5th place ribbon, why do you continue to elude me?
Judging Stuff.: show
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Luigi's Castle - Nworlds
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RATING: 16/20
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FUN: 8.5/10
The overall run was indeed quite fun. Although difficult at times, it was never overly so, and it was rather engaging as a result. The reasonable checkpoint system helped as well, and the music set the tone nicely (although not flawlessly). It was probably at its strongest during the first two sections, but declined somewhat during the final portion (see below for elaboration).
I didn't really see the point of an enforced speedrun section either, especially when there's no real way to tell whether you're moving at an appropriate pace or not.
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GRAPHICS: 4/5
The levels at the start were top notch. Adding stars to the night sky within the desert in particular was a very nice move. However, the quality decreased somewhat within the castle itself, as it felt too artificial and chaotic for such an environment. I can't agree with blatant lava cutoff either; the fact that it is sometimes disguised as 'hot metal' remedies this somewhat, but it still doesn't look as nice as it could have, especially since you can't get hurt by hitting lava from below or the side anyways.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.5/5
- The quicksand for the desert section is a nice touch in particular. However, although the sign presents a reasonable hint, it still feels like it could have been more obvious, like it traditionally is. +0.25
- Commendable use of a difficulty system; both parts play out rather appropriately. +0.5
- The block and glitch tricks pulled off overall are rather impressive, and add to the level significantly. The invisible maze, geometrically rotating blocks and the rising killer floor are noteworthy in particular. +0.75
- However, to offset the above, many moving blocks have the unnecessary potential to force the player outside the level's normal boundaries, often into a limbo state that cannot be escaped. The level is partially designed around this, but not always. Only a light crush is required to deal damage, after all. -0.5
- I can't say I'm fond of the style behind the 'final boss'. Sign-based conversations between those you cannot actually see are overdone, very hand-holdy and have very little credibility. On top of it, the overall experience didn't really feel like a boss at all, especially with the weird conclusion. -0.5
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A pretty good level, I'd say; certainly an improvement over previous ones.
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Sky Blitz Docks - Karyete
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RATING: 14.5/20
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FUN: 8/10
Although not mind blowingly so, the level is quite enjoyable as a whole. For a silver star hunt, they are reasonable hints to allude to their locations without making it too obvious, and the numerous paths available ensures that it isn't entirely linear in design. Some areas can become too overwhelming with enemies and bullets, though, which is somewhat problematic, and said non-linear nature has the potential to backfire due to the vague target goal presented.
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GRAPHICS: 4/5
The level certainly uses an interesting blend of tilesets for this one, and while it might be too chaotic and overdone in some areas, it is still relatively believable for the most part. At the very least, the appropriate metallic dock vibe is there, and it works.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 2.5/5
- The idea of a door that leads you back in case you missed silver stars would have been nice, except that... it doesn't actually lead anywhere. Not only is it pointless as it stands, but it effectively disallows backtracking as a result. -0.5
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It is certainly an improvement over many of your other levels; well done.
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A Place in Space - King
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RATING: 14/20
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FUN: 7.75/10
It is interesting to bounce between planets and the like in order to seek out one's final goal, and the reason for doing so is certainly a cute one. However, it just doesn't hold enough appeal to justify a higher score, as it doesn't really offer anything that is out of the ordinary. The fact that space levels such as these are rather common doesn't help either, as it only stands out to a mild degree.
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GRAPHICS: 3.5/5
Overall, the graphical poweress was about average when incorporating everything. On the plus side, many of the environments themselves look nice, and the rocketship / Samus' spaceship (I think) / airship near the beginning were all cute space-ish additions. However, it feels like it tries to clump too many terrain sets together, and it doesn't look very appealing to me even when keeping the space theme in mind. On top of it, the blatant cutoff with the water worlds really looks unsightly and unnatural.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 2.75/5
- Er... if you end up taking the first sling along its intended path, you don't end up reaching the next sling appropriately, thus resulting in instant death. Technically you can maneuver yourself, but how is a player supposed to know this on their very first run through? -0.5
- The extra shine is nice, but at the same time, even its existence is too obscure, let alone the red coins you need. That in itself decreases its worthiness somewhat. +0.25
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While it is certainly a decent level, I just don't feel that it did it for me this time around. Maybe it is because of what it is being compared to this time around.
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Universitas Creaturarum Mirabilis - ~MP3 Amplifier~
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RATING: 15.75/20
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FUN: 8/10
The level seems to fit a common trend in that it starts out strong, but decreases in quality closer to the end. The first part in particular was superb, between the not so traditional blue coin hunt for reasons that are more than meets the eye, and the platforming experience itself is quite fun.
Littering the level with so many coins, especially blue ones, robs the level of so much challenge potential, though, since the likelihood of actually losing a sizable amount of health is extremely low.
Likewise, the second section just doesn't have the same appeal at the first part, as it didn't have much that made it as mind-blowing as said first part. The conclusion didn't even see that conclusive either, since it didn't feel like anything was really resolved at all, despite all the buildup.
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GRAPHICS: 4.5/5
Graphically, it is quite superb, as there is little to complain about. Some of the obstacles don't fit the terrain, though, and it would have been nice if there was less grass / snow tile repetition, and the grassy sections in part 2 could have been less geometrical in design. Beyond such minor qualms, though, there is nothing else to point out.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.25/5
- Interesting story/basis behind the level; involving Zodiac signs is certainly a new one. +0.75
- The red coins disguised as blue is a nice touch, but the lack of consistency within the full level poses an issue. Why are there so many blue coins outside the first section that don't have the same level of importance? +0.25
- Likewise, relying on the player's faith is never a good move, as there's no need to rely on the player to follow the right path. In both cases, it is possible for it to be enforced manually so that you cannot skip sections/scenes at will.
The fact that it also includes multiple unnecessary instances of breaking the 4th wall doesn't help either. -0.5
- The lightning effect in particular is quite noticeable as well, and reflects on the story well. Warning that it can potentially hurt seems unnecessary, though, since the only way it will happen is if you go out of your way to make it so. +0.5
- The darkness effect is performed well, but it becomes a nuisance when it deliberately hides obstacles that you just have no way of knowing exist. -0.25
- Sorry, but no amount of graphical work makes up for horrible 5-10 FPS lag, even on the lowest quality possible, and the town region of the 2nd part suffers from just this. Very frustrating. -0.5
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Even with the little issues here and there, it is still a significant improvement over your previous levels. Nicely done.
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Spacerock Galaxy - AzErOtH
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RATING: 12.5/20
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FUN: 7.5/10
Although a relatively simple red coin hunt with mostly average play features, there are some other gameplay and platforming aspects that allow it to stand out a little more, making it surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, the pathing isn't always clear, and feels a bit too empty for a typical Mario environment (the lack of enemies for the most part can be noticed quite easily). The pros and the cons counteract each other enough to justify an average score in my eyes.
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GRAPHICS: 4.25/5
Although some sections and interactions don't fit together or make sense, the level is designed quite well. There aren't any glaring issues, and it fits (what I assume to be) the environment it is trying to portray, so there aren't any complaints from me.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 0.75/5
- Why would one rely on unnecessarily breaking the 4th wall (via insistence on communicating with the players through signs) if it is only used in literally one other instance? The fact that signs can provide hints should be a given. -0.5
- Far too much of the level involves blind guesswork due to the rampant abuse of border blindness / hiding key items without any directions or hints whatsoever. To be more specific on the glaring issues:
*** To reach the red coin hidden within a cluster of shrubs near the start (which is in itself a problem, albeit a minor one since it stands out), you need to rely on platforms hidden below the border of the level, yet how is anyone supposed to know they exist, or how far they extend, other than through blind trial and error? -0.5
*** Another red coin, shortly after the first transition, is extremely well hidden in a precariously placed bush that one simply wouldn't reach naturally. How is anyone supposed to know it exists without checking the level designer? -0.5
*** Some switches extend the block timers, while others shut it off immediately, yet once again, there is no hint whatsoever that you'd need to avoid those switches until you hit them and are thus forced to repeat some portion of that section again. -0.25
*** The secret silver star challenge revolves entirely around entering invisible pipes to reach each one, but once again, how would anyone actually figure this out, especially the first time around? The only reason I figured out what to do was because MoD did something similar in the previous LDC, except he actually provided instructions on how to proceed. -0.5
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It is a respectable coin collection level, but the gameplay flaws are what knocked it down in the end. Even so, it is still pretty decent, and means that you're continually improving.
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The Long Night - Yoshi999
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RATING: 12/20
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FUN: 6/10
I see that the same general idea is used once again.
The level is exclusively focused around platforming that offers a choice between three paths to reach your final goal, and might have had more to it had there been a second part. Beyond this, though, there really isn't much to it, as while it contains a couple more original obstacles in a few areas, it still consists almost entirely of slightly varied jumping challenges between a multitude of floating snow/cave platforms. The fact that you falling in one path simply sends you to recover in another reduces the difficulty factor considerably, and the presence of the unnecessary hover fludd compounds this even further, ensuring that the level remains unexciting overall.
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GRAPHICS: 2.5/5
Unfortunately, the aesthetics don't hold much appeal, since it is generally a bland environment with the focus pretty much entirely on the platforming. It isn't natural at all and just seems like a giant obstacle course that is rushed in its design. There aren't any serious problems, but there are very few noteworthy areas either, so it doesn't justify a very high score.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.5/5
- Split path system again; a nice niche, but like before, could have been executed better. +0.5
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Unfortunately, the level has the same basic issues as the last time: it has a decent idea with the multiple paths, but the extremely basic execution prevents it from standing out from the crowd. Generic just doesn't cut it.
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Man vs. Machine - BrawlerEX
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RATING: 8.5/20
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FUN: 5/10
At its basis, the platforming behind such a level is quite intriguing and unique. The tricks with the platforms and switches to set up some unique pathing is appealing, especially in the first section.
However, there is such a significant multitude of areas that are simply too frustrating to work with, as needing absolute precision to proceed, being forced to wait continually between failed attempts and/or needing to complete significant portions of the stage again should one mess up gets extremely wearisome after a while, and simply doesn't offer player-friendly platforming. For a few notable examples:
Needing to perfectly mount three vertical platforms to have a tight time limit to repeat the same thing in another corridor? Annoying. Needing to triple jump backwards when there is little room available? Frustrating. Needing to jump through a tiny corridor without spinning due to being metal? Tiresome.
Combined with extremely non-intuitive pathing in the section section, such problems occur far too often (and there are many other smaller ones that remain unstated), and they detract from the enjoyment considerably. It tends to be at its worst in the section part, if I had to guess.
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GRAPHICS: 2.5/5
In a few areas, mostly near the start, the graphics are quite good. Although fishy in a few areas, it wasn't too problematic at least.
In other areas, though, the cutoff is appalling, and while some issues are subtle and easy to overlook, it is quite glaring in others. In fact, it is to such an extreme point that I wonder how such amateurish issues could have been overlooked, since it is not something one should ever encounter at this point.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 1/5
- The signs and story both don't work out as they currently are. Stating the story outside the level rather than in is a poor move, and it doesn't help that more than half of the signs do not have any spacing whatsoever. The only aspect of any significance I even noticed was a barely discernible duck, and it just feels like the level would have been better off without all these unnecessary attachments. -0.5
- One particular path involving a snowy section and an invisibility star literally doesn't lead anywhere. I scoured it in the level designer, but unless I am missing something, all it is is a dead end since it is impossible to backtrack from that area. However, a checkpoint leads there, which means that it is clearly meant to be used in some way, and I see the way one would normally use said invisibility star near the start, but the missing link to reaching that area in the first place is a major issue. -1
- There are too many issues with moving blocks and such dragging the player into the terrain, which results in many unpleasant side effects (lag, being forced into instant-death tiny crevices that cannot be escaped, sometimes being forced outside the level's boundaries) since the game engine isn't set up to handle such situations. They should have been avoided. -0.5
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The effort is certainly there, but unfortunately, the multitude of obvious flaws and issues make it little more than a burden to play through such an entry, and it is what drags down the score in the end. Such issues should have been dealt with earlier on, possibly through better playtesting.
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Dark - MessengerOfDreams
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RATING: 17.5/20
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FUN: 8.75/10
It provides an enjoyable mix of a story with depth (although that's covered in other) and a genuine enjoyable platforming experience. Although it doesn't offer the gratuitous use of glitches or anything of the sort, it remains a great platformer at its heart, and it shows that good design beats a reliance of moving blocks and other code-based tricks. Quite frankly, I enjoyed it quite a lot, as it shows how much really was put into making this work overall.
Oddly enough, despite being a major focus, it is the bullets that often detract from enjoyment the most, at least for me. While it started out well with their occasional use, they weren't quite so hot later on. The collapsing bridge section has a tendency to be annoying when it broke well before it was even reached (not sure if this was intended or not), and the later bullet patterns within the fortress itself were both far too spam-like (collecting stars while being trailed by an army of nothing but homing bullets really gets old fast) and unpleasantly generic (although I might be well adjusted to bullet hells and the like).
I suppose it is for the above reason that the fortress itself felt a bit lacking, and despite that it should have served as the climax, it just didn't feel that way to me. The beginning was stronger, and so was the overall conclusion.
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GRAPHICS: 4.5/5
I can see that it makes for an interesting melting pot of different design styles and features, and it makes for a more amusing experience than usual. The level of detail remains amazing, and is among the best once again. I love the light-powered bridge feature in particular; although you said it was inspired by someone else, it is still quite mesmerizing (although it backfired once).
The reason it got a 4.5 is largely because there are a multitude of lesser issues scattered throughout the series, and while they are minor enough to shrug off, they still add up. Between some iffy castle cutoff, overclustered doodads, some poor color scheme choices for some fortress portions and a couple other things, they serve to slightly mar what is otherwise perfection.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 4.25/5
- It is interesting how you chose to express a story through a medium such as this, and it is the best one I've seen yet. The choice ending in particular was not something I had expected; superb job. +2
- The sheer effort that was clearly put into this deserves additional praise as well. +0.5
- Unfortunately, there are negatives as well. For one, while it wasn't as bad as I had initially feared, the lag and loading times in varying sections do tend to be problematic. Ironically, the bullet spam is often the culprit (yet again) despite that it is part of the central theme. The collapsing bridge being practically made of destructible bricks didn't help either. -0.75
- Likewise, the extreme length leaves something to be desired. After all, it is a level contest, wheras the length is extreme enough to be more of a flat-out series. It likely could have done the same thing over less parts had it been compacted better, and it wouldn't have dragged on so long as a result. -0.5
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Quite the accomplishment, I'd say; no wonder it has received such high praise.
It is still kind of odd that the main focus ended up providing the major issues, though.
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Luigi's Castle - Nworlds
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RATING: 16/20
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FUN: 8.5/10
The overall run was indeed quite fun. Although difficult at times, it was never overly so, and it was rather engaging as a result. The reasonable checkpoint system helped as well, and the music set the tone nicely (although not flawlessly). It was probably at its strongest during the first two sections, but declined somewhat during the final portion (see below for elaboration).
I didn't really see the point of an enforced speedrun section either, especially when there's no real way to tell whether you're moving at an appropriate pace or not.
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GRAPHICS: 4/5
The levels at the start were top notch. Adding stars to the night sky within the desert in particular was a very nice move. However, the quality decreased somewhat within the castle itself, as it felt too artificial and chaotic for such an environment. I can't agree with blatant lava cutoff either; the fact that it is sometimes disguised as 'hot metal' remedies this somewhat, but it still doesn't look as nice as it could have, especially since you can't get hurt by hitting lava from below or the side anyways.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.5/5
- The quicksand for the desert section is a nice touch in particular. However, although the sign presents a reasonable hint, it still feels like it could have been more obvious, like it traditionally is. +0.25
- Commendable use of a difficulty system; both parts play out rather appropriately. +0.5
- The block and glitch tricks pulled off overall are rather impressive, and add to the level significantly. The invisible maze, geometrically rotating blocks and the rising killer floor are noteworthy in particular. +0.75
- However, to offset the above, many moving blocks have the unnecessary potential to force the player outside the level's normal boundaries, often into a limbo state that cannot be escaped. The level is partially designed around this, but not always. Only a light crush is required to deal damage, after all. -0.5
- I can't say I'm fond of the style behind the 'final boss'. Sign-based conversations between those you cannot actually see are overdone, very hand-holdy and have very little credibility. On top of it, the overall experience didn't really feel like a boss at all, especially with the weird conclusion. -0.5
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A pretty good level, I'd say; certainly an improvement over previous ones.
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Sky Blitz Docks - Karyete
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RATING: 14.5/20
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FUN: 8/10
Although not mind blowingly so, the level is quite enjoyable as a whole. For a silver star hunt, they are reasonable hints to allude to their locations without making it too obvious, and the numerous paths available ensures that it isn't entirely linear in design. Some areas can become too overwhelming with enemies and bullets, though, which is somewhat problematic, and said non-linear nature has the potential to backfire due to the vague target goal presented.
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GRAPHICS: 4/5
The level certainly uses an interesting blend of tilesets for this one, and while it might be too chaotic and overdone in some areas, it is still relatively believable for the most part. At the very least, the appropriate metallic dock vibe is there, and it works.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 2.5/5
- The idea of a door that leads you back in case you missed silver stars would have been nice, except that... it doesn't actually lead anywhere. Not only is it pointless as it stands, but it effectively disallows backtracking as a result. -0.5
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It is certainly an improvement over many of your other levels; well done.
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A Place in Space - King
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RATING: 14/20
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FUN: 7.75/10
It is interesting to bounce between planets and the like in order to seek out one's final goal, and the reason for doing so is certainly a cute one. However, it just doesn't hold enough appeal to justify a higher score, as it doesn't really offer anything that is out of the ordinary. The fact that space levels such as these are rather common doesn't help either, as it only stands out to a mild degree.
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GRAPHICS: 3.5/5
Overall, the graphical poweress was about average when incorporating everything. On the plus side, many of the environments themselves look nice, and the rocketship / Samus' spaceship (I think) / airship near the beginning were all cute space-ish additions. However, it feels like it tries to clump too many terrain sets together, and it doesn't look very appealing to me even when keeping the space theme in mind. On top of it, the blatant cutoff with the water worlds really looks unsightly and unnatural.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 2.75/5
- Er... if you end up taking the first sling along its intended path, you don't end up reaching the next sling appropriately, thus resulting in instant death. Technically you can maneuver yourself, but how is a player supposed to know this on their very first run through? -0.5
- The extra shine is nice, but at the same time, even its existence is too obscure, let alone the red coins you need. That in itself decreases its worthiness somewhat. +0.25
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While it is certainly a decent level, I just don't feel that it did it for me this time around. Maybe it is because of what it is being compared to this time around.
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Universitas Creaturarum Mirabilis - ~MP3 Amplifier~
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RATING: 15.75/20
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FUN: 8/10
The level seems to fit a common trend in that it starts out strong, but decreases in quality closer to the end. The first part in particular was superb, between the not so traditional blue coin hunt for reasons that are more than meets the eye, and the platforming experience itself is quite fun.
Littering the level with so many coins, especially blue ones, robs the level of so much challenge potential, though, since the likelihood of actually losing a sizable amount of health is extremely low.
Likewise, the second section just doesn't have the same appeal at the first part, as it didn't have much that made it as mind-blowing as said first part. The conclusion didn't even see that conclusive either, since it didn't feel like anything was really resolved at all, despite all the buildup.
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GRAPHICS: 4.5/5
Graphically, it is quite superb, as there is little to complain about. Some of the obstacles don't fit the terrain, though, and it would have been nice if there was less grass / snow tile repetition, and the grassy sections in part 2 could have been less geometrical in design. Beyond such minor qualms, though, there is nothing else to point out.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.25/5
- Interesting story/basis behind the level; involving Zodiac signs is certainly a new one. +0.75
- The red coins disguised as blue is a nice touch, but the lack of consistency within the full level poses an issue. Why are there so many blue coins outside the first section that don't have the same level of importance? +0.25
- Likewise, relying on the player's faith is never a good move, as there's no need to rely on the player to follow the right path. In both cases, it is possible for it to be enforced manually so that you cannot skip sections/scenes at will.
The fact that it also includes multiple unnecessary instances of breaking the 4th wall doesn't help either. -0.5
- The lightning effect in particular is quite noticeable as well, and reflects on the story well. Warning that it can potentially hurt seems unnecessary, though, since the only way it will happen is if you go out of your way to make it so. +0.5
- The darkness effect is performed well, but it becomes a nuisance when it deliberately hides obstacles that you just have no way of knowing exist. -0.25
- Sorry, but no amount of graphical work makes up for horrible 5-10 FPS lag, even on the lowest quality possible, and the town region of the 2nd part suffers from just this. Very frustrating. -0.5
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Even with the little issues here and there, it is still a significant improvement over your previous levels. Nicely done.
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Spacerock Galaxy - AzErOtH
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RATING: 12.5/20
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FUN: 7.5/10
Although a relatively simple red coin hunt with mostly average play features, there are some other gameplay and platforming aspects that allow it to stand out a little more, making it surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, the pathing isn't always clear, and feels a bit too empty for a typical Mario environment (the lack of enemies for the most part can be noticed quite easily). The pros and the cons counteract each other enough to justify an average score in my eyes.
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GRAPHICS: 4.25/5
Although some sections and interactions don't fit together or make sense, the level is designed quite well. There aren't any glaring issues, and it fits (what I assume to be) the environment it is trying to portray, so there aren't any complaints from me.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 0.75/5
- Why would one rely on unnecessarily breaking the 4th wall (via insistence on communicating with the players through signs) if it is only used in literally one other instance? The fact that signs can provide hints should be a given. -0.5
- Far too much of the level involves blind guesswork due to the rampant abuse of border blindness / hiding key items without any directions or hints whatsoever. To be more specific on the glaring issues:
*** To reach the red coin hidden within a cluster of shrubs near the start (which is in itself a problem, albeit a minor one since it stands out), you need to rely on platforms hidden below the border of the level, yet how is anyone supposed to know they exist, or how far they extend, other than through blind trial and error? -0.5
*** Another red coin, shortly after the first transition, is extremely well hidden in a precariously placed bush that one simply wouldn't reach naturally. How is anyone supposed to know it exists without checking the level designer? -0.5
*** Some switches extend the block timers, while others shut it off immediately, yet once again, there is no hint whatsoever that you'd need to avoid those switches until you hit them and are thus forced to repeat some portion of that section again. -0.25
*** The secret silver star challenge revolves entirely around entering invisible pipes to reach each one, but once again, how would anyone actually figure this out, especially the first time around? The only reason I figured out what to do was because MoD did something similar in the previous LDC, except he actually provided instructions on how to proceed. -0.5
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It is a respectable coin collection level, but the gameplay flaws are what knocked it down in the end. Even so, it is still pretty decent, and means that you're continually improving.
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The Long Night - Yoshi999
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RATING: 12/20
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FUN: 6/10
I see that the same general idea is used once again.
The level is exclusively focused around platforming that offers a choice between three paths to reach your final goal, and might have had more to it had there been a second part. Beyond this, though, there really isn't much to it, as while it contains a couple more original obstacles in a few areas, it still consists almost entirely of slightly varied jumping challenges between a multitude of floating snow/cave platforms. The fact that you falling in one path simply sends you to recover in another reduces the difficulty factor considerably, and the presence of the unnecessary hover fludd compounds this even further, ensuring that the level remains unexciting overall.
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GRAPHICS: 2.5/5
Unfortunately, the aesthetics don't hold much appeal, since it is generally a bland environment with the focus pretty much entirely on the platforming. It isn't natural at all and just seems like a giant obstacle course that is rushed in its design. There aren't any serious problems, but there are very few noteworthy areas either, so it doesn't justify a very high score.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 3.5/5
- Split path system again; a nice niche, but like before, could have been executed better. +0.5
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Unfortunately, the level has the same basic issues as the last time: it has a decent idea with the multiple paths, but the extremely basic execution prevents it from standing out from the crowd. Generic just doesn't cut it.
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Man vs. Machine - BrawlerEX
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RATING: 8.5/20
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FUN: 5/10
At its basis, the platforming behind such a level is quite intriguing and unique. The tricks with the platforms and switches to set up some unique pathing is appealing, especially in the first section.
However, there is such a significant multitude of areas that are simply too frustrating to work with, as needing absolute precision to proceed, being forced to wait continually between failed attempts and/or needing to complete significant portions of the stage again should one mess up gets extremely wearisome after a while, and simply doesn't offer player-friendly platforming. For a few notable examples:
Needing to perfectly mount three vertical platforms to have a tight time limit to repeat the same thing in another corridor? Annoying. Needing to triple jump backwards when there is little room available? Frustrating. Needing to jump through a tiny corridor without spinning due to being metal? Tiresome.
Combined with extremely non-intuitive pathing in the section section, such problems occur far too often (and there are many other smaller ones that remain unstated), and they detract from the enjoyment considerably. It tends to be at its worst in the section part, if I had to guess.
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GRAPHICS: 2.5/5
In a few areas, mostly near the start, the graphics are quite good. Although fishy in a few areas, it wasn't too problematic at least.
In other areas, though, the cutoff is appalling, and while some issues are subtle and easy to overlook, it is quite glaring in others. In fact, it is to such an extreme point that I wonder how such amateurish issues could have been overlooked, since it is not something one should ever encounter at this point.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 1/5
- The signs and story both don't work out as they currently are. Stating the story outside the level rather than in is a poor move, and it doesn't help that more than half of the signs do not have any spacing whatsoever. The only aspect of any significance I even noticed was a barely discernible duck, and it just feels like the level would have been better off without all these unnecessary attachments. -0.5
- One particular path involving a snowy section and an invisibility star literally doesn't lead anywhere. I scoured it in the level designer, but unless I am missing something, all it is is a dead end since it is impossible to backtrack from that area. However, a checkpoint leads there, which means that it is clearly meant to be used in some way, and I see the way one would normally use said invisibility star near the start, but the missing link to reaching that area in the first place is a major issue. -1
- There are too many issues with moving blocks and such dragging the player into the terrain, which results in many unpleasant side effects (lag, being forced into instant-death tiny crevices that cannot be escaped, sometimes being forced outside the level's boundaries) since the game engine isn't set up to handle such situations. They should have been avoided. -0.5
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The effort is certainly there, but unfortunately, the multitude of obvious flaws and issues make it little more than a burden to play through such an entry, and it is what drags down the score in the end. Such issues should have been dealt with earlier on, possibly through better playtesting.
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Dark - MessengerOfDreams
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RATING: 17.5/20
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FUN: 8.75/10
It provides an enjoyable mix of a story with depth (although that's covered in other) and a genuine enjoyable platforming experience. Although it doesn't offer the gratuitous use of glitches or anything of the sort, it remains a great platformer at its heart, and it shows that good design beats a reliance of moving blocks and other code-based tricks. Quite frankly, I enjoyed it quite a lot, as it shows how much really was put into making this work overall.
Oddly enough, despite being a major focus, it is the bullets that often detract from enjoyment the most, at least for me. While it started out well with their occasional use, they weren't quite so hot later on. The collapsing bridge section has a tendency to be annoying when it broke well before it was even reached (not sure if this was intended or not), and the later bullet patterns within the fortress itself were both far too spam-like (collecting stars while being trailed by an army of nothing but homing bullets really gets old fast) and unpleasantly generic (although I might be well adjusted to bullet hells and the like).
I suppose it is for the above reason that the fortress itself felt a bit lacking, and despite that it should have served as the climax, it just didn't feel that way to me. The beginning was stronger, and so was the overall conclusion.
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GRAPHICS: 4.5/5
I can see that it makes for an interesting melting pot of different design styles and features, and it makes for a more amusing experience than usual. The level of detail remains amazing, and is among the best once again. I love the light-powered bridge feature in particular; although you said it was inspired by someone else, it is still quite mesmerizing (although it backfired once).
The reason it got a 4.5 is largely because there are a multitude of lesser issues scattered throughout the series, and while they are minor enough to shrug off, they still add up. Between some iffy castle cutoff, overclustered doodads, some poor color scheme choices for some fortress portions and a couple other things, they serve to slightly mar what is otherwise perfection.
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OTHER TOUCHES/BUG REPORT: 4.25/5
- It is interesting how you chose to express a story through a medium such as this, and it is the best one I've seen yet. The choice ending in particular was not something I had expected; superb job. +2
- The sheer effort that was clearly put into this deserves additional praise as well. +0.5
- Unfortunately, there are negatives as well. For one, while it wasn't as bad as I had initially feared, the lag and loading times in varying sections do tend to be problematic. Ironically, the bullet spam is often the culprit (yet again) despite that it is part of the central theme. The collapsing bridge being practically made of destructible bricks didn't help either. -0.75
- Likewise, the extreme length leaves something to be desired. After all, it is a level contest, wheras the length is extreme enough to be more of a flat-out series. It likely could have done the same thing over less parts had it been compacted better, and it wouldn't have dragged on so long as a result. -0.5
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Quite the accomplishment, I'd say; no wonder it has received such high praise.
It is still kind of odd that the main focus ended up providing the major issues, though.
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