Super Mario Bros. X Forums

HeroLinik wrote:Well, here we've got an airship level, somewhat reminiscent of the original ones in SMB3. The cannon and Hammer Bro. placement was quite good, providing a nice difficulty, and the level has some really nice decoration which also supplemented the platforming with the addition of crates. The secret stars were a neat concept, forcing the player to do different things for each one which also helped to vary up the gameplay, but having three of them seems to be a bit of overkill. The boss fight was actually quite fun with the different phases, although the final phase seems to have just been copied from the first, and it seems to drag on for quite a bit. Losing at this stage is quite punishing because the checkpoint is placed too early into the level. After the boss is beaten though, the level doesn't even end with a star, thus forcing the player to go out of their way to get the stars. Secrets like this should act as optional paths that reward the player, not mandatory paths that are required to advance.

JupiHornet wrote:Was this level made for an episode? Because it would fit into one PERFECTLY. The whole level is really solid, and it felt like an actual Mario level. The design was good, and the methods you used to have the player get the green stars were very clever. I liked the diversity you had in the enemies you used, using some from both SMB2 and SMB3, with a few other reskins like the cannonball bombs. Of course, though, my favorite part of the level was the boss! It was very well designed and fair, but I wish a bit more was done with the final form than a Ludwig reskin. Still, though, this was a great level. Nice job!

Sanct wrote:This level isn't anything to write home about, there is a part where you have to throw bombs at a wall and I hoped this would become a gimmick of some sort, but no, it was just that one wall of bricks. In this context that wall seems very pointless, but oh well the boss was probably one of the best and flashiest in the contest.

PixelPest wrote:A.K.A. your typical airship level, for the most part. Most of the enemies in this level were placed relatively unintuitively and most of its difficulty came from projectiles. There was a lack of anything memorable except the bossfight at the end was somewhat innovative. Some of the projectile launchers seemed to be placed in areas that made sense and provided a sensible challenge although for the most part they seemed to just be there to slow the player down. The level made use of some very basic ideas in an attempt to provide some variety but utterly failed overall in building on them and providing an enjoyable experience; it just dragged on for too long without much different, other than the interior part that just made use of most of the same ideas and just changed the atmosphere. Enemy choice was a little unusual as usually Goombas aren’t the most common enemy for an airship and the use of SMB2 Bob-ombs didn’t really seem to have any purpose; like the projectiles, the rest of the enemies also weren’t placed particularly well. Coin placement was also severely lacking in this level and very inconsistent. The only thing I really liked about this level was the bossfight at the end. Although it was a little repetitive, it was quite innovative in the use of vanilla elements and graphical ideas and was quite enjoyable despite its jankiness in some respects. The music didn’t really fit overly well though for that part. Overall there wasn’t really any aesthetic issues with this level other than a few small things to do with the bossfight. The secret star was also interesting although it would have made sense of the gimmicky idea used to reach it was used elsewhere in the level.

SuperMario7 wrote:The level was lots of fun to speed through, and a little challenging to make things interesting. Nothing was too exceptional from a design perspective (just all-around good) until I got to that boss, and wow, that was pretty creative! Aesthetically, the level looked pretty good overall - pretty normal stuff for an ordinary airship level. As a whole, this level was quite solid.

HeroLinik wrote:I like the atmosphere this level has, especially with how well the chocolate lava and the night sky background go together, and the gimmicks involving the Skull Rafts were rather cool and worked in quite nicely, and the Dragon Coins were placed in risky spots to make it all the more rewarding collecting them. The level had a smooth flow to it, introducing ideas to the player slowly but surely, but to be honest it was quite short yet had some potential. The screen-locking in the section after the checkpoint was quite cool, but it has the annoying habit of tending to scroll in the middle of a jump, freezing the player and increasing the risk of death. However, the biggest fault lies not with the level, but with the designer because the level wasn't tested properly. The bonus section was badly-done, because the warp is somewhere out of the way with no reason or hint given to it, and the warp out kills the player due to the screen not locking at that point yet. Also, the sideways Podoboo death effect is broken.

JupiHornet wrote:First of all, THIS MUSIC IS SO GOOD ;A; Second, this was a pretty solid level! It looks great, has unique ideas, and is overall fun to play. My main issue is with the last section. The screen randomly scrolling like it does REALLY messes up the timing of my jumps. It would be better if that was just one big section. Besides that, though, this level is great!

Sanct wrote:This level is pretty nice, except for the fact that it doesn't bother trying to introduce it's gimmick and just throws out a sign at you, which in both cases was very unnecessary and could've been shown through gameplay. The upwards moving skull blocks also posed pretty much no threat whatsoever. In the third section the constant screen setting irritated me and caught me off-guard in the worst places possible, you could've placed the axes better and not at the edge of the screen you're trying to set.

PixelPest wrote:A pretty basic level. The gimmick was enjoyable but it also had some cramped parts. Despite that it was pretty consistent. I feel like the music choices could be a little better although the atmosphere was pretty nice. Could use some background objects just to seem a little less bland but not so many that it would feel overworked. The usage of the vertical square skull rafts should have been explored a significant amount more since they had a lot of potential to be implemented in very cool ways but weren’t. For the vertically moving rafts, something like a vertical section with offset rafts moving upwards forcing the player to jump between them was what I was personally hoping to see. Also be aware that you don’t have to explain every little thing in signs; especially when it’s pretty evident the player often can just figure things out for themselves which is part of the experience too. The use of moving the camera didn’t really seem to add anything to the level and seemed somewhat random. Personally it seemed to take away from the level as it disturbed flow. The use of collectables was very good though and added some replay value with the intuitive and challenging placement of Dragon Coins. Overall the level was mostly enjoyable but pretty short and uneventful, however the feel of it was great with respect to Super Mario World’s style.

SuperMario7 wrote:Nice level! It was pretty simple and straightforward, with plenty of different obstacles to keep things fresh and fun. I would’ve liked to see you use the things that made this level stand out in more intricate ways, like the sideways fireballs and the floating skulls, but other than that, the design here was pretty great! If you just added a lot more BGOs, this level would look fantastic as well. Chocolate lavafalls may be a good option, as well as more plants and bushes, but even without all that, it looked pretty decent.

HeroLinik wrote:Well, time for something completely different. At first glance, it's a simple overworld level without much to differentiate it from similar designs, but this one has a hilarious, unique gimmick in that sizeable blocks, background objects and coins jerk up and down rather fast, which made the level really weird, and the gimmick is played up in a few ways, such as using the raising sizeables to get to higher platforms and dodging a spike using the lowest point of the jerk. In terms of the design, the platforms are nicely arranged to account for the gimmick, but it's quite easy to just scoot through a majority of the level because it's largely just standard platforming. The level was a bit short though and could have seen more work of the jerk gimmick, but it was still fun nonetheless, breathing new life into an otherwise boring level.

JupiHornet wrote:It's amazing how you can take what would normally be a boring romp and add one thing to make it that much more fun. Watching everything move up and down in time with the music is so entertaining, and makes the level so much better as a whole. I do wish more was done with that gimmick, though. The part where the moving blocks push you up into spikes was good, but I wish there was more of that. Still though, this was a great level.

Sanct wrote:This is honestly the talkhausiest thing to come out of an smbx contest. This is a really dumb level, and I love it. Though, the gimmick presents issues whenever you'd try to do something a bit more complex with it, like, the goomba part is probably the most complex you can get out of this without being frustrating. The checkpoint cracked me up though.

PixelPest wrote:This was a very fun level. The music was a little unusual but made sense with the level which took a simple idea and built on it in multiple ways to provide a great experience. I would have been happy to see this level be even longer since it seemed to have a lot to offer yet its creator just scratched the surface. There were some sections that seemed a little overworked in terms of the number of background objects and the placement of coins was a little inconsistent and then overkill with many in clumps. A little bit of aesthetics was sacrificed in moving the power-up blocks which made the level seem a little less polished (putting them in bubbles might have been better for this level, or avoid moving ?-blocks with power-ups in them) and the placement of enemies could have had a little more intent, but still wasn’t bad at all. I did really enjoy playing this level though. Definitely one of my favourites in terms of gameplay and replay value.

SuperMario7 wrote:I think this level is actually one of the most fun levels of the contest! It was a blast to play through, with an edge of challenge that didn’t make anything too hard or unfair. The level was short, simple, and sweet, and really, really fun. I just wanted to see it go on longer to see what other stuff you could do with this! The fast-moving objects made this level unforgettable. It’s a rather simple idea, but something so rarely used in SMBX, and you did a great job using it and exploring some of the different things you can do with it to add challenge to the level. This was also a decent looking level, but there definitely can be improvements made in that department, particularly with adding more decoration and detail. The music was great though, and a fitting choice for the level. Overall, this one was just a blast.

HeroLinik wrote:This is a pretty great autoscroll level. The graphics and music mould together very well to create an almost ethereal, eerie feel to the level that doesn't rely on Boos and other ghostly enemies, and the mid-air dash gimmick is very cleverly executed by use of special lanterns that force a horizontal or vertical dash. While it's good on its own, the way said gimmick is handled is where it really shines - while the player is told how to do a mid-air dash, they are expected to figure out how the lanterns work by themselves, which gives for a more rewarding experience, and the idea is expanded on and used in creative ways while still retaining the core concept. The collapse sequence was awesomely-done and adds a sense of urgency, helped by the fact that the autoscroll speeds up and the music changes, but at some points it leaves little room for error and thus it can be pretty punishing. The level was a bit short though, and could have done with some more expansion of the ideas. Also, the sounds.ini file doesn't work because while the sound effects are in the folder, they haven't been replaced. However, the positives certainly outweigh the negatives, and this is a level that I definitely enjoyed playing.

JupiHornet wrote:Not a fun level at all. The main issue is that there's no room to test out the air dash gimmick (which is super wonky and inconsistent) before getting thrown right into danger. Most of my deaths came from just trying to learn how the thing works. The fact that the level is so dangerous and there are no items or midpoint anywhere just made it even more frustrating...it looks awesom3e, though!

Sanct wrote:The first dragon coin feels finicky, it feels like I'm doing the exact same thing and yet I'm getting different outcomes. The rest of the level plays out fine, though the dash feels like there's a bit of delay on it and that it triggers at points where it shouldn't be triggering, also the crumbling part is very underwhelming difficulty-wise. The fact the background fades out during the more open portions is very cool too.

PixelPest wrote:This level was right on point with what I wanted to see this contest. It’s an amazing level that presents a great challenge and presents stunning and intriguing visuals. The atmosphere is well developed and the level has a constant build to it as the autoscroll increases its speed and the music builds. The gimmick was incorporated very well with very little explanation but enough such that the player understands what to do. It builds on the gimmick throughout the level, incorporating it in various ways that challenge the player to both think logically to collect well-placed Dragon Coins and also to make the player think fast as the autoscroll catches up to them in tight areas, which in this level is completely justified. It was great to see a level that was enjoyable, challenging, and had not only great visuals but great and intuitive gameplay that accompanied it like a fine-tuned machine.

SuperMario7 wrote:I couldn’t figure out how to use the alt-run thing to double jump or whatever, but that’s probably just me being dumb (but even so, maybe you can explains it a little better for players like me =P). I’m just gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and accept that the level is probably completable without cheating, but yeah, I used the jumping cheat code to get through it. Anyway, the level itself is actually quite good beyond that. The gimmick is interesting and unique, and you use it in some interesting ways. I especially like the part where things get really intense and everything starts falling, and the music shift adds to that effect incredibly well. This was also a quite nice looking level. You did a good job mixing tilesets and adding enough decorations so that the level looked nice throughout. My biggest complaint, however, is that there are some parts that just seem ridiculously hard and cramped (and they mostly involve those spikes). Overall, though, this was a very creative, cool level!

HeroLinik wrote:Why does this level feel really familiar...wait, what is this reminding me of? Anyway, this was quite a hilarious, yet fun level. It's got some really nice atmosphere in the first half with the falling snow projectiles (which are meant to be manipulated), and the dungeon portion in the second half of the level provided a nice contrast while still maintaining nice decoration. The level revolves around an interesting gimmick in that they need to freeze projectiles such as shells and Bullet Bills and use them as platforms to advance, and it was executed rather well, although to be honest it starts getting a little stale later down the line, especially in the dungeon section. However, this level makes up for it in its witty humour and lampshading of various SMBX tropes - the Rinka-dodging sections is one of them. While they were a little redundant and out-of-place, it served as a humorous parody of Touhou levels, although the first one drags on for a bit. Also, the ending was quite funny in that it turned out the Toad who was guiding you in the first half was actually evil, wanted to kill you, and had the star all along! A fitting end to a level with that kind of nature, to be honest.

JupiHornet wrote:That level was LONG. Like, really, REALLY long. But it was also so much FUN! The gimmick was really creative and I loved the setups you made with it, particularly in the vertical sections. The main part of the level was in the dungeon, though, as well as its biggest flaw...it's REALLY hard to tell where you have to go in the first part. Everything is blue, so it's hard to see the passage above the shower. Another thing, the "boss" was really annoying because of the Roto Discs. Everything else was really solid (get it? XDDDDD). Honestly, this felt more like a mini episode than a level, but that's what made it so fun. The Toads are funny and the level has a nice story. If all of your levels are like this, I'd love to see more from you!

Sanct wrote:This level starts off really good, the gimmick is shown in an enviroment where you don't have control and you can just observe it, then you're given a red shell to throw into some iceballs to show you what you're gonna be doing for most of the level. The second section makes it seem like the designer doesn't know what he's doing with the gimmick though as that section is easily the least fun out of all of them, in fact, most things that involve bullet bills in this level aren't fun. The fake trap lasts a bit too long, but it does do some nice foreshadowing. This is where the level becomes really cool and it combines it's flavor into the design itself to make something really clever. The sparky section is a very fitting end to the level since the whole level up to this point had a very steady difficulty curve. The boss is a bit dissapointing though, bullet bills in this level are just a signal of something being unfun.

PixelPest wrote:What a cool gimmick. This level was quite fun to play and used an interesting gimmick that saw many variations throughout the level; it was challenging but still fair. The placement of collectables was kind of unusual, however the atmosphere was quite nice, at least in the first section. I would have been happy to see this level without the dungeon section which is where aesthetics kind of went to hell and it was just a mash-up of jokes. Despite the fact that not all of the elements used in the first part were SMB3-styled as were most of the elements, everything did seem to fit, however I couldn’t say that for the dungeon which was kind of a mess in an aesthetic respect too. Overall it was fun and engaging though.

SuperMario7 wrote:The gimmick was awesome, and you did a fantastic job using it in clever and complex ways. Often, freezing the stuff so you can advance was ridiculously challenging and time-consuming, so I’d suggest making some of those parts quite a bit easier, particularly in sections 2, 5 and 10. Apart from that, awesome job designing the level, not only in terms of ideas and execution, but also in terms of aesthetics. I’m pretty sure you didn’t use any (or many, at least) custom GFX in this level. This proves that levels can still look awesome with just the basic stuff available for SMBX. Every section was full, well-decorated, and even unique-looking, all-the-while retaining some of the basic themes that make a Mario level a Mario level. Also, the music was fantastic. And on top of all that, this level was genuinely funny, which is something a lot of people can’t really pull off in an SMBX level. The toad in the shower’s line killed me.