Capture the flag, by 
About time I got around to reviewing this.
I will start off by reviewing the theme and eye-candy.
As always CelL has made a level that doesn’t fail to please the eye, but that doesn’t mean the eye-candy here is amazing. The background is probably the most disappointing aspect: While there’s rain in the background, it’s very hard to see. Using rain in levels is becoming popular, huh? – You can see the dark blue horizon, and the stars that are barely visible. So you just see the sky and rain, but no clouds; what sense does that make?
CelL did not use the yellow colored tiles much for a very good reason. The grass, or moss which would better describe their appearance, is not only on the tops of the bricks, but the green colored brick tiles placed under the moss tiles on the top represent moss on the bricks as well.
My first comment to CelL when I tested the level is “Nice architecture”, which is relating to the usage of most of the layer 4 tiles like the pillars and bricks. I especially like the way the area that leads to the pit is designed.
I like the overall atmosphere. Nice music, which doesn’t exactly fit the atmosphere, but it’s alright. The name Sanctuary is brilliant and adds to the feeling… And that’s all I can say about the theme and eyecandy, which is this level’s strongest point.
The layout is relatively easy to learn, but I found the platforms to be weirdly designed (although still look decent), and weirdly placed. Although I am not fond of the layout’s design, I think the game-play here works; the flow is good, and the springs are placed well. I think the pit is annoying, but CelL had to keep it there despite my complaints. Some tiles would appear to be solid, but weren’t – not a big problem since they were placed under platforms. Balance between the bases is good, even though the level isn’t symmetrical.
The placement of ammo is strategic and solid, but not very interesting in my opinion as they are used in mostly line patterns. CelL added two pepper-spray power-ups, which is not a problem in my opinion; It’s funny, as I recall CelL told me a couple of years ago never to put two of the same power-ups in a level. Toaster power-up at the bottom left, and a Seeker power-up near the bottom right – all works. CelL pulled an EvilMike by adding a secret; I wouldn’t think of putting a secret in a CTF level, since it’s such a fast paced game-type, but whatever. Two Full NRG carrots are placed beside each other, but getting from one to another isn’t so easy: it’s generally faster to go from the carrot on the left side to the one on the right side than the other way around; smart players can use that to their advantage.
If you want to add to your CelL collection, download this. If not, download it. It’s a nice medium-sized CTF level for 2vs2s, and I have a feeling this would absolutely rock in 3vs3s. I suggest you host this whenever you are stuck on deciding what level to host, or are thinking of hosting the same ol’ classic CTF levels – Sanctuary would be better, much better.
-fs
