19th January 2022, 5:14 PM
I finally finished my Super World of levels adapted from that game I designed on paper as a kid, Castle Siege! It took some time, but the last, eighth level of the Super World is finally done. I really hope people play it. I made one other level too, but it's much less interesting.
Jumps and Flight (Mario World) - I made this level in December, and it's probably one of my easiest and simplest stages. That doesn't mean it is easy, though; it's at least Normal in challenge. It's just quite straightforward, and without much in the way of nice environments or such. This is a short-ish stage. You just jump between small platforms for the first half of the level, then navigate a fairly standard P-balloon path in the second half. The level has a clear but no likes and i get it, not sure if I'd heart this level either... I mean, it's fine, but nothing special. I just wanted to make a level quickly, and make a Mario World level finally as well, so I did. Code N0Y-X4C-96G.
2-4: Your Castle at Last! (Mario 3) - I just finished uploading this level, as, as I mentioned, after probably a week and a half of work, maybe a bit more. This is a fairly complex level made up of three sections. This level is on the long side -- my clear check time is 4:43 -- but hey, it's the last level of the Super World, it better be challenging and a memorable journey! I think that while frustrating at points, it is one of my best levels. The checkpoints are basically perfectly placed as well. Each of the three sections of the level is different --the first a platforming challenge; the second a few tricky jumps and then a battle against a lot of enemies; and the last, the final battle against Bowser, followed with the concluding section celebrating your victory. The first section is reasonably similar to my original concept, but the second is mostly new and the third a mostly traditional Mario 3 Bowser fight followed by the conclusion. Time-wise, that third part actually takes the most time, Bowser's RNG can be frustrating as you wait for him to attack at the right spots to break through the floor. I think that was the right choice for a boss battle though, it works well. It's really satisfying when you get him to beat himself! Clearing this level was pretty hard for me, but it'd be a much less frustrating task for anybody else in one key respect, you don't need to beat the level from the beginning without dying. That was what I had the most trouble with here; once I finally did that, beating it from the checkpoints took much less time.
So what is this level? It is your final trip to rescue your besieged castle from the enemy leader at its gates. First, you cross a bridge over the poisoned lake in front of the castle. Note, this is a night forest level. That is relevant at times. In this section, you jump between bridge sections, avoiding fireballs while fighting or avoiding some enemies. There's just one mushroom at the start, but that's enough for this part. After the checkpoint, which is about 40 seconds into the level on average, there is one final tough jumping section, first. This jump is partially blind, but I couldn't come up with a better way to make it happen. You can see the area you need to drop to, it's just on the bottom of your screen. The jump after that is trickier, but it's not as hard as what you face after that: a battle against enemy forces. Here, you get a frog suit, and there are several more around the area. You fight against Bowser Jr. and a bunch of troops in a mushroom forest garden, including Hammer Bros. and Magikoopas. I recommend going up to get the frog suit guarded by the two Hammer Bros. on the gate into the garden; it's worth it to get rid of them. For this battle, you just need to kill Bowser Jr. to continue, but most of the other foes will need to go to get him. I strongly recommend staying up high and not going down into the bottom of the garden. Once you complete this, you get the second checkpoint and face Bowser. As I said, it's a conventional Mario 3 Bowser fight, so you have to get him to break a floor. I did add a few fireballs on certain tiles to make things a little tougher, but that's it. There are several frog suits in this area to give you additional hits, and yes, I needed them. After you beat him, there's one last little run back to the castle's back door, and you win. Make sure to hit the P-switch that opens the door, then get to it! (It's on the bottom of the garden. I tried to make this clear with some notes made of coins.)
As anyone who plays the level hopefully will realize, during the process of making this level I decided to use frog suit powerups to represent your allied forces. I think it works reasonably well. They were going to defend the castle to the last. Fortunately, you saved the day first. Code 7YM-8KL-0CG.
Jumps and Flight (Mario World) - I made this level in December, and it's probably one of my easiest and simplest stages. That doesn't mean it is easy, though; it's at least Normal in challenge. It's just quite straightforward, and without much in the way of nice environments or such. This is a short-ish stage. You just jump between small platforms for the first half of the level, then navigate a fairly standard P-balloon path in the second half. The level has a clear but no likes and i get it, not sure if I'd heart this level either... I mean, it's fine, but nothing special. I just wanted to make a level quickly, and make a Mario World level finally as well, so I did. Code N0Y-X4C-96G.
2-4: Your Castle at Last! (Mario 3) - I just finished uploading this level, as, as I mentioned, after probably a week and a half of work, maybe a bit more. This is a fairly complex level made up of three sections. This level is on the long side -- my clear check time is 4:43 -- but hey, it's the last level of the Super World, it better be challenging and a memorable journey! I think that while frustrating at points, it is one of my best levels. The checkpoints are basically perfectly placed as well. Each of the three sections of the level is different --the first a platforming challenge; the second a few tricky jumps and then a battle against a lot of enemies; and the last, the final battle against Bowser, followed with the concluding section celebrating your victory. The first section is reasonably similar to my original concept, but the second is mostly new and the third a mostly traditional Mario 3 Bowser fight followed by the conclusion. Time-wise, that third part actually takes the most time, Bowser's RNG can be frustrating as you wait for him to attack at the right spots to break through the floor. I think that was the right choice for a boss battle though, it works well. It's really satisfying when you get him to beat himself! Clearing this level was pretty hard for me, but it'd be a much less frustrating task for anybody else in one key respect, you don't need to beat the level from the beginning without dying. That was what I had the most trouble with here; once I finally did that, beating it from the checkpoints took much less time.
So what is this level? It is your final trip to rescue your besieged castle from the enemy leader at its gates. First, you cross a bridge over the poisoned lake in front of the castle. Note, this is a night forest level. That is relevant at times. In this section, you jump between bridge sections, avoiding fireballs while fighting or avoiding some enemies. There's just one mushroom at the start, but that's enough for this part. After the checkpoint, which is about 40 seconds into the level on average, there is one final tough jumping section, first. This jump is partially blind, but I couldn't come up with a better way to make it happen. You can see the area you need to drop to, it's just on the bottom of your screen. The jump after that is trickier, but it's not as hard as what you face after that: a battle against enemy forces. Here, you get a frog suit, and there are several more around the area. You fight against Bowser Jr. and a bunch of troops in a mushroom forest garden, including Hammer Bros. and Magikoopas. I recommend going up to get the frog suit guarded by the two Hammer Bros. on the gate into the garden; it's worth it to get rid of them. For this battle, you just need to kill Bowser Jr. to continue, but most of the other foes will need to go to get him. I strongly recommend staying up high and not going down into the bottom of the garden. Once you complete this, you get the second checkpoint and face Bowser. As I said, it's a conventional Mario 3 Bowser fight, so you have to get him to break a floor. I did add a few fireballs on certain tiles to make things a little tougher, but that's it. There are several frog suits in this area to give you additional hits, and yes, I needed them. After you beat him, there's one last little run back to the castle's back door, and you win. Make sure to hit the P-switch that opens the door, then get to it! (It's on the bottom of the garden. I tried to make this clear with some notes made of coins.)
As anyone who plays the level hopefully will realize, during the process of making this level I decided to use frog suit powerups to represent your allied forces. I think it works reasonably well. They were going to defend the castle to the last. Fortunately, you saved the day first. Code 7YM-8KL-0CG.