PrismaticAngel
Dutch word-doer
Lava Temple > Hollow Hill > Falcon Emissary > Mercury Mine > Ridge Rapids > Ante-Station > Abyss Caverns > Teal Tundra > Blizzard Bastion > Fort Sunset > Koopa Kastle > Zaxel's Thunder Yard > Music Mash > Bombastic Beach > Drenched Dam > Emerald Glade
Well, that’s it for this OLDC then. I hope to see some cool levels in Round 2 this December!
1. Lava Temple by Vixuzen
I was initially surprised by how much I actually like the level, but the usage of the rolling rocks for both traversal and puzzles was really well executed, and it was fun to go down slopes and half-pipes with them. The second part of the level even has paths for each of the main characters with a 7th for custom characters, even. I love the textures and enemies as well, which really make it feel like a Rayman level.
2. Hollow Hill Zone by Othius, Inazuma & Spectorious
I really liked this level. The aesthetic is great as always, with the combination of blues and purple making for a very interesting and otherwordly look. There’s lots of space to run around and build up speed in, the new goop is pretty interesting, and I like the nospin path too.
3. Falcon Emissary Zone by InferNOr
This is a really nice sky base level. I like how you can use the propellors to launch yourself up in the air, and the part where the gravity increases is a nice change of pace. Sometimes it was a little confusing regarding what to do to proceed though.
4. Mercury Mine Zone by Rexeljet
This was a really fun level to run through. The visuals are neat, and I like the Knuckles and Amy paths. Though you might want to adjust the speed of the mercury falls, as it’s almost impossible to not get hit if you aren’t Sonic.
5. Ridge Rapids Zone by particle
This is a good level, simple but effective. I like that Amy and Knuckles got their own paths, though in the case of Knuckles it came at the expense of only making certain walls climbable, which I feel is not good design. That 2D part is also entirely unnessecary.
6. Ante-Station Zone by Twins'R'Okay
Well, this was a cool level to play through. The visuals were pretty cool, and the usage of non-euclidian geometry and mikoportals was pretty neat. Though I have to mention that in some cases I had trouble with depth perception in this level, particularly in places where the camera was set at an angle.
7. Abyss Caverns Zone by yyeellooww7
A nice and simple cave level, with a water and lava path to change things up. There’s not really much else to say though.
8. Teal Tundra Zone by SunCyclone
This level feels much like your previous foray, except this is an ice theme instead of a desert. The level design feels quite hallway-ish and angular, and aside from the underwater part at the end there isn’t really much else to talk about.
9. Blizzard Bastion Zone by PhilJFou
While this level is pretty nice concept-wise, there are some parts that drag it down. The turret room is quite punishing and the maze wasn’t that fun. The ice slide was very cool though.
10. Fort Sunset Zone by DylanDude
Well, visually it’s nice and the enemies are cute, but at the end of the day this is more of a special stage than an actual, well, level. Though in that regard it does its job well.
11. Koopa Kastle Zone by Glaber
This level is fine enough, although it really reminds me of a Final Demo map what with the lack of slopes and angular design, but then you had to include Brak at the end for… some reason. It just brings the overall quality of the level down if you include a vanilla boss without alterations.
12. Zaxel's Thunder Yard by Zaxel
Oh boy, another Zaxel level… Leaving aside the questionable content, let’s just talk about the questionable level design. For starters, was 2 troll exits really needed? The first one should’ve been enough as a joke, but the one at the end is completely dickish because it causes you to be trapped in an infinite loop of dying, which I know isn’t your fault, but it still makes you start the level over from the beginning. As for the level itself, it’s better than the previous ones, though it still goes on for quite some time, but I did like some of the secrets.
13. Music Mash Zone by WasifBoomz
The fact that you needed to put in a flashing lights warning should’ve immediately set off alarm bells that your level should be using different textures that aren’t straining on the eyes. The music is also oddly silent, which is a shame for a level named Music Mash. For music themed levels, look towards stuff like Band Land from Rayman, that level is themed after all kinds of instruments and doesn’t use flashing lights, more importantly. That aside, the references to your earlier levels were cute and that room before the end where you get pushed forward in a circle is neat. Oh and that maze with the fake walls… don’t do that please.
14. Bombastic Beach Zone by Shapeshifter Boi
Uh, there isn’t really much to say here because the level is over in less than 30 seconds. But I guess the bumpers were neat and that rock you have to climb as Knuckles is nice. I guess this level is unfinished or something?
15. Drenched Dam Zone by Voidy2246
So while the concept was nice, the execution just failed with the invisible walls and those awful fans at the end. The time limit is fairly lenient, but when you’re in a race where you don’t know when the end will come, the player will just rush as much as possible to make sure they’re on time.
16. Emerald Glade Zone by DoodlesYT
This just screams ‘first map’, and while that is fine, as we all have to start somewhere, actually playing it is kind of boring. As this is an Emerald Hunt stage, the gameplay is just finding 3 shards. As mentioned, one of the shard locations becomes inaccessible if you happen to kill the Springshell, and have to rely on the Whirlwind Shield. The map is also devoid of scenery and looks bland. The Sonic on the ground was nicely done, however.
I was initially surprised by how much I actually like the level, but the usage of the rolling rocks for both traversal and puzzles was really well executed, and it was fun to go down slopes and half-pipes with them. The second part of the level even has paths for each of the main characters with a 7th for custom characters, even. I love the textures and enemies as well, which really make it feel like a Rayman level.
2. Hollow Hill Zone by Othius, Inazuma & Spectorious
I really liked this level. The aesthetic is great as always, with the combination of blues and purple making for a very interesting and otherwordly look. There’s lots of space to run around and build up speed in, the new goop is pretty interesting, and I like the nospin path too.
3. Falcon Emissary Zone by InferNOr
This is a really nice sky base level. I like how you can use the propellors to launch yourself up in the air, and the part where the gravity increases is a nice change of pace. Sometimes it was a little confusing regarding what to do to proceed though.
4. Mercury Mine Zone by Rexeljet
This was a really fun level to run through. The visuals are neat, and I like the Knuckles and Amy paths. Though you might want to adjust the speed of the mercury falls, as it’s almost impossible to not get hit if you aren’t Sonic.
5. Ridge Rapids Zone by particle
This is a good level, simple but effective. I like that Amy and Knuckles got their own paths, though in the case of Knuckles it came at the expense of only making certain walls climbable, which I feel is not good design. That 2D part is also entirely unnessecary.
6. Ante-Station Zone by Twins'R'Okay
Well, this was a cool level to play through. The visuals were pretty cool, and the usage of non-euclidian geometry and mikoportals was pretty neat. Though I have to mention that in some cases I had trouble with depth perception in this level, particularly in places where the camera was set at an angle.
7. Abyss Caverns Zone by yyeellooww7
A nice and simple cave level, with a water and lava path to change things up. There’s not really much else to say though.
8. Teal Tundra Zone by SunCyclone
This level feels much like your previous foray, except this is an ice theme instead of a desert. The level design feels quite hallway-ish and angular, and aside from the underwater part at the end there isn’t really much else to talk about.
9. Blizzard Bastion Zone by PhilJFou
While this level is pretty nice concept-wise, there are some parts that drag it down. The turret room is quite punishing and the maze wasn’t that fun. The ice slide was very cool though.
10. Fort Sunset Zone by DylanDude
Well, visually it’s nice and the enemies are cute, but at the end of the day this is more of a special stage than an actual, well, level. Though in that regard it does its job well.
11. Koopa Kastle Zone by Glaber
This level is fine enough, although it really reminds me of a Final Demo map what with the lack of slopes and angular design, but then you had to include Brak at the end for… some reason. It just brings the overall quality of the level down if you include a vanilla boss without alterations.
12. Zaxel's Thunder Yard by Zaxel
Oh boy, another Zaxel level… Leaving aside the questionable content, let’s just talk about the questionable level design. For starters, was 2 troll exits really needed? The first one should’ve been enough as a joke, but the one at the end is completely dickish because it causes you to be trapped in an infinite loop of dying, which I know isn’t your fault, but it still makes you start the level over from the beginning. As for the level itself, it’s better than the previous ones, though it still goes on for quite some time, but I did like some of the secrets.
13. Music Mash Zone by WasifBoomz
The fact that you needed to put in a flashing lights warning should’ve immediately set off alarm bells that your level should be using different textures that aren’t straining on the eyes. The music is also oddly silent, which is a shame for a level named Music Mash. For music themed levels, look towards stuff like Band Land from Rayman, that level is themed after all kinds of instruments and doesn’t use flashing lights, more importantly. That aside, the references to your earlier levels were cute and that room before the end where you get pushed forward in a circle is neat. Oh and that maze with the fake walls… don’t do that please.
14. Bombastic Beach Zone by Shapeshifter Boi
Uh, there isn’t really much to say here because the level is over in less than 30 seconds. But I guess the bumpers were neat and that rock you have to climb as Knuckles is nice. I guess this level is unfinished or something?
15. Drenched Dam Zone by Voidy2246
So while the concept was nice, the execution just failed with the invisible walls and those awful fans at the end. The time limit is fairly lenient, but when you’re in a race where you don’t know when the end will come, the player will just rush as much as possible to make sure they’re on time.
16. Emerald Glade Zone by DoodlesYT
This just screams ‘first map’, and while that is fine, as we all have to start somewhere, actually playing it is kind of boring. As this is an Emerald Hunt stage, the gameplay is just finding 3 shards. As mentioned, one of the shard locations becomes inaccessible if you happen to kill the Springshell, and have to rely on the Whirlwind Shield. The map is also devoid of scenery and looks bland. The Sonic on the ground was nicely done, however.
Well, that’s it for this OLDC then. I hope to see some cool levels in Round 2 this December!