Review time.
Cliffs of Subcon
Gfx & design: 6/10
The level used the whole SMB2 package, really nice. There was a replacement for every basic SMBX block and enemy, which was nice.
As for the design, there are some parts that I really liked design-wise, but there were also some parts that looked not so good in my opinion.
A good point was definitely that the level was semi-linear, as in, there was one main way that you could walk to the end, but there were many opportunities to wander around, explore, find a secret, maybe a second exit, and I don't think I've even found all the ways and secrets in this level yet.
One of the things I didn't like so much were how you styled the platforms and the ground. You tried too hard to make it look fancy while having few ideas how to do it, and so you ended up with platforms shaped in really weird forms.
Example:
I advise you to look how other level designers use tilesets to create interesting patterns and still have it look good.
Music: 7/10
I really liked the main track and the music used in the vases, the underground track sounded a bit weird to me though, and the music used sections 4, 5 and 6 was just too much orchestral for me.
NPCs: 7/10
There were many SMB2 NPCs, some of them used in very creative ways, but over all it just felt like you tried to include every enemie at least once, and so it happened that I found a new enemie every two steps. Next time try to select a smaller range of NPCs to use in your level and be consistent with them.
Gameplay: 7/10
This was a nice level over all, altough a bit harsh in some places. For example getting a power-up if you die after the midway point is sheerly impossible because this guy is blocking the way.
This is a really unfair move. Similarly hard, but not quite as impossible, were the beezos flying over the rainbow-pansers that were insta-kills.
I also liked the switch that made the ladders appear. A simple, yet effective gimmick that gave the level a sense of charm.
Like I already said, there was much to explore and many little bonus things and secrets. This kept the level interesting and made it fun to play.
This was a pretty good level, score's pretty good 6.75/10, moved to Pretty Good. 