Postby PixelPest » Sat Dec 05, 2015 1:27 pm
Official Review of Harbor Meadows
Level Design and Gameplay (weighed 70%): 3.8/10
This level was very linear and not very interesting at all. There was little variety of NPCs and only one power-up. NPC placement needs some work; it was a bit inconsistent. Some areas were very cluttered while others were more sparse, and there were piranha plants in every pipe. There was also a little bit of BGO clutter in a few areas, but it wasn't too bad. Some areas underneath power-up blocks were a little cramped; a good general rule is to keep at least three blocks space underneath from the ground. This level was very boring to play overall, but the layout wasn't terribly bad either.
Graphics and Music (weighed 30%): 1.0/10
The graphical choices for this level were horrible, along with the fact that it had no music whatsoever. The background didn't really match the tileset or BGOs and stood out (in a bad way). The choice of ?-block graphics was also a poor decision, as they don't fit with the other special blocks, or really with the tileset at all. I'd suggest adding a custom graphic for the piranha plant(s) so that they are all the same type (red-green, green, etc.) and not different types. The goombas were also missing their death effects and flipped version of the NPC. The tileset in iteself wasn't a good choice to go along with the NPCs, BGOs, etc. I'd rethink your graphical choices for this whole level.
Overall: 2.96/10 (The Rim of the "Trash Can")
- boring gameplay
- poor power-up placement
- poor choice of GFX
- effects/NPCs missing from GFX
- no music
Final Comment: Just fixing the graphics, would get this out of the "Trash Can" into low "Average". Try making your levels less linear. Add secrets and variation.