Shaddow Game

  • Rating: 6

Reviews and comments

    Violet CLM 12 Nov 2023, 21:02

    The trap that scripting springs on unsuspecting level makers is suddenly there's no reason to take shortcuts, other than, well, they're easier. The Medivo level pits you against enemies that have been given boss health bars, but there's nothing to ensure you actually fight them instead of skipping them. Text strings politely ask you to go back if you didn't fight them, but that's all. In the Psych level, an invisible coin warp takes you to a TNT pickup and another warp back, instead of a script giving you the TNT ammo directly if you have enough coins. If the levels had no scripts at all, these would be understandable compromises, but because other things are scripted, suddenly these are points worthy of criticism.

    (Similar issues apply to editing tile(set)s—suddenly every drawing made in history is theoretically available, so why settle for a tile that's close enough?)

    Focusing on what the levels do do, though, rather than what they don't: this is pretty all right. Lots of pickups, including the traditional JJ2 thing where individual levels focus on individual ammo types. Trigger crates that aren't too far from their respective (clearly marked) trigger scenery blocks and sometimes do interesting things like sit on top of spikes. Level layouts that go in all directions, not just right, and feature tileset-specific obstacles. For all that the bosses are the most memorable parts of this pack, the levels aren't just window dressing, they're worthwhile (if not amazing) in their own right. Generally a pretty good time, though everything (eyecandy, layout, scripting) could take a bit more polishing.

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    Primpy 6 Nov 2023, 22:57

    6.5Not recommended:

    Is this level pack creative? Sure!
    Is this level pack good? Ehh…

    Pros:
    - Interesting boss ideas, albeit simple;
    - You can tell that some amount of effort went into making it;
    - Levels are visually distinct from one another and can look pretty nice at times.

    Cons:
    - The level layout is a bit flat, not great but not terrible;
    - Lots of tile errors, inconsistent tile usage;
    - The boss fights are repetitive and become tedious rather quickly;
    - Not Lori-friendly, probably beatable as Lori if you're really good at it;
    - If there are secrets, I couldn't find any;
    - No checkpoints whatsoever.

    While I can't really recommend this level pack, I have to appreciate the effort that went into creating it. These are three original, short to medium-sized levels that try to bring something new to the table, which is very commendable!

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    abgrenv 1 Mar 2025, 00:48

    5.5

    Well, this definitely looks like the most competently created upload by this user. The level layout while linear is pretty solid. The difficulty and the main annoyance is the heavy reliance on respawning enemies. Add to that, like Primpy said, all levels lack checkpoints, which isn't an issue in level 2, because it is so short, but level 3 would become irritating pretty fast, if you constantly had to restart it. The bees in level one are particularly irritating, since the respawn timer is set so low. You get quite a few areas, where you would need the uppercut jump to reach, and naturally a beehive with a respawning bee is there, with somewhere around a 5-7 second respawn timer. So by the time you reach the platform with the uppercut jump, the bee can already respawn and hit you, causing you to fall back down, and repeat the process. And let's not even talk about the level 2 boss fight, which is just pure tedium, collect 15 coins, 1 by 1, doing so with jumping on the cheshire cat hooks that fade in and out, with Dragon Fly enemies right next to them naturally respawning and spikes below. Meanwhile the Caterpillar is puffing the smoke rings, to make the process so annoying, I can't see anyone finding a reason to bother with it.

    Unfortunately the levels lack any form of secrets as well, so while the level layout is actually good (slightly reminiscent of the original levels but more linear), it is a very "what you see is what you get" sort of experience. Sure there are some unaligned or misused textures (and a part in the Medivo level where you can get stuck on the chain next to the wall) but the levels are put together competently, surprisingly so, considering what the users other creations look like. These levels don't have that cheap "I made this in 20 minutes" feel to them. So while they aren't perfect and have a lot of questionable design choices, they clearly have a thought process behind them, rather than looking like the first draft of a prototype of a demo level.

    If those rather significant annoyances weren't part of the levels, this could get a recommendation and even a higher score. But with the way it is, feels more like above average/decent levels, designed in a way that irritates the player, if anything. Though from that perspective it is unique.

    It's like listening to an album you somewhat enjoy, but through low quality crackling speakers, or dropping a sandwich in the dirt and trying to eat it like that, the fundamental content might be decent, but a variety of factors drag it down, so you can't enjoy it in it's best form.

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