Cavern of Death | A Level from Mario's Greatest Adventure (SMBX2 Beta 3)

[TheGamingCats]

Use SMBX2 Beta 3 to play the level.

This is a level from Mario's Greatest Adventure! Take a look at its project page! Click it to see!

This is a level with many twists and turns. There are 2 exits, 1 using red coins, and the other using pipes. Don't get confused in the section of the Blue pipes, because though it may not make sense, it works, so deal with it Pirahna Plants, Paragoombas, Koopas, Bob-Ombs and more stand in your way, but dont get deterred by that. This abandoned mine is one that has been overrun, and you can save it. Have fun!

Special Thanks
Vector Harbour
Sednaiur
Nintendo
Re-Logic
PROX

for music and custom graphics.

Spoiler: show

Download:https://www.mediafire.com/?3kr7nv5758x2a65[/center]

[IAmPlayer]

Uhm, again, the songs are in the folder. Just, remember to put it out, everyone!

[TheGamingCats]

Uhm, again, the songs are in the folder. Just, remember to put it out, everyone!

noooo dont

[Kixubug]

This level is super cool I like how this cave is bluish and has more gimmicks good job creating on it

[kr4k1n]

Like the level name

[TheTypicalBlock]

Level is well designed and the sprites fit with the level.

I rate this a 8/10

[kr4k1n]

Level is well designed and the sprites fit with the level.

I rate this a 8/10

If you really thought the level was well designed and the sprites fit with it, then you would have given it a perfect 10/10 lol

[TheGamingCats]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback!

[Kixubug]

For this level since it's awesome I'll GIVE IT...... An...... A Rank

[PersonNamedUser]

For this level since it's awesome I'll GIVE IT...... An...... A Rank

What is this, Sonic?

[TheGamingCats]

For this level since it's awesome I'll GIVE IT...... An...... A Rank

Thank you

[Kixubug]

For this level since it's awesome I'll GIVE IT...... An...... A Rank

What is this, Sonic?

No It's just a grade.

[IAmPlayer]

It has 2 different exits making this level... eh fair enough. My rank i'll give is A. Don't be so oversaturated.

EDIT: I give this A Rank not because of exits, but because of gemplay and other stuff that i'm too lazy to review.

[TheGamingCats]

It has 2 different exits making this level... eh fair enough. My rank i'll give is A. Don't be so oversaturated.

yeah thats cause my episode needs those 2 exits.

[MrPunchia]

why can't y'all elaborate on your ratings

[PixelPest]

Why does the number of exits determine a ranking is the question I'm more interested in specifically :/

[Mable]

Some people shouldn't write reviews at all

[regret-index]

"Cavern of Death" as a name doesn't really suit what is mostly a straightforward cramped passage with basic enemies. Try for something with a little less edge.

Feedback notes:

• What's with the stripe of sky for outside segments being a different colour than most of the sky in background? It's not even a gradient or anything, it's just an instant jump in colour.
• Why allow touching the very bottom of the screen only at the very start of the level? The dip might as well not be there.
• It's kind of silly that the ground where one would place the starting spring is sloped- putting it down immediately sends Mario sliding. I also had the spring just phase through the wall on one attempt.
• A fair number of NPC graphics and effects are rather noticeably unchanged amongst the changed graphics, though this might be a byproduct of exporting the level from a project. The most obvious ones are Koopa components being knocked away (by e.g. a shell) and Goombas produced after stomping a Paragloomba. It shouldn't take much image editing to prepare appropiate effect-#.png and effect-#.txt if you want to change npc graphics...
• Speaking of which, it looks kind of off that Bom-ombs and Buzzy Beetles are default graphics, the Paragloomba is from SPP, the darkened Koopas from YI, and the Piranha Plants are just dimmed down. I don't put much value into the bogeyman that is "clash" but there's little attempt to make a consistent aesthetic across these (as the two custom graphics are substantially more animated and detailed than the others).
• The double textboxes for the message box are awkward- why is there a delay between the two textbox events? They also don't really seem to have any connection to the level itself, but there's a greater episode context presumably missing.
• The stars are so trivial to obtain they feel kind of pointless. Putting even moderate distance between the switch and the door for the first star or the pipes to the second star would let them mean something instead of being basically free. The hammer suit for just going down near a bunch of pipes is also pretty ridiculous for an early and easy level- surely it should just be a fire flower?
• Placing the P-Switch under some coins can (rarely) fit the player into too tight of a space and send them flying, which is of course rather awkward.
• Requiring jumping on the blue Parakoopa after the set of pipes to progress is very awkward, since the player can easily be stuck if they kill it (and this is extra easy with the hammer suit).
• The climb of donut blocks is far too tight for non-Small characters to easily do at all, and considering the absence of danger in a rather easy level it's kind of awkward for this to be a stumbling block. Probably just two blocks stacked ontop of each other rather than three would be fine.
• The pipe intersection at the end of the second segment can render incorrectly, and should have a custom graphic most likely. Its entrance is also a half-block too high.
  
• The goal strip for one of the exits is a block too low for the goal tape heights.
• I'm reasonably sure the second exit doesn't spawn if one does the coins out of order, as only the last red coin has the layer-is-empty flag set-up.

In terms of greater level design I could say this level doesn't have much of a hook nor much mechanical introduction / iteration / subversion, just going through a handful of quick and basic ideas, but the details are just as important to get down first.