"Uncanny nightmare version of an first level" has already been done in the hack;

It's not that it feels nightmarish rather than depressing, it's simply that when the player is playing through all these Crazee Phazees and comes upon an altered version of an introductory level which originally had a cheerful grassland theme but is now rendered in dull colors with no music and no enemies, they're still going to think, "Hmm, this feels a lot like the altered version of an introductory level which originally had a cheerful grassland theme but is now rendered in dull colors with no music and (at least initially) no enemies I just played through a short while ago," even if the layout/mood/graphics are not identical. It's not that there's anything wrong with the idea of depicting depression by transforming what ought to be a lively landscape with all of its vitality apparently drained from it, it it's just that it needs to be approached (especially in a stage that's supposed to seem decidedly different from all others in the hack) in such a way that it doesn't seem too conceptually similar to a stage that the player would have just recently gone through, for instance by tying said landscape not to any particular introductory stage (which was already quite explicitly, but, for example, to Mario himself, which is taking things in a new direction. It can, after all, only help the phase (and in turn the final level as a whole) if it appears to have its own unique personality, noticeable distinct from its other brothers and sisters in World 9.[/quote

I actually agree with you now. Hmm...how could this be pulled off then?

The only things I can think of are the backgrounds of both "Apocalyptic Girder Grasslands" and "Depressive And So It Began..."



Wow...just...wow...

But, I don't get those changing heads...

@ShadowAlexandre: Judging from the outline, most likely. I'm guessing the one on the right is Doc Croc with the glasses and the frizzy hair...

That is outstanding, and at this point, I'm almost going to suggest that we don't use the logo that was drawn earlier. It might be wise to just draw SMWCP2 along the top of that title screen in your own unique font.

I love how it feels like some kind of nuclear Holocaust (the palette, at least). Can't wait to see the final version.

Does anyone else think that maybe the end result could do with a bit more colour? Having something completely yellow and tan-looking on the title screen doesn't really fit with the more vibrant palettes used in the levels, in my opinion at least. The title screen looks freaking amazing, yes, but I'm just wondering if it actually goes together well with what we already have. Or is a stark contrast supposed to give the impression of some kind of "this is what would happen, and you're trying to stop it" feel?

The change in tone just throws me off a bit.