Postby Eternity » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:23 pm
Review - Toy Castle
Level Design: 13/20
The level design was pretty neat overall; the obstacles were well thought out and fun to play through for the most part, and the level was pretty unique with the toy gimmick and the different sprites. This level has some great level design, and I would gladly give it a higher score, but there are some design issues holding me back.
The hole where the player goes down after the first key is filled with spiny eggs, which are pretty much impossible to avoid. Even if the player manages to avoid them, it's hard not to take a hit when they fall to the ground anyway, giving the player a blind hit. Simply removing them would fix that.
The second section of the level (after the midway point) was too cramped and annoying to play through. There was hardly any space to move around, specially if the player is big, and most of the obstacles there seem to be just thrown out without any real thought, to be honest. It's also pretty repetitive when compared with the first one, as it doesn't really add anything to the level or expand on the level's gimmick, so I recommend simply removing it.
The 'second boss fight' felt a bit unnecessary and I believe the level would be better without it. The first one already provided enough of a challenge and ending it there would probably be better.
Atmosphere: 8/10
The atmosphere was very nice overall, with a colorful and vibrant feel which reminds me of something I could see on a Kirby game. The tileset was also well done, and I couldn't find any noticeable glitches or cutoff. The music also seems to fit well, but it seems a bit too repetitive. Nothing really wrong there, the atmosphere was very nice throughout.
Score: 7/10 - Approved
While the level design was great and it started pretty nice, it seemed to get more and more repetitive, as the level didn't introduce anything new to keep the player interested. I would love to give this a higher score, but there are simply way too many design issues, specially on the second half of it.