Postby PixelPest » Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:23 pm
Review of Okiba Magmafall
Level Design and Gameplay (weighed 70%): 5.2/10
This level had some interesting elements to it, however I personally didn't find it much fun to play. Although it doesn't have much backtracking, the level seems too long for what it has to offer, which isn't much. The gimmicks used are very shallow, unintuitive, and overused. The insta-kill blocks aren't placed in a very challenging way and are easily avoidable, seeming kind of pointless. The moving platforms move just way too slowly when there are very few obstacles to avoid, as well as the Skull Rafts. One major issue I had with this level was the springboards in cramped areas. Compared to the rest of the level, these areas really spiked in difficulty and seemed a bit unfair. Coin placement also wasn't great, as most of the coins were just clumped together in bunches rather than being spread out more as they should have been. This level's biggest issue was the number of ideas it tried to squeeze in. There were some NPCs that were seen very few times and a great variety of them which was unneeded. I really expected this level to be much longer due to the sheer number of gimmicks it throws at the player and then leaves behind. A lot of the gimmicks had some potential but were used to briefly in a simple, unintuitive manner. The overall layout of the level is quite good though since it does seem kind of adventurous.
Graphics and Sounds (weighed 30%): 5.6/10
Overall, the graphics for this level were pretty good, although it was almost on the side of being over-worked due to the sheer amount of red and yellow covering the screen, especially the seemingly ongoing fight between BGO lava and the lava from the background. For a volcano though, some graphical choices were bad, such as the hills and plants. I think this level would be much more solid if there were no hills or plants inside. It would help develop the atmosphere better (which they now tae away from) in addition to other things. The graphics for the insta-kill blocks were also very poorly done in my opinion. The shading for the spikes needs a lot of work and the outline doesn't go all of the way around, which doesn't look too good. I also don't agree with the music choice for a volcano at all. It was way to joyful, bright, and upbeat for the atmosphere being developed, including the black and purple gas clouds, the red and dark brown rock, and the large amounts of boiling lava.
Overall: 5.32/10 (Average)