8-2 Platform perils (Review please)

[Superiorstar]

Don't why I put 8-2 there...

Spoiler: show

Download: https://www.sendspace.com/file/oafgnc
This is an exceptionally hard level, proceed with caution.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

This level is...almost pretty good. A level that's entirely on line-riders isn't done too often, but most of the hazards weren't unfair and always had a clear way to avoid them (although some hazards seemed completely pointless, like the three grinder-circles just before the end, which I avoided by standing still). I also like that, whenever you introduce a Lakitu sprite-swap, there's an area shortly afterward where you can easily jump on it and kill it.

Of course, like all levels, this one has its problems. Firstly, why is the second ? block just a mushroom? A second mushroom won't do the player any good since, when the player drops it, the line-rider will have moved away from it by the time it reaches a point where the player can get it. Another problem is that there is often dead-space between hazards, meaning the player is just jumping from one line-rider to the next without really needing to worry about anything. While it's not as bad as other levels which force the player to wait, it does make the level seem emptier than normal.

Also, there's no midpoint; while the level isn't necessarily very long (nor does it lend itself well to having a midpoint), it's still quite difficult, and it's annoying having to redo the entire level just because of one unexpected hazard (especially near the end), which brings me to the level's biggest problem: the fireballs that sprite-swap the poison mushroom. Because they merely have nogravity=1 and therefore still interact with block-like NPCs, not only do they often get trapped on the line-rider, but they also slow down, and since the player won't expect this, it will result in at least one unfair death.

Spoiler: show

The only time this didn't happen was when I played the level again to record the process.

Plus, Hammer Bros. have a semi-unpredictable hammer-throwing delay, so using them on line-rider segments can be unfair if it decides to throw a hammer at the exact time the player will be unable to avoid it.

Summary:
GOOD:
-Graphics aren't terrible.
-Music fits the level well.
-NPC placement is mostly well done.

BAD:
-2nd ? block is a mushroom.
-No midpoint.
-Dead-space.
--POISON MUSHROOM SPRITE-SWAPS CAN GET TRAPPED ON THE LINE-RIDER.
-Hammer Bro. at a line-rider segment.
-Pointless hazards (which are clearly supposed to be a threat).

In conclusion: I'm sure this would have been pretty good if it weren't for the propensity for poison mushrooms to get stuck on the line-rider, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't fix the other flaws as well. I'd say this deserves a 5.5/10