Sword
The Sonic Forger
1. Wild West Zone, Act 2 by Dead
I had a tough time deciding between this one and Rustic Templar, but I gave the win to this map for the sheer amount of different paths you can take and still end up at the same destination in ~1 minute. I don't know how you did it so well. The Fang path was particularly neat, requiring the popgun. I played through it several times to find all of the emblems, which were well hidden but not impossible. The bits of the Deep Sea ruins throughout the level, culminating in the main ruins themselves was a nice touch.
2. Rustic Templar Zone by MK.exe
This level was very fun to play; the music definitely rocked. The character path splits were good, and the few emblems throughout were fun to hunt. Everything looked and played like a finished level.
3. Aqua Paradise Zone by Twins'R'Awesome
I'm surprised that I gave a water level such a high ranking, but this one was a blast. The path splits were good, and I liked how you managed to take the same moving water gimmick and use it in many different ways (underwater current, waterfalls push you off map, waterfall takes you to the underwater ruins, falling in current takes you back but doesn't kill you). There was also that cool little easter egg...:D
4. Metallic Madness Good Future by Kwiin/failur.old
Solid level. I'm sure CD fans were ecstatic. The level looked and played great. The only thing holding it back from a higher spot is the lack of enemies, which dulls the gameplay a little bit.
5. Wasteland Wilds Zone by SunCyclone
The PMD music caught my attention right away, and eventually recognized it as Amp Plains. The path splits were good, and I liked how you made each room feel different, alternating between dry areas and water areas. I noticed you made sure you could progress backwards too, which encourages exploration (I found 2 tokens). The same yellowy cliffs started to become a bit bland, which is why this isn't higher. Solid level.
6. Myriad Memories Zone by ManimiFire
This puzzle level was very interesting. I liked how it tested your powers of observation. I was very fond of how forgiving it was to fall into the pit and be teleported back. One thing I didn't like was how some dark areas looked like pits, especially in the room with the trapgoyles shooting towards you. It made the level seem much harder than it really was.
7. Spyro Ripto Blast 2 - Snowflake Ridge by TrickyTex/Tatsuru
What a fun level. You blended Spyro's gameplay with SRB2's really well. It was fun to look around and find every gem, token, and snowman. A couple things to point out: regaining health was a pain considering there's only so many checkpoints and life monitors around; the gems hidden in the frozen pool is a pain considering you have to intentionally suffer damage; the game does lag a bit if you don't have a decent PC. Overall, still a fun level.
8. Toffee Tor Zone, Act 1 by RoyKirbs
Great level. The path splits were good and the level was enjoyable with any character. Kirby music is fun, though it got a bit repetitive on such a short loop. The enemies weren't great: there was too many different types that didn't fit the theme of the level, and they felt randomly placed rather than strategic. Still a great entry into the contest.
9. Oasis Palace Zone by So2ro
I really loved the theme here. One pressing issue is that the various sections of the level don't feel all that different from previous ones, which makes the level a bit bland after a while. I'd say to check out Rustic Templar to get a feel for making your sections differ from each other.
10. Hectic Harbor Zone by ACStriker
Boy, that music brought me back to my Rush days. It was a fun level, though I think it could use more detail. The textures were a bit bland. I did think having the Chaos Emeralds hidden throughout was neat.
11. Overgrown Heights Zone by InferNOr
This level looked really cool, though it definitely caused some strain on my PC. I couldn't end up actually beating this level due to the latency. I think one of the main sources of that is the high number of rings I noticed in the level. I also had an issue with getting lost around the river and the hut; I couldn't figure out where to go until several minutes passed. Still, this jungle theme was a neat concept that looked great.
12. Valley Falls Zone by Hamsandwich
Neat level, though the water maze was a bit concerning. The 2D transitions need work, since if you don't go perfectly straight into them, you'll get stuck and won't be able to leave them.
13. Concordian Coast Zone by Ktoby/Pronicthewedgehog
A nice short level, though I don't think it offered anything unique to make it stand out. Music was probably the best part.
14. Cluttered Cave Zone, Act 2 by Riolucariolu
A bit laggy here too, though I did like the path splits you had. The fire room was a bit overkill I think. I got a chuckle at the Shadow/Black Arms emblems on the floor.
15. Heroes Hall by Zaxel
Interesting concept with collecting the weapons, but the level dragged on and on. The enemy spam was a bit much too. Your new enemies were neat, but difficult to kill.
16. Cyan Heights Zone by PencilVoid
I liked the concept of riding the vultures, but boy what a short level it was. Not much to judge on here in such a short level.
17. Magma Falls Zone by RadicalChaos_6922
A neat idea, but the rock rolling served no purpose. The waves made it impossible to pass without taking damage. If you continue working on this, I'd also suggest adding more factory assets as there aren't many in the level, making them feel random.
18. Anteggtica Zone by Radicalicious
A neat concept blending Egg Rock with ice, but it was a very short and empty level.
19. Crystal Cave Zone by CST1229
Reminiscent of a special stage, but also a short level that didn't offer much to judge on. I noticed some of your enemies were facing the wrong way near the end of the level too.
20. Shadow of Atlantis Zone by akirahedgehog
This level looked cool, but boy I had no idea where I was going. Getting lost in an underwater level is not fun at all.
21. Hypertower Zone by WasifBoomz
This level was quite confusing. 2D transitions need work. The music also wasn't the greatest.
Sorry about the shorter descriptions later on, but I'm running out of time.
Good luck everyone in the contest, and thanks for entering.
I had a tough time deciding between this one and Rustic Templar, but I gave the win to this map for the sheer amount of different paths you can take and still end up at the same destination in ~1 minute. I don't know how you did it so well. The Fang path was particularly neat, requiring the popgun. I played through it several times to find all of the emblems, which were well hidden but not impossible. The bits of the Deep Sea ruins throughout the level, culminating in the main ruins themselves was a nice touch.
2. Rustic Templar Zone by MK.exe
This level was very fun to play; the music definitely rocked. The character path splits were good, and the few emblems throughout were fun to hunt. Everything looked and played like a finished level.
3. Aqua Paradise Zone by Twins'R'Awesome
I'm surprised that I gave a water level such a high ranking, but this one was a blast. The path splits were good, and I liked how you managed to take the same moving water gimmick and use it in many different ways (underwater current, waterfalls push you off map, waterfall takes you to the underwater ruins, falling in current takes you back but doesn't kill you). There was also that cool little easter egg...:D
4. Metallic Madness Good Future by Kwiin/failur.old
Solid level. I'm sure CD fans were ecstatic. The level looked and played great. The only thing holding it back from a higher spot is the lack of enemies, which dulls the gameplay a little bit.
5. Wasteland Wilds Zone by SunCyclone
The PMD music caught my attention right away, and eventually recognized it as Amp Plains. The path splits were good, and I liked how you made each room feel different, alternating between dry areas and water areas. I noticed you made sure you could progress backwards too, which encourages exploration (I found 2 tokens). The same yellowy cliffs started to become a bit bland, which is why this isn't higher. Solid level.
6. Myriad Memories Zone by ManimiFire
This puzzle level was very interesting. I liked how it tested your powers of observation. I was very fond of how forgiving it was to fall into the pit and be teleported back. One thing I didn't like was how some dark areas looked like pits, especially in the room with the trapgoyles shooting towards you. It made the level seem much harder than it really was.
7. Spyro Ripto Blast 2 - Snowflake Ridge by TrickyTex/Tatsuru
What a fun level. You blended Spyro's gameplay with SRB2's really well. It was fun to look around and find every gem, token, and snowman. A couple things to point out: regaining health was a pain considering there's only so many checkpoints and life monitors around; the gems hidden in the frozen pool is a pain considering you have to intentionally suffer damage; the game does lag a bit if you don't have a decent PC. Overall, still a fun level.
8. Toffee Tor Zone, Act 1 by RoyKirbs
Great level. The path splits were good and the level was enjoyable with any character. Kirby music is fun, though it got a bit repetitive on such a short loop. The enemies weren't great: there was too many different types that didn't fit the theme of the level, and they felt randomly placed rather than strategic. Still a great entry into the contest.
9. Oasis Palace Zone by So2ro
I really loved the theme here. One pressing issue is that the various sections of the level don't feel all that different from previous ones, which makes the level a bit bland after a while. I'd say to check out Rustic Templar to get a feel for making your sections differ from each other.
10. Hectic Harbor Zone by ACStriker
Boy, that music brought me back to my Rush days. It was a fun level, though I think it could use more detail. The textures were a bit bland. I did think having the Chaos Emeralds hidden throughout was neat.
11. Overgrown Heights Zone by InferNOr
This level looked really cool, though it definitely caused some strain on my PC. I couldn't end up actually beating this level due to the latency. I think one of the main sources of that is the high number of rings I noticed in the level. I also had an issue with getting lost around the river and the hut; I couldn't figure out where to go until several minutes passed. Still, this jungle theme was a neat concept that looked great.
12. Valley Falls Zone by Hamsandwich
Neat level, though the water maze was a bit concerning. The 2D transitions need work, since if you don't go perfectly straight into them, you'll get stuck and won't be able to leave them.
13. Concordian Coast Zone by Ktoby/Pronicthewedgehog
A nice short level, though I don't think it offered anything unique to make it stand out. Music was probably the best part.
14. Cluttered Cave Zone, Act 2 by Riolucariolu
A bit laggy here too, though I did like the path splits you had. The fire room was a bit overkill I think. I got a chuckle at the Shadow/Black Arms emblems on the floor.
15. Heroes Hall by Zaxel
Interesting concept with collecting the weapons, but the level dragged on and on. The enemy spam was a bit much too. Your new enemies were neat, but difficult to kill.
16. Cyan Heights Zone by PencilVoid
I liked the concept of riding the vultures, but boy what a short level it was. Not much to judge on here in such a short level.
17. Magma Falls Zone by RadicalChaos_6922
A neat idea, but the rock rolling served no purpose. The waves made it impossible to pass without taking damage. If you continue working on this, I'd also suggest adding more factory assets as there aren't many in the level, making them feel random.
18. Anteggtica Zone by Radicalicious
A neat concept blending Egg Rock with ice, but it was a very short and empty level.
19. Crystal Cave Zone by CST1229
Reminiscent of a special stage, but also a short level that didn't offer much to judge on. I noticed some of your enemies were facing the wrong way near the end of the level too.
20. Shadow of Atlantis Zone by akirahedgehog
This level looked cool, but boy I had no idea where I was going. Getting lost in an underwater level is not fun at all.
21. Hypertower Zone by WasifBoomz
This level was quite confusing. 2D transitions need work. The music also wasn't the greatest.
Sorry about the shorter descriptions later on, but I'm running out of time.
Good luck everyone in the contest, and thanks for entering.