Official Level Design Contest 2021: Round 1

Official Level Design Contest 2021: Round 1 1.3

On the release post, I mistakenly wrote that the new features were all reusable. This is not the case. Specifically, the portal, voting, and return to hub parts are not reusable. Any parts that are reusable must be released separately at a later time.
 
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Hi, first off I would like to congratulate the people who decided to again pour a lot of time into making levels (so the OLDC again can have a bundle of new content for players to play).

I haven't gotten into much of it yet, and I have to say that the new sprite features are being used to great effect here (like the character swap tubes), what I am left to wonder though is whether future hubs should become places where various points of view are showcased (as oppose to being completely neutral like the hubs in the last 2 OLDC's). Personal expression in individual levels are fine though.

Anyway, the only zone I completed in earnest so far is Hollow Hill; All I can say about this one is that Othius (regardless of his collab partners) has become a very reliable source for top quality levels. By the looks of things this level really pushes the SRB2 engine (no major glitches in OpenGL, but there is one texture that does not display properly
 
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As usual, I'm posting my thoughts and rankings both on this thread and the voting thread.

1. Music Mash - Worst map ever conceived.
2. Blizzard Bastion - Honestly, there are so many fun and unique platforming/speed sections, and this is coming from somebody who mains Sonic, the high challenge that many obstacles provide makes the level memorable and fun, also Diamond Dust is a plus.
3. Koopa Kastle - Heeey, I dunno if you noticed, but it's spelled CASTLE. This map speaks for itself, it feels very Mario, but it feels like SRB2 at the same time. I gotta detract Cool Points for Brak Eggman though.
4. Hollow Hill - I loved the use of slopes and platforming, but there are a couple of issues. The earthquake effect (and this is coming from somebody who very rarely gets motion sick), is WAY too strong, also the Sandopolisesque Sand got a little annoying.
5. Fort Sunset - When I started the level, I was immediately put off with the coins required, but the aesthetics combined with the fun geometry made for a fun quest!
6. Abyss Caverns - It was pretty fun to mess around with slopes, and I thought a lot of the geometry was well designed, not much really happened, but it was fun!
7. Teal Tundra - This map is fun, it didn't make me mad, I just sorta jumped straight through it.
8. Mercury Mine - Even though repeating stuff kinda sucked, I enjoyed the liquid gimmick, and I think a lot of the platforming wasn't the most creative, but it was stillfun, despite it being basic at times.
9. Ridge Rapids - I can't really say anything about this map, it's fine, the visuals were a little overwhelming, but it was still fun, if a bit forgettable.
10. Ante-Station - This level started great and got worse over time. The visuals started bugging out (in Software), and unfortunately, only being able to see SOME of the screen, makes parts frustrating. While visually impressive, it's not THAT fun to play. At one point, the game just became a black screen permanently.
11. Falcon Emissary - When playing this map, I was having a blast, or I was completely frustrated. Sometimes, I had no idea what to do, or what was happening, but I enjoy the wind-based gimmicks.
12. Emerald Glade - This map feels like it was made in a few minutes, but I won't lie, I had fun, I guess the monitor use was quite creative, and I really liked the Lance Bot Shard, very clever.
13. Lava Temple - Not gonna lie, I was falling asleep playing this level, it's not that it's boring, it's just that the level felt both very repetitive and aimless at the same time, I think a lot of the gimmicks were clever,
and yes, I did enjoy playing to some extent.
14. Zaxel's Thunder Yard - Most parts are either too cramped or too open, and I legitimately thought that the signpost WAS the end, you don't HAVE to make levels this long.
I went for the "Very Cool" ending for curiosity but making it an infinite loop is cheap. Of course, the parts that weren't too open or closed were actually really fun.
15. Drenched Dam - Unfortunately, this map is kinda boring. I love maps that aren't the conventional REACH TO THE END WITH OPEN PATHWAYS level. But making a level incredibly cramped and more straightforward than a line is not the way to do it. The fan part is frustrating, the race is easy, and I managed to get out of the intended area many times which was just frustrating.
16. Bombastic Beach - I have to place this map down here simply because it's under 15 seconds long after about 45 seconds of practice, nothing happened in this level.
 
SeventhSentinel updated Official Level Design Contest 2021: Round 1 with a new update entry:

Patch v1.2 for the SP compilation

Here's another update for a few things.

Bugfixes
  • Fixed Tailsbot preventing stages from being marked as clear
  • Fixed quick return respawning player out of bounds (again)
  • Fixed Character Swapper not reading your current skin correctly if you entered it from a different save as another character
  • Fixed sky conflict between the hub and Fort Sunset Zone
  • Fixed Music Mash Zone music changing linedef actions
Other changes
  • Quick return is now...

Read the rest of this update entry...
 
As usual, I'm posting my thoughts and rankings both on this thread and the voting thread.

1. Music Mash - Worst map ever conceived.
2. Blizzard Bastion - Honestly, there are so many fun and unique platforming/speed sections, and this is coming from somebody who mains Sonic, the high challenge that many obstacles provide makes the level memorable and fun, also Diamond Dust is a plus.
3. Koopa Kastle - Heeey, I dunno if you noticed, but it's spelled CASTLE. This map speaks for itself, it feels very Mario, but it feels like SRB2 at the same time. I gotta detract Cool Points for Brak Eggman though.
4. Hollow Hill - I loved the use of slopes and platforming, but there are a couple of issues. The earthquake effect (and this is coming from somebody who very rarely gets motion sick), is WAY too strong, also the Sandopolisesque Sand got a little annoying.
5. Fort Sunset - When I started the level, I was immediately put off with the coins required, but the aesthetics combined with the fun geometry made for a fun quest!
6. Abyss Caverns - It was pretty fun to mess around with slopes, and I thought a lot of the geometry was well designed, not much really happened, but it was fun!
7. Teal Tundra - This map is fun, it didn't make me mad, I just sorta jumped straight through it.
8. Mercury Mine - Even though repeating stuff kinda sucked, I enjoyed the liquid gimmick, and I think a lot of the platforming wasn't the most creative, but it was stillfun, despite it being basic at times.
9. Ridge Rapids - I can't really say anything about this map, it's fine, the visuals were a little overwhelming, but it was still fun, if a bit forgettable.
10. Ante-Station - This level started great and got worse over time. The visuals started bugging out (in Software), and unfortunately, only being able to see SOME of the screen, makes parts frustrating. While visually impressive, it's not THAT fun to play. At one point, the game just became a black screen permanently.
11. Falcon Emissary - When playing this map, I was having a blast, or I was completely frustrated. Sometimes, I had no idea what to do, or what was happening, but I enjoy the wind-based gimmicks.
12. Emerald Glade - This map feels like it was made in a few minutes, but I won't lie, I had fun, I guess the monitor use was quite creative, and I really liked the Lance Bot Shard, very clever.
13. Lava Temple - Not gonna lie, I was falling asleep playing this level, it's not that it's boring, it's just that the level felt both very repetitive and aimless at the same time, I think a lot of the gimmicks were clever,
and yes, I did enjoy playing to some extent.
14. Zaxel's Thunder Yard - Most parts are either too cramped or too open, and I legitimately thought that the signpost WAS the end, you don't HAVE to make levels this long.
I went for the "Very Cool" ending for curiosity but making it an infinite loop is cheap. Of course, the parts that weren't too open or closed were actually really fun.
15. Drenched Dam - Unfortunately, this map is kinda boring. I love maps that aren't the conventional REACH TO THE END WITH OPEN PATHWAYS level. But making a level incredibly cramped and more straightforward than a line is not the way to do it. The fan part is frustrating, the race is easy, and I managed to get out of the intended area many times which was just frustrating.
16. Bombastic Beach - I have to place this map down here simply because it's under 15 seconds long after about 45 seconds of practice, nothing happened in this level.
Kastle is spelled like this on purpose. Fit's Koopa's personality. It is spelled correctly in the Mario Make 2 version. Have you tried that one out yet?
 
posted it in the voting thing and i'll post it here
this is just a copy and paste of what i wrote lol
hi hello yes i will vote the official level design contest levels Here

My feedback on every level is below the list if you're into that stuff.

hte oldest of the c's

1. Falcon Emissary Zone
2. Ante-Station Zone
3. Rigid Rapids Zone
4. Hollow Hill Zone
5. Koopa Kastle Zone
6. Zaxel’s Thunder Yard
7. Blizzard Bastion Zone
8. Fort Sunset Zone
9. Abyss Caverns Zone
10. Lava Temple
11. Music Mash Zone
12. Mercury Mine Zone
13. Bombastic Beach Zone
14. Teal Tundra Zone
15. Drenched Dam Zone
16. Emerald Glade Zone
(Note: Most of these were written after beating their respective levels)
My feedback, in no particular order.
it has very cool lua object plus it has gay rights skybox this is an instant win :threat:👍
shiiiit this level goood

One of my favorite levels this OLDC. Only problem is the checkpoint placement, that's it. I don't have much to say, this level is amazing.
Already one of my favorite 2D levels for SRB2, and a great showcase of Axis2D. Very interesting theme and a great level to run through. I wish there was a bit more meat on it's bones, there were a few parts where you just ran.
A nice short platforming level that isn't very hard to follow. Not much to say other than the theming being good, felt like it could've been a bit longer though...
An okay short little stage that doesn't specifically have anything beachy about it... the main challenge of it wasn't hard either. Really needed more substance The colormap made Sonic look like he had orange skin though, so that's an extra point :knuxsmug:
Neat little breather from other levels, just a small collect-a-thon. i didnt beat it because i got hit like 3 times but who care lmoa
The set-piece is nice looking and...that's kind of it really lol I just wish it was more than t- wait fuck its a special stage???
A sweet homage to 1.09.4's Mario Koopa Blast. Won't exactly criticize it for being...sort of bland, since it captures the Final Demo energy because of it. I do wish there was more consistency however. It's trying to be an FD styled stage, yet has elements from the MKB Revamped pack thrown in, the Spincushions from 2.0, and a Brak boss fight. (The fact you made the same level in SMM2 to go alongside it is also pretty neat :wow:)
I will say first, you have a really strange yard. Anyway, this level felt like it went on for an eternity and I honestly just wanted to get it over with after a couple of minutes. That being said, it's not that it isn't unfun, it's just very repetitive. (P.S. why is this a match stage as well? lmfao)
Honestly... I'm not a huge fan of this level, I'm sorry. It has a very large scale, but it's very overwhelming personally. I'd prefer if the scale wasn't as huge. It was a little confusing to traverse but not much. I also feel like it used slopes too much... I'd just like flat ground to stand on and just breathe for a moment. That being said, the theming is great and the custom palette is very cool. Good job for everyone who worked on this, it's impressive how this was all done under a week.
A neat theme, but lacked a lot of substance. There are lots of very spacious areas with...pretty much nothing in them. (I feel like downscaling everything would help with it)
The entire level is extremely cramped. There's basically no space to run on. And why are there so many invisible walls?
this level was a trip what the fuck

I didn't end up enjoying this level as much as I was expecting... A lot of the time I felt kind of confused on what to do, and when I somehow got past a section, I just rolled with it. Nothing felt really cohesive. The music aspect could've been amplified more, I only remember drums being there. I know there are more, but not really...enough? The music was...very quiet, I had to raise my volume to even hear it. I get that it's maybe meant for you to hear the instruments, but only one of them makes sound so what's really the point? Lastly, the visuals were...something to say the least, I recommend you going for something more centralized next time. (Though seeing from a gif you've posted likely not which is fine(?))
Note: I only played the Knuckles path of the level
Not much to it, it's a fun level. Gives off a lot of 2.0 vibes (not necessarily saying it's bad, 2.0 levels are good to some merit). Makes nice use of Knuckles' gliding abilities. Don't have anything else to say.
Should've been squished down a bit, I feel like there's too much space to run on? lmao
Don't have much to say about this level, it was just...fine.
This level took me 15 minutes to beat.

Thematically, it's pretty interesting...gameplay wise, not so much. The puzzles mostly consist of having to get a rolling rock to a button. There were a few points where I just felt confused, and... why are there platforms that are too high for one to jump onto? Was I supposed to have a whirlwind shield?
Teal Tundra - 5/10 Nice theme, but it feels mostly like filler. It's all mindless running with a bit of platforming. Needs more substance.
This...is a level for sure. It has charm(?) but this pretty much has no place in the OLDC, sorry. This feels like a level that one would make minutes after learning the basics of Zone Builder and nothing more than that. Huge empty spaces, random shapes, enemy spam... I do believe you can do better however, as bad it is. You're clearly learning and I believe you'll make great maps in the future. I just don't think you should've submitted this to the OLDC because of how barebones it is.
 
I've posted this in the voting thread, but I think it can be here as well for easy orientation. My thoughts on the maps in the SP division:

Ranked from lowest to best, based on how I enjoyed them.

16/ Emerald Glade Zone by DoodlesYT

I have very little to say about this stage. It’s basically a canvas to try out various functions of ZB. While fine in concept, playing this is a major chore, especially when I got an Emerald to spawn in the pit with spammed spring shells.

15/ Drenched Dam Zone by Voidy2246

I didn’t expect a Metal Sonic race. The whole stage is mired by questionable design decisions, like the invisible walls everywhere barring any progress other than that you intend, which isn’t that bad of an idea itself, but placing invisible walls to block areas that are clearly visible is not the way to do it. The whole stage is fairly claustrophobic to wade through, and the enemies and mines sometimes filling up the stage make maneuvering difficult. The timer counting down is a nice touch, though.

Also, the DK rap remix made my ears bleed and my mind numb.

14/ Blizzard Bastion Zone by PhilJFou

It’s hard to talk about this stage, because it has an okay layout and design, but a lot of the ideas either fall flat or are a massive nuisance. As someone mentioned before, it’s a very Sonic unfriendly stage, having to rely on slope physics to get into the castle. There’s also this particular room with conveyor belts and turret in the middle, which I’m picking out of the lot, because it’s awful. The castle’s inside is where it also gets visually bland: massive rooms and hallways, large amounts of statues, and same texturing most of the way through. It has an okay length and some nice ideas, but I didn’t really have fun.

13/ Music Mash Zone by WasifBoomz

I have to say, I really liked Aquatic Port better. This stage is like a step back in comparison. I couldn’t figure out some of the puzzles and mostly relied on either jumping across or taking different routes. The texturing itself is… really not good. I’d say it’s almost seizure-inducing. The layout of the map itself is fairly straightforward, and I like the callbacks to your older stages.

12 /Bombastic Beach Zone by Shapeshifter Boi

Easily the shortest level of the bunch, I think I finished it in about 40 seconds when I played it first and didn’t know the layout. I like the introduction of the bubble gimmick, but it’s a shame it’s more of a novelty instead of being used properly. Nothing much else to say, it’s kinda basic.

11/ Koopa Kastle Zone by Glaber

You know, Glaber, after over a decade of mapping, I really expected more from you than this. The stage is bland and geometric, making it look like something out of the Final Demo. The enemies have some harrowing placement, like Sharps on a platform in front of an excruciatingly slow lift—Wait, Sharps? What are they doing here, why not use Spincushions? The 2D section is ok enough, and the Koopa sprites are neat. Brak at the end is an annoyance, though.

10/ Zaxel's Thunder Yard by Zaxel

You really ought to learn how to make shorter levels because hot damn. The electric gimmick is very impressive, and I like its usage across the stage. The visuals are just like before, very nice to look at. Everything else unfortunately falls apart. The stage as mentioned, is overly too long. Not a fan of the enemy lineup either. The spiders feel like crawla resprites, while the fairies are pretty much jetties. The jellyfish was the most interesting of the bunch, but just like the rest, it’s plagued by an unreasonable amount of HP. The beginning text I could get behind being immersive, if you didn’t talk about “girls in season” which genuinely creeps me out. And the loli room just nails it for me further.

Also the troll softlock. I fully expected a prank behind a “very cool” exit, but a softlock is honestly insulting and unreasonable.

9/ Abyss Caverns Zone by yyeellooww7

We’re getting into the territory of stages that are really just “okay” and I have nothing much to say about. This stage is fun, has an interesting theme, but has nothing more than fast platforming going for it.

8/ Teal Tundra Zone by SunCyclone

Essentially the same as above, just handled better. I prefer the wintery theme and I liked how fast paced it is but has nothing much else going for it. Visually, though, I’d think this is worse than Abyss Caverns because it’s very geometric, but it isn’t enough to put it below it.

7/ Fort Sunset Zone by DylanDude

This is a very nice experimental stage. I don’t know what it is a reference to, but I like the cute design. Gameplay-wise it’s extremely basic and gets old very quickly when you realize it’s just a small, symmetrical area in which you have to collect a lot of coins, unfortunately.

6/ Lava Temple by Vixuzen

An entire stage based on a game I only watched my brother play and around a gimmick that is being utilized in a fairly creative way. Some of the ball puzzles were cruel, but it didn’t ruin the experience much. I have played it only with Sonic so far, so I can only comment on his path at the end of the stage. It’s brutal, some of the jumps are overly too difficult to make, especially when the platforms have enemies, so I’d suggest toning that next time. The enemies themselves could’ve been placed more scarcely, especially the Buzz-based enemies around tight platforms for ball maneuvering. Otherwise, I like the theme and the unique challenge. I’ll be sure to play it with more characters to see their end paths.

5/ Mercury Mine Zone by Rexeljet

I like this stage quite a bit visually. The texturing is unique, and the layout is intuitive and fast paced. The length is okay, although I’d prefer it slightly shorter. I’m not too fond of the ring-sapping mercury. Especially when you put ring monitors within the lake, making Perfect bonus impossible for sure.

4/ Ante-Station Zone by Twins'R'Okay

This is more of a proof of concept than a proper stage, but god damn if it isn’t cool. I don’t really like how Software looks, but I’m willing to stomach it for this stage. The biggest issue I really had with it is that the platforming is sometimes downright unfair with the wacky views and how your character doesn’t move with them and so is constantly at risk of simply sliding off. Other than that, really neat.

3/ Falcon Emissary Zone by InferNOr

Well, my PC has a bit of an aneurysm every single time it attempts to load this stage, either on arrival or after dying. When it does, it’s really quite awesome. The visuals are gorgeous, and the gimmicks are impressive. The storm midway through had me engaged and I enjoyed playing through this quite a bit. It has some questionable decisions which prevent it from being ranked even higher, though. Notably some of the ledges are very hard to see that they’re sloped, so spinning into monitors in front of them, thinking it’s a levelled edge that will stop you, meant a few dumb deaths. The enemy placement can be cheap, as there is a lot. And some of the traps are pretty rude, especially when you try to pick up the life at the beginning (which has no real value since lives are turned off in the OLDC anyway) and get assaulted by a squadron of flying enemies. Otherwise very neat.

2/ Ridge Rapids Zone by particle

I actually really liked this neat little stage. The visuals, while simple, were cozy and hard to get lost in. The slide sections were fun enough and the 2D section breaks the stage off nicely. I like how the rocks at the beginning were so subtly climbable. They looked small enough, but you really need to jump around to find out that, indeed, you can get all the way to the top of the beginning area, where an Emerald can be found. I feel I ranked this stage much higher than most people, but I don’t care, this is a nice little stage that fits SRB2 perfectly.

1/ Hollow Hill Zone by Othius, Inazuma & Spectorious

This was to be expected, from such a collab. This stage is gorgeous. From the visuals to the gameplay elements to the fact you took your time to find some very clever spots for the emblems, encouraging replayability with other characters. I can’t think of much to complain, other than maybe that the stage is very dark and made playing it in the morning a hell of a chore, though that’s admittedly a me issue for playing OLDC at the time that makes the sunshine feel like it can cook something on the windowsill.
 
I've recorded my first playthrugh of this OLDC. The whole thing is 4 parts, check the playlist for the whole thing. If I remember to later, I'll play them a second time and give a proper review. Maybe. No guarantees.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS0irAZqKHwc5y4DqmyCQ2LovD8Gnx8RU
 
It was NOT hentai by any means, it wasn't sexualized whatsoever, however it was extremely sus that he called it a 'loli room', and that, reasonably, made a lot of people uncomfortable
 
Alright, I played through all the stages several times as different characters, so I'm ready to deliver my opinion on each level.
Drenched Dam Zone (3/10)
Racing Metal Sonic isn't something you expect to see in the OLDC, it makes this stage quite unique. But in the end, one big flaw ruins everything: invisible walls are everywhere! They force the player to run through tight "corridors", which is really bad for a wide-open space games like SRB2. This stage would be played better if it had more open areas.

Koopa Kastle (5/10)
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Mario themed levels, but this stage felt pretty good at the start. However, then I noticed some issues:
- The stage feels kinda empty, some variety in visuals or in level gimmicks won't hurt;
- I find it unfair when people use lava as an insta-kill plane, considering in vanilla SRB2 lava doesn't kill you on touch;
- Was it really necessary to put Brak Eggman at the end of the stage?
Sadly, this stage was promising to me, but it fell shortly.

Emerald Glade Zone (1/10)
Not gonna lie, I was genuinely surprised that stage got into the contest. It feels more like a first project in Zone Builder than an actual level. Sure, it has some interesting ideas for Emerald Hunt, but that's about it. Anyone can make a stage like this in a few hours.

Abyss Caverns Zone (9/10)
Now that was a really well made level: I absolutely adore the aesthetics of the stage and it wasn't too difficult! Various signs around the level tell you where do you need to go, so you won't get lost. Nice music choice. I can't really find any issues with this stage, except for maybe being a bit too short, but after all this is a really good level.

Falcon Emissary Zone (7/10)
This is a pretty neat level, I can even see it in the main game as a challenge stage. I would rate this stage higher if not for some issues that are too hard to ignore:
- Poor Optimization. Some sections of the stage lag really bad and I'm not sure why. It could be just my computer, but then we have this: the stage loads up forever in compare to the rest of the levels (it's super annoying when you have to trial and error in order to complete the stage, because lags occur even after retrying/dying)
- Questionable Enemy Placement. For example going through Knuckles path was a hassle while there were bee badniks around that can hit you while you're climbing over a bottomless pit.
This stage has a really cool idea, but unfortunately, I can't rank it any higher.

Bombastic Beach Zone (4/10)
If I had to describe this stage with one word, it would be "anticlimactic". The level starts inside an air bubble which made me think that most of the stage will be built around this gimmick and next there are spinning bumpers, which were annoying to get through to say the least, and then... the level ends. It must be the shortest stage in this OLDC. Like, why do you have to use a gimmick that doesn't affect your stage at all? But I'll be more forgiving with this stage considering how many difficult levels there are, yet this stage is pretty low on my list.

Music Mash Zone (4/10)
Where do I even begin with? The music for this stage is ironically way too quiet for a music themed level. I know that some people complain about the color palettes for the stage, like it can cause epilepsy, but I had a different problem with it: all these switching colors and constant change of direction made me sorta tranced, at some point I wasn't realizing what I was doing. This stage has a pretty cool idea, but again, it was poorly executed. However, unlike, say, Drenched Dam Zone, Music Mash doesn't limit you with free space, hop around as much as you want, but still, this level is pretty bad.

Zaxel's Thunder Yard (6/10)
Ok, people will definitely disagree with me on that one, but this stage is not as good! Sure, this stage is fun to play in some way, it's long enough to enjoy the playthrough, but...
- Sometimes it's not clear what do you need to do and where do you need to go, even with signs;
- These green spiders are rather too small to notice or hard to see on green planes;
- These troll exits are just evil, especially the very cool exit;
- Record attack emblems are insane! Well, I can live with 2:55 for time emblem, even though I got barely enough time to finish the stage with Tails, but 2k rings and 300k score points!? I'm sorry, but this is just absurd... Of course, it's possible, but it's mindblowing, if you want to get these two emblems prepare to feel the worst anxiety in your life.
But still, in compare to most levels of this OLDC, this one is pretty descent.

Teal Tundra Zone (9/10)
Another definition of "beauty in simplicity". This stage's aesthetics aren't as strong as in Abyss Caverns, but it still has this charming atmosphere. I like the emblems placement. I have only two problems with this stage: some sections feel a bit empty and record attack emblems are pretty tough. Even then I love this level.

Lava Temple (7/10)
Oof... This stage must be the most difficult in this OLDC, but the challenge is pretty much fair, not without trial and error, but still. The bad thing about it, it's way too repetitive - if you take top path it's just "the floor, ceiling and walls are lava", if you take bottom path it's endless boulder puzzles. The second part of the level is quite unique as it has separate paths for all character, so every one will have their own challenge. Somethings I don't like - visuals of the stage and especially its "badniks" don't match Sonic style, also these badniks are kinda creepy. Time emblem is too strict. But overall it's a good stage.

Ante-Station Zone (8/10)
I have controversial thoughts on this one. On the one hand, this stage is super confusing: honestly, this kind of 2D in 3D doesn't work well in SRB2. Also, some platforming sections are screwed up and I have no idea how to get some of the emblems, because they seem to be out of reach. On the other hand, it's a nice experiment and I liked the idea. By the way, this gimmick where you fall into floor and then appear at the ceiling reminded me of Portal players' favorite thing to do, which is definitely plus from me.

Blizzard Bastion Zone (N/A)
ERROR_631_stage_is_not_to_be_ranked

Mercury Mine Zone (7/10)
I don't have much things to say about this stage other than it's descent. Ring-draining liquids isn't something new, but it's appropriate here. Sometimes it's not clear where do you need to go. These parts with flows of mercury falling down are a bit annoying as it forces you to be under mercury for the most of the time. I like the visuals, but music doesn't fit quite well. I wouild say, this is an average OLDC stage I've expected to see.

Fort Sunset Zone (6/10)
This stage felt like a new gamemode in SRB2, but after playing it over and over again it reminded me of old special stages that are currently used in multiplayer. And if special stages had no threat of losing blue spheres, in Fort Sunset there are enemies who can hit you making you lose 400 coins (rings) and this thing drove me mad at one point. Thankfully, coins respawn. but it's still not too fun.

Ridge Rapids Zone (6/10)
This stage makes an impression that it was mainly tested with Amy: I had a struggle when trying to beat this level with other characters, but the level itself isn't that bad, maybe except for the final part where you have to dodge stupid bees while jumping over bottomless pits. But if you figure out a speedrun route, it's no longer a trouble. It's not a bad stage, but I just didn't enjoy it.

Hollow Hill Zone (10/10)
And thisis the best stage of the OLDC in my opinion. Visuals are fantastic. Challenge is fair enough. Emblems spread out similarly to original SRB2. I enjoy this cyan goo gimmick which doesn't make you sink immediately and speeds you up when you're running on it, like blue gel from Portal 2. This is the stage you just want to explore more and more. The only thing I didn't like is strict timer for the time emblem... also fifth emblem... why... just why...

And now my final rankings:
A: Hollow Hill Zone, Abyss Caverns Zone, Teal Tundra Zone
B: Ante-Station Zone, Mercury Mine Zone, Falcon Emissary Zone, Lava Temple
C: Ridge Rapids Zone, Zaxel's Thunder Yard, Fort Sunset Zone
D: Koopa Kastle, Music Mash Zone, Bombastic Beach Zone
F: Drenched Dam Zone, Emerald Glade Zone
Unranked: Blizzard Bastion Zone
 
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