Radicalicious
eternal swagularity
Hey. Here's my autogenerated ranking list, but if you want my actual human opinion on each of these levels as a whole, scroll down.
1. Hollow Hill Zone by Othius, Inazuma & Spectorious
2. Falcon Emissary Zone by InferNOr
3. Lava Temple by Vixuzen
4. Fort Sunset Zone by DylanDude
5. Zaxel's Thunder Yard by Zaxel
6. Teal Tundra Zone by SunCyclone
7. Mercury Mine Zone by Rexeljet
8. Ante-Station Zone by Twins'R'Okay
9. Abyss Caverns Zone by yyeellooww7
10. Ridge Rapids Zone by particle
11. Bombastic Beach Zone by Shapeshifter Boi
12. Music Mash Zone by WasifBoomz
13. Blizzard Bastion Zone by PhilJFou
14. Koopa Kastle Zone by Glaber
15. Drenched Dam Zone by Voidy2246
16. Emerald Glade Zone by DoodlesYT
Emerald Glade Zone
I'd like to say that this map is a good step into making maps. It's clear that the creator is getting familiar with the tools that Zone Builder provides, which is always a good step in the right direction. Although this map is simple and straightfoward, it's good that the creator is learning! I see potential for them to make really good maps some day, and I hope they don't get discouraged by their low vote on my list.
Drenched Dam Zone
This level is actually pretty good! It's clear the creator has the basics of level design down well. Even more impressive is that they were able to set it up as a Metal Sonic race, which is always neat to see. I had fun playing it, all in all, but unfortunately it was rather dwarfed by some of the bigger entries in the contest. I'd like to see this maybe released to the MB someday and improved upon.
Koopa Kastle Zone
I thought this level was fun. It's just that nothing in it struck me as unique. Sure, it's Bowser's Castle, but other than the surprise Brak fight at the end, it's a relatively straightforward level. It did have actual working Pipes as well as Koopas, which aren't present in normal Pipe Towers, so that was pretty neat. Overall, it's not a bad level, but it sure could use some more identity and detailing.
Blizzard Bastion Zone
Honestly, I don't know why this level placed so low in my list. I really did have fun and it's very clear that the creator put actual effort into this level, with interesting gimmicks like the slide and rising floors. Although some parts of the castle could use a little more color variety, and a larger texture for the castle walls could've been used to prevent tiling, I think this level is pretty solid and I'd love to see what the creator does next.
Music Mash Zone
I have a lot to say about this level. First of all, this is a HUGE improvement over WasifBoomz' previous two OLDC entries, Hypertower and Aquatic Port, from last year. There's so much personality in this one level. I did think the colors were a little over the top, however, and the music was a bit quiet. The maze section with spikes in the walls was also a little unfair, but I do enjoy the idea of tracking down the source of a sound. The parts where you bounce on instruments had to be the most fun of the whole level, though. I'm glad to see how Wasif has improved over the last year, and I hope he comes back for Round 2 with something even more unique.
Bombastic Beach Zone
I enjoyed this level. It was quaint, and the waterfalls were neat. Overall, it's a relatively straightforward level. There's nothing in it that peeves me too much. Good job.
Ridge Rapids Zone
I liked this level. It had solid platforming and gimmicks. Overall, not bad.
Abyss Caverns Zone
I enjoyed playing this one. It was simple and clear on what to do. Pretty fun level.
Ante-Station Zone
I really enjoyed the non-euclidian gimmick of this stage, and how it utilized Axis2D and different camera angles. The biggest problems were the countless visual glitches involving the portals, but that's mostly SRB2's fault for being unoptimized for large amounts of visual portals. Overall, it was enjoyable and I'd like to see more unique maps like this.
Mercury Mine Zone
This level was pretty good. I liked the platforming and mercury gimmick, even if the latter is a bit pointless at times. The outdoor sections were cool, as well, very much reminiscent of one of the creator's previous levels, Gigalopolis Zone, from the 2020 ULDC. Overall, a pretty fun stage.
Teal Tundra Zone
I liked this level. I can't really think of any feedback at the moment though, so if I ever revise this list I'll go more in depth.
Zaxel's Thunder Yard
Although it drags on a bit at times, I had a lot of fun with this level. There are a lot of big open areas where you can dash through with Metal Sonic, as well as pretty solid custom graphics and completely original music from Zaxel himself. Overall, I hope that Zaxel comes back for more next OLDC. I always enjoy his unique levels.
Fort Sunset Zone
I like the aesthetic to the level, and I'm happy with how the 2.0 Special Stage formula was used. Nice work.
Lava Temple
This level was fun, and had a cool vibe to it that reminds me of a PS1 game. I liked the clever use of the Rollout Rock for puzzles, and the custom enemies too. Maybe the level could've made it clearer where to go, but overall it's a solid stage.
Falcon Emissary Zone
Some of the most fun I've ever had in an SRB2 stage. I always like InferNor's stages, and this is one of his greatest yet. I did fall into a sector near the end without the death pit effect though, but it was a simple retry to get out. I absolutely love this stage.
Hollow Hill Zone
It's a Kwiin stage. Enough said. In all seriousness, this stage is a visual treat with all of the texture work put into it, and those papersprite trees have never looked sexier. There are split paths everywhere, making replaying this stage fun as hell, and the wacky linedef executor shenanigans with the broken elevator and repeatedly hit floor were insane. Also the main gimmick, the uniquely controlled water, is only truly explored upon in the Amy/Fang path, this level is my favorite from this OLDC.
1. Hollow Hill Zone by Othius, Inazuma & Spectorious
2. Falcon Emissary Zone by InferNOr
3. Lava Temple by Vixuzen
4. Fort Sunset Zone by DylanDude
5. Zaxel's Thunder Yard by Zaxel
6. Teal Tundra Zone by SunCyclone
7. Mercury Mine Zone by Rexeljet
8. Ante-Station Zone by Twins'R'Okay
9. Abyss Caverns Zone by yyeellooww7
10. Ridge Rapids Zone by particle
11. Bombastic Beach Zone by Shapeshifter Boi
12. Music Mash Zone by WasifBoomz
13. Blizzard Bastion Zone by PhilJFou
14. Koopa Kastle Zone by Glaber
15. Drenched Dam Zone by Voidy2246
16. Emerald Glade Zone by DoodlesYT
Emerald Glade Zone
I'd like to say that this map is a good step into making maps. It's clear that the creator is getting familiar with the tools that Zone Builder provides, which is always a good step in the right direction. Although this map is simple and straightfoward, it's good that the creator is learning! I see potential for them to make really good maps some day, and I hope they don't get discouraged by their low vote on my list.
Drenched Dam Zone
This level is actually pretty good! It's clear the creator has the basics of level design down well. Even more impressive is that they were able to set it up as a Metal Sonic race, which is always neat to see. I had fun playing it, all in all, but unfortunately it was rather dwarfed by some of the bigger entries in the contest. I'd like to see this maybe released to the MB someday and improved upon.
Koopa Kastle Zone
I thought this level was fun. It's just that nothing in it struck me as unique. Sure, it's Bowser's Castle, but other than the surprise Brak fight at the end, it's a relatively straightforward level. It did have actual working Pipes as well as Koopas, which aren't present in normal Pipe Towers, so that was pretty neat. Overall, it's not a bad level, but it sure could use some more identity and detailing.
Blizzard Bastion Zone
Honestly, I don't know why this level placed so low in my list. I really did have fun and it's very clear that the creator put actual effort into this level, with interesting gimmicks like the slide and rising floors. Although some parts of the castle could use a little more color variety, and a larger texture for the castle walls could've been used to prevent tiling, I think this level is pretty solid and I'd love to see what the creator does next.
Music Mash Zone
I have a lot to say about this level. First of all, this is a HUGE improvement over WasifBoomz' previous two OLDC entries, Hypertower and Aquatic Port, from last year. There's so much personality in this one level. I did think the colors were a little over the top, however, and the music was a bit quiet. The maze section with spikes in the walls was also a little unfair, but I do enjoy the idea of tracking down the source of a sound. The parts where you bounce on instruments had to be the most fun of the whole level, though. I'm glad to see how Wasif has improved over the last year, and I hope he comes back for Round 2 with something even more unique.
Bombastic Beach Zone
I enjoyed this level. It was quaint, and the waterfalls were neat. Overall, it's a relatively straightforward level. There's nothing in it that peeves me too much. Good job.
Ridge Rapids Zone
I liked this level. It had solid platforming and gimmicks. Overall, not bad.
Abyss Caverns Zone
I enjoyed playing this one. It was simple and clear on what to do. Pretty fun level.
Ante-Station Zone
I really enjoyed the non-euclidian gimmick of this stage, and how it utilized Axis2D and different camera angles. The biggest problems were the countless visual glitches involving the portals, but that's mostly SRB2's fault for being unoptimized for large amounts of visual portals. Overall, it was enjoyable and I'd like to see more unique maps like this.
Mercury Mine Zone
This level was pretty good. I liked the platforming and mercury gimmick, even if the latter is a bit pointless at times. The outdoor sections were cool, as well, very much reminiscent of one of the creator's previous levels, Gigalopolis Zone, from the 2020 ULDC. Overall, a pretty fun stage.
Teal Tundra Zone
I liked this level. I can't really think of any feedback at the moment though, so if I ever revise this list I'll go more in depth.
Zaxel's Thunder Yard
Although it drags on a bit at times, I had a lot of fun with this level. There are a lot of big open areas where you can dash through with Metal Sonic, as well as pretty solid custom graphics and completely original music from Zaxel himself. Overall, I hope that Zaxel comes back for more next OLDC. I always enjoy his unique levels.
Fort Sunset Zone
I like the aesthetic to the level, and I'm happy with how the 2.0 Special Stage formula was used. Nice work.
Lava Temple
This level was fun, and had a cool vibe to it that reminds me of a PS1 game. I liked the clever use of the Rollout Rock for puzzles, and the custom enemies too. Maybe the level could've made it clearer where to go, but overall it's a solid stage.
Falcon Emissary Zone
Some of the most fun I've ever had in an SRB2 stage. I always like InferNor's stages, and this is one of his greatest yet. I did fall into a sector near the end without the death pit effect though, but it was a simple retry to get out. I absolutely love this stage.
Hollow Hill Zone
It's a Kwiin stage. Enough said. In all seriousness, this stage is a visual treat with all of the texture work put into it, and those papersprite trees have never looked sexier. There are split paths everywhere, making replaying this stage fun as hell, and the wacky linedef executor shenanigans with the broken elevator and repeatedly hit floor were insane. Also the main gimmick, the uniquely controlled water, is only truly explored upon in the Amy/Fang path, this level is my favorite from this OLDC.