Difference between revisions of "Beneath Sand and Rock"

I really love the whole design of the stage here - the placement of enemies is really good, and probably the only enemies I don't really like how they were used are the Jet Butons, just solely because they just tend to surprise you. The rest is really, really good, and the scorpion generators provide for a serious challenge. The Jumbig generator is really cute, too. And oh my GOD. THE UP N DOWNS. THEY'RE ACTUALLY USED WELL I LOVE HOW THEY'RE USED?????? I also really like the design of the middle section, too - the rooms with the Cossack spike blocks use them really well, and I like how you can just collect what keys you want and the extra can go towards a Noble Nickel. My fav part of the level, tho, is the Wave Bike section. It's just so perfect just romping through the whole level backwards and it's reeally clever how the whole level is built to still be threatening in the section. The boss is really fun, too - it feels like a real Mega Man fortress boss. Atmosphere of the level is really good, too. The level is overall just excellent. I love it <3

I really liked the graphics here, and you used the keys really well and gave a clear sense of where the player should go, but there were some issues. Aesthetically, it was a bit difficult to tell the spikes apart from the background, and the music doesn't loop properly. The wave bike section towards the end felt out of place and it was hard to react to the enemies popping out of the sand. The Up N Downs were really annoying as well.

Oh man, I really like how you move back through the level at the end (though it makes little sense since why did Mega Man not just go left to begin with?)! Really cool level with a well-executed underground desert theme. I like the little key challenges that let the player advance through the stage. The enemy placement is mostly fine, though I think the level could've done without Up n' Downs surprising the player while he's moving up and down (ha) the structure near the end. The boss fight is also a lot of fun and a great conclusion to this level.

I'm impressed by the effort put into this level. It is extremely well done, the level design is very solid, the atmosphere of this stage was fantastic. My only real complaints are the Wave Bike section, which is tedious and frustrating, and some parts of the level where enemies are frustrating to deal with. However, the positive aspects of this stage make up for the problems it has, and that is something I appreciate.

The opening made me smile. And then I entered the temple, and I knew I was in for something good. I'm almost wondering if this stage was made by two people. Mostly due to how the stage ends, which seems to be very different in programming to the first half. But I digress. This both does and doesn't feel like a Mega Man stage. It's clearly set up in a fashion that's alien to Mega Man, but at the same time you get the feeling this could actually fit in an Capcom title. You managed to take Devkit assets and turn them on their head. The maze-like system in this level really makes you feel like you're exploring the depths of an ancient ruin, finding the secrets within. A particular aspect I really liked, and I'm not sure how intentional this was, the fact that the player's primary cause of death is their own incompetence and damage. Sure, you put in Instant-Death, but it's not usually the cause of the player's demise. (Barring the Noble Nickel route jump. You know which one.) Of course, the coolest bit of the level has to be the ending. Both bits. I'm not spoiling this, but it was sooo fun, and really made me go ""Ok, wow. That is awesome"". Also you threw in a boss. That blindsided me. I found the secret that implies there was going to be a boss, but considering most of the stage is devkit assets, colour me surprised. It's.... pretty unique. It's one of the coolest looking bosses in the contest, I'll say that much, and he is as creative as the level: Really solid use of devkit assets involved. There are issues with the stage, but they are very minor: I feel the enemies could do with modified graphics, they seem to clash with each other (a simple recolouring would have been in order), but that is a serious nitpick, and obviously, I'm not penalising for that minor thing. The boss itself has one attack that gave me pause: I feel he fires entirely too many missiles, and they're awkward to deal with. Other than that, this stage was brilliant. Stunning tileset too.