Might have more comments once the slowdown is fixed, but for now:
First off, I thought we went over this before, but if you have spikes at the top of the screen, they will fall even when Mario's on the bottom of the screen, which leads to blind airstrikes. We don't want those. Falling spikes should never activate while off-screen, not for the game we're trying to make.
Second, pairs of ice bars are certainly one way to make underwater sections challenging, but by the time I get to screen E I'm tired of seeing them used in the same way (which is discriminatory toward Big Mario, by the way).
Third, some parts of the level, notably 7-8 and C-F, have quite flat, blocky, boring architecture compared to the rest of the level.
Fourth, your powerup distribution is weird. I understand the first two are for testing, but at the end of the secret path here you've got two fire flowers practically right next to each other. And nothing in between those two parts, which is the real problem.
Fifth, the only sprites that seem icy are the ice bars.
Some screen-by-screen commentary:
0: Is the message box necessary? If you forced players to progress by jumping on one of these, they would understand immediately. I mean, the blocks have cracks in them, so do you need to point it out? What if you just added one or two of those blocks to bar Mario's path in the beginning?
4, left: Does this on/off switch have to be right next to the boulder? It just makes things awfully cramped for no good reason.
5, switch: Wouldn't a turn block be better here in case players miss the switch by accident?
7, lower-left: This smwcoin is pretty close to the first one. Since it's just a powerup-accessible one, couldn't you move it further back? In fact, couldn't you make use of the star for this one?
A-B, middle path: Interesting setups, but remember that sliding will render the sliding koopas mostly harmless.
9, top: Is it really necessary to have such a narrow corridor with enemies inside?
8-7, top path: Not much going on here at all- that, coupled with the sudden wide-open space, makes things stand out a bit.
6, top path: Is it necessary to have this many blocks barring passage?
C, top path, lower left: I feel like this would be a good place for a hidden 1up.
C, top-F, bottom: Again, not much going on here.
E, bottom-9, bottom: I don't mean to be overly rude, but it feels like you're kind of running out of steam here. There's a third ice-bar-pair setup, a couple more fish, and then a bunch of spike dodging. Despite being easier underwater, this spike dodging, too, is discriminatory toward Big Mario. Aren't there any other sprites you can make use of to mix things up a bit over on this side of the level?
Also, the star makes no sense. Think about it: you're rewarding more skilled players by making the level even easier, and you're punishing less skilled players by making the level even harder. To me, this segregation is just as bad as Big Mario Discrimination. If you used the star for a smwcoin somehow and put more variety into the normal path here, I think that would be better.
3, bottom-1, bottom: Same general impression as with above.
3, switch: If you wait for the spike to get stuck in the ice, then hit the switch, the spike remains stuck in the water, which makes no sense :b
I remember you saying that spritework isn't your strong point. If it's really a problem, why not team up with someone who's stronger in that area? Or, if you want to improve on your own, that's fine too; try to introduce different sprites or find new ways to use existing ones. For example, instead of having two ice bars on the wall/floor, you could have a single one in the center. Even small changes like that can add much-needed variety and creativity. If you're really stuck, I can try to provide some screen-by-screen advice, but I'd need to know all the sprites that are available for you to use, and I'd rather do that as a sort of last resort thing so that the level remains your own as much a possible, if that makes sense (though come to think of it, I'm starting to wonder if that's the right mindset).
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