Star's End: The Cloak

Initial Comments

I'm telling you right now, this is a great level. You'll love it. I don't have the time to just talk about how good it is, because I need to delve into this review so that the praise can begin! Let's go!

Level Design

Although this is a wonderful level, there's nothing spectacular here. You won't find fancy windows, balconies, arches or ramps of any kind. You won't see any brilliant textures or even any wonderful lighting choices. Really, though, this lack of detail adds detail. Confused? I'll explain in the Level Experience section. Yeah, I know the review looks short, but just you wait until the next section.

Level Dynamics

You know how sometimes you go into a restaurant and they serve you that little shrimp cocktail? Well, what happens? You eat it, and then you want more shrimp (If you don't like shrimp, just stay with me here for a minute anyway, okay?). Most levels are like that with dynamics; they have a little something nice, but at the end of the level you want more. Now, let's say you go to a seafood restaurant and order the shrimp platter; ten trillion pieces of shrimp just piled on a platter the size of Rhode Island. That is exactly what this level is like. It's chock ablock with special effects! Let's see... waterfalls? Check. Whirlpool? Check. The chance to fly a space ship? Check. A space battle? Check. Moving ships? Check. A lot of other fancy special effects? Check check check check check check check check check. You will be hard-pressed to find a place where noting is going on.

Enemy placement was also good. There weren't many enemies, since they could cloak. The use of generators was really a good idea here. You'd backtrack over a hallway and find suddenly someone who wasn't there before was shooting at you! Then you'd turn, and he was gone. In this way, the author's cloaking troopers did the work of about 10 regular ones.

Level Experience

Experience it pretty good here. There's not much going on that could shatter the illusion, but there's nothing spectacular either. Remember when I said that the design of the level being plain actually helps the experience? It's true. This base is a tiny installation that the Imperials don't want anyone to find. It's a little warehouse for making the cloaking stormtrooper, and that's it. You don't expect to see anything hugely amazing: It's just a tiny outpost. This is an example of the author's amazing ability to weave a web of illusion that can get just about every player to imagine him or herself in the level.

Score

Design Score: 8
Dynamics Score: 10
Experience Score: 9

Total Score: 90%