Vanilla Level Design Contest X - 1he First place entry...well d0ne to all.

[Ivy]

I'm impressed at the 13 points in aesthetics that Swissotel got from lolyoshi. That's just one point less than my level!

[thatguyif]

Can I at least ask where the music from the excised entry came from?

[ft029]

There is no 19th level. There is no Ms. Zarves.

Great reference.

I feel quite bad for making a level that would make a judge quit. I doubt I should have changed much of the design, though; just the aesthetics, which I realize are very lacking. I'm really glad raocow got ambushed by the blue falling koopa (which ignores the delay from Yoshi growing!), and seeing the thinking face.

There's also a section of the last room where a saw goes mad if you stand in front of it (which didn't occur in raocow's video). I have no clue why this happens. https://youtu.be/z8_FTuVXZEY?t=242

PokerFace's level is wonderfully pretty and has some neat ideas, but also some waiting for the layer 2 in the first half. The sprite replacements are awesome and humorous.

The music from 19th place is Bodkin Point from Puzzle Planet League. I don't think the port is anywhere on smwcentral, and I don't think I'd want to use it since it's so heavily associated with that level.

[thatguyif]

Thank you! Sad really, it is a nice song :(

[10204307]

I think my main complaint with Swissotel can be succinctly represented by the midpoint room with the Chuck and the fire flower. It's a very neat setup that uses some interesting mechanics built into SMW in a way that you wouldn't find in the original game to achieve an effect that you'd normally need ASM for- in this case, it's essentially a wall that you can only open if you kill a specific enemy. However... it has nothing to do with the rest of the level. It doesn't make the level less fun to play, sure, but at the same time it feels kind of like a parlor trick, a "look what I know how to do". I feel like when designing a level it's important for the different parts to feel like they're part of a cohesive whole, and not just a series of cool setups the designer had in their back pocket.

This isn't a problem unique to to Swissotel; it actually appears in a lot of levels, including many high ranking levels, and it always feels janky to me. Similar to marathon levels, it seems to stem from a desire to impress the judges by putting a lot of content into the level, even at the expense of cohesion. Unlike marathon levels, however, these levels can still rank fairly high because they aren't necessarily frustrating to play. But in my opinion, I think the lack of cohesion hurts the experience of the level in the long run, both because the player has to frequently adjust to new concepts being thrown at them, and because it makes the level have less of a singular identity.

Contrast with one of my favorite VLDC levels, "Ruin of Cupidity" from VLDC9; that entire level is based around the concept of first training the player to follow coins, and then reversing it in the second half so that coins instead intentionally mislead the player. That level also uses a number of different sprites and blocks (including 1F0) but it feels more cohesive because everything is tied to the coin gimmick. The falling section before the midpoint where you have to follow the coins to avoid danger is mirrored by a falling section before the end of the level where you have to avoid the coins to avoid danger. It's clever bookending that makes the whole level feel harmonious. It's a level where you can appreciate its form, the way one might analyze a piece of music to dissect the way it develops its motifs. It keeps it from just being a sequence of stuff arranged in a level-like fashion.

I wouldn't call Swissotel a bad level. It's certainly better than most of the levels in the lower half of this contest, and if I were to judge it I would probably give it high marks for creativity. It is a very creative level with unique setups, some of which look really fun to pull off. However, once again I feel as though it could use some editing to trim the fat and remove some of the jank.

[ft029]

That's a good criticism. I still struggle with coming up with a theme and building around it; usually I have lots of scattered, cool ideas (sometimes very relevant to the overall gimmick, sometimes tangentially related, and sometimes completely off-topic) that I play around with for a bit, and then get bored of.

[Sugar]

16th: Chainsaw CD by Dr. Tapeworm

Koopster
DESIGN: 31/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 70/100

Sweet but short. It feels like every cool concept you introduced was only used twice or so, which is unfortunate cause there was a lot of room for development with the gimmicks you had at hand. I'm not a fan of the slow moles, and the autoscrolling section could've just not had the top line cause it was never a menace lol. Good level but I'm left wishing for more. Also looks cool, but the colors made solid and non-solid objects/the BG a bit confusing to distinguish sometimes.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 38/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 73/100

[22:33] ~lolyoshi: have like a writer's block rn
[22:33] FrozenQuills: just say
[22:33] FrozenQuills: dugtrio 10/10

Noivern
DESIGN: 46/50
CREATIVITY: 26/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 88/100

Excellent aesthetic, but it's not clear the cacti are solid. I love the gotchas in the autoscroll segments with the saws, but I don't think you gave enough time to react in area like this and the 1F0 section. Really well made.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 43/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 86/100

I love the use of the chainsaws here. A lot of levels tend to abuse them and cause a lot of frustration, but they're very cleverly organized in this level in a way that has just the right level of challenge to still be fun. There is definitely a lot of effort in æsthetics as well, and it complements the level well. Great job.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 40/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 81/100

A quality level! The æsthetics are pleasing, lovingly designed, and impressively Sonic-like (I especially liked the math platform graphics), the pace is brisk and active, and the obstacles are solidly designed and keep the action moving rather than slowing it down. That said, I think there's a few parts, most noticeably in the musical staff section, where the saws can get visually confusing, to the point where it's difficult to tell what the correct way to approach in obstacle is in the time alloted to deal with it. This is especially noticeable in the autoscroll musical staff section, which features multiple setups with several saws moving in unison, only for one or more to chance direction mid-flight. This effect is exacerbated all the more by their somewhat wonky hitbox, which especially causes problems for big Mario, who often gets hit by a downward-pointing saw which looks like it should just barely sail over his head.

Still, on the whole, this is a nice-looking and tightly designed level which is good fun to play. Clearly you knew the right tools to use for the job, a-hyuck.

+ Pretty and very Soniccy in appearance.
+ Mostly well-designed obstacles which keep the level moving
- Some visually overwhelming/difficult to parse obstacles with little time to think

Other: Why do they call these "chain saws" anyway? I never saw a chain on them.

15th: Neo Reztopia Tower by allowiscous

Koopster
DESIGN: 34/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 74/100

The concept of going up a building through various floors is better in theory than in practice, I think. It makes sense for the first rooms to be easier, but some of them were a bit too simple and boring, and dying in more complex and precision-demanding rooms further up (thwimp room and pencil room were big changes of pace) became a little tiresome. The other issue is that while some rooms were pretty interestingly designed, two screens don't make a lot of justice to most of them, and in the next room you're trying a different concept that isn't very related to what happened prior. In summary, I think the level could've used more focus on specific ideas, and I honestly wouldn't mind the camera going beyond the level boundaries if it meant the possibility of longer rooms. For some more specific nitpicks, the room with the final dragon coin and the torpedo room weren't very first-try friendly to me, and the reznor was a quite anticlimatic finale cause it was so easy lol. Also, the tileset looked creative but the background objects made it a little distracting.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 44/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 83/100

The level is mostly a pack of level design ideas, which I don't mind. It builds around
those ideas well. The visuals were impressive (mostly BG) but I wasn't a big fan of the tileset
as it bothered the visibility sometimes.

Noivern
DESIGN: 39/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 78/100

A gauntlet-type level probably hurt you more than it helped. Switching sprites so often means you can't build on any of the previous design, something that could have been done in the second half. The autoscroll section breaks the level's internal rule of only being one vertical screen long, and is my least favorite section. That said, the level was pretty fun to play, with fantastic atmosphere, and I think it will score high.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 42/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 20/20
TOTAL SCORE: 87/100

This is a fantastic example of how lots of different ideas can be successfully combined into one level. I love the concept of ascending the tower, in true nostalgic flash game/indie game style. Every floor is unique and fun in its own way, and the whole thing is beautiful to look at. You probably still could have done a bit more to make the rooms even better, as a couple of areas were a bit lacking compared to the rest (thinking of the pencil room in particular), but very well done either way.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 39/50
CREATIVITY: 22/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 78/100

I find it difficult to take Reznor seriously as a boss, and this level doesn't change that, but it sure is stylish! The city and tower graphics look great, as do the "They Live"-style billboards. My one complain is that the corrugated tubes used as foreground terrain and those used as background objects can be a little difficult to tell apart at times (a different outline color for the latter may have helped). This can actually screw the player up in a number of spots. Aside from that, though, it looks amazing.

Structurally, each floor being designed as a small, distinct challenge was a nice feature, and prevents things from getting tiresome or repetitive. Many of the challenges are pretty creative, as well. On the other hand, there were some I raised an eyebrow at, most noticeably the alternating single-tile hops between wooden stakes while a Grinder moves back and forth (not that -difficult- in practice, but not really enjoyable, either). A few also demanded quick reactions which were not immediately obvious until you'd already screwed yourself over by not performing them. Most of this affects the first half of the level, incidentally, and it is exacerbated by the weird powerup distribution in this half, this aspect, especially, results in the first half feeling considerably more difficult than the second half, despite to more complex, high-level challenges in the latter.

Reznor himself was a chump, though he's never not been.

+ Nice graphics
+ Clever challenges
- First half has a few questionable floors and poor powerup distribution
- Some foreground/background unclarity

Other: I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick Rez...And I'm all out of bubblegum.

[Kilgamayan]

Neo Reztopia Tower more like Super Marisa Land 6-2-1

[KobaBeach]

did you know? SNART backwards is TRANS which is what every mario character is canonically : )

also i skipped ahead because im not really following vldcx sorry and also because i wasnt paying attention to chainsaw cd's overworld apart from the dugtrios and thought that snart was a life farm level so i wanted to see if it was a covert ploy to spread the lgbtqia+ agenda onto smw players making my shitpost void and noticed that neo reztopia uses the capitalism simulator music from romancing saga 3 which is some good shit

[Implo]

Chainsaw CD is my favorite level in this contest. It looks great, has nice music and gameplay is fun and non demanding. Level was really cool.

[thatguyif]

did you know? SNART backwards is TRANS which is what every mario character is canonically : )

[nathanisbored]

On the "wiggly lines are overstimulating" comment from the first level, since this got my design philosophy gears turning:

I feel like wiggly lines that try to confuse you are an intentional type of challenge in level design. You used the word 'parse' and I think they are intended to specifically be a 'parsing challenge'. In other words, it's not supposed to be easy to sight-read, and that's where the challenge of the obstacle comes from.

I think it's perfectly normal to not be able to parse something like that easily, and for it to feel like information-overload. And I think that's exactly what makes it a fun challenge, for some people. I actually really like that type of challenge for example because it flexes a muscle that I think is underused in my typical play-style. It's an exercise in breaking a daunting task down into a sum of parts, and doing so under pressure. On-the-fly thinking, quick reaction, fight-or-flight, and not getting overwhelmed.

Obviously I've kind of graduated the idea of 'wiggly saws' to a more general level design philosophy at this point. There wasn't anything particularly special or groundbreaking about those particular obstacles, but I don't think 'hard to sight read' obstacles are inherently bad; it's just another type of challenge that you can provide as a level designer.

Granted I'm also the type of person who likes mazes, so take what I say with a grain of salt. That said, I think I like mazes for a completely different reason. Mazes are a slow and meticulous challenge to me, where I'm constantly but gradually trying to build up a mental map in my head. A more 'think-on-your-feet' sort of obstacle is refreshing specifically because my typical playstyle is very slow and meticulous. I like being overwhelmed because it teaches me to be good at something I never thought I'd conquer.

[Emral]

I feel like that interpretation makes sense, in the sense that people who enjoy a sight-reading challenge like this would also enjoy excessively dark levels. It's a risky thing (that often happens on accident because designers usually want to avoid a portion of their players getting angry at nagging things). Just like with haptic, reactionary and logical challenges it's also important here to account for the possibility of players having disabilities that makes these kinds of levels just impossible to even approach. In that area, at least from what I've witnessed, sight and parse-speed related issues (color blindness, reaction time) appear to be more common than haptic issues in various fangame communities (I could be EXTREMELY wrong on this so please correct me if I am), so that might explain why people watch out for their readability more frequently (higher chance of someone playing the level actually struggling to beat it due to those).

[nathanisbored]

yeah maybe that true. whats nice about romhacking is that because there's no incentive to sell your games, you dont need to appeal to a broad audience, so more niche's get covered. there gonna be something for everyone

[Kilgamayan]

On the "wiggly lines are overstimulating" comment from the first level, since this got my design philosophy gears turning:

I feel like wiggly lines that try to confuse you are an intentional type of challenge in level design. You used the word 'parse' and I think they are intended to specifically be a 'parsing challenge'. In other words, it's not supposed to be easy to sight-read, and that's where the challenge of the obstacle comes from.

I think it's perfectly normal to not be able to parse something like that easily, and for it to feel like information-overload. And I think that's exactly what makes it a fun challenge, for some people. I actually really like that type of challenge for example because it flexes a muscle that I think is underused in my typical play-style. It's an exercise in breaking a daunting task down into a sum of parts, and doing so under pressure. On-the-fly thinking, quick reaction, fight-or-flight, and not getting overwhelmed.

See also: Shou Toramaru

(I forgot to mention this the first time around but Shou is absolutely immediately where my mind went when the curved saw tracks started popping up.)

[Sugar]

14th: Vestigia Caeca by Sariel (Leiras)

Koopster
DESIGN: 40/50
CREATIVITY: 27/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 80/100

Pretty strong start, but the level gets weaker. The development and merging of ideas is in point in the first room, but I didn't quite feel it after the midpoint, and the final third just moves away almost completely from what the level introduced prior, focusing on random assorted "puzzles" with yoshi and moles (only relation to the rest of the level), not to mention how saturated it is with unecessary reset pipes (this is somewhat present in most of the level, but especially strong here). The bonus rooms also weren't the most cohesive to the level, and I was also a bit weirded out by how they deliberatedly make you skip parts of the main level's development. Overall it's a really creative level doomed by lack of better organization and cohesiveness. Looks okay, but kind of overwhelming sometimes. I think the lack of contrast between everything doesn't help.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 45/50
CREATIVITY: 26/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 84/100

I enjoyed the level. The challenges were fun, well built (except for some claustrophobia), and were
creative. Though the visuals weren't that appealing, and looked kinda ugly.

Noivern
DESIGN: 41/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 82/100

I'm disappointed. This level was fantastic and encouraged exploration, with tons of really good bonus rooms. It looks great, 1F0 was used very well, and the gimmick was well explored. I was prepared to give a score probably in the high 80s-mid 90s range.

But then I saw the 1up checkpoint.

The third section is the root of every problem I have with this level. In addition to making the level stretch out far longer than it needed to be, it's a complete shift in tone from traditional-style gameplay with light puzzle elements to full blown puzzles with tons of reset pipes. Yoshi feels shoehorned in when elements like eating blocks were able to be explored more. In general I feel the level design in this section was weaker and more fitting of its own level, and would have vastly improved the level if it was cut.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 40/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 77/100

This level has a lot to offer, and does a pretty good job using Monty Moles in various ways, though it does drag on a bit too long. There is some annoying timing in a couple spots too, in particular with the turn block bridges, but nothing too detracting. Yoshi was used particularly well in the last section. æsthetics are standard fare, not bad but nothing special.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 40/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 80/100

It's refreshing to see Mega Moles used in some what other than just ambulatory platforms. This level remembers that they're also enemies, and makes dodging or defeating them a certain element as well, in addition to using the blocking abilities provided by their solid heads. And while using Monty and Mega Moles together is hardly a new concept, but this level actually highlights their similarity in movement style in a way you rarely see. The puzzles are generally clever and fun (of occasionally breakable) and it makes for a well-constructed and enjoyable level.

If I had one complaint, it's that the level goes on a bit long. The first section seem to run on just a touch too long before the midpoint (a situation) highlighted by the low number of powerups), and the third section makes the level as a whole overstay it's welcome a bit, especially if you're going for all of the bonuses. And although this section contains some of the most ambitious mole usage, it also seems as though it repeats small variations of the same setups a few too many time, almost as though it feels the need to justify its inclusion by stretching out the the length of the previous two sections. Some streamlining might have generally worked to the level's favor, I suspect.

As far as æsthetics go, the use of greenery in the cave was quite tastefully done, and this was probably one of the better instances of enemy statues I've seen. All the little holes, divots and rocks lying around were nice little touches as well, adding a bit of character to the level without cluttering things.

+ Good use of Mega Moles
+ Good use of Monty Moles in a way which highlights their non-superficial connection to Mega Moles
- Level could have benefited from some streamlining

Other: Cicero would be appalled at your calling his beloved language "cryptic-sounding".

13th: On the Bayou by WhiteYoshiEgg

Koopster
DESIGN: 38/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 20/20
TOTAL SCORE: 79/100

Beautiful, quite well designed but also very short, it could certainly stand to be longer. I quite like where it goes with the moving platforms gimmick, although I think it could've gone a bit further even if just with the elements you had. You abandoned pitchin' chucks and started relying a bit too much in munchers towards the end, while pitchin' chucks would've been great to develop the difficulty. The final setup was just a muncher corridor with no enemies which I found to be quite lame. Also the final room is short but it felt weirdly out of place.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 48/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 90/100

This design is very solid, not much else to say besides that I feel the first half is a bit too
tame.

Noivern
DESIGN: 44/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 84/100

Kinda short but really good. It looks amazing but I think it's a missed opportunity that you didn't use layer 2 for the top foliage. It's strange that the bottom has priority but the top doesn't. Props for using pitchin chucks in a way that wasn't spammy. The transition from chucks to piranha plants is handled really well and I loved the sky area. Excellent level.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 41/50
CREATIVITY: 22/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 81/100

This level has a lot of good things going for it. The visuals are well done, though the palettes could be less desaturated. Most of the enemy setups are fair, and it is mostly enjoyable in design, with great use of the moving platforms. The precision of most of the muncher segments seems odd in contrast to the lesser difficulty of the rest of the level. Also, a minor observation, but under the 5th dragon coin there is a water-filled pit that is impossible to get out of, as far as I can tell--it was probably just an oversight, but water in a pit generally implies being able to get out safely.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 38/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 74/100

This isn't a level that screams attention to itself, but it hit the right notes. The æsthetics are unpretentious but pleasing, the obstacles all tightly designed (and the oft-abused Pitchin' Chucks and Volcano Lotuses are used in a non-annoying way), there's a few secrets here and there, and the combination of air-floating and water-floating platforms are used in an interesting if understated way. All-in-all it's a level that shows restraint and benefits from it.

+ Quality if non-flashy visuals
+ Well-designed if understated setups
- The piranha-head Muncher vaguely bother me for some reason? I'm a weirdo.

Other: Underwater berries are the best kind.

[Implo]

Vestigia Caeca is my favorite puzzle level in this contest. It looks nice, it's creative, but not demanding like a lot other levels. This was really fun to play level.

[nathanisbored]

i guess i'll do the thing where i explain something about the game engine.

snake block sprites persist off screen once theyre loaded. when you touch a brown block it activates any that are currently loaded. when a new one spawns, it turns off all that are currently active (used in Chains of Atrophy in JUMP for example).

um, so it's like this:

[Draexzhan]

That mishap raocow had where he mistook a pillar for solid wall... Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened more. That particular background object has been colored the same as foreground objects more times than I care to count and it honestly drives me nuts. It feels like around 75% of levels that use that tile do this and it's confused me enough times that it's more or less turned into a personal pet peeve.

It's a good level, don't get me wrong. I just really wanted to bring that up.

Second level was a pretty fun romp. Wandering the forest, diving into the water, and then climbing to the treetops, it's got an adventury feel to it.

[kitikami]

I'm not sure if it's actually that common and maybe it's just a handful of recent levels, but the biggest trend jumping out to me right now is pipes that lead to side room challenges for dagadons. I guess probably because it feels more specific than the more common elements that have been cropping up a lot.

The Bayou level using trees as midpoint and goal posts was a cute touch.

[Sugar]

12th: Trust Fall by Superwario1999

Koopster
DESIGN: 36/50
CREATIVITY: 28/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 79/100

A really creative level all around. The setups and puzzles involving the spring glitch are quite clever. It took me a long while to figure out the baby yoshi puzzle, though - maybe I'm stupid but it felt harder to understand than everything else. I have one big problem with the level in general though, and it's that it doesn't feel like it progresses. It feels like you just put your ideas one after the other, always introducing new concepts rather than mixing them in clever ways, something that would've been key to make this a top notch level. The difficuly curve also doesn't feel like it was well thought out (lava loti spam is the hardest part, also reset doors obsolete a lot of the difficulty of the level - why not make the easy to screw up challenges bonus challenges?).
Also not sure what's the point of the 1-up checkpoint, it's not even in the middle of the second half lol
I really like how the outside looks but not the inside, I think it's shaped quite weirdly and it's full of skull blocks for some reason

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 41/50
CREATIVITY: 26/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 80/100

The level goes far with it's gimmick and succeeds at delivering some fun obstacles.
The main issue is that the difficulty is rather wonky and inconsistent.

Noivern
DESIGN: 47/50
CREATIVITY: 29/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 92/100

This is how you introduce gimmicks. Quickly, effectively, and through the design of the level itself. This level was a blast to play, with tons of creative puzzles based around the main gimmick. The midpoints were generous, which is good for this type of level. Props for noticing the potential break in the diggin chuck section, and major props for using boo buddies in a way that wasn't terrible. Excellent level!

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 46/50
CREATIVITY: 28/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 88/100

Fantastic use of the ceiling fall trick. I love how cleverly everything is organized; the puzzles make you think just enough to keep it fun. My only major gripe with the design is that carrying the fire flower to the Yoshi in the first half is more difficult than it really should be, in comparison to the rest of the level. Aside from that, the rest of the level was great.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 45/50
CREATIVITY: 30/30
AESTHETICS: 8/20
TOTAL SCORE: 83/100

Hey, this is pretty neat! Although the screenwrap-via-springboard gimmick has been done many times, this actually puts a really cool spin on things by taking advantage of the unique properties of this glitch vis-à-vis a "real" screenwrap, e.g. that sprites can't pass through on their own, and makes some fun puzzles and challenges out of them. The second half throws in an interesting twist with the addition on layer 2 terrain that is interactable with Mario only, giving the sprites something they can pass through which Mario cannot. It feels a little more unfocused and episodic than the first half, but it's still pretty solid. One rather notable oversight, though--one of the reset doors in the cave section actually takes you all the way back to near the start of the first section!

Æsthetically, it has to be said, the level just isn't all that interesting; it's basically not far removed from standard SMW. A little more effort on this front, and this could have been a true first-class level. Still great fun, though!

+ Cool spin on a familiar glitch
+ Nice mixture puzzles and fancy footwork challenges
- Maybe could have looked better
- Secondary exit on one door seems to be incorrect

Other: I'm -so- glad this didn't turn out to be a team-building exercise...

11th: Subterranean Shrine by Blue Leaf

Koopster
DESIGN: 42/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 81/100

This level is quite clever with the midway flag and very careful with not making the player feel lost. The design is very well thought out and flows really nicely, especially in the dropping segment. Feels a little too short though, I think I could've had more of it. That, or you could've spent more of this level using new concepts, like sparkys and the obstacles in the dropdown, rather than reusing a lot of Fortified Cavern's concepts.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 48/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 88/100

Although the ideas presented were already done before and feel mostly recycled, I appreciate how
refined and more saturated it is as an overall package, even if it did feel underwhelming at certain points.

Noivern
DESIGN: 43/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 78/100

Good use of the "start from midway" option. Design was really good, but a problem I have with this (and a few other, otherwise really good levels) is that there is no room for exploration; except for the room en route to the moon, the level is a straight line with no bonus areas whatsoever. The vertical section and the "boss" right afterwards were my favorite parts, but the thwimps can easily surprise a player the first time and it's difficult to time their first jump.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 48/50
CREATIVITY: 29/30
AESTHETICS: 19/20
TOTAL SCORE: 96/100

This level is fantastic. A lot of levels try to use moving/falling platforms and fail to do it well, but just about every use here is intuitive, clever, and very fun to play, especially in combination with the layer 2 movement. I have almost no complaints; it's not immediately obvious that the falling platforms are indeed falling platforms, but the rest of the æsthetic, while mostly simple, suits the level perfectly and would only detract if it were manipulated much more. The falling rocks were a neat touch and the whole castle collapsing æsthetic was executed really nicely.

The secret exit is really clever too, and the idea of coming back to the collapsed castle is very nice. Again, everything feels intuitive and fun. The boss is pretty silly, but in a good way.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 41/50
CREATIVITY: 28/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 86/100

A rather impressive feet of stagecraft, this one! I was really astounded by the creative use of moving layer 2 to create such effects as the door opening or the cave in, the latter of which particularly impressed me. The stonified math platforms are simple yet effective, and the other platforms sort of look like moldy cheese sponges, but in a good way. On top of that, the design is pretty solid to match--not super flashy, but well blocked out and with a solid sense of progression. Some of the math platform + mega spike combos in the early sections felt like they were cutting things a bit close (though in practice they weren't that difficult, they just felt like they shouldn't work), but on the whole it's well done and fun to play. I did find myself sort of wishing I had a midpoint as the main section progressed (I realize both the normal midpoint and 1-up tiles are needed for other things), for even if it's an enjoyable level, there's a bit much to repeat if you slip up in the later parts.

I must say, collapse of the shrine and opening of the secret path after completing the normal one completely blew me away. That said, the secret path itself was just a touch underwhelming. The shaft full of close calls (all scarier than they look) wasn't bad at all, but it's over fairly quickly, and you go straight to the boss. The boss concept is actually quite clever in terms of mechanism, but seems it could have been executed in a way that feels more climactic. As it stands, you're confronted with what appears to be a hobo version of the Michelin Man who just sort of glares at you for a bit while random debris flies by, and then he gets smacked in the face a few times with some really grotty pipe cleaners until he becomes sad. Fade to black. Again, it's a neat concept, it just feels like it's lacking in a bit of the oomph one expects after the setup.

Still, an impressive job all around.

+ Great showmanship and presentation
+ Solid core design
- Lack of a midpoint noticeable in normal path
- Secret path a touch of a letdown after the awesome reveal.

Other: Johnny's on in the basement, mixin' up the medicine; I'm on the pavement, thinkin' 'bout the government.

[superwario1999]

I just don't know what to say now. I come in expecting that you would have fun with my level (especially knowing that you love playing JUMP-style level). That particular door dragged your experience down severely, but judging by the way you speak at the end, it seems to be not the only problem here.

Yeah, that exit leading back to the first half of the level was a mistake. Fortunately, only one of the 5 judges figured out that (maybe because they did not screw up the Yoshi puzzle?). Maybe that 12th place was partially due to luck after all.

Random fact:

• This is my first, and my only VLDC entry so far. This is also the only non-kaizo I made in the last 5 years.
• Despite sharing the same gimmick with Aparture Laboratory from VLDC9, I actually don't remember about the existence of that level until finishing my own entry.
• The "shooting fireball at Chuck" puzzle was stolen inspired by a puzzle from the level "Christmas Wrapping" from Banzai Mario World 2 (this particular section: https://youtu.be/Qtavz55Xh1k?t=95)

For who interested, here's the earlier version of my level (including a section that is removed from the final version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNIABItL1pE

[raocow]

I don't know, something just didn't 'click'. I wish I could articulate why though. It's clearly very well made, with varied set-up. I'm sorry man.

[FrozenQuills]

A rather impressive feet of stagecraft, this one!

[ft029]

I think a lot of the creativity in superwario's entry shines from the dragon coin setups (which utilize the wrapping gimmick a lot better imo)

Blue Leaf's entry is just super well designed. "Solid", I would say, except it's not rock solid.