001. Blue blue travel DESIGN: 34/60 CREATIVITY: 13/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 52/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I'd call this level "inoffensive". It's a decent difficulty and a fine length overall, but there isn't really much to it. The problem I have is that there's a heavy focus on three sprites that fundamentally do the same thing/have the same behavior - skinny firebars, fat firebars, and Roto-Discs. What you end up with is a bunch of set-ups that feel very alike, as well as a distinct lack of variety as the level progresses. I would have cut out one of the firebar sprites and replaced it with something that works in conjunction with the other firebar + Roto-Disc. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Pretty good music choice. It fits the somewhat tense nature of the level nicely. -The blue palette was a bit of an eyesore against the background. -The second powerup block is a bit unfair - it's the player's natural instinct to jump to it, but it's super easy to get blindly hit by the firebar. -It would have been cool if you actually needed to keep that grey platform at the start for something later on, since it follows you through the level. I thought you actually needed it, so I dragged myself along for a bit there (ultimately for no reason). 002. Midnight Hour DESIGN: 38/60 CREATIVITY: 16/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 61/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: There's definitely potential here - namely, I liked your focus on the wavy Koopas, as well as the firebars throughout the ON/OFF sections. I had two major gripes with this level, however. The first is that many of the yellow Koopas are either placed in a way that they don't even affect the player, or they despawn. I found at least two cases where the yellow Koopa would go off the bottom of the screen and not come back, which leads me to believe the level wasn't fully tested or the sprites aren't working as you intended them to. The second is that the latter half of the level feels a bit too much like the first. The line guided section was fine, but everything from the ON/OFF portion to the goal didn't really feel like a climactic end to the level at all. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Bizarre palette, but it works nicely with the background. -Nice introduction of the wavy yellow Koopa. You show one below the player so that they can analyze the sprite's behavior before tossing one at them right after which is actually a threat. -There's a bit of sprite spam around that same area - two Goombas just walk off the ledge on to you, whereas you also have a couple of Koopas to deal with. -There's a yellow Koopa after the first ON/OFF block that just seems to despawn at the bottom of the screen - poor placement. Happens after the midpoint too. -Interesting set-up right before the midpoint with the firebar and Diggin' Chuck. -Nice use of firebars throughout the first ON/OFF area, though the second area just feels like a re-tread of the first. 003. Kirov Airship DESIGN: 53/60 CREATIVITY: 29/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 90/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I'm about 99% certain that worldpeace made this level given the design style, the set-ups, the way gimmicks are handled, and the moon room at the end. That being said, the level introduces and executes on the propeller sprite in a fantastic way, and every single set-up feels unique and creative. Some of my favorites involved: going between two firebars in a vertical plane, going under the Grinders in the late-interior room, and the entirety of the bonus challenge at the end. My gripe with this level is that I feel like you could have introduced the usage of the down button mechanic a bit more - it wasn't immediately apparent in the last main exterior area that you were meant to use it, and it led to some frustrating jumps/resets at first. I don't agree with an external tutorial room in a separate level that does the job - considering the contest, I really this should have been handled better. Otherwise, I thought this was incredible and a blast to play! SPECIFIC POINTS: -You probably didn't need the message box in the intro explaining the controls, as your first room did a fine job of introducing the gimmick. -Weird camera stutter going through the first pipe. -Not sure if the blue blocks at the first Yoshi coin were necessary - kind of defeats the purpose of using the propeller to get it. -Hitting the Spinies and then backtracking through that whole path (i.e. at the second Yoshi coin) seemed a bit redundant. I liked the set-ups around there though. -Timing on the first jump at the first "green reset arrow" area is a bit tight. I realized soon after that you were supposed to focus on using the down button in this area, but it wasn't really introduced very well earlier in the level. -I really liked the set-up in the interior part (3rd Yoshi coin) where you had to go under the two Grinders in a row. -Loved the moon challenge. It was a bit strange that you decided to introduce the horizontally moving platform sprite so late in the level, but it was used in a way that was easy to pick up and quickly adapt to., so well done! 004. Enclosure of Agony DESIGN: 39/60 CREATIVITY: 19/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 67/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level has some strong points - specifically, I liked the underground section with the "blood" waterfalls and your usage of the jumping Dry Bones with them. I also liked the layer 2 falling section, since it was a fine example of having to backtrack through a room while changing up the layout. However, this level suffers from a few flaws. The biggest issue I have is the backtracking (outside of the layer 2 room). In the first area, you run right, hit a switch, run back, and then you do that exact same thing again near the end of the level. The part between the layer 2 room and the second midpoint feels a bit same-y as well, since it's nothing more than a bunch of pendulum dodging without much variation in the set-ups. I've included some more specific positives/negatives below, but overall, it's a decently designed level with a great atmosphere that suffers from a bit of non-variation and backtracking in the design. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The opening aesthetic is really excellent. The music and the subdued red/grey graphics set an eerie tone for the rest of the level. -Having to hit the switch and backtrack seems a bit pointless. I would have used a few more donut lifts to at least make it slightly more challenging there, or made an alternate path back. -Clever usage of the bouncing Dry Bones @ the second Yoshi coin. -Your midpoint placement is really weird. You have one about 10% through the level, and then one about 80% through. I would have put one at the layer 2 section, and then one before the boss (or skip putting one at the boss entirely since it wasn't that hard). -Sort of unfair that you allow the player to jump on the layer 2 falling spikes, yet you can get crushed if you ride them up. There's no indication since it looks like the ceiling is open. 005. BREATHTAKING FORT DESIGN: 29/60 CREATIVITY: 13/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 48/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Unless I'm missing something, it seems like a lot of your level is broken. I had to check in Lunar Magic after I beat it to confirm, and sure enough, you placed a bunch of Diggin' Chucks inside of some breakable brown bricks. This causes them to fly up and off-screen, which renders many of your set-ups useless (i.e. the beginning, and at the midpoint). That aside, the level feels fairly short and you don't explore any of the sprites very well. You had a couple of interesting set-ups with the Super Ball, such as the third Yoshi coin, but the second appearance of it feels pointless since you need to Koopa-hop on the top path, and there are only a few non-threatening sprites on the lower path. Very unfortunate about the issue with the Diggin' Chucks - I would have liked to see how the level played with those in use. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The wavy yellow Koopa at the first grey platform isn't a threat at all if you're riding it normally. -The lower Nipper plant at the last white platform also can't reach Mario with its fireballs, rendering it pointless. -The use of 1F0 for the last Yoshi coin at the end feels a bit tacked on, considering you don't use it anywhere else in the level. Would have been nice to see more focus on the sprites you had already introduced, like the Super Ball. 006. do not go int volca DESIGN: 44/60 CREATIVITY: 21/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 73/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a pretty good level with a great atmosphere. I'm digging your use of various fire sprites beyond just firebars (i.e. the fire Swoopers in particular), and I enjoyed quite a few of your set-ups, noted below. On the other hand, I feel like a bit of the sprite usage in the first half could have used some work (i.e. making the lightning bolts more relevant, as most posed no threat). Also, I feel like the last 25% of the level seemed a little barren. The lava ceiling lowered a bit in the layer 2 room, but it just became a series of precise jumps rather than interesting sprite/level structure set-ups. A bit disappointing given that I thought the first half of that room was nicely designed - more usage of the fire Swoopers may have helped. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Digging the aesthetic. Great music choice and palette. -Good to see some switch palace usage, although it's actually super tough to get out of the first yellow block area if you fall down there. -Seems like a lot of the lightning doesn't really get in your way - for instance, the one soon after the first set of yellow switch blocks just needs to be waited out. -I like the grey platform/firebar set-up just before the midpoint. -Great use of the fire Swooper + the layer 2 rising/falling platform - it requires you to dodge the little fireballs as you're sinking. -Was there a point to the cloud platform other than a potential failsafe if you fall? I guess that's fine, but it felt a bit unsatisfying trying to keep it to the end just to be rewarded with nothing at all. 007. Bubble beach DESIGN: 38/60 CREATIVITY: 11/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 56/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: My biggest gripe with this level is that, while it doesn't do anything outright bad in terms of design, it just feels like is has no focus at all. You used a ridiculous amount of different sprites - I'm pretty sure I saw almost every kind of Chuck, Hammer Bros, Boomerang Bros, etc. What this results in is a hodgepodge of setups that never really feel special, or intricately designed. I thought your introduction of the bubbles was good, and I assumed this was going to be the focus of the whole level after a decent usage of them in the first half, but that completely fell away to a bunch of Chucks/Bros in the second hard. Overall, I'd highly suggest picking an idea/narrowing the amount of sprites you use, and sticking to that - you definitely have potential, and I'd like to see what you're capable of with that in mind. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice use of SMRPG music, and the general look of the level is quite nice too. -Good introduction to the level's main gimmick, the bubbles. -The bubble after the third Yoshi coin doesn't really serve a purpose. -Just before the pipe with the turn blocks above it, there's a Puntin' Chuck and a fish, and you have the choice to swim under or go over. There is absolutely no incentive for the player to take the upper path over - I would have put an enemy and/or bubbles in the water to "even out" the choice. -I'm liking the setups you made at the end of the first main room - good usage of both the custom bubbles + the bubbles with fish in them. -The midpoint room gets rather spammy with the Puntin' Chucks, and the main focus of the level has been lost with the lack of bubbles - feels like a different experience entirely. 008. The Soul Crusher DESIGN: 25/60 CREATIVITY: 12/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 44/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I always hate when people submit levels like this to a design contest, because it's catered towards a very specific kind of person. Unfortunately, I'm not that specific kind of person, and I really did not enjoy this at all. I could kind of get behind the first room - it was more about actually timing your jumping and doing precise - but not too bad - platforming. Unfortunately, it all fell apart after that, and the level became about reacting super quickly to Thwomps, and cases of blatant troll-ish design (i.e. the two falling spikes near the end of the second room, which you cannot see at all until you're already hit by them). You barely used any of the resources in the ROM either, so I'm really thinking that this level just wasn't right for this particular contest. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Would have been nice if you didn't put the mushroom right next to the pipe at the end of the first room, as the player is guaranteed to miss it the first time (i.e. they'll be running). -I appreciate the spawned door midpoint after the first room, and was worried you weren't going to include one. -Way too many quick-reaction based jumps in the second room for my liking. 009. The Infernal Pits DESIGN: 42/60 CREATIVITY: 16/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 66/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I think the best word to describe this level is "safe", but it's bordering on way TOO safe. There's a great combination of sprites in play here - namely, the blue/red blocks, the firebars, and the arrow platforms. The problem I have is that many of the sprites are placed in such a way that they're hardly a threat - such as the top firebar right before the midpoint, or the firebar you can very easily dodge just before the second powerup box in the level. There's also a sense of blandness, as many parts of the level are just coinless and blockless expanses of single sprites over lava. The saddest thing of all to me is that you finally started to create some intricate set-ups right at the end of the level (i.e. using the fireball Swooper/Chuck in conjunction with each other, Podoboos with the red/blue blocks, etc), but that was as far as it went. SPECIFIC POINTS: -I'm liking the aesthetic - good music choice, and the use of SMB3 graphics with a nice palette enhances the lava cave feeling. -Bit of a rough introduction to the moving blue block - it was put right over a dangerous pit, and I had no idea what it would do when I first jumped on it. I also would have moved the first power-up in the level to a slightly safer spot. -The highest firebar above the second blue block area can't really hurt you at all since there's no reason to jump in that area. -It's easy to miss the moving red block after the midpoint, and then it just.. despawns. -Nice set-up with the three <- platforms - would have been a bit better if you added an obstacle/coins/etc here, though. -The last set-up in the first main room feels kind of bland. With being this late in the level, I would expect something beyond just the single red block sprite. Coins? Obstacles? Anything? 010. bubble butt DESIGN: 52/60 CREATIVITY: 27/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 88/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: One of my favorite levels in the contest. What this entry has that a lot of others have been lacking is a clear sense of focus, progression, and not using too many different sprites such that the set-ups aren't fleshed out. Instead, there's a deliberate choice to use the bubbles and bubble flowers as the primary gimmick of the level, and then 2-3 different types of obstacles are chosen that work perfectly with this (i.e. Thwimps and flying chainsaws). I was a little worried when I saw that the second half was an autoscroller, but it built on the first half very nicely and culminated in a series of very tightly designed and interesting bubble flower + bubble bouncing set-ups. The level had both a fair difficulty and a good length, and my only real gripes were with a couple of specific set-ups, pointed out below. Well done! SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice palette choice, and I'm digging the music. -Great introduction to the bubbles. -Really liked the upside-down/rightside-up criss-crossing Thwimps set-up - very cool. -Neat use of the bubble flower mechanic, and yet again, a smooth introduction to how it works. -I would have used one of those vertical-moving Thwimps instead of an actual jumping one in the last set-up before the midway - it behaved rather erratically when I let it loose (i.e. it got stuck in the wall). -Loved how the end of the second half tied back the bubble flower from the first area - nicely considered and well-designed. -I actually found the very last shot you had to make with the bubble flower rather challenging given the erratic nature of the flying chainsaw. On a first playthrough, you're not sure that it's coming up and your time is rather limited to hit it before the bubbles pop. 011. The Ruins of Time DESIGN: 40/60 CREATIVITY: 16/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 62/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: It's pretty ambitious to try to create a level like this, and I appreciate a number of aspects about it - namely, I like how you were able to incorporate some choice in which paths the player can take through the level (namely near the end). My problem is that, given the nature of how the past/present/future doors are handled, the player ends up spending a lot of time babysitting P-Switches around, and given how frequently you change "time periods", this begins to detract heavily from the design. It would be different if there were actual puzzles or thoughtfulness behind how you actually got these switches to the doors, but usually it's a matter of dragging it with you. As an example, in level 27, screens 6 to 9: you're dragging a P-Switch past a wall of hammer-breakable blocks, hitting it, and then immediately hitting another silver P-Switch to open the door. It's rather tedious. That, mixed with a lot of strange/non-threatening sprite placement (i.e. level 25, the yellow Rex on screen 0A just runs off the edge) detracted from an otherwise interesting idea for a level. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice palette and music choice, although the background is a little oversaturated. -It's very jarring how layer 1 covers up parts of the status bar. -The Goombas on the left side of the stage (after the first blue P door) don't really pose a threat - on my playthrough, they walked left and off the edge of the screen. -It's pretty easy to get unfairly hit by the yellow Rex on your way down past the coin arrow. -In the purple area (the future, if I recall), I like the background, but I'm really not keen on your foreground object usage. It's not always clear what is solid and what isn't, especially with the skinny pipes. -On your second trip to the future - after the wall of hammer-breakable blocks - you spawn right next to a yellow Koopa that you need to react to pretty quickly to dodge. 012. BANANA FORT DESIGN: 43/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 67/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: For the most part, I think this is a decently designed level, but it seems weirdly unfocused until the second half. The first few screens felt pretty nice, and then you suddenly started throwing other sprites in for one appearance only (i.e. a random silent Bullet Bill, a single Koopa on a pipe, etc). The level then shifted to a cat climbing level - which was actually okay, and worked fairly well, but it felt like a totally different experience than the first half. I almost wish the level started there and you did a bit more with it, because there were some nice set-ups at work, especially when you mixed the punching glove sprite/ON/OFF blocks in. Also, it seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity that you didn't use the Roto-Discs that you introduced in the first half in the climbing part, as their behavior would have worked beautifully as an obstacle with the cat suit. Overall, a pretty good second half brought down by an unfocused first half, and therefore a slight underutilisation of the cat powerup. SPECIFIC POINTS: -I like the opening few screens - the level feels very SMW-like (i.e. the original). -Pointless silent Bullet Bill a few screens in. It's way too high to hurt you from where it spawns. -Weird choice giving the player two mushrooms in a row - one right before the door, one right after. It also allows you to basically tank the beginning of that room, since you're given a cat power-up almost immediately afterwards. -If you lose the cat suit at the beginning of the room after the midpoint, you're forced to die and restart since you got it from a ? block. I would have put a reset door or something here (I see you did this later on, at least). -Bit of a cheap move putting an arrow sign pointing at a pipe covered by ON/OFF blocks. This didn't seem like a reset pipe to me, and it booted me back to the beginning of the area. Some indication would have been nice, or consistency amongst the colors of the reset pipes. -On the topic of reset pipes: it kind of defeats the purpose if every single one takes you all the way back to the start of that area, which is essentially right at the midpoint. Would have been nice if they just reset you right where you entered them, or if you left them out entirely and just included more cat powerups. 013. BOB-OMB GREEN HILLS DESIGN: 39/60 CREATIVITY: 12/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 59/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: The level feels like a pleasant enough romp. It's straightforward, not terribly challenging, and has a nice early-game feel to it. There's a focus on the Goomba stacks, the sleeping Bob-Ombs, and the grey platforms that rise when you jump off of them. However, I feel that the utilisation of these sprites is rather lackluster and not the most creative. There is no real sense of progression in the design of the level - the last set-up feels exactly the same as the first, and the sleeping Bob-Ombs don't really feel like they're used to their full potential. Even the very last one in the level is super easy to dodge, and is placed such that you'd actually have to go out of your way to get hurt by it. The Yoshi coin set-ups aren't very well thought-out either - for instance, the last one is easier to get than the three before it. Overall, while there is nothing offensive or "bad" in the design, it just feels like a quick little romp-like level that doesn't do much. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Great aesthetics - and of course, you chose the perfect theme for the level's name. -Not much of a challenge to get the first Yoshi coin. You basically just do an obstacle-less loop. -The second Yoshi coin set-up was more interesting. -You can't really see the ground when you're spin jumping through the blocks for the third Yoshi coin, so the pit there is a bit blind. -It's also rather unfair that you can fall down a pit to your death to the left of the last Yoshi coin - considering there's a green one-way arrow there, and it looks like you can fall down all the others, one would assume you can fall down there as well. 014. YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 DESIGN: 13/60 CREATIVITY: 7/60 AESTHETICS: 3/10 SCORE: 23/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Hard to really comment on this level since there was so little of it. It was two very basic ON/OFF sections, and then the level ends. I guess I can kind of appreciate that you tried to make a "hard mode" after the midpoint, but that really amounted to nothing more than one-tile jumps. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The BG palette isn't too great, and the FG palette is completely unchanged. -Rough intro to the level - explaining your mechanic with a text box so abruptly instead of teaching the player through gameplay raises some red flags (especially when the mechanic is just a basic ON/OFF gimmick). -Well, that was short. 015. Woodblock Skyways DESIGN: 43/60 CREATIVITY: 15/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 65/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This isn't a bad level, but it never really hits its stride. The first half started off by introducing line guided platforms with Nippers + wavy Koopas, but the set-ups never seemed to evolve (and in fact, I would argue that the first line guide set-up was just as hard and even more elaborate than the last one in that section). I did like the part with the line-guided platform going over the three Nippers, but other than that, there wasn't much to write home about. I found the second half much more intriguing - although the set-ups were still kind of basic, the three separate tracks worked well and your sprite positioning with the chainsaws and wavy Koopas felt nicely thought out as obstacles.. I just wish that section was a bit longer. Overall, this is a decently designed entry, but rather safe in much of its design. It would make a decent early-game romp level. SPECIFIC POINTS: -I love Puzzle Plank's theme, and it works great here. Love the sunset-like palette too. -The set-ups seem a bit basic. It's also kind of jarring that the very first set-up (with the two blue Koopas + Nipper at the bottom) is actually more elaborate and challenging than the few after it. -Kind of a short distance to the midpoint.. I would have liked to see this part expanded on a bit. -Interesting take on an autoscroller in the second half. I like the set-ups with the blue Koopas circling around the middle track - works well here. -Nitpick, but it's kind of silly how the brown platforms bounce off of the blocks at the end of the second area rather than following the line guide to the end. 016. SlickAsSlip DESIGN: 46/60 CREATIVITY: 23/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 76/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level is a bit of a mixed bag for me, leaning more towards the positive side. I thought the vertical sections were really cool, and I loved how you incorporated the bowling ball sprite + 1F0 + the flying chainsaws into these parts. On the other hand, I felt that the horizontal net-focused rooms were a bit bland and underwhelming. The first section of the level had an interesting idea by leading the bowling ball to the right, but the section felt a bit sparse - even something as simple as vertical net Koopas would have made this part more fun to play, but as it stands, many of your sprites felt harmless and out of the way. The same thing holds true in the section with the midpoint - it was super short, and compared to the vertical sections, it felt quite a bit less interesting to play. Definitely a good entry overall, but it could have been taken a bit further to push it into the "excellent" territory. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice music choice. -The net Koopa left of the start - and even the one just to the right of the start - are very, very easy to dodge, to the point where they aren't even really threats at all. -Interesting idea with leading the bowling ball sprite to the right while using the nets to get behind the foreground. Quite creative, though many of the sprite set-ups in this section feel harmless. -The second Yoshi coin has a bunch of net Boos near it who don't really pose a threat at all, since they always seem to be on the left side as you're coming up there. -Bit of a jerk move at the midpoint - your natural instinct is going to be to jump up there and grab it, but then you're pretty much trapped by the chainsaws. I would have at least removed the arrow blocks from the left side. Really liking your use of the chainsaws in this section otherwise. -The red net Koopa just after the midpoint above the ON/OFF switch also poses no real threat. 017. Fairy Eclipse DESIGN: 41/60 CREATIVITY: 21/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 71/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I think your intro message kind of sums it up: this level feels rushed. I can tell that, whoever you are, you have a knack for some really cool set-ups and ideas. The first half was a ton of fun - you were generous with the boost power-ups, and the design felt solid and fun to play. Both your coin placement (acting as a guide), and your sprite placements worked in conjunction with the structure of the level itself, especially given the widescreen aesthetic you went for. The second half, on the other hand, was nothing more than a fast autoscroller with a star run at the end with a couple of clunky spots that were easy to get hit in. I think if you had more time, you could have done something really interesting with this section, but as it stands, this entry feels like it's 50% super interesting, and 50% "I ran out of time and it shows". SPECIFIC POINTS: -Very cool idea with the widescreen aesthetic. I haven't seen something like that done before in an actual level, and you seemed to design around it rather nicely. -Nice set-up with the screen-scrolling pipes + double Thwimp walls. -I appreciate your usage of the boost power-up, and the fact that you provided it frequently enough to not die unfairly because you lost it and couldn't complete a jump. However, I would have made a better indicator than the same colored coin as every other regular coin in the level. -The upside-down Thwimps at the beginning of the second half are obnoxiously easy to get hit by. 018. M's K Fan Edition DESIGN: 21/60 CREATIVITY: 21/30 AESTHETICS: 2/10 SCORE: 44/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Aw, shucks, now you've got me blushing. I mean, I have to appreciate the idea behind this puzzle - throwing out all of the blue blocks such that they bounce off of the Punchy sprites (which is super frustrating because half the time they just fall through), getting the star, dodging them + grabbing Yoshi, feeding it the blocks, then hitting the ON/OFF, grabbing the (off-screen with no indication it's even there) key and winning. Sadly, I think you and I both know that there are other levels in this contest which blow this one out of the water - and hey, they'd blow any of the one-screen levels I'd submit out of the water too. That being said, I love this and I'll hopefully bring up your average. Let's grab a drink at some point, person I don't know. SPECIFIC POINTS: -It does look pretty majestic when you have a bunch of blue blocks flying back and forth. 019. Valley of ON-OFF DESIGN: 43/60 CREATIVITY: 15/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 64/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level is okay, but it's rather underwhelming. The best sprite usage here probably falls on the pendulum Roto-Discs, which are typically placed in clever ways that are challenging for the player to dodge. On the other hand, the namesake blocks of the level (ON/OFF) aren't really used very creatively at all. The first set-up with the kicking Koopa is decent enough, but you never really go beyond this, and instead rehash this exact set-up very close to the end. As a result, the level also ends up feeling rather short, and with a pretty lopsided midpoint (considering you have a large cave area you may end up going through just after it). Overall, not a bad level, but it doesn't really do much in the way of anything creative with the ON/OFF blocks/other sprites beyond the Roto-Discs. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The first couple of screens are nice, though it's a bit weird that you introduced the upwards-shooting pipe with a message box considering a) it doesn't show up until quite a bit later, and b) it's pretty self-explanatory. -Good introduction to the ON/OFF blocks (though it's kind of easy to despawn the shell if you fall). -The cave portion is nice enough, but it seems like a pretty drastic detour just for a Yoshi coin. -The part just before the P-switch door is the exact same set-up as the first ON/OFF portion in the level (jumping across two ON/OFF platforms while a shell is going). -The P-Switch door itself is nothing more than an item babysitting section. 020. BLESS THE RAINS DESIGN: 50/60 CREATIVITY: 28/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 85/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I found this level utterly fascinating in so many of its set-ups. The Punchy sprite was introduced nicely, and then the design choices with it quickly ramped up to the point where it was used in ways I couldn't have even thought of. The first half focused a lot more on using sprites with it, whereas the second half focused more on Mario using it while dodging falling enemies. Both halves worked great with each other, and there was a logical sense of progression in the design. I do have a couple of issues with the level - I don't think using clouds to mask the falling sprites was the best idea, because it ends up being really easy to get hit blindly and unfairly (especially near the beginning and around the end of the second half). There were also a couple of spots where I feel that you need a lot of foresight to pull it off on your first attempt - namely, the fast-moving rotating grey platform in the second half. While I loved that idea, there were one or two spots where it was way too easy to get hit because you were standing on the wrong platform of the three. Other than those issues, I loved this. Amazing work. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Loving the use of the Punchy sprite with the Pokeys - the first couple of set-ups with these are super creative. -Fascinating design around the second Yoshi coin - that rotating grey platform is going haywire and I love it. -Not a huge fan of the set-up with the two grey platforms that get bounced up and the single turn block/Pokey that you have to hit. It wasn't immediately obvious what you had to do, and I dropped both grey platforms by mistake and screwed up. It's also kind of easy to get hit by the falling Pokey. -On the other hand, the pre-midpoint set-up with the ON/OFF switch was so cool! -The fast-moving grey platform where you have to dodge Pokeys in the second half is one of my favorite set-ups in the entire contest. That was amazing, albeit a little tight just near the end. -Nice little challenge with Yoshi at the end. 021. Deep Sea Dash DESIGN: 5/60 CREATIVITY: 2/30 AESTHETICS: 3/10 SCORE: 10/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: It's an underwater level where you swim to the right for a long time, and then you reach the end. There are random sprites placed everywhere with no rhyme or reason, and not a single resource from the base ROM was actually used. Sorry - not sure there's much more to say, unfortunately. If this was a legit attempt, then I would suggest reading some level design guides, as there isn't any coherency in this entry at all. SPECIFIC POINTS: -I think the general comments sum it up this time. 022. Ninji Night Village DESIGN: 42/60 CREATIVITY: 23/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 74/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is definitely one of the nicest looking levels in the contest, and aside from a couple of graphical annoyances noted below, it never once felt visually overwhelming/obnoxious. The level itself is quite good throughout, though my biggest issue probably lies with the length - it definitely started to drag at the end. Had you cut out all of the outdoor stuff after the midpoint and jumped right into the indoor part, this would have probably alleviated a lot of my concerns with this, especially since that outdoor stuff really didn't feel very different at all from the first half of the level. The indoor part was nice, though a bit cramped in spots, i.e. where you had to do vine jumping near the bottom of the screen. I also liked your use of the cat sprite throughout, and I thought you were generous enough with giving the player additional power-ups in case they got hit. Overall, aside from some same-y set-ups in the first half and the fact that it dragged on a bit too long, I thought this was pretty neat. Well done. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Fantastic aesthetic, and the fact that it seems to be made using vanilla graphics is even cooler. -You should give the player a bit more incentive to go on top of the houses. While I appreciate the choice of paths you give, there's really nothing up top besides empty turn blocks/coin boxes. -At the part just before the midpoint, it wasn't obvious or telegraphed at all that you couldn't stand on the single-tile platforms. I fell through as a result, not realizing they were sprite-only. -What's with the odd one-way block a couple of screens in the indoor part of the level above the turn blocks? I fell down and I couldn't get back up because I was hitting my head on something solid, but there was nothing graphical there to indicate that. 023. Rotation Nimbus DESIGN: 47/60 CREATIVITY: 20/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 76/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a really pretty level that also feels super fun to play. I love the focus on rotating sprites, and how each one feels like a decently thought-out obstacle. I also found it interesting that you included a couple of propeller power-ups, as holding on to them makes the level exponentially easier (although it's still doable even without it, so it's clear the level was designed with both approaches in mind). As for my gripes: I found that the set-ups in the second half didn't really get more difficult than the first half, nor did they feel particularly more creative in their usage. While still well-designed and enjoyable, I'm sure there's a bit more you could have done with these sprites. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Really digging the aesthetic. Some parts of it feel a bit busy, but overall I love how colorful and detailed it is. -Nice introduction of the rotating platforms. -Not sure if this is an emulator or a ROM issue, but the coins that appear when you touch them + some other random solid object that I can't identify appear as "barcode" lines. It looks bizarre. 024. VALLEY OF BOWSER 2 DESIGN: 36/60 CREATIVITY: 13/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 55/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I feel like this level doesn't really have an identity, and tries to do way too much at once. It starts off decently enough, and there are a couple of interesting set-ups early on - namely, up until you hit the ON/OFF switch maze. All of a sudden, you're just running around in circles avoiding Bullet Bills - which, honestly, is a rather lazy approach to adding difficulty here when you could have creatively added other sprites + actually worked them into your design. The second half of the level is more of the same, except now there's a fair bit of P-Switch carrying that you have to do. You had a ton of sprites to work with, but it seems like you used a couple of them in a single set-up or two, and then never brought them back (e.g. the Boomerang Bros, the firebars, etc). Overall, I would have liked to see a greater usage of interesting, creative set-ups rather than focusing on a lot of ON/OFF + P-Switch hustling. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The shelless Koopas on the ramp just before the first pair of Boomerang Bros seems really pointless, as does the ledge below it. It's easy to just jump from the other ramp over to the right. -The part where you have to walk back and forth while waiting for green shelless Koopas (for a Yoshi coin) is dull - I'm sure you could have done something more creative for this. -The ON/OFF maze includes a Bullet Bill generator. The problem is that the area is so claustrophobic and narrow that it's super easy to get hit rather unfairly. -Poor placement of the ball power-up in the maze - if you're big, you have to duck-jump in the space to get it, and then you can get somewhat trapped between the ON/OFF blocks just to the left of it, forcing you to do weird ducking moves to get out. -Weird choice to give the player both a hammer suit and a Tanooki suit so close together, and then really not have your design factor them in. -In level 28, screen 0A, that Paragoomba falls down on the one-way platform almost immediately as you enter the screen, making it super easy to get hit. 025. GO'N AROUND DESIGN: 44/60 CREATIVITY: 24/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 76/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a cool level with an impressive usage of the boomerang power-up. One thing I really like is your decision to not make it mandatory throughout the level - I've seen other entries do this, and it becomes frustrating, as you're always forced to have one on reserve/nearby. In this case, you've opted to make it entirely optional, and even those set-ups have a lot of care and creativity put into them (i.e. requiring the player to shoot the boomerang through the foreground to hit a block that isn't at eye level with the player). I would have liked to see a bit more usage with the boomerang and grabbing items, though - you did it very nicely in one of the bonus rooms with the springboard, but I'm sure you could have done something even more interesting, such as for the final Yoshi coin (which is simply hidden behind a pair of rocks). Overall, this is a good entry, though I definitely had more fun with the optional boomerang stuff than the main level itself. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice use of SMB2's graphics, and I like the music. -Good introduction to the boomerang sprite - you're in a closed space where you can't accidentally use it, and you allow the player the chance to experiment. -I liked the design of the puzzle requiring you to boomerang the springboard for a Yoshi coin - creative. -I noticed around the midpoint that a couple of objects (e.g. the vines, brown blocks) go in front of the status bar. Looks weird. 026. VANILLA VOLCANO DESIGN: 48/60 CREATIVITY: 25/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 81/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level is a ton of fun to play, with a distinct focus on the jet shoes (or whatever they're canonically called). The set-ups feel like they flow naturally, and they get increasingly more complex and interesting as the level goes on. I especially like how you introduced the moving blue block in the second half - it doesn't feel like a tacked-on gimmick, and instead works wonderfully with the premise you've already established for the level. There are a couple spots I found frustrating, though - as I mentioned in the specific points below, one of the Yoshi coin set-ups felt a bit unpredictable, and some spots felt a bit tight with the timing. On the whole, I had a lot of fun playing this and it's definitely one of the stronger entries in this contest. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Great graphics/palettes, and I think Lava Reef Zone is a very fitting track. -Nice introduction of the "jet shoes", and making the first Yoshi coin easily accessible with them. -I like the set-ups with the firebars right at the start, and your usage of reset doors is helpful if you mess up. -While I think the set-up for the third Yoshi coin with the Goomba stack is creative, it's really unpredictable where they're going to land when you step on it (i.e. they go flying everywhere). Trying to get the coin and go back is annoyingly challenging and a bit unfair as a result. -On the other hand, your set-up right before the midpoint was cool - you could have probably even used two stacks here, or another sprite entirely, to make it a bit harder but still fair. -The Thwimp at the start of the second section gets stuck in the right wall above the blue block periodically, and glitches out. -On screen 2-3 of the second area, the timing is really tight to get the power-up from the box and fall back onto the blue block. I would have offered a bit more leeway here. -The final set-up in the level felt climactic and creative (blue block + going up and down to dodge spikes and Goomba stacks). 027. VERY MONDO DESIGN: 14/60 CREATIVITY: 12/30 AESTHETICS: 4/10 SCORE: 30/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: As I'm sure you can tell, I am not a Kaizo level player, and this really feels like that kind of level to me. I have no doubt some people will argue that this entry is well-designed or creative, but to me, it's a super challenging and precise trial-and-error run that gets incredibly frustrating very quickly. You probably already knew this would likely be the result when you entered this level though, so... SPECIFIC POINTS: -I don't really have any for this one, else I'd be pointing out every single set-up other than perhaps the first one or two. 028. Canon of Shenandoah DESIGN: 53/60 CREATIVITY: 27/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 89/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I admire your focus on a gimmick, and the fact that you built it up continuously as the level went on. The set-ups got more and more complex and creative, and you had some really cool ideas in there (e.g. using the vines instead of mushrooms, the auto-scroller portion, etc). The level looked and sounded beautiful as well. That aside, I feel that there's one major flaw which prevented this level from being at the absolute top tier of this contest. As much fun as I was having, it really started to drag at the end. Considering the gimmick in the second half was mostly the same as the first half, and the fact that the last couple of set-ups actually felt like they were ripped straight from the beginning (i.e. two mushrooms + dodge some stuff) made it seem a bit tedious. That, plus the fact that the level was basically a giant series of segmented set-ups, made me start to get fatigued. It didn't have a climactic final set-up and/or much development beyond the auto-scroller in the second half, and compared to other entries, it ended up a tad weaker as a result. Still, amazing job overall, and a very unique idea. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Love the opening atmosphere - great palette and music choice. -Nice introduction to the gimmick. Rare that I'd say this, but honestly, you introduced the gimmick well enough that you shouldn't have even bothered with the sign at the beginning - I could have learned it naturally from the gameplay. -The progression of difficulty in the set-ups up to the white pipe is excellent, though the last one was quite a step up from the others. You had to be very quick in reaching the top block, and it wasn't the most forgiving. -Great twist on the gimmick with the vines. -The Roto-Disc set-up at the end is quite tight, especially the left one. A little too precise for my tastes. -Bit of an anti-climax, given the build-up of the gimmick prior to it. 029. Cloud Surfing DESIGN: 52/60 CREATIVITY: 27/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 86/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level felt like an excellent combination between DKC2-ish level design, with the length and flavor of an original SMW level. I was impressed at how succinct everything felt - it was over very quickly, yet it didn't feel short. Almost every set-up felt clever and well thought-out, and the fact that it used an enhanced version of the gimmick in the second half was great. One thing I felt was a bit frustrating is that there seems to be as lack of consistency as to whether or not riding the clouds all the way down in the second half would kill you. For the first several hops, I survived while just sitting on them, but then I was suddenly killed near the third set of blue coins. That was the only real thing that bothered me - otherwise, I thought this level was excellent. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice palette and music choice. -Interesting introduction to your gimmick, and I like the gradual build-up of it over the first couple of screens. The usage of the Volcano Lotus in particular is quite cool. -Loving the moon room - very creative and challenging overall. -Cool set-up where you have to go under the Goomba stack on the cloud - changes it up from having to keep jumping over/through enemy pairs. -I like how you took the gimmick from the first half and basically made that the whole second half. Worked really well. -Great use of line guides/1F0 throughout the second half, especially where you use it below the level to carry the clouds along. 030. CHOCOLATE ISLAND 2 DESIGN: 11/60 CREATIVITY: 4/30 AESTHETICS: 2/10 SCORE: 17/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Sorry, but this level is a bit of a mess. It's full of empty swathes of land and completely nonsensical sprite placement - it actually seems like you were more or less experimenting with the base ROM rather than designing a level, given the seemingly random usage of sprites everywhere. More focus on a coherent level theme, as well as filling up some of the blander parts of the level with additional sprites/better object usage might have helped this entry fare a bit better. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The ground palette isn't looking too great. -The first few screens are awfully barren. -Your tides scroll up with the player, and given the nature of the level, I'm pretty sure this wasn't an intentional janky gimmick. -You put a shell generator off-screen that barely functions, as half of them get stuck in the corner. It's also not really a threat since you can just run under everything. 031. MELON PUNCH DESIGN: 48/60 CREATIVITY: 24/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 81/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level demonstrates an excellent usage of the ON/OFF blocks, Punchy sprite, and cloud power-up together. I found the first half to be good, though nothing earth-shattering. You introduced the gimmicks rather well (though the demo room for the cloud sprite was pointless), and made progressively more interesting set-ups as the level went on. While I thought everything up to the midpoint was good, it came across as a tad generic. I don't think the level fully hit its stride until you brought in the cloud powerup and started using it in interesting ways with the Punchy sprite - specifically, the set-ups after the second midpoint were very creative. Overall, I had a lot of fun, and aside from a few weird design decisions (see below), I thought it was very nicely designed. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Lovely palette - it's really bright, and quite pretty (and melon-y!). -Good introduction to both the switch blocks and the Punchy sprite. I like how you used the reflecting fireball enemy as a fun trap to demo it. -I feel like the part with the shell-kicking Koopa and the ON/OFF block could have been something different, as it's been done to death and you didn't really do anything too exciting with it compared to your other set-ups. -The cloud powerup demo room was a bit unnecessary considering you draw an X in coins right after it. Would have been fine to teach the player this organically rather than with message boxes. -The one-way blocks over the Muncher pit seems a bit pointless - you should have just made this a bottomless pit, since once you're down there, you're trapped and dead no matter how many powerups/reserve items you have. -Your combinational use of both the Punchy and cloud powerup is really cool, and works well. This was a much better usage of the ON/OFF kicking Koopa than earlier in the level, by the way (screens 3-4 in level 106). 032. PREPOSTEROUS ATHLETIC DESIGN: 48/60 CREATIVITY: 26/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 79/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a high-intensity level with a lot of crazy set-ups. I'm not sure your introduction of any particular gimmick is too great - for instance, I had no idea that some of the scale platforms would fall faster than others, and I didn't really see any indication of that palette/sprite-wise. I generally don't like set-ups with falling Pitchin' Chucks too, which you emphasized a bit in the second half of the level. It feels a bit too sporadic and luck-based, especially if it's a first playthrough. Those aside, however, I enjoyed a ton of your other set-ups. I listed the highlights below, but in general, any spot that you combined several sprites (i.e. flying Pokeys + jumping Piranha Plants, scale platforms + the Volcano Lotus) were the best parts. Nice work overall. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice background, and the music fits well with the level. -Rather intense start, but nothing unfair. -I liked the set-up with the donut blocks and the Pitchin' Chuck near the beginning. Felt very dynamic, and you really had to keep moving. -Interesting set-up with the quick scale platform + Volcano Lotus + brown platform. -This is probably a personal nitpick, but I think the poison mushroom box is such a stupid sprite to deal with. Even here, the player's natural instinct is to hit the block, then quickly jump and keep going, which leads to their death. Ultimately, all this sprite does is add an extra couple of seconds that I need to wait. I thought the usage of it later in the level when combined with the regular mushroom was much more interesting. -The part with the 3 flying Pokeys + line-guided turn block bridge after the midpoint is cool, very also kind of a hefty step up in difficulty from the other set-ups since you need to be constantly looking in two places at once.. and since the platform you're standing on constantly becomes one-tile wide, it can be frustrating. -The set-up with the 2 flying Pokeys + 3 jumping Piranha Plants was great, and I like how you had to circle back a couple of times to clear it. 033. Jumpopolis DESIGN: 39/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 63/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level had a very weak start, but a decent-to-good finish. Pretty much all of the auto-scrolling portions either felt super bland (i.e. a dramatic lack of enemies and coins, especially near the start), or downright strange in their difficulty curve. When you actually DID include enemies, they were used for one-off frustrating set-ups. For instance, you made the player do about five straight scale platform hops, and then you suddenly had to a do a really tricky jump off of a circling Parakoopa. This was right at the start of the level, too. On the bright side, I thought your second half started to show a lot of potential. You had some interesting set-ups here, especially near the end where you had to go up and down with the vine/scale platforms. Honestly, if you had a) scrapped the first half, b) started the level at the second half, and then c) designed a new second half to finish the level off, this could have been a great level, but the auto-scroll section really killed this entry for me. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice aesthetic, although I kind of wish the BG mushrooms would scroll separately from the foreground. -The first couple screens are really slow - three jumps on scale platforms with autoscrolling, and no coins or enemies. -You then proceeded to add more single-scale jumps, followed by an unnecessarily hard hop off of a blue circling Parakoopa. Not the best difficulty curve. -Hitting the ON/OFF switch with the shell is completely blind, since it's off-screen, and as such you fall to your death if you're not expecting it. -The second half starts to get a bit better - I like your set-ups where you have the one-tile wide clouds over the scale platforms. -Going down the scale platform with the flying chainsaw was a nice set-up as well. 034. Bubble Jungle DESIGN: 40/60 CREATIVITY: 26/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 71/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Let me start by saying that I love the idea this level goes for, and the creativity here is fantastic. You've got some really excellent set-ups that require different tricks with the bubble power-up, such as running towards a wall to gain momentum for the sprite, bubbling enemies to get over ledges, and using the scrolling water to move fish into your path. My primary problem is that the level goes on, and on, and on, and it starts to wear you out. I feel like the third section is completely unnecessary - not only does it introduce an L/R gimmick that feels too janky when taken with the rest of the level as a whole (yes yes, coming from someone who made an entire level around this gimmick), but it's unnecessary padding. By the time you've hit that point, you're already kind of over the gimmick and it can't be spread much further. If you had stopped at the after the second section and made some of the set-ups at the end of that a little more complex, I think this would have been an amazing entry overall. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice music. Wish you'd at least tried to make a custom palette or something, though. -Good introduction to the bubble power-up. -I like the set-up shortly after the beginning where you have to dodge the up-and-down Thwimps with the bubbles. Creative. -Not a huge fan of the puzzle just before the midpoint. It wasn't exactly obvious how to build speed with the bubbles, and I found myself a bit confused on how to actually hit the ON/OFF blocks. -The puzzle where you get the P-Switch is just repeating the same puzzle from earlier, but doing it about 4 times in a row to lower the item. -The time limit is way too tight. I ran out, and I was going decently quick with a couple of resets. 035. Fire and Chainsaws DESIGN: 45/60 CREATIVITY: 14/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 64/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This was a nicely designed level, in that it felt a lot like something you'd experience in the original game. The set-ups you created were decent enough, and I could actually see how the ones later in the level borrowed elements from ones earlier (i.e. variations of the two-rocks-going-up-and-down set-up appears multiple times, but harder in each case). That being said, this level really didn't do a lot with the blocks/sprites in the base ROM. I like that you decided to use the firebars, but they were quite sparse throughout the level and when they did appear, they were usually just a tiny part of a set-up that's more dependent on chainsaws. Overall, a decently designed SMW-like level that really should have done a bit more with the base ROM inclusions to stand up against the higher ranked entries. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Rather interesting palette choice. -A decent introduction of both the chainsaw and the firebar sprites. I liked the log bridge set-up near the start. -The turn block bridges + the chainsaw set-ups just after the midpoint are rather nice as well, as they force you to time your jumps on the platform and watch out for the saw as well. 036. SHORT BUT INTENSE DESIGN: 41/60 CREATIVITY: 19/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 65/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I can appreciate the fact that you tried to make a short, difficult level. For the most part, I liked a good number of the set-ups. They were reaction-based, but they didn't feel too unfair, and timing your jumps with the propeller hat was a lot of fun (the Muncher tunnel near the end was neat). I also thought it was cool that you warped back halfway through the level after the midpoint, and changed up the layout with the layer 2 smasher. The first half was good overall, though the auto-scroll may have been an unnecessary addition to an already challenging level. Sadly, I wasn't too keen on the second half. I mentioned some specifics below, but there seems to be quite a few more unfair set-ups there, and ones that are just too tight to work with. Top that off with a really janky usage of the layer 2 smasher - as in, I kept falling through them when trying to stand on top - and it made the experience a fair bit more frustrating than it could have been. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Not much to write home about with the aesthetics, but the music choice is quite fitting. -The set-up just before the midpoint feels way too tight, especially when you've never seen it before. I thought you had to go to the right of the Banzai Bill, but you can't make it in time if you do. -Pretty unfair that you can get "sucked into" the top of the layer 2 smasher, considering it looks like you can stand on it. -If you jump to the second safe hole before the first one (just after where the midpoint is in the layer 2 smasher area), then it's almost impossible to dodge the Banzai Bill that spawns. I had no way of knowing it was coming on my first playthrough. -You tend to fall through the platform at the end when trying to enter the pipe as well. 037. Waterworld - Diving DESIGN: 41/60 CREATIVITY: 23/30 AESTHETICS: 5/10 SCORE: 69/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level has some really cool ideas. Both diving sections have a unique sprite that they focus on, and your set-ups + design around them is both intriguing and enjoyable. The second room in particular had a fantastic usage of the flying chainsaws, and I've never seen a gimmick where you're forced to down-swim through a corridor like that. However, those two portions were the only real strong points of the level. Other than that, you had a rather generic non-water area, which felt like nothing more than just a hub of sorts. The design here was straightforward and more bland than the water parts.. and then the level just abruptly ended. Overall - and I could be completely wrong here - but to me, this feels like a last-minute entry from someone who would normally be a very competent level designer. I would have loved to play a version of this that was 1.5-2x longer. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Good choice of music, as evidenced by both the name and the intro text. -I like the idea of using firebars underwater - works well as an obstacle. -Seems like the springboard graphics are messed up.. or at least, they were in Snes9x 1.55. -I was about to knock you for item babysitting, but I was actually impressed with the design on the way back while carrying the springboard. Hitting the P-Switch + using the springboard to speed swim made that whole section feel more intense and interesting. -Lovely idea with the chainsaws + low swimming in the second diving room. I think you should have given a tiny bit more leeway, as it took me multiple tries, but the creativity is just excellent. 038. VANILLA SECRET 2 DESIGN: 28/60 CREATIVITY: 14/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 49/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: Sorry, but I had a really terrible time with this level. I pointed out many specific issues below, but those could be extrapolated to a lot of the design. The first section was full of blind jumps into enemies, and generally lackluster set-ups. The design felt labyrinth-like, yet without any real coherency or consistency. The second section was a mess - almost all of the Thwimps got stuck in walls, jumped to weird and unpredictable locations, and were generally just incredibly frustrating to deal with. Couple that with tight tunnels, a fire Magikoopa who really had no purpose existing here, and random Munchers all over the place, and it felt super messy overall. One thing I will give the level credit for is that I really liked how you made each section feel different once you hit the ON/OFF switch, even though they were essentially the same. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Good music choice, and nice palette. -Blind jump right at the start - there's a Volcano Lotus under the blue blocks. -Another blind jump down to some Goombas a few screens right of the start. -What's with the abundance of non-threatening ceiling Munchers? -The lowest Thwimp in the Magikoopa room behaves really weirdly, and jumps all over the place + gets stuck in the wall after a few jumps. -Babysitting a P-Switch just to get to a cave with a bunch of one-tile ON/OFF block jumps = not fun. -There are a bunch of blind falling Paragoombas everywhere after you go through the blue pipe. 039. D e e p H o u s e DESIGN: 45/60 CREATIVITY: 24/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 75/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level has some rad ideas. I like how the focus of the first half is primarily on the ON/OFF switches + rotating grey platforms, and then the second half brings the green arrow platforms into the mix. I definitely think the second half is stronger as well - the design feels tighter, and many of the set-ups have a ton of creativity (e.g. the very last one, the one where you ride the lift up while ducking). That being said, I did have a couple of issues with some of the set-ups, which I've pointed out below. I also found the scrolling background jarring, and it often hid key elements - like the arrows made of line guides - that would help solve a section on the first try. Overall though, I thought this was a cool level with some creative set-ups, and a very nice use of the resources in the base ROM. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Groovy aesthetic, though the background is a tad distracting. Really digging the music here. -Cool introduction to the ON/OFF platform gimmick. -You see the bouncing green Koopa before the ON/OFF switches come on the screen, so it's really easy to screw up and spin jump on it, thus softlocking you/forcing you to die. -I like the set-up just after the above part with the 3 rotating grey platforms on the line, though it can be a bit hard to time your jumps to hit the ON/OFF switches when you're going that fast. Adding 2 blocks instead of one in each case may have made this easier. -The last set-up is cool, though it can be really hard to see the line-guided arrows with the aesthetic. I found the last ON/OFF switch pretty tricky to hit too. 040. BLUE SHELL CAVE DESIGN: 35/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 4/10 SCORE: 57/100 (Disqualified: the timer was set to 0.) GENERAL COMMENTS: If this is really your first level ever, it's actually quite good. You picked a basic gimmick, but you focused on it and stuck with it throughout the level (i.e. blue shells hitting ON/OFF switches). Some of your set-ups were quite creative, as noted in the specific points below. For the future, here are a few things I'd consider doing differently. First of all, one of the most frustrating parts of your level was the fact that you were not consistent with your lighter-colored ground. In some cases, you could walk/fall right through it, but in other cases, it acted like a ledge. Secondly, the first half of the level felt really cramped, and although many of the puzzles relied on this, it was often frustrating trying to navigate your way around. Finally, a good number of the boulders were actually non-threatening because they were out of the way. I'd definitely focus on integrating your spritework (and once you figure them out, custom sprites) into the level a bit more to make the design feel less like it's reliant on Munchers as the only real obstacle. Good luck, and keep designing! SPECIFIC POINTS: -It doesn't really make sense that some of the lighter pieces of ground are solid and others aren't. You need to be consistent with them, or you'll confuse the player. -I enjoyed the set-up near the start where you had to fire a shell to the left, off of a triangle, and then hit the ON/OFF switch while running away from it. -I like the set-up just after the midpoint where you have to fire the blue shell from the left side of the ON/OFF blocks. -I also like the set-up about a screen to the right of there, where you have to fall down a bunch of ON/OFF blocks while a shell ricochets back and forth. 041. Half-Fortified DESIGN: 34/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 58/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: While this level has some interesting uses of the base ROM sprites (i.e. the horizontal flying chainsaw going along the bottom in the second half), so many of the set-ups feel non-threatening and almost pointless. I've tried to be very thorough in my specific points, but with many of them, you can either just run under the enemies. I also felt that the level ended super abruptly - the last couple of screens don't have much going on in them, and I was surprised that you couldn't even ride the chainsaw under the goal, considering it follows yo ufor the whole sublevel. Overall, while not an inherently bad level, the awkward sprite set-ups make it rather unenjoyable. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Loving the music - super intense. -The very first sprite set-up in the level is pointless. There is no real reason the player would go above when the bottom route is enemy-free. -Same case with a couple of screens later. There's a Puntin' Chuck on the middle platform, and it's incredibly easy to dodge just by going under him. -Again, same case at the Yoshi coin just after that. There are two green Parakoopas up top, but if you go to the right to get the Yoshi coin first and then go back, they have already moved a fair amount of the way to the left and are no longer a threat. -I like the set-up after that with the two grey platforms + chainsaw. -The leftmost brown platform before the midpoint pipe fails to spawn due to too many sprites being on the screen at once. -Your midpoint doesn't work. It leads to much earlier in the level. I did see the midway sprite in level 1CA when I checked in Lunar Magic, but it seemed to have failed to work. -Too many Puntin' Chucks at once partway through the second half - some of them just stop spawning footballs, and the one at the bottom will kick it straight up through the wall if you're to the right of it. -You can just run under the two Ball'n'Chains near the turn blocks. Had you lowered the floor so the saw was actually a threat, then this area could have been cool. -I.. think you only included two Yoshi coins in the whole level?? I didn't see any at all in the second half. 042. Bro's Plains DESIGN: 37/60 CREATIVITY: 16/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 60/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level isn't bad. It has a bit of a SMB3 vibe to it with the various uses of the Hammer Bros and Boomerang Bros, and the design is interesting in certain spots. However, many of the set-ups in the level fall into one of two categories: non-threatening, or pointless. For instance, you have two cases of item babysitting which do nothing but add a few seconds of padding to the level, as there is no threat or obstacle in either case (listed in the specific points below). Also, there are some set-ups where you have the player pick between an upper and lower path, and in almost all of these cases, one path is totally devoid of enemies. If there is one clear choice on the best path to take, then it sort of defeats the point of having them in the first place. Overall, not a bad level, just some very bizarre design decisions that, had they been changed, would have helped this score higher. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Great palette and music choice. -It's kind of bizarre that the very first sprite in the level is a Hammer Bros, before you even get a power-up, and then the next sprites are easily dodged Koopas. Weird difficulty curve. -The two pipes + Jumping Piranha Plant near the waterfall are pointless. The bottom route has nothing on it, and is clearly safer to travel on, so the player has no reason to take the upper one. -What exactly was the point of the airship? There were no enemies, just platforms to ride, and it only skipped you about 3 screens ahead. -Fairly pointless item babysitting with the blue P-Switch. If there were at least obstacles in the way, it would have been okay, but this basically just padded the level for no reason. -Same with the springboard. Why even bother making the player go through a pipe if you're just going to make them carry it back through? -The Boomerang Bro around this same area is no threat, as it is too low to hurt the player from the right and you don't stay there long enough on the left. -Why was the path to the 4th Yoshi coin easier than the normal path above it? 043. Rip Van Fishlantis DESIGN: 24/60 CREATIVITY: 11/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 43/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level is just way too sparse on its obstacles/enemies, and whenever they do come up, they're extremely easy to dodge because the area is so wide open. For almost every case of the Rip Van Fish enemy, there is no reason to go near them at all, so they never even have a chance to activate. The Urchins also seem pointless, as you can easily swim under or over them due to the magnitude of empty space often around them. The Porcupuffer chase at the end could have been interesting, but the frog suit makes it so you can be so far ahead of it just by holding down the button for a couple of seconds, and then you have about another 45 of swimming through empty space. You could have at least added some sort of other threat here. Overall, although I liked the aesthetic behind the level, it just felt way too barren to be fun. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Liking the look of the level, especially with the ruined column graphics. -The first two Rip Van Fishes in the level can be swam right over, posing no threat. -I like the dodging and weaving you have to do with the frog suit just after that. -You can also simply swim over the Rip Van Fishes right before the ON/OFF switch. Speaking of, that switch is a real nightmare to hit underwater with the frog suit, as it registers multiple hits each time. 044. SPHERICAL SKIES DESIGN: 39/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 65/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: The first half of this level uses the bubbles in decent ways, especially near the end of it. Mixing up the bouncy and non-bouncy bubbles and using different colored bars to indicate it was a nice tough, and using the vanilla bubbles in conjunction worked rather well. Where I think the level kind of falters is in the second half. The idea of using the Chomp Rock is great (albeit wildly different from the first half), and adding those bubble blocks means you actually have to open up a path for it as you go. The problem is that basically all threats are invalidated as long as you have the rock with you, and you never really do much more with the gimmick besides a) hit the lowest two blocks with the bubble power-up, and then b) roll it some more. Yoshi's Island had a similar level where you roll a Chomp Rock throughout the whole thing, but there were at least different and unique challenges along the way to keep it fresh. More ideas like that could have helped here. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice aesthetic, though I feel like the music is slightly higher pitched than the original? Odd. Oh well. -The first bubbled Gooma really doesn't pose a threat at all. Feels pointless. -Blind drop at the first set of blue Parakoopas. I had no idea what was down there and got hit. -I appreciate your usage of the midpoint poles, so props for attempting to use that, at least. -The Bob-Omb's graphic kind of messes up if you have the Chomp Rock on-screen and you're using the bubble flower at the same time. 045. Lava Temple DESIGN: 53/60 CREATIVITY: 20/30 AESTHETICS: 10/10 SCORE: 83/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I want to start by saying that I love how this level looks, and the palettes in both the interior and exterior sections were super easy on the eyes. I'd also like to add that of all the entries I've played, this creator has one of the best senses of sprite-work, and integrating enemies/obstacles into their object placement. Aside from a couple set-ups listed below, each and every portion of this level feels like it was designed with thought and care put into it, especially the moving block sections. Where I think this level kind of falters a bit is in the creativity department. While there are some cool ideas here, there's nothing really mind-blowing in the usage of these sprites compared to other entries I've played (i.e. BLESS THE RAINS, bubble butt, etc). That aside, this is an incredibly solid entry with some fantastic design - well done. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Gorgeous aesthetics, and easily one of my favorite looking levels in the contest. Nice track choice too. -I like the donut lift bridge just before the ON/OFF switch - keeps you on your toes and forces you to keep moving, or else the path back will be much harder. -The Blargg at the bottom of the sinking layer 2 room really isn't much of a threat. -Nice star run. I've seen other entries use it in place of actual design, but I think it works well here because a) you still have the lava to contend with, and b) it feels quick enough and for the sake of a 1-UP only. -The Bowser statue at the last moving block part feels pointless - it won't shoot fire until you're already under it. 046. Annoying Plants DESIGN: 21/60 CREATIVITY: 23/30 AESTHETICS: 3/10 SCORE: 47/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I really have to give this level credit for using a combination of the regular/fireball-spitting Nipper plants together in ways I've never seen before. Some of the set-ups were rather genius, such as the note block stack. However, the difficulty is just too extreme given how long the level is, and many parts of it rely too much on foresight and having lightning-fast reflexes. The whole last section is a perfect example of this - if you don't know already know what's coming, it's almost impossible to clear on your first shot. Same with the section with the B made out of coins - I had no idea I had to jump off of a green Koopa immediately after that. I'm all for hard levels, but when they cross into the realm of.. not Kaizo, but too reaction-based, then it just kills the fun for me. SPECIFIC POINTS: -You could have at least tried to alter the palette a bit. Fitting music though. -I don't really think the blue coin is enough of an indication that the sprite is going to spit fireballs - at least, not on a first playthrough (especially when you can so easily jump into them too). -It's very likely that the plant falling from the sky will immediately go right and underneath the Munchers, so you can't actually jump on him. -I like the set-up where you kill the fireball-spitting Nipper with the note block, but if you go up and over first, you're stuck. -Surely you could have done something better than making a plant jump up and get glitched into a pipe. -The set-ups around the midpoint (i.e. the vines) are quite interesting. -The spin jumping portion leading up to the end is completely unfair. Since you have no idea what is coming on your first playthrough and you can't stop moving, it is so easy to mess up a jump and get killed by either a plant, or falling into a pit. 047. PUNCHY'S ISLAND 2 DESIGN: 1/60 CREATIVITY: 4/30 AESTHETICS: 2/10 SCORE: 7/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: It sure lives up to the name. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Uhh... fun use of the Punchy sprite I guess??? 048. Summa Glacies Maris DESIGN: 43/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 70/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a pretty solid snow-themed level with some decent sprite set-ups throughout. There are many cases where it seems like you have a strong grasp of level design fundamentals - for instance, your placement of most of the pipe Lakitus in the level is great, and when they throw their Spinies, they actually feel like legit threats/obstacles. However, there are quite a few cases where your design decisions are a bit odd. For instance, why would you force the player to go backwards through the level to get a Yoshi coin, and then replay the same couple of screens over again? You also have a small cloud section after the midpoint with absolutely nothing going on in it. There are definitely some neat ideas here, and the level is good overall, but these issues detract a bit from the fun factor. SPECIFIC POINTS: -That's a really gorgeous aesthetic you've created. I love the icebergs in the background. -The donut lift at the start feels pointless considering you never use it again in the level.. except once at the very end. -The first two pipe Lakitus are placed nicely. In both cases, the Spinies they throw actually work well with the level structure to pose a threat. -Good use of the circling Parakoopa with the slope jumps. I would have liked to see it used a bit more, as it felt more threatening than the red ones did. -There's a floating piece of grass near the fireball Nipper. Oops. -Not a whole lot of anything going on in the cloud portion just after the midpoint. -The sliding Koopa at the pipe you can enter gets stuck in the green pipe next to it. -Kind of annoying that you make the player have to go back through a couple of screens after they get the Yoshi coin in the cave. 049. Goomba Industries DESIGN: 41/60 CREATIVITY: 22/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 71/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is one of the few entries where I'll have many more specific comments then general ones, but to summarize: I like how this level picks a gimmick and sticks with it - namely, the use of Goombas everywhere and the bubbles. There are some really creative set-ups throughout, such as the part just before the last section where you're riding two bubbles upwards and going back and forth through pipes to dodge enemies. However, the level just doesn't end. I would have axed it after the second indoor section, but then you included this super long outdoor part which doesn't add much to the level, and - as far as I can tell - it's super easy to get stuck and die right at the final wall. Overall, this is a nice entry that just went on for way too long. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Nice aesthetic, and the DKC3 track is quite fitting here. -Good use of multi-pathing near the start. The player can choose to go up or down, and both have a different set of threats. -The Paragoombas before the first pipe are rather blind and easy to get unfairly hit by. -Kind of weird that you didn't hide anything to the left right at the start of the industry area. Seemed like a good place for a secret. -Nice little set-up with the ON/OFF switches + double Goomba that falls. -The Bob-Ombs used as obstacles in the level don't really serve a purpose, and you're mostly just forced to wait for them to explode. It gets a little better in the second half, but the first half encapsulates this a bit too much. -The set-up with the long ON/OFF bridge over the lava/bubbles is super neat. -The second outside portion is a bit spammy with the Paragoombas, and doesn't feel very cohesive in its design. -I think you're a bit too generous with the bubble flower power-up in the second half, especially since it isn't critical to the design. It's basically a ton of free hits that nullifies the challenge. -The part with the three bubbles you ride is kind of bland, and there's only one single sprite along the way to dodge. Also, you should have added a wall or something at the end of it - I thought I could keep going left and that riding the three other bubbles up was a bonus, but I instead died unfairly. -I really like the set-up with the two bubbles rising that you have to alternate between with the screen-scrolling. -The level was long enough with the two outdoor + two indoor sections. I don't know why you bothered including the last part, as it made things drag. -...and unless I'm missing something, I just ended up dying at the final wall in the level. There's nowhere to go when the bubbles pop, unless there's some kind of way to lower them below the wall. 050. Lair of the Urchins DESIGN: 47/60 CREATIVITY: 21/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 77/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is one of the more interesting water levels I've played, and a very pretty one to boot. Your usage of the ON/OFF activated layer 2 sprite is quite creative, and the ON/OFF blocks throughout force you to always be playing with the water level. I can tell that you've placed the enemies in such a way that this has been taken into consideration throughout, as the giant Urchins are often set up in such a way that they'll be a threat no matter where the water level is (with a couple of exceptions in the second half). I guess my only complaint - albeit a slightly big one - is that the level doesn't really change much or get more difficult as it goes on, which leads to the second half feeling like more of an extension of the first than anything. I know that you added a couple of brown platforms in the second half, but they mostly just force you to wait around and don't add much to the actual design. Overall, this is a solid entry, but I just wish it went a little further with its ideas. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Awesome aesthetics. The level looks and sounds great. -I'm liking your introduction to the giant Urchin enemy. -I appreciate your usage of blue blocks to give the player the option to swim faster throughout the level - not to mention it provides them with a bit of an enemy shield. -The ON/OFF layer 2 gimmick mixed with the giant Urchins works really well in the first section, and providing the player with an ice flower power-up to freeze enemies + kill the giant Urchins is a nice plus. -The second section really just feels like an extension of the first without building on the existing gimmick too much. I think you could have upped the difficulty here or done something fresh with it. 051. Military Wall March DESIGN: 36/60 CREATIVITY: 22/30 AESTHETICS: 7/10 SCORE: 65/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I like how this level tried to take a more puzzle-oriented approach than others in this contest, and some of the set-ups were quite creative (i.e. the Mini Mushroom ones in particular). Unfortunately, there are quite a few problems in the design, namely around requiring the player to know they need to keep their power-ups ahead of time. This is somewhat apparent at the very beginning, where you need to bring your mushroom along with you, but it's far more pronounced in the last section where you to carry both the propeller + Mini Mushroom power-up with you to progress. There's no way the player is going to know this ahead of time, and if they get hit, the reset doors take them all the way back to the beginning of the area. Rather than even having reset doors in the last section, you could have thrown in a midway point, which would have had the same effect. Overall, there are some fine ideas here, but the design is far too reliant on the player knowing what to expect ahead of time (and unfortunately riddled with a few glitches, noted below). SPECIFIC POINTS: -I'm digging the castle tileset you have going on. Good music choice as well. -There's half of a P-Switch door sticking out of the ceiling. -I'm not sure why you didn't turn on "Vertical Scroll at Will" in this level. Instead of climbing the three torches near the start, I just jumped up and to the right and got hurt by something I couldn't even see. -The reset door at the P-Switch is pointless, as it has the same effect as dying. It also isn't obvious right away that the player needs to keep their power-up to break that yellow turn block. -Props on using the Mini Mushroom sprite. I think you're the only one who did, and your usage of it is pretty creative (e.g. running and jumping at full speed to reach a Yoshi coin). -Using the propeller + the ON/OFF block in the second area is super finicky. When you hit it once, it treats it as multiple hits. 052. sinkin' shipp DESIGN: 45/60 CREATIVITY: 25/30 AESTHETICS: 8/10 SCORE: 78/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a fascinating level from an aesthetics standpoint. I found myself wondering how you actually made most of the graphics throughout, and I'm convinced it's almost entirely vanilla. As for the design itself, I really liked your focus on using the Urchins in combination with the steep slopes (i.e. to make them go diagonally). Most of the set-ups factored this in quite nicely, especially in the last section. I thought the auto-scrolling portion of the level was interesting as well, though the Punchy/fish streams felt out of place and a tad unfair to dodge in an otherwise atmospheric level. Overall, this was a great entry that demonstrated an excellent usage of layer 2 interactions, though marred by a couple of oddly designed and unfair set-ups. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. Are they mostly vanilla? I can't even tell, but the mechanical vibe they give off is great. The Punchy sprites are a bit glitchy, though. -Really creative usage of Urchins/giant Urchins throughout that first section. -I'm also really liking their usage at the beginning of the second section. The diagonals work rather well with the design you've set up. -Some of the Urchins along the double vines (vertical scrolling portion) don't pose a threat and feel pointless, as they don't cross the vines at all. -As funny as I found the Punchy/fish stream, it was actually a pain to dodge going up the vine. 053. Glowing Cave DESIGN: 39/60 CREATIVITY: 21/30 AESTHETICS: 6/10 SCORE: 66/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: This level has a lot of creative set-ups that utilize the boots power-up. Specifically, there are cases where the player has to float over well placed hurt blocks, land on sprites that are on tile 1F0, and go through water in strategic ways. Unfortunately, there are a lot of minor flaws that really hinder the gameplay experience. I've noted most of them below, but the two biggest concerns I have are a) the large amount of blind drops into lava that you need to react super quickly to, and b) the repetitiveness of certain set-ups. I think if the second half had brought back a couple of sprites from the first half, i.e. the Rexes, then it would have felt both more progressive from a difficulty standpoint, and dropped a bit of the repetitiveness. SPECIFIC POINTS: -Interesting spin on an otherwise vanilla aesthetic. The glowing looks nice, and isn't too intrusive. -Nice introduction to the green Rex - you have plenty of time and space to react to it and learn its behaviour. -Unfair introduction to the rainbow Rex - it comes flying at you right after you jump off of the grey platforms, and you have next to no time to react. -Completely blind drop in lava after the second shoe power-up in the level. The player has no way of knowing that's there. -There's actually another drop like this (i.e. the exact same set-up) further in the level, but you give the player more time to react here. Seems like a reversed difficulty curve. -I like the set-ups that require you to float up and land on the Mega Moles. -The set-up with the two hurt blocks in the water shortly after the midpoint is kind of pointless, since you can just jump over them and fall down to the right. -I appreciate how generous you are with the boots power-up. It's not so gratuitous that you can just tank everything, but it's frequent enough that it never feels like you've unfairly lost because of a lack of having it. -You've done the exact same "fall down with two one-way blocks + float to avoid the lava" set-up at least four times in the level. -I would have liked to see a bit more Rex usage in the second half, considering you used them a lot in the first half and then just kind of stopped. 054. Rock and Roll Out DESIGN: 46/60 CREATIVITY: 18/30 AESTHETICS: 9/10 SCORE: 73/100 GENERAL COMMENTS: I like how this level focuses primarily on both the Chomp Rock and the Nipper plants. The design flows nicely and no parts of it feel unfair or lacking thought. However, I do feel that this entry is a tad on the short side, and most of the Chomp Rock set-ups feel the same. In fact, the whole second area doesn't really feel like it changes much or adds anything from the first area. While I feel like some creative ideas were used, i.e. pushing a rock into a pit to get a Yoshi coin, most of the set-ups just boiled down to running over enemies in your path.. which is rather unfortunate, because this sprite has a lot of potential and this was one of the only entries to use it. Overall, a finely designed level, though ultimately, the entry was played a bit too safe to be memorable. SPECIFIC POINTS: -The aesthetic choice here is excellent, and the mix of vanilla and non-vanilla graphics looks wonderful. -The first Spiny is a bit pointless, since it seems like you're expecting the player to roll the Chomp Rock through the Nipper at the bottom. -Using the fireball-spitting nippers on "vines" is an interesting idea. Most people just stick them on the ground, but this actually allows you to run underneath them as an option for dodging them. Nicely thought out. -Trying to stand on the edge of the Chomp Rock and roll it to the right is incrediblty finicky in SMW, and you've required the player to do that for the second one. This is a fault of the sprite itself more than anything, but I still wish you would have never made the player have to do this at all. -The fireball-spitting Nipper right before the midpoint isn't really much of a threat, since you'll be pushing the Chomp Rock at full speed and bypass the projectiles. Had you moved this a couple of tiles to the right, I think it would have been more intimidating.