Super Mario Bros. X Forums

Created for Suckerman7 Games Inc. Level Contest II (Snow Level Contest)
Level contains many Flurries & snow. Snowmen were edited - they are pickable now.

Screen: Video playthrough: Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/sqat6 ... y+Dale.zip

Credits:

I could have just posted my review that I made from the contest, but I think now is the time to post a more detailed review, reminiscent of my older reviews I did back in my level judging days.

Level design: 6.2/10
This level has a decent flair to it, and it seems to one of the classic run 'n jump kinds, which have a retro feel to them, and this one seems to hark back to the World 6 levels in SMB3, so good job with the nostalgia factor. The falling snow in the second half of the level is a very appealing touch, but it beats me why you didn't use it for the whole level instead of just that bit. I like the way you put the snow blocks together to add some variety, and those alone allow for some rather risky platforming towards the end of the level, which I liked. The frozen coins were a nice idea put to good use, often used to hide a few secrets and even a hidden star, as well as add an element of danger especially when crossing over pits only spanned by frozen coins. However, the level is a little on the long side especially considering that there wasn't much done for gimmicks except a few which I'll elaborate on later, and it got rather repetitive after a while because the level couldn't think of ideas to use, but it's not too long to the point where the level is too repetitive and the player is bored of the level.

Graphics and music: 7.5/10
You did a very good job with the graphics and music choice of the level. They both go hand-in-hand with each other and convey the feeling of walking through a snow land, and a little fast-paced to represent the fast-paced action of the level. But referring to the graphics now, and I'm going to start this on a high note. The level is very decorated in a very naturalistic way, which is always good, and there are no barren areas, an idea further reinforced by the falling snow. There are no cut-offs or clashes either, which is great. However, the ceiling tiles are quite bland and they don't really fit in with the snowy theme of the level. Replacing them with snow-topped (or I should say, bottomed) equivalents would be a good idea if you ask me.

NPC placement: 5.6/10
Usually this part is not as good as the others, but the Ptooie concept is a very interesting gimmick that is sustained for the whole level, further driving home the SMB3 World 6 feel of the level. The usage of the Ice Blocks to hit high blocks is also a good concept and serves as a great replacement for tossing shells, but sadly wasn't used a lot, because it could have been used to great potential. The same case goes with bringing back a long-dead gimmick used in older SMBX episodes - using two Flurries to carry a pipe NPC, which was a good idea but was only used once despite bringing variety to the table. Finally, there is also no shortage of coins either, thawed or frozen, which is good. Unfortunately, the good points stop here. The placement of the other enemy NPCs was not so good. Most of the time they seem to have been placed randomly without much thought, so they just seem to spring out of nowhere, such as an unexpected Kamikaze Koopa just before the checkpoint, and these unsuspecting encounters make what would be a pleasant overworld run a little more difficult than it seems, as it's easy to lose powerups despite the fact that there are an adequate amount of them throughout this level. Removing some of the surprise encounters would do you good here.

Overall result: 6.5/10
Great traditional SMB3 ice level. Make sure you fix the flaws mentioned in this review, and you're good to go.