* I don't judge on a traditional point scale like some others. I recommend you read through and look at my suggestions for a full overview of what you did well, and what you could improve. I try to be as objective as possible, to help improve the level in ways that will make it better for everyone, not just me based on my opinions.=== Gameplay ===
//Readability
(How well can I see what's happening)Considering I can make it very far throughout your level without having to practice any part repeatedly, readability in your level is not a problem at all. Because of your choice in decoration and block design, it creates a kind of disjointed tunnel that the player follows (as in, focus is kept on where the player is going, not to some object in the corner that just distracts the player, for instance). I don't have a whole lot to add here, because honestly you seem to have this part down. There's no stupid moving stuff or memorization (which would be completely unwarranted in a 'Harder' level), and the rest of it is very easy to understand.
//Layout
(The overall composition of the level and its gameplay)I think my only complaint here is that you use the cube mode
a lot in this level. This may or may not be a personal quip (though keep in mind, the cube is my favorite mode because of how easy it is to sync with the music), but a large percentage of the level is cube gameplay, and I saw many opportunities throughout the beginning to switch the mode to something else to vary it a bit. It's definitely not a big problem, and using cube for transitions (due to it's stability as a gamemode) isn't bad either, but I do feel like you could have sneaked a gamemode or two in replacement for some of the cube gameplay. Other than that, again, there's not really any gameplay mechanics that are abused or used incorrectly, and the level was definitely enjoyable to play through!
//Synchronization
(How well does the gameplay sync to the music)I actually really appreciate the work that was done on sync here. I feel many creators don't really understand how essential good synchronization is. Most actions start or end on a beat or tone in the song, which is the crux of synchronization. You also do something that I don't see very often, and that is using... how to explain... Say there is a beat every 3 seconds, but the third time there isn't an actual beat in the song. The player still expects a beat, so you can technically synchronize something to it because the player feels like there's going to be a beat or tone or whatever at that time. A good example is at 0:06 where the player falls twice then jumps to the 3-part chime that would have played based on the leading part of the song if the pattern kept going. Another example is at 0:11, where again, the falling is synced to where the chimes normally would be, even though they don't appear in the song at that point.
It's also entirely possible that was accidental, in which case, you probably just put the gameplay there because it felt like it synced, which is still a good sign that you have decent intuition as a creator.
=== Design ===
//Block Design
(How well-designed are the blocks)The block design is varied and interesting throughout the level, my only problem (and I'm sure you saw this coming, at least partly) is that it's almost
too consistent. Like, the entire level looks very much the same because of this. Now this isn't necessarily bad, but generally you want to split your level into sections and give them a unique feel. The reason is twofold, really. One, it gives the level a sense of uniqueness throughout, and two, it helps the player locate themselves in a level, which helps greatly with remembering what gameplay is upcoming. What I mean is that, if each section has a different feel, the player can use the design as a landmark and say "oh yeah, this is the part with the flying and the UFO." Without this, it's easy for the entire level to just blur together, especially if other forms of "landmarks" aren't added in. And again, the design is honestly very good, but you need to vary it a bit, otherwise the entire level just feels like the same thing. Some may like this, but especially on more difficult levels, it can easily ruin somebody's enjoyment of the level.
//Additional Decoration
(How well designed are the effects and external decoration)Here is really where your level loses some identity. You add a few things here and there to the background, but nothing amazing. I'm not going to assume that you were lazy, but rather that you lacked the direction that you needed to go with effects. It's a lot harder than many people think to just synthesize original effects out of the blue, but it makes for a very intriguing level if your can pull it off. I can't give much advice here because of how much the "effect" portion of a level varies between levels, but try to 'feel' the music and incorporate that into some effects, much like you would while syncronizing gameplay to the music. Check out some of the top tier creators for their effects (funnygame, serponge, manix, etc., and be aware that sometimes, even though the effects are good, the gameplay is not
) so you have an idea on what to make. Feel inspired, but don't copy effects directly because somebody
will notice, and it
will hurt your reputation.
Also when I say don't copy, I don't mean thinking "oh, he used vertical lines for his effects, so I can't". What I mean is, try not to directly copy the designs of the effects. You can keep the feel the same, but do not just copy paste anything for obvious reasons.
Also if you're wondering where to put the effects, subtle and low-intensity effects would work best towards the beginning of your level, whereas more intense and noticeable effects would take up their positions after the "drop" in the music. The effects that you have now aren't actually that bad for the beginning, but I would still recommend glorifying them a little bit to make them more noticeable, because you have to keep in mind, the player is focused
on the level, not the effects. If you want the player to even notice them while he's playing the level, you have to take away a little bit of the subtlety that you've added in here.
//Colors
(Do the colors work within the level)Again, really only one complaint here. The colors are perfectly fine, but I would have liked to see a bit more thought going into making color combinations, vaguely like the end of your level where you start mixing the colors a bit. This type of low-saturation design lends itself incredibly well to fades between colors and multi-color designs. This is the biggest complaint I have, even though it's still not a very big problem. If you had a more intense array of colors, it would have carried your level even farther than it does now. And, I would offer advice on picking colors, but honestly based on the ending of your level, it seems you have decent enough feel for what colors work together. If you really do need advice, go look at art forums for advice on coloring pictures and how to choose colors; it's not that different to creating a palette for a level. You could also try to use Adobe Kuler, a free website that lets you create/browse color combinations.
=== Conclusion ===
Overall, it's not a bad level by any means! It's actually quite good. I very, very heavily considered giving this feature-worthy, but really thinking about it, there are a few too many things missing for me to truly be able to rate it feature-worthy. If you fixed even just one or two of the primary complaints I made, you could easily have a featured your even epic level on your hands. The potential is definitely there, you just have to unlock it first, and most importantly, never give up
I would then consider this a "Good" level, teetering on the brink of feature-worthy.
co and BG Effects to get Epic, Still Phenomenal Though. Tell a Mod about your Level, it WILL get Featured 8/10.
) so you have an idea on what to make. Feel inspired, but don't copy effects directly because somebody will notice, and it will hurt your reputation.