Official Level Design Collab 2024: Round 1 v1.2

Green Hill Zone 1:
? Accurate representation of GHZ1
- Too accurate
+ Level is wide and split paths are placed cleverly, a good transition to 3d, maybe even better than what SA2 did
- Still a lot of running forward
+ End of the level being original was nice

Personalized Palace Zone:
+ Cool Idea!
+ Essentially SM64 in SRB2
- Essentially B3313 in SRB2
- Would need to chart a map with pen and paper to ensure I don't run in circles
? Did not finish, got less than half the stars in fact. Not your fault, I'm just busy
? Reducing total star count would help immensely

Flowing Forest Zone 1:
+ Very short and compact
+ Gets rid of all the tedium that large NiGHTS levels have
- Level geometry is a bit too small, scenery objects and even some sectors can hurt your visibility. Doesn't really impact gameplay, but seeing a flash of black because you went behind a tiny wall can be disorienting

Flowing Forest Zone 2:
+ Cool idea, Egg Slimer also works on an axis so it's approachable...
- Until the pinch phase.
? I ran out of NiGHTS but I still beat him so at least it saved me time wasted on retries

Deadzone Fortress:
+ Good blend of textures
- Not much of a fortress, seems more like a member of the THZ1-like genre
- Entire map needs to be scaled up 300% at least

Sakura Solstice Zone:
+ Looks absolutely stunning
+ Wide and spacious and plenty of things to collect
- You sorta just...run?
- The freezing gimmick is very fun, but the best move is to do nothing and just let the game play itself for a bit

Dungeon Dune Zone:
? YOU FOOL! Now the entire Persona 5 fandom knows we're here!
+ Actually immaculate flow, each part of the level connects to the next flawlessly, hopping between switches without even realising you opened the new path yourself
+ Good use of rolling balls, especially with moving platforms and ball-activated triggers
+ Quicksand is a much more reasonable hazard than lava for this gimmick
- I did a bit of a loop right before the end room, with the vertical area that has lowering sand if you press switches. That's the only area I got confused at. Everything else was great.

Winding Woods Zone 1:
+ Very cute design and theme
- Slightly cramped
+ Sawblade gimmick is nice, I enjoy unique sector-based obstacles like these (at least I assume they're sectors and not papersprites, not that it matters, it looks nice)
- Gimmicks don't really do much beyond their introduction

The Aerial Artillery Zone:
? You're gonna hit me with the Red Crawla WITH THE POPPED COLLAR and not give in a whole new moveset? Come on now
+ Good theming, good gimmick to go with it, areas connect to each other nicely
- Gimmick, singular. The bouncy floors are nice but don't do much other than be glorified springs
+ Enjoyed the vertical section with the steam vents
- Worker enemies are even less threatening than Red Crawlas, no sense of danger in the level
- Some sections can honestly be trimmed out or made more interesting (via either well placed enemies or rougher platforming), there was a lot of empty thokking involved, especially in the outside areas, vertical variety is also king

Emerald Coast Agaaiin Zone:
+ Nothing too crazy but the level design is nice, requires at least some brainpower to sift through
- No real gimmick or mechanic to speak of
- Orcas were cute but a bit underused, could've done more with the platforming sections using the-
+ ALRIGHT NEVERMIND

Industrial Lava Zone:
- Fang boss fight as soon as the level loads, with a dialogue box for distraction, not good
- Rising lava section with to hint that it's rising
- Every single boost pad screws you somehow, with the one right after the second checkpoint sending you DIRECTLY INSIDE a solid lava block
- Then the level just kinda ends

Truly Accurate BMZ Zone Act 2:
- I've played a lot of platformers, and ice levels are often the bane of my existence, but this one takes the cake—and not in a good way. Imagine hyping yourself up for a thrilling, slippery challenge only to finish it in 3 seconds. Yes, you read that right: 3 seconds. That's not a level; that's a blink.

The design is as uninspired as it gets. You start, slide a few feet on an ice patch, and then it's over. There’s no platforming, no enemies, no tricky jumps—just a straight path to the finish. It feels more like a tutorial level that someone forgot to finish. There's zero challenge, zero satisfaction, and absolutely no reason for it to exist other than to pad out the game's level count.

Worse still, the ice mechanics are barely noticeable because the level is over before you even have time to adjust to the slide. It’s like the developers took the most hated elements of ice levels—poor controls and lack of friction—and managed to strip away any sense of accomplishment or fun. This level could have been an opportunity for clever design and unique challenges, but instead, it’s just a lazy afterthought.

To sum it up, this is the most pointless and forgettable level I’ve ever played. If the goal was to make a bad ice level, mission accomplished. It’s not just bad; it’s barely even a level at all.
+ Is actually accurate
+ Took ChatGPT longer to generate that response than it took for me to beat the level

Dragon Lair Zone:
? Funny pizza game
+ Some enemies being unkillable via conventional methods is a breath of fresh air
- Sadly there's no obvious tell for this
- Just a bunch of running and jumping with the occasional required slope jumps

Molten Mountain Zone:
+ Immediately threatening and doesn't let up until the end
+ Cool use of the bomb and lava level trigger gimmicks, even if the bomb was a bit underused
- Navigation hell, arrows don't help when the path forward involves spinning through the tiniest gap in the wall
- Cooled off lava still hurts. It makes sense physics-wise but I thought getting rid of the lava would get rid of the ouchies
+ Hill Top enemies are engaging, just wish they had more of a tell for attacking

Anteggtica Zone Act 1:
+ Love the snowball gimmick, no section takes too long, it's fun, it's satisfying
+ Button hunts are well-made, Sharps are an excellent obstacle for labyrinthine layouts
+ Good flow, level design allows you to keep going fast even after doing a loop around for button hunts
- Bit too long
? DKC barrels aren't immediately obvious, I thought they were normal platforms and didn't try jumping in them at first

Magma Mountain Zone Act 2:
- Literally no chance to react to rising lava at the start, there is zero foreshadowing for it
- Haphazardly placed fires don't really make the best obstacles
+ Some jumps were actually pretty clever, I wish "parkour" type jumps like these were utilized more
+ I like the booster into spring combo
- The level doesn't have much level

Doomship Zone Act 1 :
+ Loved the moving piston platforming, keeping the momentum from them allows the movement to be more dynamic
+ Air gusts are a timeless gimmick and they are no less well done here
+ Lot of clever obstacle placement, with lasers and enemy placements and whatnot
+ Enemy choice complements the level really nicely, can probably iterate on the gimmick even more if you combine Spring Shells and air gusts
? The Big Fat Fan room was annoying but also hilarious, tried following the rings but got pushed back anyways
- If you move when you're falling on the Tornado you just die
- A bit cramped at places

Jungle Zone:
+ Nice wide open spaces I suppose
- I didn't use one of the broken Sonic mods so wide batches of "nothing" are actually a detriment
? Shoutouts to the one (1) Crabmeat standing on the tree stump that took the difficulty of this level from 0/10 to 0.5/10
- Please give the player something to work with, more enemies, more obstacles, anything

Techno Madness Zone:
+ One of the most fun custom bosses I've played in SRB2. FPS remains superior, how will platformercels ever recover
+ I like that enemies don't instantly pop upon hit, lets me enjoy spamming the rings more
- Enemies could really be more active, waiter waiter more Jetty-Syn Gunners please
? Maybe some special interactions with certain weapons and enemies?

Eastside Seaside Zone Act 3:
- Died 3 times at the start before I realised I'm not supposed to hold any buttons
- Egg Slimer's tendency to turn around midair takes this from "reasonably difficult" to "just plain annoying"
+ Crushing him to death in his pinch phase is actually the funniest thing of all time

GFZ Encore Zone:
? Zone Encore Zone
- It's just a fat level with GFZ theming
- Nothing to do, the (non-floating) rings give the impression that you want the player to follow an exact path, but that path contains nothing of worth
- Started wondering if this level is a meme or an actual attempt after the 450 speed boosters
+ The final area with water bouncing was pretty cool actually

Starfall Casino Zone:
? Crashed my game AND shut off my second monitor
- Miserable beginning until you unlock the Lightning Shield, nothing to do other than hear BLING! BLING! a lot
+ Becomes more enjoyable after getting the Lightning Shield, dunno why the other options are even there
- Felt a visceral reaction when the pinball machine dumped me into water
- Way too long if you're going for all bonuses

NEW Pipe Towers Zone:
+ The idea is cute, so are the "rotating" platforms
- Not beating the reskinned GFZ allegations

Ultim. Soda Facility Zone 1:
? The building in the distance 8 hours ago
+ Pretty fun, decently challenging
- Slightly cramped in the inside areas, outside areas are fine
+ Further proves my theory that Spring Shells are the best enemy in SRB2, they make levels better simply by existing
+ Slime not being damaging was the greatest decision you could've made
- Sorta peters off towards the later half, not much to do after the rising slime section

Desert Dream Zone:
+ Challenging, keeps you on your toes, Sharps are a good enemy to combine with the Drillbots
+ Minecarts were kept to a minimum
+ Decent amount of split paths
- Bit too open at places, not clear on which direction proceeds through the level, sort of based on "vibes"
- The triple spring chain near the start got me killed twice because I tapped directional inputs once

Rift Canyon Zone:
? No ice physics thank the lord
+ Crawlas actually shoot, my god
+ Really digging the aesthetic, making both the floor and ceiling dark pits makes it seem like a liminal space you should not belong in, very foreboding
- Enemies are only really threatening in one platforming area, otherwise they're fodder as usual
- Nothing interesting to do other than running and jumping

Shooting Skies Zone:
+ Long level with (seemingly) insane amounts of split paths
+ I'm a sucker for ice aesthetics
+ Spring manuevering is a fun gimmick
? Very laggy, though I'm playing on a pre-patch build, maybe it has improved
- Level not very threatening overall

Ultim. Seaside Coast Act 2:
+ Crabs weren't too annoying, Robo-Hoods were placed well
+ Cute loop
- Not much happened

Sunrise Temple Zone:
+ Decently difficult
+ Normally I'd be annoyed with spikeballs being placed as obstacles, but putting them on "pedestals" sorta works
- Way too long for its own good
- Paths don't regroup gracefully, there were a few times where I THOUGHT I backtracked only to realise I was on the right path all along
- Similar setpieces start repeating, adding to the confusion

Pothole Mountain Zone Act 1:
+ Giving Sonic the Homing Attack so that he can't simply thok over everything, bravo Scorsese
- Homing Attack chains don't really do much that a spring couldn't do
- It just ends

Glaredown Zone:
+ Cool Idea!
- Eggman just sorta folds to "gently running around the arena and hitting the buttons"

Greenflower Mountain Zone Act 1:
? Sonic and friends tear down the Berlin Wall
- Level design is too SRB2 Christmas coded, right down to tightwalking over bottomless pits and nonfloating rings
- Entrances and exits to large areas are a mess, somehow got lost in an area with a single exit
- Too much decoration hides both the enemies and the platforms you're supposed to go on
- Springs and air boosters are useless at best, harmful at worst
- Just not fun, unexpected bottomless pits everywhere

Lugar Verde Zone 2:
- Fat GFZ
- Literally nothing to do
+ It ends before 3 minutes

Eastside Seaside Zone Act 1:
? Say that 10 times fast
+ Water bounce gimmick always appreciated
- It just ends : the sequel

Knoockels DVD Zone Act 2:
- skippa skippa
- not as funny the second time
+ good music

Sky Islands Zone:
+ Great atmosphere
+ Good usage of enemies, could've been placed in riskier places though
- Nothing happens, run & jump
- The one interesting part (the waterslide) literally only exists to take away my Attraction Shield

Green Valley Zone:
+ the FATTEST emblem I've ever seen HOOOOLY
+ I really like the spike obstacles
+ Decent platforming
- Not much else to write home about, enemies may as well not exist

Panic's Fury Zone:
- cool backstory
- not a fan of a collect-a-thon where the collectible makes a loud noise. At least SRB2SBAHJ was hilarious
- If it weren't for devmode I wouldn't even have realised that the islands are in a 4x4 grid, the relative teleports are JARRING and would not give it away by themselves
- Only played 3 sections before giving up, every section finds a way to be unintuitive and annoying
- Went through hell trying to beat the castle section only to realise it's supposed to be beaten last? (portal didn't work at least)

HUB — 5/10
Greenflower Mountain Act 1 by HyperSonic — 1/10
Doomship X by rosie the racoon — 2/10
Molten Mountain by Thompson, ported to 2.2 by Midiman — 6.5/10
Personalized Palace by Bandder and SonicHeroX45 — 0/10
Ultimate Soda Facility Act 1 by Sketchzelle, music by Zaxel Katsugyo — 5/10
Magma Mountain Act 2 by Sketchzelle, music by Zaxel Katsugyo — 1.5/10
Ultimate Seaside Coast Act 2 by Sketchzelle, music by Zaxel Katsugyo — 2/10
Techno Madness by "MIDIMan" — 10/10
Deadzone Fortress by Spektra — 1.5/10
Green Hill by El-fire — 3/10
Dragon Lair by Sketchzelle — 1/10
Desert Dream by RoyKirbs — 3.5/10
Winding Woods Act 1 by rosie the racoon — 2/10
Sakura Solstice by Spectorious, Othius, Lat' — 3.5/10
Knoockles DVD by dashdahog — 1.5/10
Panic's Fury by The CSCS — 55/150
Eastside Seaside Act 1 by rosie the racoon — 1/10
Sky Islands by Zeno — 6.5/10
Green Valley by GamerOfDays — 2.5/10
Industrial Lava by TjSgRf — 0/10
Eastside Seaside by rosie the racoon — 0/10
GFZ Encore by Chuckersum — 0/10
Sunrise Temple by Zaxel Katsugyo — 2/10
Lugar Verde by Zaxel Katsugyo — 2/10
Jungle by Rexeljet — 3.5/10
Glaredown by NerfPlayeR135 — 4/10
Orca Coast by Rogerregorroger and Rabosion — 6/10
NEW Pipe Towers by rosie the racoon — 2/10
Pothole Mountain by dashdahog — 3/10
Flowing Forest Act 1 by SonicHeroX45 — 5/10
Flowing Forest Act 2 by SonicHeroX45 — 2/10
Rift Canyon by Vixuzen — 5/10
Shooting Skies by Evertone — 7.5/10
Anteggtica by Radicalicious — 5/10
Starlight Casino by Pallaris — 4/10
Dungeon Dune by Seaballer — 9/10
The Aerial Artillery by Enes2gamer — 2/10
Truly Accurate Blue Mountain by Sketchzelle — N/A/10

Sakura Solstice Zone
comp: 8.9/10
race: 8.2/10
single: 8.6/10
co-op: 6.9/10
overall: 7.8/10
good for spinedashers and powerspringers
can get softlocked at the first big slope if your a non spindasher
boxes... boxes everywhere

Dungeon Dune Zone
comp: 6/10
race: 5/10
single: 8.1/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 7.1/10
puzzle map: unclear what some of the buttons/rolling rock slots do you just press them and hope you can find progress
I like the push up platforms

Winding Woods Zone act 1
comp: 6.4/10
race: 5/10
single: 5.8/10
co-op: 5/10
overall: 5.7/10
shorter then greenflower act 1
doom cute

Deadzone Fortress Zone
comp: 6.6/10
race: 5/10
single: 6.9/10
co-op: 5/10
overall: 6.1/10
paths are well connected
too cramped needs the srb2 thicc treatment
little too short

Green Hill Zone act 1
comp: 7.5/10
race: 8/10
single: 8.1/10
co-op: 8/10
overall: 8.1/10
sold level with multiple paths

Personalized Palace Zone
comp: 1/10
race: 2/10
single: 2.1/10
co-op: 9/10
overall: 4.4/10
its fun in co-op but having only 1 check point in such a long level makes it exhausting to play in singleplayer
way too much crawler commander spam

Flowing Forest Zone 1
comp: 0/10
race: 5/10
single 6.1/10
co-op -1/10
overall: 4.3/10
Nights path are a little confusing to navigate
soft lockes in co-op
not made for co-op yet has co-op
had the screen freeze on me but it could still play but couldn't see anything, not sure if its the maps fault or srb2

Desert Dream Zone
comp: 7/10
race: 7/10
single: 7.1/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 7/10
minecarts are avoidable making this better then arid cannon act 2
I like the ring placement
the minecarts weren't even that bad

Vltim. Soda Facility Zone Act 1
comp: 6.1/10
race: 6/10
single: 7.1/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 6.9/10
interesting goop water gimmick but a little underutilized

Flowing Forest Zone Act 2
comp: 0/10
race: 5/10
single: 6/10
co-op: 6/10
overall: 5.7/10
its a srb2 boss in Nights

Ultim. Seaside Coast Zone Act 2
comp: 6.5/10
race: 6/10
single: 6.5/10
co-op: 4/10
overall: 5.8/10
diagonal bouncy mushroom on the no spin path is unintuitive
non spin path locked up after one person completes it
earthquake from finishing the level lasts too long
kinda boring visually in some places

Shooting Skies Zone
comp: 9/10
race: 8.6/10
single: 8.6/10
co-op: 7.1/10
overall: 8.5/10
fps drops
plenty of paths
collectable heaven

Rift Canyon Zone
comp: 4/10
race: 6/10
single: 7/10
co-op: 6/10
overall: 6.3/10
having the score reset on death makes this interesting in competition
too bad it overrides the competition intermission screen...

Jungle Zone
comp: 7.2/10
race: 8/10
single: 7.4/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 7.2/10
feels empty in some places
has a nice flow

New Pipiw Towers Zone
comp: 6.5/10
race: 6.8/10
single: 7.2/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 6.9/10
interesting ending
it never unlocks in level select had to -force to play it in competition

Starfall Casino Zone
comp: 2/10
race: 3/10
single: 7.1/10
co-op: 5/10
overall: 5/10
fun to explore for rings
I wanted to give this a higher rating for comp but it fails for two reasons
1 when you pay to open up the glass it takes away from your TOTAL RING that's really bad for competition
2 there's no renewable resource for rings I imagine it can softlock if too many players get too many rings

GFZ Encore Zone
comp: 6.7/10
race: 7/10
single: 6/10
co-op: 6/10
overall: 6.6/10
some boosters feel unnecessary
has good flow
rings don't float

Eastside Seaside zone act3
comp: 0/10
race: 1/10
single: 4/10
co-op: 4.1/10
overall: 3/10
interesting idea
kinda annoying to hit the boss

Techno Madness zone
comp: 0/10
race: 5.8/10
single: 8/10
co-op: 8.8/10
overall: 7.5
its ringslinger in singleplayer/co-op but good
being able to use base srb2 lock on is funny
having to backtrack after pressing buttons hurts it a bit

The Aerial Artillery Zone
comp: 6.9/10
race: 7/10
single: 6.8/10
co-op: 6.8/10
overall: 6.9/10
flows well
has gimmicks that prevent it from going stale

Emerald Coast agaain zone
comp: 6.5/10
race: 7.2/10
single: 7.2/10
co-op: 4/10
overall: 6.2/10
2d segment at the end locks up once a player completes the map making it impossible for other players to finish

Truly Accurate BMZ Zone Act 2
comp: 1.1/10
race: 1/10
single: 1.1/10
co-op: 1/10
overall: 1/10
if you somehow die you get stuck in a death loop
can be beaten in 3 seconds

Industrial Lava Zone
comp: 0/10
race: 5.8/10
single: 5.8/10
co-op: 0/10
overall: 4/10
boost panels are kinda useless
fang goes down fast so that's good
the race against the rising lava was kinda fun

Molten Mountain Zone
comp: 6.3/10
race: 6/10
single: 6.5/10
co-op: 5.5/10
overall: 6.1/10
fun gimmicks
its really confusing where your supposed to go
too dark in some places

Dommship Zone Act 1
comp: 6.3/10
race: 5/10
single: 4.7/10
co-op: 4.7/10
overall: 5.2/10
the wind section with red boxes is frustrating to figure out the first time
too liner unless your knuckles
has the eggrock act 2 problem in race where you can just sit in-front of the door near the exit and wait for someone to open it for you

Magama Mountain Zone act 2
comp: 4/10
race: 5.5/10
single: 5.5/10
co-op: 2.8/10
overall: 4.6/10
infinite death loop in multiplayer
interesting idea
red colormap being too red makes this map way harder then it should be

Anteggyica Zone Act 1
comp: 6.8/10
race: 6.6/10
single: 6.9/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 6.9/10
looks nice
interesting gimmicks
minekart path is terrible, the worst part it's unavoidable if your a no spin in single player

Dragon Lair Zone
comp: 5/10
race: 4/10
single: 4/10
co-op: 4.8/10
overall: 4.6/10
no check points
the textures in some of the 3d segments get ugly to look at

Lugar Verde Zone Act 2
comp: 7.2/10
race: 7/10
single: 7/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 7/10
fences surrounding some platforms make it a little tricky to progress
good length

Greenflower Mount. Zone Act 1
comp: 6.7/10
race: 6.5/10
single: 6.6/10
co-op: 6.5/10
overall: 6.6/10
some areas look a little rough texture wise
not really a mountain it mostly green flower and ice areas
some areas need to be a little thicker

Glaredown Zone
comp: 0/10
race: 4/10
single: 6.5/10
co-op: 5/10
overall: 5.1/10
fang cheeses this boss
interesting gimmick needs more then just the boss

Pothole Mountain Zone Act 1
comp: 5.5/10
race: 5/10
single: 4.2/10
co-op: 4.2/10
overall: 4.6/10
homing attack is kinda useless you can barely move after hitting the spheres and its hard to direct yourself away from them when trying to get on a platform
exit is really close if you know where to go

Sunreise Temple Zone
comp: 8/10
race: 7.5/10
single: 7.1/10
co-op: 7/10
overall: 7.7/10
I like the collectable placement

Eastside Seaside Zone act 1
comp: 6/10
race: 6.7/10
single: 6.8/10
co-op: 6.8/10
overall: 6.8/10
lower paths don't have much too it
I like the water fall platforms

Knoockles DVD Zone, Act 2
comp: 6.2/10
race: 6/10
single: 6.9/10
co-op: 6.9/10
overall: 6.7/10
the Slpeenick cinematic universe continues...
at least this map is wider then the other Slpeenick ones

Sky Islands Zone
comp: 7/10
race: 6.8/10
single: 7.2/10
co-op: 7.8/10
overall: 7.7/10
indoor waterfall areas looks gorgeous
outdoor areas kinda gets stale after a wile
this map plays well in competition why isn't this selectable in competition?

Green Valley Zone
comp: 6.8/10
race: 7/10
single: 6.2/10
co-op: 6.2/10
overall: 6.4/10
it has good flow
otherwise kinda bland

Panic's Fury Zone
comp: 9.9/10
race: 5.5/10
single: 7/10
co-op: 7.1/10
overall: 8/10
some tokens are really well hidden
you don't share tokens... that's good for competition!
token count stays if you die in single player that's good at least
fun to explore
might be the best competition map ever made... why isn't this selectable in competition!???
the rainbow peelout is kinda pointless
some islands have fps drops

Best Competition: Panic's Fury Zone
use the console command: map sg -gametype 1 -force to play this in competition, its worth it!

Best Race: Shooting Skies Zone
it flows well with a good mix of slopes and springs making its verticality both fun and speedy

Best Single Player: Sakura Solstice Zone
it pretty

Best Co-op: Personalized Palace Zone
everyone working together to find the stars makes this map memorable

Green Hill 1, by El-fire:

I don’t have too much to say about this one, it’s a great level. It’s well decorated, perfect length, a few neat ideas, and there’s plenty of things to find through exploration.



Deadzone Fortress, by Spektra:

This one’s really short, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but this level doesn’t have a whole lot going on to really justify it. The gameplay is pretty basic due to not using any real gimmicks, it’s a bit cramped in a few areas like the hallway at the start, and the directioning could use a little bit of work. There’s nothing that really catches the players eye when they come to that big section where you’re supposed to climb up on to the stairs that are to the player’s right, so most people will likely run around for a little bit before finally figuring out where to go. The decoration is pretty alright though, so overall I think it’s a neat little level.



Dungeon Dune, by Seaballer, Othius, and Evertone:

I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music I’m not biased because of the Persona 5 music- OKAY FINE I’M BIASED BECAUSE OF THE PERSONA 5 MUSIC

Jokes aside, this one is pretty cool. I like the gimmicks, decoration is pretty good (although there are some visual glitches and areas that could use polish), that ending section is really cool because you can either choose to stay on the Rollout Rock and dodge both the platforms that you’re moving towards and the Dragonbombers (I think that’s what they’re called? I forgor), or you can jump onto the platforms and get out of there ASAP. I also liked the lack of checkpoints, surprisingly enough. The level is short enough where trying to complete it all in one go doesn’t feel frustrating, and is actually kinda fun. My only complaints are that the section where you press three buttons and wait for the sand to slowly lower after each one is pretty boring, and that the red spring that gets opened after you press a certain button could be made clearer, maybe with the camera cutting away to show it opening. Overall, this one is pretty cool. I give it a Persona 5 Music/10.



Personalized Palace, by Bandder and SonicHeroX45:
I actually really liked this one! I’ve always wanted to see more exploration-focused levels in SRB2 and this delivers on that pretty well. It has a few interesting setpieces, fun to explore, and I actually got a little spooked at times. My only complaints are that the decoration and visuals leave a lot to be desired, but the gameplay makes up for it. The Metal Sonic and Brak fights are pretty bland, there’s nothing that really differentiates them from the original fights in a substantial way. Lastly, having to climb back up to Brak’s boss arena every time I fell off of it wasn’t fun and just a waste of time. I’d prefer if it was just a death pit and a checkpoint was placed a little bit before the arena. Also, you might want to make the player face the sign post when they get teleported back to the start after beating Brak. Overall, the Personalized Value mechanic is pretty cool (which I neglected to mention until now woopsies!!!), decoration is kinda eh, and the gameplay is fun. Very neat and fun level!



NEW Pipe Towers, by Rosie:

I can die happy now. Actually, wait, no I can’t. I still need to make Emerald Quest 2! Jokes aside, this level is really cute! I love the NSMB theme, it’s got solid platforming, and is all around pretty fun. However, it’s a bit too simple to be honest, some more gameplay gimmicks would help. Bouncy mushrooms, maybe a P-Switch gimmick would be cool, anything else from the NSMB games would be great to see and would give the level a lot more variety. However, what it has now is still very cool and differentiates itself enough from other levels. Only other complaints I have is that it feels like it got cut short, would’ve loved to see that 2D section in mini form be a full on gameplay section, and also that the music change happens to every player, meaning that in a netgame, if one person goes to the cave section, then everyone starts listening to the cave music. Overall, very cute and very fun level!



Truly Accurate BMZ 2, by Sketchzelle:

The word “shitpost” is literally written in the snow here, so uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh amazing masterpiece of a level 10/10 it cured cancer and restored my will to live, amazing job!



Dragon Lair, by Sketchzelle:

This one is fine, but it is VERY flawed. First off, the enemies are really annoying to deal with. All of them are immune to rolling into them, when really only the Forknight should have that characteristic. Second, the section at the start where you have to bounce off the lava is not clear at all for someone who hasn’t played Pizza Tower. You can jump over the first lava pit, but when you reach the second one where you’re forced to use it and it’s right before a death pit, most players are going to jump over it thinking it’s hazardous and land right in the death pit. This could be fixed by just not putting the death pit there and making it so that even if the player does try to jump over the lava, they fall into it anyways and learn that it isn’t actually a hazard. Third, the decoration is fine. There’s a lot of repeating textures, specifically in the middle section of the level, and a lot of rooms don’t have that much detail in them. You could use things like pillars, slopes, a bunch of different floor and wall textures, ceiling variation, etc. Lastly, the level geometry itself is alright, but the level design tends to just use a bunch of enemies as obstacles. You should really use more stage hazards and gimmicks. The lava pit bouncing you could’ve been used a lot more creatively, but it’s only ever used like, 3 times. Moving the dragon out of the way was neat, but I don’t think it really adds enough to the level, especially when you’re immediately teleported back to the section that was previously blocked off by the dragon after pushing the button. Also, a little bit of a nitpick, but why is it a button? It would be cool if the button had some sort of explanation, like maybe it triggers a trap near the dragon that causes it to flee. Overall, it’s a fine level but it definitely needs a lot of polish.



Magma Mountain 2, by Sketchzelle:

This one is really fun! While it’s pretty short and definitely not a traditional level, dodging the fire whilst escaping from the lava is exciting. Decoration isn’t too shabby either, music is good, and I didn’t get lost. Overall, great level!



Industrial Lava, by TjSgRf:

So, as soon as the level begins, we are immediately forced into a Fang boss fight. Not necessarily a bad thing, but having a little bit of buildup before it to prepare the player would go a long way to making it feel much more polished. Also, there’s nothing really interesting about the fight itself, you’re just… fighting Fang again. Maybe the idea of lava slowly rising could’ve been used for this boss fight as well. Add some platforms that get carried by the lava and it’ll become a pretty fun challenge. You have to beat Fang before the entire room is engulfed in lava, all while the arena is changing. Although admittedly, I don’t know if the Fang fight would be compatible with something like that. But still, having anything to shake things up would make this a much more memorable fight. The level design after that is pretty cool, I like the rising lava gimmick and the platforming isn’t too shabby. Decoration is kinda empty but it does get the job done. More variation in sector heights and linedef placements, making the platforms outside not rectangular, and messing around with brightness levels are all good techniques for making a level look prettier. The enemies are a bit too much in the outside portion of the level. I remember on my first playthrough, when I took the red diagonal spring to head up to the top part of the area, I got jumpscared by the giant Spincushion and didn’t have any time to react to it flying directly at me. It was really funny but not fair. This could be easily fixed with a few Block Enemy flags and making the enemies not as large. Overall, very neat level.



Winding Woods 1, by Rosie:

Pretty cute level. I liked the gimmicks, decoration was good, short and sweet. Only things I have to say is that it can get a bit cramped in some areas, and a green mushroom being a crumbling platform instead of an actual bouncy mushroom is kind of confusing. You should probably only use mushroom textures for bouncy platforms so that the player will know what will bounce them and what won’t. Overall, (I just realized I’ve been saying “overall” at the end of almost all of these reviews oh my god how am I getting good grades in english) pretty fun level!



Jungle, by RexelJet:

I actually really love this level! It looks cute and the visuals are incredibly done, excellent use of slopes, and is overall just a very fun level to run through! My only complaints are that there probably should be more to challenge the player and keep them on their toes in the latter half of the level, and the directioning could use some work as there were multiple times where I think that there’s a fork in the path, but it’s actually another route meeting back into the main one so I run backwards through that route, thinking I’m heading the right way. Other than that, it’s an adorable and very fun level, great work!



Molten Mountain, by Thompson:

This one was really good! The custom enemies were cool, gimmicks were used in creative and interesting ways, the decoration is pretty nice, and the difficulty is just right. My only complaints are that there is a little bit of waiting around for the bombs to be lit (although it’s really short, so this is just a nitpick), and that the level can be kind of confusing at times in terms of figuring out where I need to go. Other than that, superb level!



Starfall Casino, by Pallaris:

I love this one! As I’ve said before in the Personalized Palace review, I like seeing exploration-based levels in SRB2, and this one pulls it off very well. While the casino is smaller than Personalized Palace, it is still extremely fun to wander around in and discover a bunch of the little touches like the pirate ship, the roulette machine, and the pinball machine. Running around and collecting a bunch of rings is very satisfying, even more so when you unlock the lightning shield. The decoration is also very good, making creative usage of SRB2 textures. My only nitpick is that the lightning shield might make picking up rings too easy. Maybe instead of a golden monitor, you only had about three lightning shield monitors making the water much more of a threat? Maybe a custom shield that has a lower ring attraction range? I dunno, it’s not a huge deal. Overall, very fun level to run around in, I really like it!



Glaredown, by NerfPlayeR135 and Rabosion:

This one is super cool. Despite it just being Brak Eggman, it is still a very unique and fun boss. Only issues are that maybe the pipe platforms leading to the buttons could be made a little larger, and the decoration in the arena itself could use some work. Other than that, very fun!



Green Valley, by GamerOfDays and Pallaris:

It’s pretty alright. Texture usage needs some work, seeing sand right next to grass is weird, maybe try putting some rocks between them? There are quite a few misaligned textures as well, and the one custom texture the level has doesn’t look very good, to be entirely honest. Aside from that though, decoration is very well done. Level design is good and it’s a very fun level to run through, but there’s no real gimmicks to differentiate it from other levels. Overall, pretty decent level.



GFZ Encore, by Chuckersum:

This one was pretty neat. The decoration was alright, there were a few misaligned textures, and some areas felt pretty empty. More sector variation and decorative things would’ve helped. Level design was pretty neat, the usage of boost pads was interesting. Although, the first section with them is pretty boring, as it automated and lacked any sort of spectacle. All other sections with them are pretty cool though, especially the final section where you’re hopping on water, trying to avoid the platforms. Would’ve been really cool to see that utilized more. My only other complaints are that the theme isn’t very original and the rings are not floating. Once again, neat level.



Flowing Forest 1, by SonicHeroX45 and Rabosion:

It’s a fun little NiGHTs stage, but the circuits could’ve been more intricate and interesting. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say.



Flowing Forest 2, by SonicHeroX45:

This one was really cool! While it is just Egg Slimer, turning it into a NiGHTs boss is a really neat idea. Also, the arena looked great.



Emerald Coast Agaaiin, by Rogerregorroger and Rabosion:

It’s a Roger level, need I say more? In all seriousness, this one is super good. Platforming is interesting, decoration is spot on (once again, it’s a Roger level!) orca hazard is pretty neat, and that ending fake out is really good. Overall, it’s a great time!



The Aerial Artillery, by enes2gamer:

JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC

JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC JOHN TAY MUSIC-

ahem. Anyways, holy moly this one was awesome and a huge step-up from The Factory. Not saying The Factory was bad or anything, I greatly enjoyed it, but this clearly shows that you have improved immensely since then. Decoration is great, the level design flows almost flawlessly aside from a few sections where you have to use the THZ steam, custom enemies are cool (dripped out crawla………) and this is overall an extremely fun level. Only other things that I have to say is that I wish the keycard gimmick was used more, and the keycard itself should probably be made more visible because it was completely covered up by the rings.



Sakura Solstice, by Spectorious, Othius, and Lat’:

“After 7 years in development, hopefully it will have been worth the wait” -Gabe Newell’s evil twin brother

And oh my gosh, it really was worth the wait. Great level design, beautiful decoration, insane spectacle and speed, fun gimmicks, this level has it all. Everyone who worked on this did a fantastic job! Only thing I can nitpick is that it feels a bit too easy to get broken out of the ice during a few slope launch sections. I had to keep running back to the freeze-throwers (that’s probably not what they’re called but it’s a cool name so deal with it) to try to angle myself properly again.



Techno Madness, by MIDIMan and Evertone:

As a Ringslinger fan who has fully accepted that RS is dead and will never see the light of day again, that reveal at the start was insane. Needless to say, I absolutely loved this one. The level looked super good and was overall very fun to play, and both the final room and that Brak fight at the end was super cool. I kinda wish the portal gimmick was used a bit more, but that’s pretty much my only nitpick.



Ultim. Soda Facility 1, by Sketchzelle:

Neat level, decoration is good and the level design is pretty solid. Only thing I can really say is that it feels a bit too cramped and small at times.



Desert Dream, by RoyKirbs:

Loved this one! It’s open, neat usage of minecarts and other gimmicks, and the decoration is beautiful. Only things that I can nitpick is that the quicksand is annoying to get out of with any character other than Sonic (especially with the Spincushions harassing me constantly), and the sections where you have to jump over the minecart stopper for a shortcut is really strict, although this one just can’t really be helped unfortunately due to the object’s hitbox.



Knoockles DVD 2, by Dashdahog:

This one is neat, but aside from the art style there isn’t really anything that truly makes it a unique level in terms of level design. The only gimmick-y object I saw was the bumpers, and they’re only used in one section. Also, it is a bit easy to get lost in certain areas, especially in that rocky mountain area over a death pit with the mechanical looking building you have to go into. Other than that, there’s not much I can say.



Eastside Seaside 1, by Rosie:

It’s a pretty cute level, but it’s very short. Would’ve been really cool to see the water geyser gimmick be used more. Only other thing I can really say is that the exit location should’ve been made more obvious, I kept missing the waterfall and running up the giant slope, thinking that was the correct way to go.



Eastside Seaside 3, by Rosie:

Honestly, really not a fan of this one. The water slide at the beginning results in death if you hold any movement keys, hurt water is annoying to get out of, boss arena is generally just not fun to navigate around, and other than that it’s… just Egg Slimer again. Maybe if the platforms didn’t crumble and the hurt water was easier to get out of, it’d be fine.



Doomship Zone 1, by Rosie:

I really enjoyed this one! The level design is really creative, every section has some sort of new idea, decoration is nice, and the level is really challenging. My only complaint is that the section at the start where you have to ride the wind being sucked up into the ship by the fans is way too strict, and a bit frustrating. Other than that, great level!



Anteggtica 1, by Radicalicious:

This one is great! Decoration is beautiful, level design is fantastic, and the gimmicks are creative and very fun. Only things that I can nitpick is that Amy isn’t able to progress and gets stuck in one of the routes due to a section with a giant slope that has to be rolled on to proceed (It’s right after the part where you run through the techno area that has a button you need to press that disables a barrier blocking an ice wall). Also, that one minecart section is a bit too strict in my opinion. Overall, it’s a very great level.



Ultim. Seaside Coast 1, by Sketchzelle:

This one is alright. Only things I have to say is that the directioning could be improved (the amy/fang route drops you into an area that looks like you can go left or right, I went the wrong way and only realized it because the enemies were looking away from me), the areas submerged in water have absolutely nothing in them, some enemies or at least varied terrain would go a long way to making falling into the water more exciting, and only one type of mushroom being bouncy is really confusing, and other textures should be used for different platform types in my opinion. Overall, good level.



Rift Canyon, by Vixuzen:

Simple, but pretty good level! Decoration is good, level design is fun. All around just a pretty good level. Not much else for me to say, unfortunately.



Shooting Skies, by Evertone:

I really like this one, but it’s definitely not without its flaws. This level is MASSIVE, and that is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness. On one hand, it’s super fun to explore, it’s a long level, and looking around and searching for the correct path is actually really fun (in my opinion, at least). However, on the other hand, many people might not actually enjoy getting lost and looking for the correct path, which is completely understandable. The level dumps you back into earlier parts quite a few times too, which really doesn’t help. Other than that, this is a great level that has good platforming, great decoration (I love the whole aesthetic of the level, completely forgot to say that), is very fun to explore, but the directioning definitely needs some polish.



Sky Islands, by Zeno:

The level design itself is simplistic due to its lack of unique gimmicks, but I love this one. The platforming is fun, aesthetics and decoration is incredible, music is great. All it’s missing is some sort of fun gimmick to make the actual level design more interesting. Still, a casual platforming level is still very fun in its own way.



Greenflower Mount. 1, by Hypersonic:

Thank you for the World War 2 lore at the beginning of the level, I guess…?

Anyways, I liked this one, but it’s got a lot of flaws. The platforming isn’t really Sonic-y, it’s very slow. There’s a lot of design decisions that aren’t very clear to the player, like that one room that has a snaking path surrounded by what looks like a death pit, but is actually just a hurt floor. It also feels very cramped and the platforms are small in some areas.

Decoration is alright, but there is a LOT going on in this level. There’s nothing wrong with switching up the theme mid-level, but giving yourself a decently sized palette of a few enemies, textures, objects, etc. per level helps a lot to make things less overwhelming. It feels very jarring to go from grass lands, to RVZ looking cave area I think? to snowy mountain VERY quickly. Also, there are a lot of decoration objects thrown around with no real rhyme or reason. I’d suggest cutting down on most of them.

Other than that, it’s a fun little level.



Pothole Mountain 1, by dashdahog:

I can’t believe it, it’s two of my favorite level creators in the same OLDC! Dashdahog AND dashdahog! (no seriously the author name isn’t capitalized at all for this level for some reason LOL)

Jokes aside, it’s a nice little level. Fun to run around, but pretty short and there’s no real gimmicks. It’s only really interesting if you’re playing as Sonic since he gets a homing attack in this level specifically. While it is fun to use the homing attack chains the first time, at the end of the day it’s just another way to get from point A to point B.



Lugar Verde 2, by Zaxel:

Pretty fun level. Once again, no real gimmicks (I’m starting to sound like a broken record aren’t I?), but the platforming is interesting and fun enough to make up for it.



Sunrise Temple, by Zaxel:

Now THIS is a fun level. Plenty of things to dodge, platforming is fun, and the level is challenging. Only thing I can say is that maybe it’s a bit too strict in a few areas, like those tunnels with the spikes placed between thin platforms. Other than that, fun level.



Panic’s Fury, A CSCS Production:

Remember when I said “I like seeing exploration-based levels in SRB2”? This image from the level itself perfectly encapsulates my reaction to this level.

That is all.