 3.75/5
(+0.75) The worms are very clever. You used them well, adding some clever puzzles so I had to think to solve them, and I liked it.
(+0.25) Extra props for good alternate music, which I thought it really fits with your level.
(+0.0) Both lag and loading time were noticeable, but nothing too much important.
(-0.25) The quicksand was a good concept, too, but it didn’t worked very well. Sometimes I was easily able to escape its grasp, even using the worms and the platforms. There was times when the rotating platforms used in the quicksand threw me out, helping me to escape.

OVERALL: 17.75/20