Re: 20th Level Designer Contest
Posted: August 23rd, 2012, 10:38 amby MessengerOfDreams
So here's my work
"Wario is number one!": show
MessengerOfDreams wrote:
SuperMIC
Fun-10/10
I'm not usually much of a reader. I require bam-bam-boom action at all times. Bob-ombs, cars that cost a million coins; hell, throw in a sexy chick and I'm in. Give me a Transformers movie over Citizen Kane every day.
Either way, I still loved this series.
You provided that really perfect mix; like a Dark Knight recipe. Since I'm still taking the movie analogy. But the thing is that the story was balanced just right with the action gameplay, and the two fed off of each other seriously easily. Even the characters you portrayed are better than those in most of the movies I watch. Except Dark Knight, of course.
You're good at gameplay. You created your own rules, kind of, and took advantage of them. The blooper makes me think of that Venexis level (MessengerOfRules or whatever made us play a bunch of levels before we started- to promote his WITBLO product thing. A man after my own greedy heart, haha) only you gave it an original touch while still showing it was a tribute. The puzzles mixed with the platforming gorgeously, especially in part two.
And you didn't overwhelm us with novels too much- I mean you still made us cut off to the forums like that Dark story but this didn't feel like too much level or too much reading. Odd-to-place balance, you see. I liked that. I wasn't bored like some artsy foreign film. That Peach likes. And for some god-forsaken reason drags me and Mario to. Jesus, she ought to pay me for that; trying to culture me, my sweaty ♥♥♥.
The idea to make it a cliffhanger was a really good one, too. Since it brings itself into the official canon, it's a good touch. And overall, I thought it was great.
Graphics-4.5/5
Some of it was kind of weird, in some areas. Just looked a bit empty and lacking design, mostly in part three. I'm no 'cultured person' (so kiss my ♥♥♥ Peach) but even I know this- empty space, too much of it, ain't too sexy.
The rest of it was pretty awesome, though. Good tile usage, variation and risky elements. Especially part two. In the big cave castle pond I don't even, it all looked just super killer. Good work.
Other-4.25/5
+1 Fit the theme. There was no me, though, but not everything can handle all this. Bwahahaha.
+.5 The alternate music was overall pretty much perfect. Since you're telling the story it has to fit too, and it did. Like an awesome score, even if it's not yours, per se. Even the Legend of Zelda music fit. In fact it fit best of all.
+.5 I liked the alternate exit hunts. Also, DESU. Right?
+.5 for writing well and engaging people that way.
-.5 some pretty sizable lag. A lot of things jammed into one room.
-.5 you can cheap out of getting the metal cap by hitting the orange block sideways from just after the lava block in part three, which doesn't hurt you if you're invisible. Playyyytessssst.
-.25 The second checkpoint (or the one to the switch in the sky) for part two is kind of confusing, and it's easy to fall out. That room could have been done a lot better.
Overall-18.75/20
It was a pretty awesome work. Good job.
Buffooner
Fun- 8.5/10
It's simple, and thank god, it's very good. Usually simple levels open up a world of boring, but here it's different. The platforming isn't always very exciting, and there were good ideas not always carried through well (the replica bouncy blocks.) Either way, I enjoyed it. A big chunk of that was because it looked just like what I saw of Yoshi's Island in the video game. Many moments of "he did that, and that, and that, and that!" The red coin/flower-1up hunt, the bonus room where you fly through the coins like that, even the bonus room; it all was just totally Yoshi's Island. You deserve many props for your observation. Even the enemies were placed well.
Graphics-5/5
There was an instance, one or two, where the shadow edges in the jungle tile kind of cut off. There's a little doohickey tile that looks like a page turning, where there's a corner edge of shadow you put right under curving tiles. It makes it all better.
Not that I care, of course. Level gets a perfect five anyways. Everything from the subtle tile shapes to the item usage and everything in between looked just like Yoshi's Island. It's kind of scary, honestly. Good work.
Other-5/5
+1 for fitting the theme dead on.
+.5 the fact that no one has ever used that checkpoint until now is absolutely nuts. Brilliant idea that a lot of skeeves will rip off of you. Be warned.
+-0 Coins. Lots and lots of coins. I like money. Wait, I can't actually give out points for liking money? Whatever. We'll call it a dead even.
+.5 because the ability to easily replay this until it becomes so familiar it's almost boring but not enough to keep you from playing it even MORE is totally Yoshi's Island.
+name your amount of useless points cause we can't go over five- I like that unlike some failed attempts at levels, you didn't do a recreation; you copied the influence and made a unique level. This is more like a lost level than anything. I like that.
Overall-18.5/20
Good job. This is a dead ringer for YI and is still original and enjoyable. It better place high.
DarkBlaze
Fun-7.5/10
Pretty basic as far as platformers go. Nothing mindblowing, and sometimes it could drag on, but overall it was pretty strong and stuff. Had some good moments and its simplicity wasn't all bad, like Buff's level. Overall, though, I don't see it winning. It was a good level though.
Graphics-4.5/5
You actually made gray look pretty good. The different solid tiles mesh well together and don't blend in too much to the gray backdrop tile. The garden sections looked pretty good as well. It was a bit repetitive but the blend worked well.
Other-4/5
+.75 Not quite enough for a one, but it feels like that Galaxy game Mario made. Hard to do when you're in a flat game like this.
+.5 I liked the roundabout layout. It was unusual.
-.75 However, it gave way for some pretty heavy lag in some sections, what with so much being packed in tight space that system overload happens.
+.5 It fits your general style from what I've seen.
-0- The alternate music is IN Super Mario 63. Duhhhhh.
Overall-15.5/20
It won't win but it should do pretty good for itself.
Harmless
Fun-7/10
I do like ambition. It shows that you're really trying. And I don't really give a ♥♥♥♥ about trying without a monetary reward, so someone has to do it. You had a lot of ambition here, but the turnout wasn't always fantastic.
I did like a good number of parts of it, the basic gameplay. Being inside the NES is pretty awesome, because it opened the field for good gameplay and your interpretation was interesting. The SMB3 remake was actually pretty dead-on, good props. Although it was weird that it was the only random game being replicated in the NES, but hey, better than all the SMB 1-1 remakes.
The Bowser's castle was overall kind of dismissable. I played it and didn't really care for it but didn't hate it. The chase from the NES was pretty decent, but not as good as other chase-me bosses. The last level was really underwhelming as well.
The story… sometimes it was pretty compelling and funny, other times it was just clichéd and cringe-worthy. Either way, I wasn't a fan of how you included characters that weren't visible throughout the whooooooole level, but hey, what can you do.
A pretty good series. Sometimes your ambition paid off, other times it just swung around and sucker punched you in the nads.
Graphics-3.75/5
The worst it got was bland, but there was a lot of bland, mostly in the castle. Sometimes the tiling was good, mostly in the grasslands section, but even then it didn't stand out; needed more items. Inside the NES looked really awesome, though, so that gets you points. The SMB3 replica looked surprisingly good; big fan of the treatment you gave the items.
Other-4/5
+1.25 Fit the theme exceptionally well, whether I liked the story or not.
-.5 The race to finish doesn't feel really… race-like. Trust me. I ride motorcycles. I know fast.
+.25 Never thought I'd say this during my tenure as a judge… those sunglasses are awesome. Extra points for sunglasses.
Overall-14.75/20
The ambition was good, and it worked and it didn't work.
GMDragon11
Fun-6/10
The exploration element was pretty decent, but there wasn't much done here I haven't seen before. And I haven't even bothered to see that much. That's pretty bad. I did like the metal cap to some extent, though. Metal caps are reserved for the awesome.
Graphics-4/5
I thought the tile blends were decent, and it gave it an interesting feel. Otherwise, though, not too impressive. At least there was no cutoff.
Other-0/5
-2 The worst lag that has ever existed. EVER. And you know why it's there? You didn't playtest and you didn't put in level transitions. I was down at totally consistent 02-05FPS, most of the level.
-1 What about this level pays tribute or captures the feel of Mario? This feels nothing like it.
Overall-10/20
Hell, there were flaws so large that it kept it from being decent.
Kirby859
Fun-9/10
This is difficulty done right. It's completely possible to beat it in one go. It's hard as hell to, though. I would play this many times. Not quite Kaizo but a good tribute to it, not that I really go on the internet. No siree. Never.
Graphics-4.25/5
It's pretty plain, but what did I expect? Tiling was good and the whole items above nothing threw me off, but were otherwise good. And for a gameplay-practical level I have to admit it looks surprisingly good.
Other-4/5
+1 for a good tribute to a lesser known part of Mario- the Kaizo realm.
+.5 for great alternate music.
Overall-17.75/20
Seriously surprised by this level.
Bomberman101
Fun-4.5/10
The big thing this had going was that it was fun to explore and all the different paths you could take. The platforming wasn't excellent but it wasn't bad. The story let it down though; I really don't like when you have big stories full of people who don't show up in the level. Especially when one is me. Bah.
But how in the HELL did you manage to make a block boss SUCH a chore? It was waaay too long, it lagged waaaay too much and it was just overdone. I appreciate you giving me a tank but if I'm not IN it, why should I care? Bah again.
Graphics-3.5/5
It was pretty decent at best. Not too much decoration, and your tiling ranges between good and bad. Middle-of-the-pack.
Other-2.5/5
-1.5 there was lag all over the place and long loading times for a very obvious reason- why on earth was the level at the maximum dimensions? It did not need to be and the most productive thing we got from it was minute long falls for no reason. Good effect, bad gameplay. Also, the boss being too long in part two gave it game-breaking lag.
+1 Well, the Super Smash Brothers' Subspace Emissary is technically a 'Mario' game and it was a creative choice. So yay.
Overall-10.5/20
It was huge. When it didn't need to be. There IS such a thing as too much ambition, I guess.
Nwolf
Fun-8.75/10
I'm surprised at what an immaculate replication of a Super Mario 64 level you did with a 2D level while keeping it so small. And it actually worked in its favor. I didn't think it would, but it did. And Rainbow Road was just a freakishly brilliant interpretation. It was sort of repetitive, but that's where that rock planet comes in. Since the trampoline thing is touch and go, relying on it a ton can get sort of draggy, but it simulated low gravity awesomely. It was just really awesome.
Graphics-4.75/5
Although the rainbow road got repetitive, it looked brilliant, and overall everything was just pretty much sort of… perfect, honestly.
Other-4.5/5
+.5 While I don't see why they're connected, they both fit the theme well.
+.5 THAT PIANO.
+.5 The alternate music was from their games, and that's what was needed. Good work.
Overall-18/20
Talk about outdoing your personal best. It's sure to place very well.
Lordpat
Fun-8/10
I think you did pretty fine here. It retains a good multi-mission Super Mario Galaxy feel. Sure, I'm not in it, but I have to respect that you did fine. The ancient ruin part felt kind of drab compared to the rest, but still had decent platforming and the rest was pretty excellent. Ran smooth, had different levels of difficulty, and different types of gameplay- a tower climb, an in-space platformer and a giant boss. I think you did very well.
Graphics-4.5/5
I really liked the incorporation with checker tiles with the grass. It should by no means have worked, but it did. And it all looked pretty great, too. The boss looked goofy yet intimidating. How Miyamoto is that? The tower felt sort of repetitious and drab just as in gameplay but it's only a small mark on a good level.
Other-3/5
+1 for following the theme.
-.5 There was massive loading times, but I don't think there was anything you could do about it so I'll be light. Didn't help that we had to reload the level, though.
-.5 Some lag in some spots, particularly the tower.
Overall-15.5/20
It fell flat in some spaces, but overall it was very solid.
Arceus
Fun-5.5/10
The recreations were pretty fun to play but it actually fell pretty flat in the way that it lacked something, you know, other than a perfect replica. And it was confusing to navigate. I am not good with directions. Grr.
Graphics-3.5/5
It looks like a good replica but is often pretty messy.
Other-2.5/5
-1 for starting the level at the wrong place. It utterly confused me.
+.5 Fits the theme decently.
Overall-11.5/20
For a replica level it's good, just not memorable.
Blackyoshi
Fun-8.75/10
It's GIGANTIC. And a good gigantic, too. True, its biggest problem is that it is in fact overwhelming, but that's more of a taste thing, personally. Hey, what can I say? You can't satisfy me. Deal with it. B-)
Nah, I'm just kidding. It's tons of fun, what with everything you get to explore. Mazes for red coins and/or silver stars. You get lost pretty easy, but I guess that's part of the fun. I see you tried for a Yoshi's Island theme. It wasn't nearly as successful as Buffooner's, but you did the red coin/silver flower hunt in a completely different interpretation, what with taking advantage of the SM63 system so that way you had to find them. I liked that.
Graphics-4.75/5
It's just incredible, man. It's overvegetated in the best, most Yoshi's Islandest way. The only thing I'd suggest improving is your tile edging whatjamajigger, just like I told Buff. I'd let you slide but that problem is waaay more noticeable. Otherwise, it's just impeccable.
Other-3/5
+.5 Even if it's not totally Yoshi's Island, it fits the theme.
-1 I guess it comes with the price tag of having an overdecorated gigantic maze level or two, but big loading times and some pretty bad lag sometimes. I knew what I was getting into, though.
+.5 I loved that wooden hut.
Overall-16.5/20
Even though being huge comes with its flaws… it still was extremely epic. Trust me, I should know. Bwahahahaha.
MushYoshi
Fun-5/10
Different approach, yes. More fun, no. It's like you went too far and took the speed out of the level and now it just drags on. A bad combination of lag and going around and not seeming to make any real progress is what does this one in. Sure, everything is constructed well but it's not constructed towards really anything to remember.
Graphics-2/5
A one-tile look for most of the level just makes it really dull. Other sections aren't huge help.
Other-1/5
-1- it doesn't seem to fit a certain Mario theme at all. Feels more like average Sm63.
-1- lots of lag and no transition. Gragh.
Overall-8/20
Typical, predictable fast is better than a change into super slow.
"Yay for Luigi. ^_^": show
DageTheGood
Fun-5/10
It was an average platformer for the most part, really. I mean, as much as you tried to spice it up your idea of good gameplay was basic jump this and dodge that and massive enemy spam. Nothing to it.
Graphics-3/5
Everything has decent detail, really, but the final section is just way too barren.
Other-3.5/5
+.5 Actually you have a decent sense of humor for a level designer. I don't see it much
+0- I like how the theme was about Dage hijacking the theme (which is a really clever concept) however that kind of steals the spotlight from Mario.
Overall-11.5/20
It was a mediocre experienced reason spiced up by a good point of view. Keep trying!
Themagikoopaguy
Fun-3.25/10
This just fell really, really flat. What could have been a good story turns out to be completely underwhelming, with a less-than-stellar execution that has little to no effect on the level. The levels themselves are really underwhelming and not up to par with even the average levels of today. The two remakes were pretty decent but not very memorable. The other levels were just incredibly underwhelming. So much could have come out of it but there wasn't much to speak of.
Graphics-1.75/5
The 1-1 interpretation was actually really well executed and I liked it. The second level was, eh, okay. However, we get to the third level, which is honestly just awful. The cutoff is just much too blatant. There is little to no form and it's just so, so awful. Levels four and five were also decent but level three just brought everything down. You should have known better seeing your tiling before.
Other- 1.75/5
+.25 It had somewhat of a Mario theme but it wasn't taken advantage of.
-.5 Having Wario as a boss could have been great if you had actually tried something creative, but making him a bully bill was just really poor.
-.5 Both bully bosses are easily avoidable
-1 The entire third level can be cheated by using the water to get to the top.
+.5 I liked the inclusion of the bonus coin rooms.
Overall-6.75/20
An utter misfire- so much more could have been done.
Spikebot8
Fun-2/10
This was just kind of a mess and I don't even think it was finishable. The platforming was nearly nonexistent, the maze was just unconstructed and overall it was just incomprehensible. I also wasn't a fan of stretches where we did nothing but walk through long stretches.
Graphics-2/5
Some of it was almost pretty cool but most was either bland or just a lava-filled mess, i.e. the beginning.
Other-0/5
-1.5 for extreme lag due to utterly useless breaking of an endless row of 30 coin blocks. It made it near impossible to play.
-.5 for barely fitting theme.
Overall-4/20
*sigh* It just wasn't good.
Discord
Fun-5/10
The concept made it somewhat entertaining and intriguing, and the platforming wasn't all that bland, but yeah, it wasn't nearly as good as other entries. Then again, not as bad as others.
Graphics-2.5/5
Sometimes the low-key, barely-designed atmosphere works well, other times it doesn't.
Other-3/5
+.5 Interesting concept that maybe you could take farther once you improve.
-.5 it doesn't really fit the Mario theme well.
Overall-10.5/20
It wasn't very good but it was a nice start; I liked the concept.
Pedalpowerluigi
Fun-3.5/10
I loved the concept- it could have been great! I wondered why Runouw didn't make a level for the Tiny-Huge Island. Even if I wasn't fond of my adventures there at the time, in retrospect, the place was kind of awesome.
This didn't live up to it at all. It was simply bland platforming, and confusing ones at that. I couldn't find my way around because everything looked similar. I can see you were trying to replicate it perfectly, but you didn't need to try that. What Runouw did in Super Mario 63, y'see, was redesign all the SM63 levels with their original concepts as inspiration. You could have tried that and it would have been extraordinary. It's just that 2-D replications of 3-D levels rarely ever work right.
Graphics-1.5/5
It was a risk to use castle tiles under jungle tiles, but it didn't pay off. They didn't fit the boundaries of the tile and it overall didn't mesh well at all. Leaving it clear would have served it better. Other than that, little décor and tile variation.
Other-5/5
+1.25 Fit the theme well, even with poor execution. The concept earns you bouns points; it was easy to see you tried to make it work.
+.5 I liked the beginning with the two paintings. What a throwback!
+.25 Tree warps, just like SM64!
Overall-10/20
The level turned out poor, but it was a risk and you took it.
Yoshi999
Fun-4/10
S'ok, I guess. It really wasn't very original or anywhere up to your standards set in Snow Cone. It was just very ehh. I'd even say the actual castles I've been in were more fun than that; keep in mind that I'm usually scared out of several sets of wits in those things so… yeah. Not great.
Graphics-2/5
Nothing was out of place, but nothing looked very great either. It was all bland and red with no spice or variety.
Other- 1.5/5
-1.75 for incompleteness. The first level would suffice on its own, but it really needed a part two to make it seem worthwhile.
-.25 what's with those coins and 1ups in the lava, hmm?
+.5 it sort of fit the theme, but still felt too basic.
Overall-7.5/20
Just not that… great.
ZealousMark
Fun-7/10
Wow, is this your first level? Because for a first level (I tried once… don't ask) this is pretty good! You already got the cap star mechanics down well and some pretty decent platforming to boot. It's not the grandest level, I'll say that, but it was a fun play.
Graphics-3.75/5
It was pretty basic in the castle, but there was no cutoff or anything, and outside in the snow actually really looked good. Good techniques for a beginner!
Other-4.25/5
+1 Oh my grambi, how excellent was this concept? One of the questions that would bug me until I died was 'what in the hell is in that locked cabin?' You get a point just for helping solve a mystery in my life. xD
+1 and as such, it fit the theme quite well; meshing with Super Mario 63 quite nicely.
-.5 The block boss had pretty decent effect, but if you get squished you got pushed underneath it. Not quite goodly.
-.25 Falling Under The Igloo could squish you to death. Not goodly either.
Overall-15/20
I think this will sneak you in the top 10.
CrazyMario
Fun-5/10
I liked that you put effort into it, but in the end despite a few nice challenges there really wasn't much of anything to it.
Graphics-3.5/5
Nice tiling, but overall it didn't look much interesting.
Other-3.5/5
+.5 Hard to tell but it feels kind of Mario (Brothers. )
Overall-12/20
Don't expect a very high placing; it was good, but not really good.
Star king and MP3 Amplifier
Fun-8.5/10
Where to begin?
This is utterly giant. If you wanted to create a whole game in a couple of months with another game, (there's an Inception joke in there somewhere) then you, my friends, succeeded at that. And as every game does (yes, even ours, haha), it has its great moments and its poor ones.
I think the story was just fine and worked well with the general Mario theme. It wasn't overbearing but it really defined the game as it was. Of course, the part I really liked was that you created a platforming game that mixed a lot of references to our series and yet totally felt original… and yet, still Mario brothers. I have to commend you for that. A mixture of old-fashioned Mario schematics with what every game needs-new things! Things like customly-designed puzzle rooms, throwback bosses given new flair, and your original boss of course. A mixture of old and new serves this game quite well- it's well balanced. The difficulty was pretty properly balanced per level- proper progression and never too overwhelming.
My favorite level was maybe the castle. There were just a lot of good elements to it- the snake platformer was classic, as was the directional switch room, so pat yourself on the back, Star king. My favorite boss (aside from the remarkable Hanmeus) was Blarg- you made it look and act just like Blarg even completely outside of lava! Go Amp- MP3! Or so I'm told, haha.
My complaint is that sometimes, as a platformer, it kind of felt flat. There were too many awkward jumps to make- a few are fine but they were just littered here. It ruins the flow to have to do a lot of triple jumps in a row, honestly. Of course most of it was quite good and flowed well which justifies your score but when it doesn't, it bites.
Overall, though? I'd cry out success. What a fantastic work- took a lot of risk and it paid off well for the most part.
Graphics -4.5/5
For the most part, what is said in fun goes over to graphics, specifically the second paragraph. It retains a classic Mario feel but still ushers in the intricate, advanced style that I've gathered from the modern age of Super Mario 63 designing. I mean, wow, it is just so intricate and detailed- not one thing was ignored and you just mixed everything up. I'm heavily, heavily impressed. The bosses also looked incredibly convincing as well.
The reason, however, that this isn't a perfect five is because it did have a few flaws. My main graphical complaints lie in Mirror Mount (sorry Amp!) Having that set in a lava cave was just a really bad idea, to be honest, because it made everything feel off. The way we started on the snow, the way we were supposed to be climbing a mount inside a volcano… it was disorienting. A plain sky background would have conveyed the same thing, or even outside fire fields. The setting just didn't work. And some of the places that just had random platforming items strewn around was very off as well. Another thing I didn't like was that there was just too much- sometimes it felt overdesigned. (More of a Star king thing, unfortunately). Like, the different whirlwind of tiles and colors really just spun my stomach and gave me a headache. It's just too much sometimes, especially in the castle.
Overall, though, I think it was fantasic, just held back by some noticeable flaws.
Other-3.75/5
-1.5 You knew this was coming. Loading times. I try to be lenient about this, seeing as sometimes it just can't be helped. Every single level took at least a minute to load. Border Lands took up to five, with multiple flash screens. It's one thing for a level to take awhile. It's another when a level makes you say "Okay, how badly do I want to play this?" If I weren't a judge, and dying meant a five minute loading time, I'd consider not playing. That's just not good at all.
+1.25 I really just loved all the tribute touches everything had. From the coin box platform incorporations a la 1-1, the wing cap hut from Super Mario 64, the rotating castle, Blarg himself, there were just of small recognizable touches that just made me go "Oh yeah, that time! *shudder* oh yeah… that time."
+1 for an exceptional, memorable boss. It's a hard feat to bring a satisfying end to a series this big, and yet you did it.
Overall-16.75/20
Despite having its flaws, it succeeded in bringing a cohesive, collected and very well presented original game series to the table. I don't see it doing too badly, honestly.
Canine
Fun-6.75/10
It wasn't the most original play, but it was clean and fun. A bit of puzzle, a bit of platforming. Some of it fell flat (the sort-of-castle thing, the FLUDDs made some things too easy) but otherwise I liked it, especially the opportunity to pull off a sexy Turbo FLUDD triple jump.
Graphics-3.75/5
The indoor sections were incredibly lackluster- little form and no real walls. The outdoor sections were a good deal better, however; they felt like chunks of planets. I especially liked the garden planet; very overvegetated but that's what I liked.
Other-2.5/5
-.5 It doesn't really feel much like Mario; somewhat like Galaxy and some SM63, but it doesn't feel like you tried.
Overall-13/20
It had moments, but some flaws held it back from a better score.
Blazeron1
Fun-3/10
The main part of the level had some good moments, moments that seemed like old fashioned castle. But overall it was bland at best, with nothing too far out of the ordinary. It also had some really bad moments- the breakable block maze was executed poorly and the whole roof of the castle was wasted space. It was a loss, really, because much more could have come from that.
Graphics-2/5
It had moments that looked good, with that old castle flair, but again, it was attacked by blandness. The roof was utterly empty and the block maze was just ugly. I'm sorry, but I didn't like it.
Other-2.5/5
-1.5 for blinding and avoidable lag. You should have moved the roof to a different transition. If you god forbid had to do that block maze you shouldn't have had 30-coin blockbreakers for every one. You should have had transitions. I'm talking 0.4 frames per second.
+.5 For partial theme following in the old castle sections.
+.5 You do know what you're doing with some tricks like the flametowers and the healing star. It makes the bad sections more frustrating though because you do know how to design; you just can't see it.
Overall-7.5/20
It was just a lost chance. It was almost great but instead it turned out pretty awful.
Lunkinex
Fun-6.5/10
Grr.
I'm frustrated, do you know that? I'm frustrated because you have here one brilliantly fun level, one that's pretty good, one that's about mediocre and one that has a good path and an awful path. It's like five different people designed this series.
Level one was the bi-polar one. I quite liked the green underground maze; the platforming was a bit basic but the atmosphere was nice. The grasslands, however, were utterly forgettable. Level two's red coin maze? It was alright; not very original or creative but I didn't hate playing it.
Level three was where the magic happened. That level was exceptionally fun! It pulled off some Miyamoto flair and had clever, balanced platforming, good usage of both decorative and playing items and the final three rooms played out incredibly well. It was just really enjoyable- if that level were on its own, you'd easily end here with a 16 or 17.
Level four was a mixed bag- some sections were clever and well done but for the most part it really dragged on; poor item usage and overdrawn pacing. The boss fight was pretty clever although the series seemed to end quite abruptly.
It really was just all over the place. I'd have loved to give this a higher score but there were many things that really held it back.
Graphics-3/5
Dead even because, again, some parts looked good, others looked bad. The green room was done well, if not a bit basic. The grassland section looked horrible- no decorative item usage and tons of slope cutoff in what could have potentially looked great. Level two was pretty decent- good tile usage but still pretty empty. Level three looked magnificent with only oddly sloped desert tiles to complain about. Level four had lava cutoff, tons of it, and otherwise looked pretty basic. So I'll go with a three.
But you know what frustrates me? How on earth could you have made such a great looking level with part three and with such clean tile usage in part two and not recognize that part one looked so awful? I would reckon you knew what you were doing!
Other-3.25/5
-1 Many little flaws that made the experience frustrating, albeit not game-breaking. A lot of times in level four (and to some extent, two) you layered too many items on top of each other- flipping platforms through pendulums through more flipping platforms pretty much ensures unnecessary insta-death that's too hard to pass. You ended green platforms too early in some parts so they dropped you in lava when they disappeared, not onto a solid place- that's unfair. In part three you couldn't really get past those gold pillar blocks in the desert because they moved too fast and allowed little open space. In part one you never indicated that two silver stars were needed, and once you got in the underground section you couldn't backtrack. Overall, these should have been noticed.
+.75 I really loved the plot twist at the end with Peach. You left the logic flaw "well, how does Peach know everything we're doing… through letter… as we go along… while being kidnapped?" The solution was just marvelous. Good thinking. (I always figured that Peach had something suspicious going on with Bowser, but nope, Mario just won't listen to me.)
+.5 Although it lost the Mario-like feel sometimes, it retained it with a pretty decent story and a familiar atmosphere.
Overall-12.75/20
I'm disappointed because some parts could have easily scored higher than I gave you, but there was just a mountain of flaws to hinder you.
Fun-5/10
It was an average platformer for the most part, really. I mean, as much as you tried to spice it up your idea of good gameplay was basic jump this and dodge that and massive enemy spam. Nothing to it.
Graphics-3/5
Everything has decent detail, really, but the final section is just way too barren.
Other-3.5/5
+.5 Actually you have a decent sense of humor for a level designer. I don't see it much
+0- I like how the theme was about Dage hijacking the theme (which is a really clever concept) however that kind of steals the spotlight from Mario.
Overall-11.5/20
It was a mediocre experienced reason spiced up by a good point of view. Keep trying!
Themagikoopaguy
Fun-3.25/10
This just fell really, really flat. What could have been a good story turns out to be completely underwhelming, with a less-than-stellar execution that has little to no effect on the level. The levels themselves are really underwhelming and not up to par with even the average levels of today. The two remakes were pretty decent but not very memorable. The other levels were just incredibly underwhelming. So much could have come out of it but there wasn't much to speak of.
Graphics-1.75/5
The 1-1 interpretation was actually really well executed and I liked it. The second level was, eh, okay. However, we get to the third level, which is honestly just awful. The cutoff is just much too blatant. There is little to no form and it's just so, so awful. Levels four and five were also decent but level three just brought everything down. You should have known better seeing your tiling before.
Other- 1.75/5
+.25 It had somewhat of a Mario theme but it wasn't taken advantage of.
-.5 Having Wario as a boss could have been great if you had actually tried something creative, but making him a bully bill was just really poor.
-.5 Both bully bosses are easily avoidable
-1 The entire third level can be cheated by using the water to get to the top.
+.5 I liked the inclusion of the bonus coin rooms.
Overall-6.75/20
An utter misfire- so much more could have been done.
Spikebot8
Fun-2/10
This was just kind of a mess and I don't even think it was finishable. The platforming was nearly nonexistent, the maze was just unconstructed and overall it was just incomprehensible. I also wasn't a fan of stretches where we did nothing but walk through long stretches.
Graphics-2/5
Some of it was almost pretty cool but most was either bland or just a lava-filled mess, i.e. the beginning.
Other-0/5
-1.5 for extreme lag due to utterly useless breaking of an endless row of 30 coin blocks. It made it near impossible to play.
-.5 for barely fitting theme.
Overall-4/20
*sigh* It just wasn't good.
Discord
Fun-5/10
The concept made it somewhat entertaining and intriguing, and the platforming wasn't all that bland, but yeah, it wasn't nearly as good as other entries. Then again, not as bad as others.
Graphics-2.5/5
Sometimes the low-key, barely-designed atmosphere works well, other times it doesn't.
Other-3/5
+.5 Interesting concept that maybe you could take farther once you improve.
-.5 it doesn't really fit the Mario theme well.
Overall-10.5/20
It wasn't very good but it was a nice start; I liked the concept.
Pedalpowerluigi
Fun-3.5/10
I loved the concept- it could have been great! I wondered why Runouw didn't make a level for the Tiny-Huge Island. Even if I wasn't fond of my adventures there at the time, in retrospect, the place was kind of awesome.
This didn't live up to it at all. It was simply bland platforming, and confusing ones at that. I couldn't find my way around because everything looked similar. I can see you were trying to replicate it perfectly, but you didn't need to try that. What Runouw did in Super Mario 63, y'see, was redesign all the SM63 levels with their original concepts as inspiration. You could have tried that and it would have been extraordinary. It's just that 2-D replications of 3-D levels rarely ever work right.
Graphics-1.5/5
It was a risk to use castle tiles under jungle tiles, but it didn't pay off. They didn't fit the boundaries of the tile and it overall didn't mesh well at all. Leaving it clear would have served it better. Other than that, little décor and tile variation.
Other-5/5
+1.25 Fit the theme well, even with poor execution. The concept earns you bouns points; it was easy to see you tried to make it work.
+.5 I liked the beginning with the two paintings. What a throwback!
+.25 Tree warps, just like SM64!
Overall-10/20
The level turned out poor, but it was a risk and you took it.
Yoshi999
Fun-4/10
S'ok, I guess. It really wasn't very original or anywhere up to your standards set in Snow Cone. It was just very ehh. I'd even say the actual castles I've been in were more fun than that; keep in mind that I'm usually scared out of several sets of wits in those things so… yeah. Not great.
Graphics-2/5
Nothing was out of place, but nothing looked very great either. It was all bland and red with no spice or variety.
Other- 1.5/5
-1.75 for incompleteness. The first level would suffice on its own, but it really needed a part two to make it seem worthwhile.
-.25 what's with those coins and 1ups in the lava, hmm?
+.5 it sort of fit the theme, but still felt too basic.
Overall-7.5/20
Just not that… great.
ZealousMark
Fun-7/10
Wow, is this your first level? Because for a first level (I tried once… don't ask) this is pretty good! You already got the cap star mechanics down well and some pretty decent platforming to boot. It's not the grandest level, I'll say that, but it was a fun play.
Graphics-3.75/5
It was pretty basic in the castle, but there was no cutoff or anything, and outside in the snow actually really looked good. Good techniques for a beginner!
Other-4.25/5
+1 Oh my grambi, how excellent was this concept? One of the questions that would bug me until I died was 'what in the hell is in that locked cabin?' You get a point just for helping solve a mystery in my life. xD
+1 and as such, it fit the theme quite well; meshing with Super Mario 63 quite nicely.
-.5 The block boss had pretty decent effect, but if you get squished you got pushed underneath it. Not quite goodly.
-.25 Falling Under The Igloo could squish you to death. Not goodly either.
Overall-15/20
I think this will sneak you in the top 10.
CrazyMario
Fun-5/10
I liked that you put effort into it, but in the end despite a few nice challenges there really wasn't much of anything to it.
Graphics-3.5/5
Nice tiling, but overall it didn't look much interesting.
Other-3.5/5
+.5 Hard to tell but it feels kind of Mario (Brothers. )
Overall-12/20
Don't expect a very high placing; it was good, but not really good.
Star king and MP3 Amplifier
Fun-8.5/10
Where to begin?
This is utterly giant. If you wanted to create a whole game in a couple of months with another game, (there's an Inception joke in there somewhere) then you, my friends, succeeded at that. And as every game does (yes, even ours, haha), it has its great moments and its poor ones.
I think the story was just fine and worked well with the general Mario theme. It wasn't overbearing but it really defined the game as it was. Of course, the part I really liked was that you created a platforming game that mixed a lot of references to our series and yet totally felt original… and yet, still Mario brothers. I have to commend you for that. A mixture of old-fashioned Mario schematics with what every game needs-new things! Things like customly-designed puzzle rooms, throwback bosses given new flair, and your original boss of course. A mixture of old and new serves this game quite well- it's well balanced. The difficulty was pretty properly balanced per level- proper progression and never too overwhelming.
My favorite level was maybe the castle. There were just a lot of good elements to it- the snake platformer was classic, as was the directional switch room, so pat yourself on the back, Star king. My favorite boss (aside from the remarkable Hanmeus) was Blarg- you made it look and act just like Blarg even completely outside of lava! Go Amp- MP3! Or so I'm told, haha.
My complaint is that sometimes, as a platformer, it kind of felt flat. There were too many awkward jumps to make- a few are fine but they were just littered here. It ruins the flow to have to do a lot of triple jumps in a row, honestly. Of course most of it was quite good and flowed well which justifies your score but when it doesn't, it bites.
Overall, though? I'd cry out success. What a fantastic work- took a lot of risk and it paid off well for the most part.
Graphics -4.5/5
For the most part, what is said in fun goes over to graphics, specifically the second paragraph. It retains a classic Mario feel but still ushers in the intricate, advanced style that I've gathered from the modern age of Super Mario 63 designing. I mean, wow, it is just so intricate and detailed- not one thing was ignored and you just mixed everything up. I'm heavily, heavily impressed. The bosses also looked incredibly convincing as well.
The reason, however, that this isn't a perfect five is because it did have a few flaws. My main graphical complaints lie in Mirror Mount (sorry Amp!) Having that set in a lava cave was just a really bad idea, to be honest, because it made everything feel off. The way we started on the snow, the way we were supposed to be climbing a mount inside a volcano… it was disorienting. A plain sky background would have conveyed the same thing, or even outside fire fields. The setting just didn't work. And some of the places that just had random platforming items strewn around was very off as well. Another thing I didn't like was that there was just too much- sometimes it felt overdesigned. (More of a Star king thing, unfortunately). Like, the different whirlwind of tiles and colors really just spun my stomach and gave me a headache. It's just too much sometimes, especially in the castle.
Overall, though, I think it was fantasic, just held back by some noticeable flaws.
Other-3.75/5
-1.5 You knew this was coming. Loading times. I try to be lenient about this, seeing as sometimes it just can't be helped. Every single level took at least a minute to load. Border Lands took up to five, with multiple flash screens. It's one thing for a level to take awhile. It's another when a level makes you say "Okay, how badly do I want to play this?" If I weren't a judge, and dying meant a five minute loading time, I'd consider not playing. That's just not good at all.
+1.25 I really just loved all the tribute touches everything had. From the coin box platform incorporations a la 1-1, the wing cap hut from Super Mario 64, the rotating castle, Blarg himself, there were just of small recognizable touches that just made me go "Oh yeah, that time! *shudder* oh yeah… that time."
+1 for an exceptional, memorable boss. It's a hard feat to bring a satisfying end to a series this big, and yet you did it.
Overall-16.75/20
Despite having its flaws, it succeeded in bringing a cohesive, collected and very well presented original game series to the table. I don't see it doing too badly, honestly.
Canine
Fun-6.75/10
It wasn't the most original play, but it was clean and fun. A bit of puzzle, a bit of platforming. Some of it fell flat (the sort-of-castle thing, the FLUDDs made some things too easy) but otherwise I liked it, especially the opportunity to pull off a sexy Turbo FLUDD triple jump.
Graphics-3.75/5
The indoor sections were incredibly lackluster- little form and no real walls. The outdoor sections were a good deal better, however; they felt like chunks of planets. I especially liked the garden planet; very overvegetated but that's what I liked.
Other-2.5/5
-.5 It doesn't really feel much like Mario; somewhat like Galaxy and some SM63, but it doesn't feel like you tried.
Overall-13/20
It had moments, but some flaws held it back from a better score.
Blazeron1
Fun-3/10
The main part of the level had some good moments, moments that seemed like old fashioned castle. But overall it was bland at best, with nothing too far out of the ordinary. It also had some really bad moments- the breakable block maze was executed poorly and the whole roof of the castle was wasted space. It was a loss, really, because much more could have come from that.
Graphics-2/5
It had moments that looked good, with that old castle flair, but again, it was attacked by blandness. The roof was utterly empty and the block maze was just ugly. I'm sorry, but I didn't like it.
Other-2.5/5
-1.5 for blinding and avoidable lag. You should have moved the roof to a different transition. If you god forbid had to do that block maze you shouldn't have had 30-coin blockbreakers for every one. You should have had transitions. I'm talking 0.4 frames per second.
+.5 For partial theme following in the old castle sections.
+.5 You do know what you're doing with some tricks like the flametowers and the healing star. It makes the bad sections more frustrating though because you do know how to design; you just can't see it.
Overall-7.5/20
It was just a lost chance. It was almost great but instead it turned out pretty awful.
Lunkinex
Fun-6.5/10
Grr.
I'm frustrated, do you know that? I'm frustrated because you have here one brilliantly fun level, one that's pretty good, one that's about mediocre and one that has a good path and an awful path. It's like five different people designed this series.
Level one was the bi-polar one. I quite liked the green underground maze; the platforming was a bit basic but the atmosphere was nice. The grasslands, however, were utterly forgettable. Level two's red coin maze? It was alright; not very original or creative but I didn't hate playing it.
Level three was where the magic happened. That level was exceptionally fun! It pulled off some Miyamoto flair and had clever, balanced platforming, good usage of both decorative and playing items and the final three rooms played out incredibly well. It was just really enjoyable- if that level were on its own, you'd easily end here with a 16 or 17.
Level four was a mixed bag- some sections were clever and well done but for the most part it really dragged on; poor item usage and overdrawn pacing. The boss fight was pretty clever although the series seemed to end quite abruptly.
It really was just all over the place. I'd have loved to give this a higher score but there were many things that really held it back.
Graphics-3/5
Dead even because, again, some parts looked good, others looked bad. The green room was done well, if not a bit basic. The grassland section looked horrible- no decorative item usage and tons of slope cutoff in what could have potentially looked great. Level two was pretty decent- good tile usage but still pretty empty. Level three looked magnificent with only oddly sloped desert tiles to complain about. Level four had lava cutoff, tons of it, and otherwise looked pretty basic. So I'll go with a three.
But you know what frustrates me? How on earth could you have made such a great looking level with part three and with such clean tile usage in part two and not recognize that part one looked so awful? I would reckon you knew what you were doing!
Other-3.25/5
-1 Many little flaws that made the experience frustrating, albeit not game-breaking. A lot of times in level four (and to some extent, two) you layered too many items on top of each other- flipping platforms through pendulums through more flipping platforms pretty much ensures unnecessary insta-death that's too hard to pass. You ended green platforms too early in some parts so they dropped you in lava when they disappeared, not onto a solid place- that's unfair. In part three you couldn't really get past those gold pillar blocks in the desert because they moved too fast and allowed little open space. In part one you never indicated that two silver stars were needed, and once you got in the underground section you couldn't backtrack. Overall, these should have been noticed.
+.75 I really loved the plot twist at the end with Peach. You left the logic flaw "well, how does Peach know everything we're doing… through letter… as we go along… while being kidnapped?" The solution was just marvelous. Good thinking. (I always figured that Peach had something suspicious going on with Bowser, but nope, Mario just won't listen to me.)
+.5 Although it lost the Mario-like feel sometimes, it retained it with a pretty decent story and a familiar atmosphere.
Overall-12.75/20
I'm disappointed because some parts could have easily scored higher than I gave you, but there was just a mountain of flaws to hinder you.