I try to provide a quick review on each level. I played through all of them with Sonic, Tails and Amy and a few of them with Knuckles and Fang. The list goes from the best (top) to worst (bottom) with each header providing the level's name, author(s) and my personal best time.
Note: I played on Software Rendering.
1.Dark Marsh - Vixuzen - 1:19.45
This is my submission and I have to vote 1st on it.
Making this level made me realise one thing - only because the level seems feasible to the creator, it doesn't mean that it's feasible to the player. Too many enemies is something that I had in mind but ultimately decided to ignore which didn't end well. Other than that, there are a couple of things (like more branching paths) that I wanted to add but was too burned out.
2.Pagoda Park - Rogerregorroger - 1:54.91
I like how the music changes as you progress. The textures used look nice and the level overall is really fun and has a couple of branching paths. My only problem is with the saws - their hitboxes are too big. Other than that, fantastic work!
3.Shadow of Aztlan Zone - akirahedgehog - 2:47.45
This level is really fun but a bit too linear. I like how the scenery changes as you progres. My main complaint is that this level crashes the most out of all. It's only at the start, though, so you don't lose much progress.
4.Foliage Furnace Zone - Kwiin & Kanna - 1:21.34
A level based on Sonic After The Sequel. Never really cared about it or Before The Sequel. This level made me change my mind. It's fun but a bit too big. And the spinning platforms are a bit too fast. Oh, and the textures used seem a bit too saturated. Other than that, great work!
5.Knothole Coast Zone 1 - Apollyon - 0:29.65
This level is really fun! Probably the most fun out of all of this OLDC's levels. It has one problem, though. It's way too short. It ends before it can really shine. Also, the ending section is kind of meh. Cool easter egg (both of them).
6.Square City Zone 2 - Riolucariolu - 0:53.68
Nice, short level. Not much to say, other than the checkpoints are not tagged properly. Activating the first one activates the second one as well. Also, the level is kind of empty in enemies. Now, I'm not saying you should spam them on every corner (a mistake i did), but there only, like, two areas with enemies? And they don't provide any threat anyway.
7.Overgrown Heights Zone Act 2 - InferNOr - 1:36.31
This level is okay as Tails. Not so much as Sonic. Some of the parts are way too obstructed with the plants. The music is... fitting but also not at the same time. Using Jungle Joyride Night seemed like an obvious choice, but the level is too fast for it. There's a section where you have to ascend a waterfall with a rock and it rises too slowly which makes you wait for a bit. Also, there are some ares where you get stuck. Not much else to say, other than this level looks pretty.
8.Emerald Aether Zone - Krabs - 0:58.48
The start of the level is kind of in sync with the music, if you just hold forward. Not sure if it was planned or not but it's cool. Other than that, it's a giant sandbox level. I'm really not too keen on those. It uses some custom scripts which makes you go slightly higher when running of a slope. Why is Sonic's thok so weak though? It killed me at least 5 times. Also, while the level itself is okay, the ending section is not. The moving platform glitches and turns invisible. It's also a bit too fast.
9.Gate Garden Zone - Ruberjig - 1:37.14
It has custom assets. Some of them don't seem to work, I think. I'm talking about the crystals. They show "500" but don't award any points. Other than that, this level is okay. One of the thorns floors is an instant-death for some reason. There's a maze at the end. And in the middle of the level there's a section where you have to break a grey rock. I'm not going to lie - I was completaly lost at that part and only realised what your were actually supposed to do after checking Discord. If you want the player to break something, think about putting some cracks on the texture. Unless it's a secret. Which, in this case, it wasn't.
10.Alabaster Fountain Zone - BronsoKip - 2:47.05
This level is big and has a lot of branching paths. I love that. There are a lot of problems with this level, though. There are a lot of graphic glitches. Sometimes they even obstruct your view. Another problem is the amount of different textures. You just see the same 4 or so textures over and over through the entire level. And the choice for the water is also kind of odd. It's mostly white but the water falling from walls is blue. And it's direction is all over the place as well. Not much else to say though. It probably has the most branching paths in any of this ODLC's levels.
11.Azlant Ruin Zone - Gambit - 2:49.14
This level is the only level in this OLDC that lags. And it lags a lot. The underwater section is confusing - especially the right path. Thankfully, it can be skipped with any of the 4 rolling characters which is both good and bad. It's good because it's confusing and I really don't like it. It's bad because you skip a lot of the level with barely any trouble. I like the use of warps, though. In all honesty, like Hakuryu Dojo, this level would've been a bit higher if not for the boss at the end of the level. Here, it's Metal Sonic. Not only is it a weird choice but it's also (in my opinion) the hardest boss in the game. Just why? Now, I'm not expecting everyone to make their own bosses but if you go for one of the vanilla ones, at least don't choose the hardest one. The opening of the level sick, though.
12.Hakuryu Dojo - Zaxel - 7:03.02
Oh boy. I really want to like this level. While I do appreciate the effort put into it, that alone doesn't make it good. This level is way too long. My fastest attempt was about 7 minutes and my first attempt was over 10 minutes. It seems like it could've made an entire zone (1, 2 and 3 for the boss). Oh, yeah... The boss... It's cool that it's custom but it takes too many hits (the standard for SRB2 is 8, while this one takes 14). It also yeets you across the arena. And it's fast. Another problem, this time with the boss arena, is that the arrow on the ground points at a wall. Now, the first time I played through this level I didn't realise you could even leave the arena, so when I beat the boss and saw the wall not moving I assumed the level was glitched. That was not the case but I really think the exit should have been more obvious (I do admit that it's partially my fault for not checking if you could leave the arena). Also the boss music. I found it really annoying in A Link to the Past and I find it annoying here as well. The elementals are supposed to give you corresponding shields but that only ever happened to me twice - is that a glitch or are they just rare? Also, Cacolanterns are a weird choice for the Dojo enemy rush, considering they don't appear anywhere else in the level. The good aspect of this level is that it's aesthetically pleasing which left a good impression when I started this level up.
13.Galactic Facility Zone - Mondongo - 1:53.02
Splitting paths are done pretty well here. My main problem with this level is it's Time Attack - it's 1:30 but it really doesn't seem possible. Then again, there might be a path I'm missing. Other than that - this level is big. Too big. Also, some paths are kind of frustrating. Nice music choice, though.
14.Aquatic Port Zone - WasifBoomz - 1:34.62
I played Hypertower and I can say one thing - Aquatic Port is a good step forward and shows the level designer's improvement. However, that alone is not enough for a good level. It does have multiple paths, which is always welcome. The puzzle section thuogh, is kind of confusing. I though you were supposed to lower both blocks which, apparentaly is not the solution. The ending section is a bit too long and repetitive. The visuals make me think you're constantly underwater which (fortunately) is not the case.
15.Fatal Factory Zone - Kuba11 - 3:12.28
Not gonna lie, hearing Cannon's Core music made me excited. The title is pretty true to the level itself - you die a lot. The damaging water destroying your rings is kind of annoying and makes the level very punishing. The same goes with the crushers. There's just way too many of them and the level seems to focus on yellow water and crushers a bit too much. While the use of hang-ropes (hang-rails?) is neat, they kind of overstay their welcome near the end of the level. Other than that, the level is kind of empty and linear.
Note: I played on Software Rendering.
1.Dark Marsh - Vixuzen - 1:19.45
This is my submission and I have to vote 1st on it.
Making this level made me realise one thing - only because the level seems feasible to the creator, it doesn't mean that it's feasible to the player. Too many enemies is something that I had in mind but ultimately decided to ignore which didn't end well. Other than that, there are a couple of things (like more branching paths) that I wanted to add but was too burned out.
2.Pagoda Park - Rogerregorroger - 1:54.91
I like how the music changes as you progress. The textures used look nice and the level overall is really fun and has a couple of branching paths. My only problem is with the saws - their hitboxes are too big. Other than that, fantastic work!
3.Shadow of Aztlan Zone - akirahedgehog - 2:47.45
This level is really fun but a bit too linear. I like how the scenery changes as you progres. My main complaint is that this level crashes the most out of all. It's only at the start, though, so you don't lose much progress.
4.Foliage Furnace Zone - Kwiin & Kanna - 1:21.34
A level based on Sonic After The Sequel. Never really cared about it or Before The Sequel. This level made me change my mind. It's fun but a bit too big. And the spinning platforms are a bit too fast. Oh, and the textures used seem a bit too saturated. Other than that, great work!
5.Knothole Coast Zone 1 - Apollyon - 0:29.65
This level is really fun! Probably the most fun out of all of this OLDC's levels. It has one problem, though. It's way too short. It ends before it can really shine. Also, the ending section is kind of meh. Cool easter egg (both of them).
6.Square City Zone 2 - Riolucariolu - 0:53.68
Nice, short level. Not much to say, other than the checkpoints are not tagged properly. Activating the first one activates the second one as well. Also, the level is kind of empty in enemies. Now, I'm not saying you should spam them on every corner (a mistake i did), but there only, like, two areas with enemies? And they don't provide any threat anyway.
7.Overgrown Heights Zone Act 2 - InferNOr - 1:36.31
This level is okay as Tails. Not so much as Sonic. Some of the parts are way too obstructed with the plants. The music is... fitting but also not at the same time. Using Jungle Joyride Night seemed like an obvious choice, but the level is too fast for it. There's a section where you have to ascend a waterfall with a rock and it rises too slowly which makes you wait for a bit. Also, there are some ares where you get stuck. Not much else to say, other than this level looks pretty.
8.Emerald Aether Zone - Krabs - 0:58.48
The start of the level is kind of in sync with the music, if you just hold forward. Not sure if it was planned or not but it's cool. Other than that, it's a giant sandbox level. I'm really not too keen on those. It uses some custom scripts which makes you go slightly higher when running of a slope. Why is Sonic's thok so weak though? It killed me at least 5 times. Also, while the level itself is okay, the ending section is not. The moving platform glitches and turns invisible. It's also a bit too fast.
9.Gate Garden Zone - Ruberjig - 1:37.14
It has custom assets. Some of them don't seem to work, I think. I'm talking about the crystals. They show "500" but don't award any points. Other than that, this level is okay. One of the thorns floors is an instant-death for some reason. There's a maze at the end. And in the middle of the level there's a section where you have to break a grey rock. I'm not going to lie - I was completaly lost at that part and only realised what your were actually supposed to do after checking Discord. If you want the player to break something, think about putting some cracks on the texture. Unless it's a secret. Which, in this case, it wasn't.
10.Alabaster Fountain Zone - BronsoKip - 2:47.05
This level is big and has a lot of branching paths. I love that. There are a lot of problems with this level, though. There are a lot of graphic glitches. Sometimes they even obstruct your view. Another problem is the amount of different textures. You just see the same 4 or so textures over and over through the entire level. And the choice for the water is also kind of odd. It's mostly white but the water falling from walls is blue. And it's direction is all over the place as well. Not much else to say though. It probably has the most branching paths in any of this ODLC's levels.
11.Azlant Ruin Zone - Gambit - 2:49.14
This level is the only level in this OLDC that lags. And it lags a lot. The underwater section is confusing - especially the right path. Thankfully, it can be skipped with any of the 4 rolling characters which is both good and bad. It's good because it's confusing and I really don't like it. It's bad because you skip a lot of the level with barely any trouble. I like the use of warps, though. In all honesty, like Hakuryu Dojo, this level would've been a bit higher if not for the boss at the end of the level. Here, it's Metal Sonic. Not only is it a weird choice but it's also (in my opinion) the hardest boss in the game. Just why? Now, I'm not expecting everyone to make their own bosses but if you go for one of the vanilla ones, at least don't choose the hardest one. The opening of the level sick, though.
12.Hakuryu Dojo - Zaxel - 7:03.02
Oh boy. I really want to like this level. While I do appreciate the effort put into it, that alone doesn't make it good. This level is way too long. My fastest attempt was about 7 minutes and my first attempt was over 10 minutes. It seems like it could've made an entire zone (1, 2 and 3 for the boss). Oh, yeah... The boss... It's cool that it's custom but it takes too many hits (the standard for SRB2 is 8, while this one takes 14). It also yeets you across the arena. And it's fast. Another problem, this time with the boss arena, is that the arrow on the ground points at a wall. Now, the first time I played through this level I didn't realise you could even leave the arena, so when I beat the boss and saw the wall not moving I assumed the level was glitched. That was not the case but I really think the exit should have been more obvious (I do admit that it's partially my fault for not checking if you could leave the arena). Also the boss music. I found it really annoying in A Link to the Past and I find it annoying here as well. The elementals are supposed to give you corresponding shields but that only ever happened to me twice - is that a glitch or are they just rare? Also, Cacolanterns are a weird choice for the Dojo enemy rush, considering they don't appear anywhere else in the level. The good aspect of this level is that it's aesthetically pleasing which left a good impression when I started this level up.
13.Galactic Facility Zone - Mondongo - 1:53.02
Splitting paths are done pretty well here. My main problem with this level is it's Time Attack - it's 1:30 but it really doesn't seem possible. Then again, there might be a path I'm missing. Other than that - this level is big. Too big. Also, some paths are kind of frustrating. Nice music choice, though.
14.Aquatic Port Zone - WasifBoomz - 1:34.62
I played Hypertower and I can say one thing - Aquatic Port is a good step forward and shows the level designer's improvement. However, that alone is not enough for a good level. It does have multiple paths, which is always welcome. The puzzle section thuogh, is kind of confusing. I though you were supposed to lower both blocks which, apparentaly is not the solution. The ending section is a bit too long and repetitive. The visuals make me think you're constantly underwater which (fortunately) is not the case.
15.Fatal Factory Zone - Kuba11 - 3:12.28
Not gonna lie, hearing Cannon's Core music made me excited. The title is pretty true to the level itself - you die a lot. The damaging water destroying your rings is kind of annoying and makes the level very punishing. The same goes with the crushers. There's just way too many of them and the level seems to focus on yellow water and crushers a bit too much. While the use of hang-ropes (hang-rails?) is neat, they kind of overstay their welcome near the end of the level. Other than that, the level is kind of empty and linear.