The Zone (Boinciel)
Very nice stage that demonstrates good grasp on the fundamentals of gameplay. Nothing outstanding is presented, but what is here feels very polished, especially for a speedmap! I complained about it before, and you did put springs to shove the player away, but I still think the exit's still a bit hard to see. The spring help tell that isn't the way forward, but there still isn't anything guiding towards the exit itself.
Wasted Wayward Zone (PersistantRubine)
NOTE: I recieved an update that fleshes out the level more since I wrote this. I will revisit this one in my next review post.
Simple little level. All I can really suggest is to add in more alternate paths, or maybe length, since it does lack from replayability. I like the ending. :p
Ruby Castle Zone (Shiron)
Awesome level! Very pretty and nails gameplay. The main thing I would suggest is to give the switch-activated doors their own unique texture that stands out from the rest of the level; it's hard to figure out what a button did sometimes.
Quandary Canyon Zone (RomioTheBadass)
This is most definitely your best level yet! It has a totally different feel to your previous entries; it has open and fluid gameplay, and a nice and consistent theme. I think my main gripes are the usage of heavy-handed arrow textures to tell the player where to go, and that the quicksand on one path doesn't let you move around at all, which makes that path a whole a lot more annoying than it should be as Sonic.
Abandoned City Zone (Micheal12345)
I love, absolutely LOVE, tons of optional content, even if the point's just to look at something or a few items. So this level really appeals to my senses! There's a lot of heart put into this, I can tell. If anything I just want MORE items in these buildings to grab! Three main complaints, though. First, the block platforming over pits in a bunch of places just feels lazy; I would've preferred just walking through a corridor. Second, I'm not a fan of one of the paths because it kinda ditches the city theme and I lose the rich vibe I was getting from the rest of the level. Third, this lift is really mean and has crushed me several times.
Lush Meadow Zone (Flare957)
I remember a long time ago, a bunch of jerks came along and you were made fun of your WIP map pack. I'd know, since I was one of those jerks.
Look at where you are now. This is one of the best levels I've played in a long while. It has polished gameplay, multiple routes, and lots of variety; I find it really tough to think of anything I dislike about it. I applaud you and your rise in talent.
Magmor Zone (Glaber)
It's really interesting to see you take on a more harsh, gimmick-based map after your previous two entries were open, easy-going levels. I think it's rather well executed! If I have anything to complain about, it would be a lot of places where you're expected to stop and charge up a full spindash to launch off a slope, and a lot of long drawn out segments where you're just platforming on blocks in lava.
Scarlet Palace (.Jazz.)
One of the prettiest maps I've seen in SRB2! It's amazing what a few recolors to unify a color palette together can do to a level. On top of that, it's also got a firm handle on what makes Emerald Hunt fun! Lots of unique areas that are easy to identify, it's big enough to get lost in but not too big that it's difficult to find anything, and it's fun to map the layout of the place in my head. I'd suggest making the breakable jail bars more cracked-looking though, since the current hint isn't very noticable.
Cutout Warehouse Zone (fickleheart & toaster)
Definitely the most creative level I've seen in a while; never thought that mid-textures could become a gimmick! I think the Knuckles path is my favorite bit.
Azure Paradise Zone (Lazy MK)
Really cool visuals, but the checkpoints are spread really thin and it can be really tough to figure out where to go due to springs that might suggest that you can go a certain way. At the very end, there's also this bit with yellow springs against a wall that can be really finicky and awkward.
Dimension Disaster Zone (Lat')
Beautiful, and I love Sonic CD special stages, but really should be smaller. I find myself feeling like I've gotten just about everything at around 2-4 UFOs left, and the lag from how big the room is can be pretty bad. I also kinda wish there were more positions for the time capsule to spawn at, and/or that it gave more time; it gets incredibly tedious backtracking to the same spot and sticking around it to maximize how much time you get from it.
Sunken Shafts Zone (Inferno Dragon)
I can already sense your improvement over your SUBARASHII works. It feels a bit cramped in spots, and the Hot Shelter path is incredibly confusing and I haven't been able to beat it, but good effort.
Desolate Woods Zone (Manimi & Strike)
The cutscene was really unexpected, haha, I like it! To criticize, I don't really like how the hooks and pulleys are introduced over pits in a lot of places, and the flies should have a minor sound or visual cue before they charge.
Cosmic Valley Zone (davee0)
Incredibly pretty, and there's some interesting rooms in spots! My three major gripes with it though, are how small some of the platforms can be, how annoyingly steep some of the slopes can be for Tails and Knuckles, and the severe lack of checkpoints. It's not fun how far you can get sent back because you slipped off a slope into a death pit, checkpoints should be before and after every important bit. Oh, and that ending trap is pretty mean, especially for Sonic!
Robotnik's Fortress 1 (Swift)
I'm a fan of how it just feels like there's a lot going on. I think the colormap is really strong, and there's a spinning mace segment that's really hard to do as Knuckles. There's also a button that opens a gate, which it's hard to remember where that is. Good stuff, though!
Lilac Acreage Zone (RoyKirbs)
You've got a hard-to-hate mapping style that's hard to criticize. It's just pleasant and relaxing to play through, even if it doesn't have much to make it stand out. Your easter egg is also amazing and freaked out people when I played it in a netgame :P
Decrepit Plant Zone (TrustyGun)
Insanely good, I'm just sad it's so short! Extend it, I'd love to see more from you!
Pure Rock Zone (Goldenhog)
I like this map, despite it stealing about 20-25 lives from me when I first played it. This has been mentioned before (and in other maps in this review), but you really need more checkpoints; a LOT more. I said earlier that checkpoints should be before and after everything important, and I want to heavily emphasize that for this one. The thing is, letting people retry from the challenge that they made it to wouldn't make it less hard, it'd make it less frustrating. There's a difference. Super Meat Boy is tough, but each level can be completed insanely fast and you can restart it instantly. The time it takes to retry what you're struggling with is the difference between "Fuck! This is hard! I'm gonna keep trying!" and "Fuck! This is hard! I quit!"
That came out a bit long, but I just know that you're intentionally aiming for a hard map, and I wanted to explain why more checkpoints will not undermine that. Especially since it's gonna take way more than 3 lives for someone to beat it for the first time :p. To reemphasize, I do like this one! I find it cathartic to have something that challenges me like this in SRB2.
