Man, what an adventure this contest has been throughout the year. But now we have reached the Final Destination. It's time for Round 43 grades!!!
psb123's grades:
Lordran by GolisoPower:
Iconic Status: 5/5
But of course. Through both memes and legitimate methods, Dark Souls is one of the most iconic franchises in the modern day. And it's Switch port was highly anticipated. Definite 5.
Originality: 10/10
This is the perfect transitioning Dark Souls stage. The way it transitions with the fog, the areas each having a gimmick that fits for it, and the bonfires across all layouts offer a really unique mechanic of changing re-spawn points.
Playability: 7/10
Not too bad all in all. But there are a few hazards that can mess with people. Most notably the Guillotine and the Soul Signs.
Overall Score: 22/25
The Collective Unconscious by Kevandre:
Iconic Status: 3/5
A hidden gem for sure. But that hidden status leads to enough obscurity to prevent a favorable score.
Originality: 10/10
I'll admit it. I'm one of the scrubs who has yet to play this game. But based on how you've described the levels, it really seems like you recreated them in Smash very faithfully. The Collective Unconscious serving as the hub, the giant Raz in Lungfishopolis, and the Mobius Strip platforms in the Milkman Conspiracy. This all looks really well adapted.
Playability: 8/10
My main concerns are the bull in Black Velvetopia and the overall layout of Milla's Dance Party. The bull is powerful, but easy enough to keep away from. And the layout of the Dance Party can lead to tricky recovery attempts to pull off. But it seems workable enough.
Overall Score: 21/25
Primp Town Magic School by TKOWL:
Iconic Status: 3/5
Puyo Puyo has got itself a fanbase (more so in Japan if I recall correctly) but it is a more obscure series. Not super well known, but not down in the depths of niche either. Middle ground seems perfect here.
Originality: 10/10
This kind of "things falling from the sky" puzzle game has a lot of different games that utilize it as a Smash Bros. stage such as Tetris. Though none of them have ever actually had a Smash Stage before. But even if they did, this one takes the unique twists Puyo Puyo has from the rest of those games and uses them to it's advantage. You've essentially got a game going on in the background that is a nice reference and for the most part doesn't get in the way of a fight and can be ignored by players. Key term there being "for the most part".
Playability: 9/10
The only things that can cause concern here are the Garbage Puyo and a platform being removed due to fever. But both are rare and not all that difficult to work around if they do happen.
Overall Score: 22/25
Angel Island by apaulieg:
Iconic Status: 5/5
Your iteration of this idea is based on Angel Island from Sonic Adventure. But in both that game and the Sonic series as a whole, Angel Island is one of the most memorable locations.
Originality: 10/10
This is a great way to incorporate Angel Island as a stage. It captures it's notable traits of the master emerald, falling without it, and collecting it's broken shards to restore it all in a nice, simple stage. I also like the easter egg with Perfect Chaos and Tikal, rare as it is. Though I do find it kind of interesting being able to trigger it earlier by equipping theoretical DLC spirits.
Playability: 9/10
The temporary alterations in gravity are my only concern. But they're short enough to only be a minor issue.
Overall Score: 24/25
Pikmin Parade by Primid:
Iconic Status: 5/5
You're fighting on top of a bunch of fruit being carried by Pikmin. People will know what this is. Especially people who have played Pikmin 3.
Originality: 10/10
Brilliant idea for a Pikmin stage. Fighting on top of a bunch of fruit they're carrying with obstacles that are hazardous to Pikmin appearing along the way and ending by fruit being gathered as the Pikmin get to safety in their onion. Great idea.
Playability: 9/10
The Wollywog and the webs could cause some annoyance. But only in minor ways. And those are the only concerns I have.
Overall Score: 24/25
Johto Safari Zone by PeridotGX:
Iconic Status: 4/5
The Safari Zone is a neat little addition for places like Kanto and Johto. We've seen it in a couple games since, but not many. And it's not as notable as some other types of Pokemon locations.
Originality: 7/10
I like how the stage randomly chooses two possible layouts to be in every time you start a match. But that's all the stage really does and it's not creative enough for a higher score on it's own.
Playability: 10/10
None of the layouts cause any problems though. So you're fine in this regard.
Overall Score: 21/25
Orange Star Skirmish by Good Guy Giygas:
Iconic Status: 3/5
Advance Wars is in a very similar boat as Psychonauts honestly. A cult classic that's popular with it's group of fans, but it is still relatively unknown.
Originality: 10/10
I don't think there's a more perfect way you can make an Advance Wars Stage. You basically have an entire Advance Wars battle, the very core of the game, going on while you fight in a stage that meshes background elements with a playable arena in probably the best possible way.
Playability: 10/10
And the most impressive part by far is that there is not a single concern to be had in the playability department. Even if vessels get destroyed, you incorporated an absolutely genius back-up that still leaves room to fight on.
Overall Score: 23/25
Cosmic77's grades:
Not gonna lie to you guys, I didn't expect this to hit me as hard as it has. Working as a judge for this contest for the past year has made every week exciting and interesting, and it's hard to imagine that it's finally coming to a close. I'll really miss seeing those wonderful stages, and more importantly, I'll miss seeing the wonderful users who made them.
Thanks to everyone who's participated over the course of this contest. Perhaps in the distant future, I'll be the one making stages while you guys critique my terrible art skills.
"Lordran" by GolisoPower:
Iconic Status: 5/5
This game, as good as it it, is probably more memorable because of the stupid meme that always accompanies it. When was the last time a game's difficulty wasn't compared to Dark Souls?
Originality: 10/10
HUGE improvement from your previous stages. I love the simple layouts, and it seems like you spent more time on thinking of a truly unique gimmick instead of rehashing an old idea.
Speaking of gimmicks, the one you came up with is completely original. Stays true to the source game while also adding something that's never been seen before. The campfire was a brilliant addition that adds a lot of variety to your stage.
Playability: 7/10
There's more than a few hazards that I feel like were a tad unnecessary. Every layout doesn't need a unique hazard to make it interesting; if anything, the layout itself should be enough.
But other than that, your stage is decent with only a few areas of concern.
Overall Score: 22/25
"The Collective Unconscious" by Kevandre:
Iconic Status: 3/5
I've never played this game, but I've definitely heard of it before.
It's memorable, and if the series was more active, I'd feel comfortable giving you a perfect score. However, I don't feel like it's a franchise that can compete with the iconicness of other third-parties. Add on to the fact that it's never been on a Nintendo console, and I feel like there's enough reason to worry about people not knowing what this is.
Originality: 10/10
Setting is great, layouts are great, stage is...well, great.
Not a huge emphasis on a gimmick or anything, but the different layouts more than make up for it (that Mobius strip though). I also love how many times you referenced the game with your stage. Nice to see people take inspiration from the game of origin and mesh them together with their own ideas to make something original.
Playability: 8/10
The odd layouts, particularly the one from Basic Training, make me feel like characters with poor recoveries could suffer a little on this stage.
The charging bull is also an issue, but I don't think you needed me to point that out. You've participated in every round, so if you haven't figured out by now what would cause us to deduct points...
Overall Score: 21/25
"Primp Town Magic School" by TKOWL:
Iconic Status: 3/5
Nooooooo!! Why'd you have to make this as your final stage!?
Well, Puyo Puyo is a monster in Japan. Overseas? Not so much. If Smash were a series exclusive to Japan, this would get a perfect score. Sadly, a series like this eludes the rest of the world.
Originality: 7/10
This is a unique way of representing Puyo Puyo, but the concept is very similar to the popular Tetris and Dr. Mario stage ideas. Luckily, you managed to implement yours a bit differently than those two, so I'll acknowledge the creativity you put in your stage.
Playability: 7/10
The Garbage Puyo falling from the sky are an issue. To avoid them, you'd essentially have to jump from one screen to the next.
Besides that, looks fine.
Overall Score: 17/25
"Angel Island" by apaulieg:
Iconic Status: 5/5
I doubt I need to explain my score. Very iconic and notable area from the Sonic universe that everyone should be able to recognize.
Originality: 9/10
It looks like a hodgepodge of other stages already in Smash, but I do think you came up with something original that not many people would've thought of for a Sonic stage. The use of the Master Emerald, the shards, and the little scavenger hunt is pretty unique, and I feel like this would be an amazing stage to have in Smash.
Playability: 9/10
Aside from the falling/rising island, I really don't have much else to nitpick. Looks great.
Overall Score: 23/25
"Pikmin Parade" by Primid:
Iconic Status: 5/5
This stage is literally a bunch of Pikmin. If you can't guess what franchise this came from, then there's not much else I could show you to make you recognize this.
Originality: 10/10
How have we not gotten a stage like this before!? This is easily my favorite Pikmin stage for this entire contest!
Well, if you couldn't tell, I love what you created. Very original, represents the games beautifully, and it's nothing like what we already have in Smash. Kinda sad this isn't real.
Playability: 7/10
Enemies such as the Wollywog are an issue. Not bad, but personally, I would've cut back on the hazards a little. Maybe make a few enemies background elements instead.
Overall Score: 22/25
"Johto Safari Zone" by PeridotGX:
Iconic Status: 5/5
The Safari Zone is a notable area in practically every Pokemon game. May not be the most memorable part of those games, but it's a staple to the series regardless.
Originality: 4/10
...I hate having to critique a stage on the final round, but this feels like Mario Maker 2.0.
Maybe this sounded better on paper, but it's really bland and underwhelming. It doesn't do a very good job of representing the Pokemon franchise, and there's barely anything here that would even make me think this is the Pokemon Safari. At the very least, some description of the background would've helped.
Playability: 10/10
The layouts aren't perfect, but I figured I could be a little more generous in this area. Honestly, there's not much in your stage that warrants a deduction.
Overall Score: 19/25
"Orange Star Skirmish" by Good Guy Giygas:
Iconic Status: 2/5
Advance Wars is basically dead. I know it has a fanbase, but man, I'd be surprised if anyone besides those dedicated Nintendo nerds knew what it was.
Originality: 10/10
A truly remarkable stage. I love how much effort you put into describing the battles and the multiple outcomes of each one. The setting is unique, and this sounds like it would be a blast to play on. We've never had a stage like this before, and it's a darn shame we (likely) won't be seeing it in Smash.
Playability: 9/10
Suprisingly, a stage that focuses on fighting with large machines built for battle doesn't have a lot of hazards. My only issue lies with the small gap between the ships in the ocean segment. I feel like that would be an area that would leave you pretty vulnerable.
Overall Score: 21/25
TheMarioAddicts grades:
The last round, huh? I can’t believe we’re really here. I gotta tell you all, this has been fun the whole way through - both the making and judging of stages. Since this is the last round, I’m sure you’ve all pulled out all the stops, right? Well then it’s only fair that I do as well. I joked about this once before, but this time I’m serious - I expect nothing but the best from you guys, and will judge your stages accordingly. This is your final exam, let’s go out on top!
"Lordran" by GolisoPower:
Iconic Status: 5/5
Obviously this gets a perfect Iconic score. I mean, it's
Dark Souls! The game that's practically an entire genre in and of itself! If I gave it anything less than a 5, I'd need to git gud.
Originality: 9/10
Goliso, you've certainly stepped up your game for this final round! These are some of the most interesting mechanics I've seen from any of your stages, and that goes
triple for the bonfire mechanic - a mechanic that's so perfect and simple that I'm honestly kind of surprised nothing like it has shown up in Smash (or even the stage contest itself) before. Toss in some varied layouts and this is a solidly creative stage! Well done!
Playability: 7/10
There's definitely some problems in the mechanics, but they're not so bad this time around. The worst offender is probably Blighttown's Stopwatch mechanic, which... yeah, that'd be a massive pain to deal with. But for the most part, the rest are all pretty manageable or easily avoidable, so good job!
Overall Score: 21/25
"The Collective Unconscious" by Kevandre:
Iconic Status: 4/5
Cult classics are tough for me to judge in iconicness. I mean, sure, they're
good, and they have fanbases
now, but the whole reason they're Cult Classics is because no one bought them when they came out. But to be fair, Psychonauts is probably the biggest Cult Classic there is, so that warrants a pretty high score. I think just one point shy from a 5 is fair in that regard.
Originality: 8/10
I mean, you were pretty much guaranteed a high creativity score the moment you started making a stage based on Psychonauts. The game is oozing with creativity in its own right, so a stage based off of it would surely follow suit. The only thing I'm docking you for is that a number of your platform layouts feel pretty familiar, and I'm not talking about the Final Destination platform at the start - Basic Braining echoes Warioware, Lungfishopolis echoes the Shine Sprite Tower portion of Delfino Plaza, and I
swear I've seen that Black Velvetopia layout before on a different stage. But the rest is so creative (
mobius strip platforms!!!) that you still get a really good score here!
Playability: 8/10
The point loss comes from Basic Braining and Black Velvetopia - the bull in the latter is obviously a problem, but the walls and walkoffs in the former is nothing to scoff at either. Still, on the whole, the stage is perfectly fine, and I think it'd be a ton of fun!
Overall Score: 20/25
"Primp Town Magic School" by TKOWL:
Iconic Status: 3/5
Ah, Puyo Puyo. I’ve only played Puyo Puyo Tetris, but I loved that game very much - for all these years, I never knew that what Tetris was missing (and
desperately needed) was anime girls... I'm a changed man now, and I've seen the light. However, there's no denying that Puyo Puyo is a series whose fame is pretty much exclusive to Japan. If I were Japanese, I'd give you a 5/5, no question. But I'm a dumb American, and the series ain't as popular over here, so I have to grade accordingly. Sorry.
Originality: 9/10
This is my favorite Game-in-a-Stage idea I've ever seen, I think. I've often lamented that every fan take on stages for these sorts of puzzle games (Tetris, Dr. Mario, etc.) is the same idea of fighting in a big bowl while blocks try to crush you to death. Your Puyo Puyo stage could have turned out very similar, but you took it in a very different direction, and thank
god for that! This is a much more interesting idea, with the Puyo Puyo fight happening in the background, but not completely isolated from the fight at hand. It's the best way of doing this sort of stage I've ever seen, so thank you for this gift!
Playability: 8/10
Obviously, the walls of falling Garbage Puyos are cause for concern, but I've played enough Puyo to know that the
really deadly ones probably wouldn't happen that often. And aside from that, this stage is perfectly good to play on!
Overall Score: 20/25
"Angel Island" by apaulieg:
...wow. I don't think we have ever,
ever had a stage entry with this much detail given to it. Way to go above and beyond!
Iconic Status: 5/5
I shouldn't need to explain this. The Master Emerald and its shrine are so central to Sonic as a whole that it'd be a
crime to score this less than perfect. Well chosen!
Originality: 6/10
It feels wrong of me to give you such an average Originality score, but the more I look at your stage, the more similarities to other stages I see. The platform layout? That's every Pokemon stage ever. The falling/rising stage and gravity? That's Summit. Summit even does the same stage-falls-into-the-ocean-and-becomes-a-swimming-stage thing, so that's an extra negative. You have original stuff, of course - the bouncy clouds and the part where you gather emerald shards are unique as far as I can tell - but the stage as a whole feels a little underwhelming, if I'm being honest. Which, again, it feels like a crime to say that with how much detail you gave, but... well, my opinions are unchanged. Apologies.
Playability: 8/10
These are some pretty good, pretty well playable layouts you have. The water concerns me a little, but it's hardly worth noting, really. Well done, well done!
Overall Score: 19/25
"Pikmin Parade" by Primid:
Iconic Status: 5/5
This was tricky for me. It's not really a given location from Pikmin, which would be a negative... but at the same time this stage represents the central core of all Pikmin games, which is a huge positive... then again, you did show much of the Pikmin 3 world in the background, so... eh, screw it, take a 5. You do enough right that I think it's fair.
Originality: 9/10
This is a very interesting take on a traveling stage, and I love it! Riding along a stage as the stage itself is carried to it's destination is something we haven't seen before, though if that had been all your stage had to offer it would have been a bit bland. Thankfully you spice it up by having the areas the stage goes to affect the stage itself, which helps out a ton! The wide variety of things to encounter and the incredibly unique central concept make this a stage worth praising!
Playability: 7/10
Hazards like the Wollywog are a concern, of course, but I'm more worried about the flying cherry platforms and the caves of life they create. Plus, an ever-present walkoff isn't the best in my eyes, but aside from that, this stage seems like it'd be pretty fun to fight on! Nicely done!
Overall Score: 21/25
"Johto Safari Zone" by PeridotGX:
Iconic Status: 4/5
The Safari Zone is a classic element of pretty much every pokemon game in existence, so this was a really good choice of stage. I wanted to give you a 5 for that, but... well, for as common as it is, it's not really a big focal point of any of the games, is it? Like, I'd love to say that the Safari Zone carries the same weight as the Pokemon League, or the Pokemon Gyms, or any of the areas you catch Legendary Pokemon, but... well, it doesn't. But still, it's more than worth of a high score here!
Originality: 5/10
It's weird for me to say this, but this stage is kind of... bland. The randomization mechanic is nothing new (Mario Maker, Tortimer Island), and you don't really spice it up enough to make it its own thing. And outside of that, there's... well, there's very little to talk about. It's different from other Pokemon stages, so you have that, but... eh. It's kind of lackluster.
Playability: 8/10
The only playability concern is the rocks in the Desert set. The walls are short, but I still think they'd be a bit problematic. Nothing else springs out as being too terrible though, so I'll give the rest of the stage a pass. Good job!
Overall Score: 17/25
"Orange Star Skirmish" by Good Guy Giygas:
Iconic Status: 3/5
Advance Wars, huh? That's... a series that exists. Like... ok, I know it introduced people to the Fire Emblem style of combat... I think... but I'm super in the dark about the rest of it. It's definitely not a huge franchise, that's for sure, but I know it has its fans, so... eh.
Originality: 10/10
I
love this stage! Battles atop tanks and submarines is something completely new to Smash, and the whole stage is just
oozing with charm! I particularly like that the battles between units affects the stage layout
without risking harm to the players - any other stage would have the guns and weaponry damage the fighters, but you smartly avoided that trap. The setting, the layouts, the outcomes, just... I love this stage. It's beautiful.
Playability: 9/10
And on top of that, you kept the stage perfectly playable! That's the most impressive part of all, I think. I had to take off a point for some of the geometry in the Ground Battle section, but beyond that, I see no major problems. Well done, well done!
Overall Score: 22/25
And now
For one final time
The Winner is
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Pikmin Parade by Primid!!!!
Total Scores:
GolisoPower: 65 points
Kevandre: 62 points
TKOWL: 59 points
apaulieg: 66 points
Primid: 67 points
PeridotGX: 57 points
Good Guy Giygas: 66 points
