Acme Sketch -- Not a bad level, overall. There were a couple of buggy walls, but the level played fairly well in general. That being said, it didn't really stand out in my mind that much. I liked the level, but it wasn't stunning. 6/10
Droopy Heart -- An interesting idea, trying to tell a mini-story in a very small level. However, I think the execution was not the best possible. I didn't understand the invincible face at the beginning, I kept getting nailed to the wall by an invisible sprite, and I found success in the level to be as much about luck as skill. The very rectangular rooms also didn't impress me greatly. With some polish, this could be a really fun little level. As is, I didn't really like it that much. 4/10
Miniland -- Another great concept that failed a bit in the execution. I loved the little mini-sprites, but felt that the ammo needed to take out walls was excessive, and made the level take a lot longer than it should have. That, coupled with the non-obviousness of getting into several of the rooms made the level a bit tedious and frustrating for me. I did eventually finish it, but only after passing through a wall that I suspect I was not supposed to be able to pass through. 3/10
Mirror Maze -- Again, a great idea, but it didn't work well for me, I think largely due to the fact that I kept getting bounced through walls. That being said, I am not sure that the particular idea could be much improved, due to limitations with the Sketchfigher engine. I appreciate the originallity of it, and didn't become overly frustrated by some of the technical limitations. 6/10
One Page Boot Camp -- This was a really pretty map, but lacked a bit in substance, I thought. The boss at the end was really quite easy, especially given the fact that the invisible turret could be shot off of its back, even when it was invincible. The enemies on the way to the boss were not really a challenge, and didn't hinder me at all. Also, the patch of water was obviously just a blue rectangle. It would have helped the aesthetic if that had been made to look a bit better. On the other hand, I had no technical problems with this map -- no bouncing through walls, or impossibly narrow passages. If it were a bit more challenging, it would be a great map. 5/10
One Page Clouds -- Aesthetically speaking, this is, in my opinion, the best map of the bunch. It is really very different from the rest, the setup is near perfect, and the cloud effect is pretty cool. However, it is possible to exploit the initial positions of the player's ship and the boss to finish the level very quickly. Once the trick is figured out, there is not much challenge to it. That being said, I love the look of the level, and encountered no technical glitches. Given the size of the map, it is really quite impressive. 9/10
Volcanic Soil -- This is a cute little map. The actual getting to the goal part of it was quite easy, though the lava blobs, I can see, could make things difficult if they are not dealt with properly. Again, the lack of technical difficulties automatically warmed my heart to this map. Really, the only thing that I can fault the map for is a lack of originality -- it looked like any old level from the game, and I don't think that it really took advantage of the size limitation. Oh, and a time limit may have helped increase the level of tension. 7/10
Push It to the Limit -- For such a small map, I was quite impressed by the variety of bosses. The whole map was well choreographed, the bosses were difficult without being impossible, and the map really took advantage of the small area and time limits to create tension and challenge. Unfortunately, the first boss was able to shoot through the walls when it was in certain places, and I don't think that the last boss behaved quite as it was supposed to. Overall, I really liked the map, despite the technical issues. 8/10
Scare Crow Attack -- This level pleased me, though I can't say exactly why. Perhaps it took me back to some of the bosses from earlier shoot-em-ups. Whatever it was, I really liked the map. The boss was perhaps a little too easy, as there were tons of items in the level, but I had no technical difficulties with the level, and it appealed on some sub-conscious level. 8/10
Shooting Gallery -- What in incredibly wonderful concept! Like the level's author, I felt that the super pellet was vastly under-used in the base campaign. I was excited when I read about this level on the boards. However, I feel that the level was hurt immensly by the small size of the map. The corridors were too narrow to effectively fly through, and many of the triggers were far to non-obvious (not that things should be obvious, but they were too cryptic). I'm still not sure what I hit to open some of the doors. Furthermore, because of the small size of the map, I was bumped through several walls, and got stuck many times and was forced to restart because of it. Again, this is a map with a great concept that, in my opinion, fell flat due to technical limitations, and the unsuitability of the map concept to the size of the map. 5/10
Small Circuit -- This map frustrated the hell out of me, and I still managed to like it. Good concept, great execution, fit the theme of the contest quite well, and I had no technical problems with it. I really can't fault it for anything. Honestly, the only problem I had with the map was that it just wasn't really my style. 9/10
Wasteland Narrows -- For a map with such narrow passages, I wasn't bounced around all over the place like I was in several of the other maps. Technically, this map performed best of all of the "get through tight spaces" maps. However, technical performance is only one aspect of a map. I thought that the concept and design of the map were a bit dull. There was only one enemy type, and, after collecting the first star or two, it was very repetitive. It was also very square at the top, and a bit more organic at the bottom, which was a bit dissonant to me. It is not a bad map by any stretch of the imagination, but it left me feeling a bit "meh." 6/10
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In the end, I am rather torn between the One Page Clouds and the Small Circuit. Technically, the Small Circuit is a nearly perfect map, but the concept didn't really appeal to me that much. On the other hand, the concept behind One Page Clouds was far and away my favorite, but it suffered a bit in the execution. I could flip a coin to pick the winner. That being said, I only get one vote, so I shall prioritize concept over execution. It shall be One Page Clouds.
xander
The "Shooting Gallery" is my second choice and maybe would have even been my first one, but because this computer is too slow for it I wasn't able to play that map properly, so I'm not sure how good it is.
