Shaped Mountainside by Kitoko - G
A pretty cute little introductory map! I particularly like how halfway through you can get up to higher ground and head back to the beginning for more secrets. I will say, though, that the map's a bit small and short, and a bit more in the way of branching paths might be nice to see, but I disagree with the notion that this map needs remade entirely. Maybe a simple movement gimmick would make the map more interesting? I do also think that, while GFZROCK is a good texture to help aid in new players' perception of movement, it does get a bit monotonous from time to time. Can't wait to see what act 2 brings, though!
Quickman 2 by Zipper - ?+
Giving this a letter grade is hard because it's not standard SRB2 at all. It's executed what it's going for very well; aside from a few layering issues with the water, it's a very consistent 2D with no .5 platformer, and the boss was quite fun once I figured out how to not die every time. The only issues I had were technical; sometimes weapons would seem to not respond like they should. The map was also a bit difficult, and
PLEASE USE MORE CHECKPOINTS but otherwise I had fun.
For posterity, I'll plug the TAS I did of this.
Sapphire Summit Zone Act 1 by Savordez - B
I love exploration and finding little secrets, and this map has a lot to offer in that department. Doing a bunch of sick jumps to get to a high-up ledge as Sonic and finding an emblem specifically designated to him was quite a treat. The map also looked fairly nice, though I think a skybox with water going to the horizon would've been killer to see. The rough ground underwater didn't bug me like it bugs other people, but I can see where their complaints would come from.
Most of the issues are technical things; putting the end in a small alcove makes it hard to see, pity shields should be the only shield type you use if you use it (though I believe exceptions can be made in some circumstances..), and your enemy selection needs to be more focused and less "let's put everything in the map". Go for a soft limit of three different types. It would've also been nice to see some more creative use of the role pulleys, but coming up with that shit's tricky even for me. (And I'm supposed to be making ACZ2... :c)
Castle Rush Zone by Knux576 - D
Prepare for a lot of textual shouting.
BRIGHTNESS. Both paths had a section that was so dark, I couldn't see where I was supposed to go. Can we stop using "pitch-black" as a gimmick unless the punctuation is "with small lights to guide the player"?
ENEMY USE. I saw probably every single one in the game. You've got Snailers floating in the air, Sharps and BASHes, and the standard Crawlas and Buzzes that it seems like every level is required by law to have.
...Actually, I'm out of things to shout about. I've got plenty to complain about still, though. For one, a lot of the map was really,
really bland. Like, worse than Mystic Realm. You had single flat sectors with CEZROCK or something stupid like that, creating hallways of mush that oftentimes also wound up cramped. I can at least appreciate the life and whirlwind shield alcove for existing, but it's so incredibly cramped I felt like the hallway was just going to taper to a point. There were little bits I liked, like the room with the gargoyle puzzle, but most of the map was just corridor after corridor after narrow valley.
Also, this path merge sucks. You could do a band-aid solution by ending the staircase around a quarter-turn earlier, but that won't change how awful walking up small steep stairs is.