Single player, by 
What is it lately that is causing new levelmakers to make extremely solid and well-done Diamondus levels? I am not sure, but I definitely like whatever poltergeist out there that is causing this most miraculous of occurances. This is yet another level in a long line of very good Diamondus levels from new levelmakers to be uploaded lately (for those who are not paying much attention, the previous levels I am referring to are spazz’s “A Diamond For You All” and raptor’s “Dynamite Diamonds”). Constructive criticism is always a good thing. While this level is quite good, there are a few small bugs and annoyances, which of course I will outline in this review, but those are not big enough to hurt the score of what is, all in all, a great level.
TILESET/TILESET USE: Diamondus 2 which is, for those who do not know, the night version of the original Diamondus, is used very nicely here. There is plenty of foreground, background, and normal layer eyecandy to keep the player interested, and there is not much in the way of eyecandy errors. There are a few small ones, I suppose, mainly revolving around areas in which secrets are covered by layer three. In these areas, the player’s ears or feet can sometimes be seen from above the covered tiles. It is often a good idea to cover all tiles within a one tile radius of secret areas with layer three wall, so the character can not at all be seen through the cracks in the walls. Otherwise, eyecandy was quite good. Diamondus is indeed an overused tileset, but this level is not very bland-looking, which is a very good thing for it. Eyecandy is solid and nicely done.
Pros: Very nicely done in general.
Cons: A few small layer three bugs.
Rating: 7.7
WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: If there is a single thing that is wrong with this level, it could be that there are a few too many gems. I suppose that some people probably would like this huge amount of gems, but I would rather see it toned down just a bit. The same goes for ammo, although less so. There are a lot of areas of both straight gems and ammo in this level. There is some clumping going on, but not that much. Still, I would like to see the ammo especially reduced a bit to make this a bit harder. Enemies are placed very well.
Pros: Pretty good in general.
Cons: Maybe a bit overkill in gems and ammo.
Rating: 7.0
ORIGINALITY: This level could have had problems in the originality category. Why? Because, well, it is simply a single player Diamondus level. However, there are a few things that save it from getting a low score. The first of these is that the level has many unique elements. The bird puzzle of sorts is quite interesting, and so are the various multiple paths throughout the level. Unlike many first levels, this level is not linear. You can choose which path you want to go on, although you might end up having to take all routes eventually in some way. Still, it is nice to see this non-linearity, and is a rare find in a first level. Nice job.
Rating: 7.7
GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Gameplay and design waas yet another category in which this level did quite well. There were not many problems at all with the gameplay design. The only problem that I could find was one in which some wind lefts and wind rights took you in a continous circle. I could not, for my life, find any way to get out of this. I may be missing something, but that still seemed really difficult if not impossible relative to the rest of the level, so I will call it a bug. I won’t let such a small, and possibly not existant, bug ruin the score, so I will not detract very much at all for it. Other than that small blip, gameplay was solid and very well-done. It was not linear, and it definitely was quite fun to play.
Pros: Very fun and not linear.
Cons: One problem with the wind rights and wind lefts was a bit perplexing.
Rating: 7.6
REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This is a fairly large level. It is interesting to note that about a third through the level, the level claims that it is about to end. Another sign, however, informs the player that it was just a joke. This is a good thing, because the level would have been fairly small if it ended there. However, it is quite big. There are many routes, and a lot of it goes by quite quickly. This is one of those levels which is fun to play several times. Definitely a good replay value.
Pros: N/A.
Cons: N/A.
Rating: 7.7
OVERALL (not an average): The spectre of quality first levels made in Diamondus strikes again, and this time the ghostly figure delives better than ever. This level is a high-quality single player level that definitely is worthy of play. For a first level, or for that matter, an any-level, this is quality and definitely shows a huge amount of promise. Keep making levels, as this is very, very, very good and shows pretty much none of the mistakes most first-time levelmakers make. Great job. This is definitely worth a download.
Pros: Very good. Not linear. Fun to play. Great for a first level.
Cons: The wind bug was a bit annoying. A lot of ammo, perhaps too much. Small layer three bugs. None of these are major enough to do anything to the score, though.
Rating: 7.5
GAMEPLAY: B+
Flow: A -
Layout: A -
Creativity: A -
Bugs: B
EYECANDY: B+
Tileset use: B+
Eyecandy look: A -
Creativity: B+
Bugs: B+
PLACEMENT: B+
Weapons: B
Carrots: A-
THE FINAL GRADE: B+
THE FINAL RATING: 7.5
Pros: Very good. Not linear. Fun to play. Great for a first level.
Cons: The wind bug was a bit annoying. A lot of ammo, perhaps too much. Small layer three bugs. None of these are major enough to do anything to the score, though.
- Trafton
