[ti]Demon[/ti][DEMON/INSANE 9*] Operation Megan by AgentJDN (ilrell cc1)

Level Name and creator: Operation Megan by AgentJDN
Requested difficulty: 9/10 stars
Personal difficulty: 10 stars

Gameplay: The gameplay in this level is questionable to say the least. The first cube had decent gameplay. The springboard was not very fun for me to play. This mostly was an issue when using the orbs. You could still click to go down right before you were supposed to use the orbs. This was very annoying to play through and would easily be fixed by disabling the black orbs in the area. However that would kinda ruin the concept of the game mode so I won't discredit you that much here. The ship has so much shake and covers that you can barely tell where your ship is which basically ruins the part. The following robot is fine. When playing in practice mode, I was absolutely clueless on how to do the proper input pattern in the train part. It isn't what I would consider bad though. The spider after is good. The UFO has tight timings and spam, which aren't exactly fun. The bird is probably my least favorite part to play. It just felt so unnatural. The way the mode behaves is tough to control and when it is put through tight spaces it is just not fun. I am aware that when it comes to hard levels, especially demons, the amount of fun somebody haves shifts from person to person but the gameplay is not very strong in this level.

Sync: While the gameplay isn't very fun itself, the sync in this level is on point and is really good for most of the level. Not really much else to say here.

Backgrounds: There is only one traditional background in this level, at the robot part. I assume that the moving lines are supposed to give the illusion of rotating but they just don't. It just looks ok and is nothing special. I'm also gonna include here what I call "foreground backdrops." These take the place of air deco to fill up empty space. The one in the springboard part looks good but doesn't fit well with the block design. I see that more as a block design issue though. The one in the train part fits very well and fills space well. The one in the spider part with the blocks flashing is creative and well executed. The checkers themselves in the UFO are not that original but I like how you put the text there. It makes it stand out from other levels. The FB in the bird part looks good but it should be used in more spaces than it is. That would have made the part seem more full. I'm also going to say that the loading screen is a creative idea and was executed very well. Overall, a good job was done in the backgrounds/FBs.

Block Design: I really like the amount of effort you put into the block design when making this level. The design in the first cube looks really good and diverse. The use of the circles also helps. Great job making these blocks. However, my opinion shifts during the springboard part. The color flashes don't work and the blocks don't look good. It also doesn't blend well with the FB which is necessary. The blocks in the ship look good but aren't the most original. The blocks in the robot part look good and are all different. That shows that effort was put into the level. I also like the idea of coloring blocks that kill you differently. I haven't really seen that before. I like how you based the block design off of colors in the train part which gives it a unique feel. The design itself isn't the most stunning but the concept works. The blocks in the spider I haven't seen done before, are each different, and look great. All stuff that I've said before. The blocks in the UFO use the checkered design which as previously stated, is not the most original but the dripping goo things give it a unique touch which I appreciate. The blocks in the bird part are very empty and bland. Not much else to say on the block design. Some are great yet some are lacking. Try to keep them consistently better next time.

Colors. This level uses colors excellently. There really aren't any problems other than in the springboard part where the colors contrast too much for how close they are. I wouldn't have so many different colors in as compact of an area like that next time. I really don't have much to say other than good job.

Air Deco and Other Design: The air deco in the first cube consists of the arrow things and some clouds. I like what you did with the arrows as I have never seen that before. It gives this level another unique touch that I like. I'm also gonna say here that the hand doesn't always turn when unlocking the first coin, but that isn't a penalizable mistake. I like how the clouds in the ship are colored to match the blocks. Sometimes small stuff can be impressing. However, I'm not a big fan of the lines coming in at the front of the screen and blocking the player. That's just a bad choice in any level. If you want to add them, make it on a lower layer or even in like a cube part where full concentration on the icon is not required. Parts like the train have arrow design which is very creative. Arrows are one thing that this level has done better than any other level I can remember. All other air deco that I didn't mention is too small to really write about and makes a good impact on the level, but nothing as stand out as the arrows for say. One thing that I find very unique is how this level lacks spikes. Up until the bird part there are only 4 incorporated into the main gameplay. The saw design is consistently varied and consistently good. My favorites of these are in the UFO. Creativity is strong with you I can tell. The grounds (which you create and kill the player, don't know a better word) are good and pretty original at the beginning, all having their own unique concepts and flares, but start to get empty and lacking towards the end. Consistency needs to be kept for a level to truly stand out. Not really much else that I have to say in this section.

Originality: What can I really say about originality? This level has 3 custom game modes for pete's sake. The only thing I can critique here is that some block designs and backgrounds stand out much less and have been used before but compared to all of the positives in this category, it really doesn't matter too much. Excellent job my friend.

Gameplay: 14/20
Sync: 9/10
Backgrounds: 13/15
Block Design: 13/15
Colors: 9/10
Air/Other Deco:  12/15
Originality: 15/15

Total score: 85/100
Feature Worthy

While this level comes off very strong in some areas, it is weak in others. Overall you did an amazing job. Your creativity really shined and I'd love to see more levels like this. Just next time keep it more consistent design-wise and make better gameplay.


Strong Points:

Originality
Colors
Sync
Creative design and gameplay concepts

Weaker Points

Fun gameplay
Consistency in design

CreativeGuy this review is finished if you want to look at it

CreativeGuy this was rated