I loved this level! From the screenshot I was taken aback by the all the strange colors the level has on display, but the second I booted up the level I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything actually meshed together in practice. You said that you put a lot of time into this, and it certainly shows! No one really notices the placement of flowers and other scenic objects unless it's done horribly... no one except me :) Let's just say you did a terrific job. Additionally, the amount of overlapping in some rooms is just heroic. I hate doing stuff that overlaps in SRB2 since each new overlap is its own sector with its own tag and bleh. You make all this overlapping look natural and effortless in your level, which deserves some kind of award. Replaying the level more than a few times as each character, I actually really like that the overall layout of the level is relatively simple and not complex as, say, ACZ1, even though the rooms themselves have a good amount of complexity. The pieces of the level feel distinct and clear, and are therefore satisfying and approachable to explore when looking for the emblems. And with all the hidden emblems of course I had to get them all! When people would tell me to make sure my map is explorable, I'd always complain that there wasn't anything in SRB2 really worth exploring for. While this is somewhat true for non-level-pack wads, I think that emblems (even though mechanically useless) are a great motivator for some stupid reason. I guess it's like Achievements and Trophies from the big official games - useless but motivating. Anyway, the emblem variety and placement in this level are top-notch and well worth exploring for.
The gimmick:
As others have said, the geysers were mostly well-executed but sometimes a pain. This is partly to do with the weird way SRB2 accelerates you when you enter and leave water current blocks (my SUGOII entry Abandoned Airbase Zone has an area where this problem is very-much exemplified), and it's partly to do with the size of the geysers themselves. I think they're just too small. The netting idea was absolutely brilliant, separating the pieces of the geysers so that the player can only use one segment at a time, but the actual use of them tended to get frustrating because of how small the streams were and how precise of movements the player sometimes had to employ to use the geysers effectively. If you're still fiddling with this level, I'd upsize all the geysers. All of them!
The ending area:
Did the development of this level straddle the implementation of slopes? The last two major rooms of the level don't quite feel like they fit the rest of the map, especially the room before the endsign cave. It's just kinda awkwardly shaped and the implementation of slopes feels weird. Honestly, I'd have that slope ramp that launches you into this room instead launch you into an endsign. Because its inclusion feels like a really good song that repeats the chorus exactly one more time than necessary. The pacing of the level would've been just that much better without the room. This is my personal opinion, but take it as you wish. One thing that I think I've only recently learned about mapping is that sometimes it's just as important to delete a bunch of work as it is to complete a bunch of work.
Otherwise, absolutely stellar level. This thing deserves a second act and an inclusion in a level pack. I even did the record attack for the time and rings emblem. I never do that! I'll still never do the score emblem, though, so I guess that I didn't actually get them ALL...
...unless perhaps you tell me the score required and a hint of how to get it...?
:)
