Level Review #15: Ice and Lava Lair by Pivot40Channel
Reviewed by castlewars.
Level Design: 6.97/10
This is an interesting level. It's somewhat reminiscent of Icy Volcano from the last contest, and it seems as though this level has taken inspiration from it. With that in place, there's nothing stopping this from looking like a classic Mario level with the SMBX twist added to it - sidequests in different sections to unlock parts in the previous section. The idea of having to go into the lava cave in order to open up a new route and then carry on further through the first ice section is a good idea, and seems to have been executed quite well, but the main flaw with it is that it's an overused gimmick - switches. Gameplay quite quickly gets boring and repetitive after a while because for the majority of the time the player is simply finding a blocked route, going into the cave, activating the corresponding switch and then having to hunt down a key in order to get out. However, the key is often put in plain sight and the player can just collect it while walking to the end of the section, although not for all the sections - I particularly liked the lava chase in the final section in that the player has to race against the lava and hit the final switch, although as soon as they leave they are warped out further back through the section, and they have to backtrack through a hail of enemies. The design in that section was quite flat and barren as well and there was only the odd BGO or two to decorate the longer stretches, but in the ice section, the opposite is true. There is a lot of variation and slopes and the frozen blocks were interesting and very theme-specific, and I liked the multi-layered placement in section 2. However in many points the level was rather cramped, in particular in the second cave section, when at the end an upgraded form of Mario will find it near difficult to get into the gap because it is really small, and alternatively, the player can skip the blue switch area entirely because they can just walk over the ceiling.
Music: 7.5/10
Very fitting music choices you used in the ice and cave sections. They give off the feeling of being in an ice section and a cave section very well, and in particular the cave section's music is really fitting because it's a volcanic cave, and the emptiness of the music gives this feeling of being in a volcano. However the fact that you forgot to include a music track ("Chase Lava.mp3") hurt its score a bit. When you upload an updated version of this level, be sure to include the missing track.
Graphics: 7.47/10
The decoration throughout the majority of this level is really good, in particular in the ice section. The way it's decorated makes it look as though it's natural, and not too artificial. However, among all the really decorated parts, problems can emerge if too much is applied - you'll often get a cut-off. It's really hard to spot, but it's there - there is a very small cut-off which results from what happens when you place a BGO too close to a ledge. If you're using a ledge and you're trying to place a BGO on it, be careful when doing so. Switch off auto-align, and then place it normally, keeping a sharp eye out in case the graphic doesn't "float" in mid-air. This is also the case with the lava at the end as well - the following pictures will show the two cut-offs:
To avoid cut-offs with blocks, use background BGOs so they blend into the blocks without leaving a tiny gap. Cut-offs aside, I don't really need to talk about the clash in this level, except if there is quite a lot of clash. First off, the ice sizable at the start doesn't blend in well with the tileset and looks out of place, and the SMW block holding the key at the end of the first cave section does not look good when it's right next to two SMB3 blocks; another SMB3 block that would have held the key would be better. Also, the SMW-styled Bill Blasters shoot SMB3 Bullet Bills which are horribly out of place due to the outlines - you might want to use SMW Bullet Bills instead. After that, the rest was just SMB3-styled NPCs in what appears to be an SMW environment. They don't clash as badly, though.
NPC Placement: 7.24/10
The NPC placement was rather meh. The coin placement on its own was rather OK-ish, and the player can often collect a whole group of them in two jumps or less, and the Ace Coin placement was rather good as well, but they were either placed too far apart from each other at points, but there is one point, right after the checkpoint, that there are two placed right next to each other, making it ridiculously easy to get them, but they still make the level exciting and give the player an optional sidequest that doesn't bore them out. However, that aside, there is a bit of ambiguity with the P-Switch in section 3 - it's placed at the start of the section and there is no indication that the player has to carry it to the brick block structure with the 1-Up and the Skull Raft - if the player activates it too early then the switch will expire before the player hits the Skull Raft, and they'll be stuck. Section 4 is very flat and barren as well, and there are nearly no NPCs aside from the Piranha Pipes, Spiny Eggs, and the occasional coins, and when the player enters the pipe at the halfway point, I don't see why "Allow NPC" isn't ticked, because it would be quite reasonable to do so considering that the Piranha Pipe will still be needed, but it's still a reprieve from the traditional platforming areas and it doesn't make the level get too repetitive. However, back with the design and the cramped tunnels, about three-quarters of the way in, there's the row of Thwomps. It's really hard to dodge them because they are situated in a cramped tunnel, and they often don't give enough room to run through - if you put them up a bit higher then it would be easier to get through them.
Overall Result: 7.3/10 (Level Status: Pretty Good)
Oh my god...you made me write a massive review! I can't even say anything more other than fixing up the flaws up in the review such as the cramped tunnels, missing music track and minor cut-offs and you'll be on your way to go forwards.
