2 BANISHED levels by Nevenz

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Review for:
BANISHED by Nevenz
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What a fantastic level (only 2 hearts).. This level is absolutely brilliant. It's very easy but it's an incredible visual experience through extremely gorgeous scenery. I loved ..almost.. every bit of it.
You travel through a demon realm.. and basically have to get to the end of the level. You will die very rarely, it feels nearly impossible as there is nothing really threatening anywhere in the level.
There is one issue with this level though... Since it's the author's first published work it can easily be forgiven.
But.. There are several jetpacks in the stage. The first is pretty problematic because you can actually often fly completely out of bounds... you can view the outer walls of the stage and even skip the biggest area of the entire stage this way. He basically just needs to make the range shorter to fix this flaw.
But hey, I still highly recommend this level since it's the most gorgeous looking user created LBP level I've ever seen in any of my threads.
It's almost on par with Azure Palace in terms of visual art direction.
Oh one thing I forgot to mention is how the author did something amazingly smart. You should all take note of this.
You know how in LBP you can't create water? But you know how water is meant to slow you down right?
Well, this guy is a genius because he came up with a brilliant way to simulate a water experience.
Basically once you hit the water he slows the game down by using a lot of decorations and lighting effects. Then once you're out of the water the game speeds up again. What's amazing is how constant the speed is during the water sequence, this must've taken ages to do.
Anyway..
PLAY THIS NOW!!

Level Design: 7
Replay Value: 3
Aesthetics: 8
Fun Factor: 6
Originality: 7
Difficulty: 2
Length: 7


Overall Score: 8.5 (not an average)




Review for: BANISHED (ep.1 prologue) by Nevenz
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Wow, I was actually excited when I loaded this level up because of the experience I had with the first BANISHED level (a week ago or so).
So..... was I disappointed because I had high expectations? Read on.
Just so you understand story wise... In the first BANISHED level (which occurs after this) you are in a demon realm. A strange abstract place.
In this level we get to find out how our little character got there.
You start off on a spaceship which is your main hub in this level. You fly through the universe and from time to time you'll need to fix a few things so your spaceship can travel onwards.
Anyway.. most of this will be in my video of this level.
This level has some cool surprises and a pretty chilling storyline which matches well with the story and feel of the other BANISHED level.
Visually it's an amazing experience. The author has a real feel for setting the atmosphere and tone well. It lacks a little in the gameplay department but this really doesn't matter.. You won't even notice.
Go play this right now.. or play the original BANISHED first.. and then this. You won't regret it.

Level Design: 9
Replay Value: 3
Aesthetics: 9
Fun Factor: 6
Originality: 8
Difficulty: 3
Length: 6


Overall Score: 8.8 (not an average)

Ninja by Jaeyden

Jaeyden does it again...
Yes I know he didn't request this, but while I was playing I noticed that he published it. I think I'm the first one to ever play his level.. which makes me feel kinda awesome.
Anyway.... I have high expectations of my favourite developers. So my expectations were through the roof for this level.... Did it meet them? Read on!
Ninja! is a slick and stylish looking obstacle course... not your generic boring obstacle course, nope. This one looks absolutely amazing with a lot of nice artistic touches here and there ...and it plays very uniquely. You'll need to pull off a few moves you didn't even know you could do in this game.
It plays like an absolute dream.. everything flows perfectly together and just feels absolutely satisfying to play. There's a few secrets here and there too for you secret hunters.
My only minor complaint is how I wish it was longer... but that's because I was having so much fun.
The description says (Act 1) though.. so I cannot wait for what's in store for us next.
Play this and play everything else Jaeyden has ever made, everything he touches is gold. Pure friggen gold.


Level Design: 9
Replay Value: 8
Aesthetics: 10
Fun Factor: 9
Originality: 9
Difficulty: 7
Length: 6


Overall Score: 9.4 (not an average)

Treasure Hunter 2 by Cham-R

Wonderful little level by Japanese author Cham-R... The guy who made Armageddon tipped me in on this person. ..And I liked what I saw.
This stage is part of a series of levels.. but this one was my favourite due to its quirkiness and originality. It just looks gorgeous and cute and plays uniquely as well.
Give this one a go but I also suggest checking out Cham-R's other stuff... there's a fun amusement park level, a cool rollercoaster one and Treasure Hunter 1 and 3 which are all worth having a look at.

Level Design: 8
Replay Value: 6
Aesthetics: 8
Fun Factor: 7
Originality: 8
Difficulty: 7
Length: 7


Overall Score: 8.4 (not an average)

One December Night by uradone

Great Christmas level that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Beautifully decorated and designed ... excellent variety and a whole bunch of original and cool ideas.
The only complaint I have is that it's insanely easy.
Go play it anyway though for an awesome experience.

Level Design: 7
Replay Value: 8
Aesthetics: 8
Fun Factor: 7
Originality: 8
Difficulty: 2
Length: 7

Overall Score: 8.5 (not an average)

Mama Sackboy by DSKEmilio

A very weird and freaky but cool Mario level here.. You guide baby yoshi through all kinds of perilous situations...
What's cool is the amount of custom art in this level. There's your basic cast including Bowser.. but there's even Bowwow(sp?) and that Rugby enemy from Super Mario World.
I laughed so much the first time I played this one... especially when I had to climb GIANT Luigi at the end.
Even if it wasn't based on Mario.. then it'd still rock since the level design is weird but kickass.
Play it now!!

Level Design: 8
Replay Value: 6
Aesthetics: 8
Fun Factor: 8
Originality: 7
Difficulty: 7
Length: 7


Overall Score: 8.5 (not an average)

ICO (finished version) by Mushroom_Samba

A level based off one of my favourite video games of all time... ICO.
I'll admit it, I was quite sceptical at first. But this mindset quickly changed...
If you've played ICO before then you'll truly be able to admire all the effort and brilliance on display here. Even if you haven't played it.. read on anyway.
Mushroom_Samba has done something quite amazing. He has replicated the entire game. Not just one level.. no.. the entire game experience from start to finish. It's basically a summed up version of the game highlighting all the important aspects of it... from level design, to story... to atmosphere and many key moments in the original game.
You go through the level guiding a girl called Yorda while you overcome some more difficult platforming... You'll need to clear up certain areas to be able to continue along with her. She acts as a key to many of the level's doors.
I cannot think of anything I don't like about this amazing creation. Everything is very well designed in a simplistic yet intricate way. The level flow is absolutely perfect... variety's there also, and even a proper ending to the level.
This feels like a masterpiece from beginning to end.
This is the best LittleBigPlanet level I've played so far.
Go play this now.. and enjoy.

Level Design: 10
Replay Value: 6
Aesthetics: 10
Fun Factor: 9
Originality: 9
Difficulty: 6
Length: 10


Overall Score: 9.9 (not an average)

Zorro's Suicide Factory by ZorroTheMighty

I laughed quite a bit while playing this kickass level. The only downside I can think of is how short it is. I wanted more!
Anyway, .. Zorro shows you how killing yourself can be funny as hell. ..And hard sometimes too. To advance through this stage you need to figure out how to kill yourself in the rooms with numbers (there are 5 rooms total). This reminds me of an indie game I forgot the name of.. but in this game you also needed to kill yourself to win!
Zorro's level is actually a lot more fun than that game. The presentation is top notch, extremely stylish and slick design.. great consistency too.
I had an absolute blast playing this level. I just hope Zorro will create a 2nd (hopefully larger) one.

Level Design: 9
Replay Value: 5
Aesthetics: 9
Fun Factor: 7
Originality: 10
Difficulty: 7
Length: 5


Overall Score: 9.1 (not an average)