There's a surprising amount of entries this time compared to the last contest, and they all look pretty nice. My thoughts on each:
Entry 1: It's very simple compared to the other entries, but that's not a bad thing. It does feel a little underwhelming amidst the others. The best and worst maps, however, look incomplete.
Entry 2: You've achieved the perfect balance of decoration and visual clarity with the usage of completely vanilla assets. I believe that poises it boldly against the entries that used custom resources to achieve great aesthetics. Although, the palette is a bit dry and I'm not exactly swooning over the worst map.
Entry 3: First off, the palette is gorgeous. It's incredibly lively. I really love the added graphical details (particularly Mario and Luigi), although I feel like it was pushed too far in the best and worst worlds to the extent that it makes them feel out of place with the rest of the map. I also find that the cave map feels a bit like a rehash of the one in the last contest.
Entry 4: While I like the cleanliness of the layout, the map doesn't stand out all that much from the crowd. Beyond that, the palette particularly on the main map, isn't without flaws. It doesn't feel refined and fine tuned. The worst map is very unsightly, but I like the appropriation of the palette in the best map to represent bronze, silver, and gold.
Entry 5: The biggest crime this overworld commits is being too standard. Not horrible, but just standard. The space map is a cute idea, but it doesn't feel like you've expanded it to it's fullest potential. I can see you tried to make the most out of your available palettes, and while nice, it feels forced in more than one place, while the palette as a whole is a little bland.
Entry 6: Gorgeous details, gorgeous palettes. It kinda feels bland in the submaps compared to other submissions, but that's easily forgivable for that lush main map.
Entry 7: I really like the cute little graphic stylings on this overworld. They really help bring it to life. But forget all that; That best world map definitely steals the show. I have the suspicion that that's where most of your work went, and it definitely shows. The nega-verse edition for the worst world does seem a little lazy though.
Entry 8: I like the idea behind this palette. Whether or not the execution was the best, it's striking and stands out from the rest. I'm weary about the design of the submaps, though. Beyond the very last one they're not as detailed as they could potentially be.
Entry 9: While this is a very pretty and well detailed overworld, I find that it is
too detailed for it's own good. Though I must say, the submaps may be enough to redeem that. I really like the unison worst and best worlds; It adds a charm that others lack.
Entry 10: The Map is very well designed, although the graphics, while pretty, stray too far from what I would call, "The Spirit of this Compilation". One thing I really liked about this entry, is that it avoids using a hub for a more flowing, natural overworld progression. I do feel like it could've been pulled off better. Instead it's a little difficult to navigate. That may be caused the hard-to-read-ness of the signs.
Entry 11: There's some nice landscaping, but there's a real lack of decoration to really make it shine. The smallest details are what separate the great from the good, and while I think it lacks those details, it gets the basics right.
Entry 12: There's a lack of flow in the landscaping that makes this feel a little sterile. There's a daringness to palette choices that I like, but there's a noticeable lack of polish in them.
Entry 13: I can't help but notice this giant partition going through the center of the map. The map design is good, but the split detracts from the overall flow of it.
Entry 14: What I really like about this map are the little details that represent each level. It's incredibly charming and was pulled off nicely (I can already recognize where some of the levels might be). I do, however, think the landmasses feel artificial.
Entry 15: The map is well designed for the most part, although there are two design choices I find questionable: One, the usage of the vanilla tiles to represent the factory world does look messy, I'm not sure why you chose to do that when you've used custom graphics elsewhere on the overworld, and two, that GBC tileset you used in the best(?) map contrasts highly with the rest of the map.
Entry 16: The first thing that popped up into my mind was that this one looks incomplete, and I may be right; Those last three submaps look oddly barren compared to the rest of the world. I feel like there's a lack of polish in places but I feel as if you would've addressed those had you finished.
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Entry 17: Those submaps are fantastic! Everything from the HDMA to the layout to the palettes. I feel like the main map fails to achieve that same level of astonishment,though. Not to say it is bad, but it just isn't as memorable.
...That was a mouthful. I have no idea which one to vote on, but I think I've narrowed it down to a few contenders.
also I hope this isn't too much of a wall of text, if it is just tell me
Originally posted by Leod6 keeping in touch with last year's winner with the castle world and the water swastika, nice.
I actually didn't even notice that until you pointed it out. I have a feeling it may have been an oversight (though I may be proven horribly wrong).
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