While names have been provided for convenience, all judging was done blind. This HTML file is just an enhanced, better looking version of the original txt version.
Anyway, each of the sublevels was fine on its own. Given the length of them, it might have been smarter to make it a Yoshi gauntlet level rather than choosing which one to beat. I like how you had mandatory use of the Yellow and Blue Yoshi's powers in their levels, but the Green and Red Yoshis didn't really get much for being there. The ice blocks don't melt under a Red Yoshi fireball? Really? Not blaming you for that one, but it's a shame.
As it stands, there are four pretty pleasant romp levels here. Wish you'd used more of the resources in the baserom, because it felt pretty vanilla, in both gameplay and aesthetics.
The other big issue I have is the Boos. There's no reason to ever jump over the pencils. Ever. You've got the infinite block spawner next to you at spawn, so you just jump rope the flames. It's...just kinda there.
That being said, the level itself is actually pretty fun. The first third isn't too interesting, but the addition of the Mario 1 elevator platforms made the next two sections. The combo of note blocks and spikes works okay, but the platforms took it to the next level. I'm not really sure the tracker sumo bro added too much pressure to the level. It's an odd choice, and I don't think it worked with your level design. There's very few places you have to stop, so it's pretty easy to avoid the fire by just running forward. I think you'd need some switchbacks or maybe some black snake timers or something to make it a real threat. Pretty perfect length for what the level is.
That being said, the setups are clever. The name is apropos. You've used the vertical wrap well for some of your setups. The leniency it provides for the first donut platform is pretty clever. Not so sure about the bubble setup though.
I've got some issues with how the aesthetics inform the player. The death blocks in one of the last obstacles are really hard to see against the dark background, and given all the kaizo block squares, blend in well. All of the other indicators are pretty well done, so it does seem a bit out of place.
The troll at the end was pretty funny. Definitely a reversal.
This is the only level whose creator I'm gunna guess. About 80% sure this is Zuccati, though I wasn't at the time of playing.
The second half has fantastic aesthetics. From the inverted looking quicksand to the weird icey cactuses in the background. Not sure why you told us to hit five arrow blocks when there are exactly five blocks in that section...and you've already shown us the gimmick in the first half. Kinda wish it'd been a trap. If you hit all six or something, you can't proceed. Or you gave us seven blocks...but only needed five so we could pick and choose which ones to do. Dunno. Feels like you didn't really finish exploring the idea. What's here is nice...but a third section might've helped.
The thing that gets me here if that you've got a really good puzzle difficulty ramp up/mechanic introduction path here. That is to say, there was never part of the level where I needed to understand an interaction before it was introduced. Really good design. Wish there'd been one last larger puzzle that culminated all we've learned, but even so, this is a really good entry. AE+ aesthetics.
I'm a big fan of levels that reveal their gimmick up front so you can learn it before the frantic platforming starting, and this delivers on that front. The setups were mostly enjoyable, but I had some reservations about the branching paths. They really didn't add much, given how quickly they reconverged. It basically became a non-choice once I knew which one suited me. Longer, separate sections could have been interesting, but do they suit a level design contest? I'm not sure.
The Boss Bass part is probably the most memorable part. Kinda wished that hadn't been something akin to a midway troll, but it was still cute.
Good music choices. Solid factory feel.
Anyway, there's some things I really like about this level. You've added some fun side obstacles to get the dragon coins. Always appreciate that. The first section--and most of the second--felt pretty fair and original. But then the double Spinys on bounce blocks start. For one, it's somewhat spawn dependent on how you scroll them onto the screen, which can change the timing drastically. Given you use this obstacle like...six times in the level, it gets old fast. So did the fast throwing hammer bros. I suspect that you might not have had outside people test your level...given how some of the setups feel. All in all, it's not bad, but I didn't have a good time.
Okay, this is something. The single screen challenge room is a pretty classic idea, and you're working in that medium here, but it kinda feels like you either wanted to buck the trends a bit or didn't understand some of the things that make that medium work. You've decided to have checkpoints after every pair or rooms, which can work, but often times, the second in the pair ends up killing you within a few seconds of inaction. After spending a while beating a section, it kinda sucks to get killed quickly without really getting a grip on what's even happening and get punted back a screen. This is the biggest issue with your level.
That being said, some of the screens are actually pretty fun. While the constant shaking gets old fast, the timed on/off concept is a good one and you've managed to integrate it into a lot of solid puzzles. The Boo Laser room was pretty well done. The Bowling Ball/Punch Glove room was another standout, as was the elevator action level afterwards. My biggest issue was the final pair of rooms. Having to wait a while for Thwamps to line up and then get into a room where any sort of misstep is death is just kinda mean. That very last room skirts close to Kaizo in what's expected of the player. The dark room pair near the beginning was another weird choice, since is just makes it harder to see what we're trying to do...in an area where you need to quickly figure out what you're trying to do.
Anyway, I think you've got some good ideas, but probably need more playtesting.
Really good usage of the nonsolid on/off switches in conjunction with the Floor Boos. You've come up with some really pleasant setups. The whole thing flows well, and despite the multiple midways, it's all seemingly done on a single level, which is pretty cool. Gives a good sense of progress when you're always headed up. If I came across this when moderating a standard hack, I'd be pretty dang happy with it. The only things that minorly detract from it a bit are the lack of visibility when riding the bowling balls downward, and that seeing that much Stretch gets a little old, but again, minor issues.
The autoscroller is odd. It's very unforgiving it spots because you need to be more to the right than you might expect at certain times. The double accordion Mucher setup is pretty cruel, because there is no second chance, which is kinda odd compared to the rest of the level. I'm not sure those were a good fit. I do like the use of the ball throwing Bros. Would have liked to have seen some jump forced off a ball or something, but their inclusion was kinda fun.
Finally, the Boos is just kinda there. Dunno if you ran out of time, but it feels unfinished. The correct solution is to just stand on the right side of the screen where there's a safe spot. There's not much else to it.
I really shouldn't like this level. Periodic motion isn't one of my favorite mechanics, but honestly, this works. It works really well. Combining fast, effectively falling, sprites with the respawn is quite clever. There's a good cadence to the number and difficulty of the obstacles, culminating in final hammer bro drop that had me feeling like I was seeing double. Every single thing in this level follows the theming. Every single thing I needed to know--minus the moon puzzle tech, whatever that was--was taught to me in advance of needing it in the actual level. Felt very much like a Sickos level, in all the good ways.
Then there's the autoscroller. Solving a puzzle once makes you feel clever. Solving a puzzle 20 times makes you feel silly. Really wished you'd placed a midway before the autoscroller. A lot of how I feel about this level stems from that one omission. Facing a kinda trolly end of level obstacle at the end of all that felt a little mean.
That said, the sparkies on conveyors are really cool and I'd've loved to have seen a non-autoscroller section dedicated to them. Feels like there'd be some cool setups even without the scroller forcing you. Maybe with blocksnake waiting sections or something. Feels like a missed opportunity. Still had fun, but it was definitely tempered.
Honestly, I would have loved to have seen more done with the stacked on key sprite. Really fun concept, that. Had a little trouble with some sprite spawns near the end of the second part, but it mostly resolved itself. Finishing the level with the classic layer 2 upward scrolling was a little out of place, but still a fine ending.
The plot was enjoyably silly.
The reset pipe right after the midway caused the greatest confusion, since you can dupe a key that way. I started wondering if there was a giant brained puzzle about, but no, just a game of hide and seek, often with weird red herrings like the block ladder near the munchers at the end of the platform ride. Some major graphical issue with the Sumo Bro flames. They frequently were invisible. Makes them hard to avoid.
Anyway, I still kinda like this puzzlely level, but it's clear it could've used some more polish...and no floating munchers.
You got a theme and you stuck with it. Various sorts of beatles, often on wires and moving platforms. Pretty much all of it felt fair, and with the exception of a few cheesy spots, it all worked. I definitely had some oddness with the doors vs midway spawns, but they were minimal issues.
The idea of switch mazes to make the level easier/harder is clever. Not sure it ended up mattering all that much, but that's definitely an idea to play with. Also, loved the variety of line-guide shapes you used.
Yeah, pretty fine level.
Speaking of, the Snifits felt oddly out of place in a level like this. I'm not sure if I'm just inexperienced with the sprite, but they felt...inconsistent. Like, when doing a heavy setup based level like this, you expect to do the same things and have the same results...and the Snifit bullets never seemed to spawn the same way twice. This generally diminished my enjoyment of the level.
There's a lot to like here. Many of the setups are clever and have clear ways of dealing with them. The three jumping saws right after the first (?) midway for one, but others were just strange. Like the upward Thwomp/Snifit near the very end. Felt rough.
But honestly, I still had fun. Just kinda wished you'd thrown in a second midway...or kept the difficulty more consistent. The concept was pretty well executed and kept me laughing pretty well through the first half. Some combo of aquatic animals and balls is just kinda funny.
Fine music choice. A good nice mix of SMB3 and SMW aesthetics.
This reminds me of Glitchcat's Return to Subcon, where the level design is hard, but you get one free hit where you choose, which dampens the difficulty somewhat. I had fun, but not sure about this one. Some leniency in the setups would have made this a better BLDC level, but I'm not sure that would have made it a better overall level.
That said, it's a cool concept. A lot of the setups are creative and the shell juggling stuff in the last third feels great when you pull it off. You explored the moving platform with on/off switches mechanic well. And definitely stuck to a small, but reasonable sprite set. Never quite figured out the bubbled goomba/fish jump in the first section, but the mushroom makes up for it. It's nice that you can choose one obstacle or take a hit, and I definitely did on purpose in the third section. The jump off the Banzai Bill near the forbidden off switches felt pretty tight. Also not sure about that one.
The second half is mazes, but like, it'd've been nice to have a midway before the coin maze. Namely because it's really easy to screw that one up and have to go back to the start. Run the muncher maze. Pray that you don't get frozen. It just adds a lot of tedium. There are individual parts here that are cool and would have been better to expand upon in a single level, rather than the variety you've shown here. A level of coin mazes could have been cool. A level of muncher runs could have been cool. A level of platform elevators could have been cool, but mashed together this way, it just feels disjointed.
The Thwomp setup near the end is pretty cute, till you look at it a bit more closely. Feels like a puzzle, but it's just hitting the two blocks.
Each of the sub sections were pretty fine romps. The standout, though maybe not for good reasons, was the pick a jar/reset door set of rooms. Just found that odd. Not sure why you'd need to reset at all.
The payoff with the P-Switch was kinda cute...but then the boss was kinda a confusing mess. The Sledge Bro's sprite kinda glitched out and the correct thing to do was really unobvious. Once I saw the Koopas, it seemed kinda random how many Koopas spawned. There, however, was a well placed reset door, so real harm done...but it definitely left an odd taste in my mouth.
On the level front, it's an oddly mixed level. It's got a very rompy, with some small setups start, and then goes into puzzles. And I love puzzles. Key and lock puzzles worked well. None were too onerous, and having the dragon coins just out of reach where you couldn't always see the extra bit of puzzle was a little mean, but not insurmountable.
The ending was perfect. Would definitely recommend this one.
Thwomps and bowling balls are a classic combo. I found a most of the obstacles to be reasonable, but every once in a while--like the Banzai Bill and fire bar bit--I found myself wondering if there were playtesters outside of the level creator. Something about how that setup worked struck me that the level maker just found a route that worked and stuck with it, which made the spawns consistent for them, but not very lenient. Also, that firebar in the vertical section that you can't see before you jump into it if you choose the right side was a bit mean. Really dug that section though. Some fun setups with the donut platforms and maces in there. The midway at the end was in an odd spot. Would have been nice to avoid the level load.
Really, I mostly enjoyed the level, but it had some rough edges that testing could have ironed out.
I always appreciate Dragon coins that require a little creativity to get, rather than just serving as mile markers, and in the first section, you deliver three clever, but purely optional little setups to acquire the coins. Lots of cute setups on the way to the keyhole. The falling spikes waiting section and the previewed fish room with the key definitely stand out.
Then, there's a vertical wrap section. A quick move to a one screen puzzles style, which just kinda works. Another clever preview section with the falling spikes part, and another clever
Finally, the autoscroller with the window of un-water. It's so bizarre. We're getting sprites moving in ways that they just don't usually move. It's unnerving, but it works well. Some of the parabolic trajectories take a bit to get used to, but the setups are worth it. Also, love the underwater pyramid at the end. This is a level that could have worn out its welcome, but well placed checkpoints and smart variations on the theme kept it fresh throughout.
Also awesome. Go play it.
The transparent spikes in the moon room and the blue ones in the second room were really hard to see against the background. Actually detracts from understanding the puzzles, where everywhere else, you're quite clear. Except that weird looking 1f0 for the Dino Rino bit.
The Boo fight was also clever. Took me a minute, but very good use of the stacking sprites and the slight bounce when an object comes out of a block. Excellent level!
The boss is interesting. There's very little danger with the ceiling lowering and the bombs spawn consistently. It's a nice set piece and I wonder if it's where the bulk of your time was spent.
The range indicators on the muncher accordions were a nice touch
That being said, I had a grand old time. This is a really cute gimmick and it's used to the fullest. The first room teaches you how it works, the second room develops it with some circular motion and then you get your very own balloon! The extra dragon coin puzzles were cute too.
Finally, the autoscroller was also pretty fun. Some elements of memorization...but even then, almost everything was reactable. The final troll was icing on the cake. Absolutely stellar level. If this doesn't win something, gunna flag it as a favorite.
Not a bad level...just kinda confused.
The Boos was definitely a highlight for me. It's s simple enough concept, but it's fun to execute. Dropping jars on Big Boo is pretty funny.
Anyway, it's a decent romp. The infinite spawning throwblocks work well with the breakable walls, but it got kinda samey by the end. The vertical section after the midway was a nice break from backtracking to get more blocks to break more bricks...even if the quicksand and the falling platform don't play very nice with each other. The boxing gloves were a somewhat odd addition. I really don't think they added too much to the level. The last one right before the goal tape was cute though.
The final water part was kinda...annoying. Part of that was I was dumb about the boss bass, which is definitely my bad, but other sprites were definitely behaving oddly. Anyway, really solid concept. Kinda wished there was a bit more testing.
The biggest issue I have with this level is that the difficulty is all over the place, and usually the difficulty is caused by things I find irritating. Room two of pipe 1 was definitely the worst offender. There were like...5 different cycling obstacles to keep track of with only a small margin of error for any given one of them. I can track two sources, but everything after that comes down to luck. On the other side of the curve, you had some puzzle levels, like the fireball room, which were trivial. The quality and difficulty seems pretty random.
There were just a lot of rough edges. In the firebar room, the jars kill you if you're too close to them when you throw them. An extra tile or two of space would have been nice...but maybe the plan was to force some back and forth action there? I'm not sure. Similarly, the shell trick I think you needed to do in the poison mushroom room was fiddly. And extra block of space would have helped there. Ugh, this all feels too negative. Look, when the level wasn't tryharding, it had its moments. The first room in pipe 1 was actually kinda funny, and I enjoyed the more sedate pace of the first two rooms in pipe 2. It just felt like you had a lot of ideas, but not a lot of focus. Narrowing down to the more fun rooms would have made this a better entry. Even the Boo Ring room, which made me groan on entry, was kinda fun in the end.
But again, it's puzzles. I like puzzles a lot. And these were some solid puzzles. I always appreciate a level that's upfront about its gimmicks, and this one gets right into it with the stalker Koopa. Shows the key block-sprite interactions in a quick and elegant way.
The first two rooms teach some of the important lessons you need to learn, things like just how high up a standing up-throw is and key riding. Sets up the next two rooms well.
I kinda wish the Thwimp section was a little shorter, or at least ended without such a tight trick. For how long it is and how much waiting it requires to get the Thwimp to perform its jumps, it drags a bit. Could also be because I got stuck on a silly obstacle in the middle. Not a huge deal.
The final set puzzles really shine. Managing and juggling the two keys takes patience and precision, but it never felt insurmountable and solving it all makes you feel clever, which is kinda the point after all. My only issue--and this might just be SMW weirdness--is that the keys have a tendency to push Mario if he's occupying the same space. Dunno if it's intentional, but the level might be a bit better without that behavior. Again, a minor issue.
This one's awesome Go play it.
There's a lot of waiting for things to line up while swimming in the second half. Would have liked to have seen some more variety there, at least in terms of how the swimming worked. All in all, it's a okay level, but it's got some edges to sand off. It is really pretty though, and the music works really well with the aesthetics.
What's up with the Thwomp on the boxing glove. Was that anything?
In terms of design, there's some stuff I really like here. The bonus room was nice, and I kinda wish there'd been something similar in the second or third parts. Most of the setups were fine or enjoyable, but the quick pipe to moving platform ones were...not kind. Especially given how few powerups there were in the level. I never really figured out the last one. Got it once, and then mushroomed through. Just wish the difficulty was more consistent.
Didn't try the moon path more than once. No checkpoint made it unappealing.
That all being said, I do think you've got some clever setups here, but it feels like a lot of stuff was implemented with an eye to annoy the player. The first midway, for instance, if you miss it you're stuck. You could get it with a good jump from the right while you're big, but you explicitly put a powerup-down pole right before the jump, presumably to prevent that. Similarly, you only get one shot at the Boos with a powerup, which is kinda unkind.
Other than that, there's the clever bits. The jumping chucks that you have to go under are a really cool setup. Nerve Wracking, but cool. Similarly, the back and forth on-off sections have their moments. Just wish there weren't Ice Bros.
Every part worked well. Really enjoyed the upward section with the switches, and the backtracking at the very end was really pleasant. Nice foreshadowing. If I had any complaints, it's that the hammer bro of choice didn't really add much difficulty to the locations they were used. Swimming a with a key means that any projectiles that are aiming at where you were aren't libel to hit you...ever. Also, I got squished at the end...which was weird.
Also, the volcano action reminds me of the volcano in Kingdom of KROZ.