Ruins at Carrotus - Carrastle

Rating
7.5
Reviews:
4
Downloads:
268
Date uploaded:
4 Feb 2021 at 15:37

Download details

Re-upload/Edit Download
Author
JesterOfDestiny (More uploads by JesterOfDestiny)
Type
Single player
Credits
Tileset by tonius11
Version
1.23
Satisfaction
N/A
Screenshots
jodcarrastle.zip (550.71 kB)

File contents

JoD_Carrastle1.j2l Ruins at Carrotus 16.58 kB 01 Feb 2021
Carrastle.j2t Carrastle 318.89 kB 09 Apr 2009
LIGHT.S3M "Penetrating Light" 313.02 kB 09 Aug 2002

Description

Haven’t touched the level editor in years; just made this level as a way to get myself familiar with it. But I think it’s a pretty okay level, that you might get a kick out of.

Lori compatible.

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Quick Reviews Average: 7.3

Primpy rated 7.5

Pretty solid SP level. There are a few eyecandy issues but the level layout is good.

Tip: Use MLLE instead of JCS, it’s a better level making tool :)

RecommendedSlaz rated 7

A short, relatively easy level mashing up Carrotus & Castle. Aside from some unusual tile choices it has nothing revolutionary, yet the flow is good enough to never feel dissatisfied either. There are some wall-hugging secrets that are decently hard to find. Download recommended, as long as you’re up for typical vanilla gameplay.


User Reviews (Sort by Helpful Index or Date Posted) Average: 7.7

Review by Violet CLM

Posted:
13 Feb 2021, 02:03
I might as well work here (527 Points)
Number of reviews with ratings280 Featured reviews24 Average helpfulness90%
Rating
N/A

This is a nice romp through familiar territory. The tileset merger is used to generally good effect: not only are there are a variety of graphical details used at different points in the level, the Castle and Carrotus components get to intermingle throughout, instead of being bizarrely segmented and missing the whole point of a mashup. It’s nice to see vines hanging off of bricks, or one kind of wall giving away to another. The combination palette leaves the Carrotus caves visibly blacker than usual, but it’s dramatic and works surprisingly well. Generally there’s a lot of interesting stuff to look at, at least in layers 3 and 4. Where the graphics do fall down a bit are the parallax background layers… there are a couple Carrotus layers against the sky, looking pretty static, but the background is mostly pretty empty, which is more noticeable considering much graphical detail there is moving at the same x/y speeds as layer 4. Tiles that traditionally appear in the far background are here much closer to the camera and it eventually gets noticeable.

As for the gameplay, it’s all reasonable stuff, with appropriate enemies that match their surroundings in both layout and visuals. There could probably stand to be more non-toaster ammo, perhaps replacing some of the many gems. About halfway through the level, finding trigger crates becomes the main focus… in general, the player gets to see the thing the trigger crate will be opening before finding the crate itself, which is a good principle, although the tile use doesn’t always make it clear at first glance what’s going to be trigger scenery. It’s a pity the tileset didn’t include JJ2’s standard lock block, because the alternatives this level employs—1×1 Carrotus blocks, and a Castle door that looks like it should be completely open—aren’t so obvious. As a result, it’s good to know when you hit a trigger crate that you should go back somewhere, but you won’t always know where to go back to.

The main issue I have with the layout is that it’s all kind of consistent and cramped. All passages seem to be about the same size, not very open, often bounded by very straight lines, no matter whether they use the Castle or Carrotus side of the graphics… and some more variety would be appreciated. Look at something like Rux0riffic for how much variety in layout element size it can get out of just a single tileset, not to mention the way it plays with things like springs and spikes. Changing things up from time to time within the level helps keep the player engaged and makes it more likely that one or another area will stand out and be memorable. There’s good stuff here, but it’s too tightly clustered and thus becomes hard to notice in isolation.

Still, I enjoyed playing this. It does have some nice tricks with less common tile usage, and some interesting bits with vines and destruct scenery and such, and the combat is all generally fine. But there’s still some room for it to grow in terms of visual clarity and distinct gameplay sections.

2 of 2 users found this a good review. Did you? Yes/No

RecommendedReview by abgrenv

Posted:
24 Oct 2021, 07:39
Bee Boy Swarm (37 Points)
Number of reviews with ratings37 Featured reviews0 Average helpfulness85%
Rating
7.7

A pretty good level where the focus is more on the eyecandy/aesthetics than the gameplay.
I think the merged tilesets are done really well, they feel natural. The level designer did a good job with making the level look pretty.
The gameplay gives back the feeling of the original levels, with maybe a bit more trigger crate puzzles and backtracking. You will never have the issue of getting lost though, there are no branching paths other than the ones where you have to go for a trigger crate, basically there’s always only 1 way to progress. This is the one of the few things I find lacking in this level, no branching paths or Jazz & Spaz specific secrets or pickups. Speaking of secrets, I liked them, except for the last Gold Coin, which is hidden in an extremely nasty spot, there’s also a spike pit secret which I only found thanks to shooting a Turtle shell in there, and even then I got hurt twice before figuring out the exact spot.
The difficulty is on par with the original levels, maybe even a bit lower, most of the difficulty you may encounter will come from the platforming. Honestly I don’t mind it at all, rather have a good level which is easy, than a 10/10 level, that I can’t even experience because the difficulty is that high.
Music choice is great, it’s an enjoyable track.
The level is short though, not extremely short, but I wouldn’t have minded if it goes on a bit more, which shows that I enjoyed the level and wanted more.

All in all, I recommend playing the level, it has great music, good gameplay, decent difficulty and great level design (aesthetic & gameplaywise)

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