Okay, this review is very overdue. I have been lurking in the thread for like weeks now and I am telling myself I have to finish this. Well I'm finally doing it, so here is it.
Splitting into gameplay and decoration...
Gameplay
I am pleased to see this levels does the fundamentals well: the level is synced properly, I get to read the layout well, etc. However, I think this level lacks characteristics in the layout. Like, what do you want the players to feel in playing this level? Judging by the song, I guess the level wants to be a bit of an energetic feel, perhaps? What takes layouts into the next level is the meaning and feel embodies inside it. After all, you want to players to immerse into your level.
Here are some more specific comments for gameplay.
- 5%: The reaction time for the triple here seems to be too short. The effect of not being able to see where to jump amplifies when this is put at the start of the level, the place where players respawn at.
- 20%: The green orb chain is actually very inconsistent. Paired with the small platform to land, this jump is actually hard to time. I think this does not suit your intended difficulty.
- 12%, 20%, 25%, 80%: You often use chains of orbs, and they are often lined up in a straight line. As such, the gameplay there also feels more linear. You should consider varying the orb height quite a bit. If you want to keep the player's vertical movement to a minimum, you can simply use less orbs to cross gaps.
- 70%: Do not put gameplay when the screen is fading. The player is not supposed to control the character blind. (sometimes they do but usually they do not)
As for the length, if you are aiming for getting rated or featured, you should at least build the level to be Long or XL. This way the levels feels 'more full and more filled', making your level feel better.
Decoration
I think what the level lacks is air deco. For example like saws, floating objects, etc. That helps you fill you the empty parts so that you don't just see blocks and the background. The block deco could also add some detail so it does not feel like copy and paste. However, the design is quite good and has good coherence.
Here are some more specific comments.
- 38%: The white flash is a bit long IMO. Though how long it lasts depends on how you want the level to feel, so you can do it with good reasons.
- 66%: Maybe decorate the left/right edges of the black border instead of leaving it flat? When it enters from the side, you can see the edges when it moves, which could feel bad when it is left undecorated.
- 95%: The end feels incomplete. All levels end well either by adding a simple jump, using end screens, or placing autos. If you have triggers you do not need after the end, delete them. Or if you want to trigger after the end, use delayed spawn triggers to activate them.
- Rotate trigger can also be useful in creating custom rotating objects, like self-made sawblades, custom orb design, etc. They are also very useful to make insane backgrounds. Try make different objects move independently instead of rotating as a whole.
- Move triggers can be used to move blocks, so they look more dynamic. You can achieve different effects using different speeds and easings. 1s Bounce Out can feel slow and sluggish, and 0.3s Exponential In Out can feel fast or even feel like warping. They all suit different level styles and it should depends on how the song feels and how you want the level to feel like.
Optimisation
You may have observed that your level may lag on lower-end devices. Of course, you can always solve this problem by adding a LDM, and maybe this is the only possible way to fix this. However, you may want to work on optimisations. That is, using as little objects to make a design as possible. This is not a crucial skill in your journey to decorate - you can always object hack after all. However, you need to think about accessibility of your level. A level that does not lag and looks great will make your level more fun to play, because not everyone has an NVIDIA graphics card and a Ryzen 9 CPU.
Verdict
Decent. This level has shown its potential as a great level. However, I think the length has pulled this back greatly. Also, there are some flaws that make this not up to rating standards.
If you do not want to dedicate to a large project for the whole month, you can:
- slowly build the level in separate sessions,
- have different projects running at the same time, jumping between them when you are stuck, or
- participate in a collab where you only need to make a part of the level.
You have the skill to make great levels that I reckon worth features, but ultimately it lies on how far you want to go. If you spend time to look at the level and see what the level needs, what the level wants, I am sure you can understand how your levels should be.
PS and yes this level does NOT have a wave section
>>> Moving to Decent.
