We bring the 2009 in Review to a close with one of Munchy365’s atmospheric masterpieces- Fortress, a sequel to his equally popular level Shrine. When this level was originally reviewed, it didn’t get much of a synopsis about what made it so darn epic and fun, and I shall substitute said description for you now.

You come out of the tunnel from the end of Shrine, and you’re faced with these over-bearing towers that look to have no end into the sky. You run around the interior of this massive courtyard and find a secret hole behind some cleverly planted trees, giving up a key for access into a tower. Once inside, you must figure out that in order to reach the next key, you must tame the wild skulls that live inside to do your bidding. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll come in handy for treasure later on…

That’s only a taste of the variety the beginning of the level has in store for you. It’s a common theme to use many more enemies to get up to high to reach places, and once high up you’ll be jumping from tower top to tower up, finding more keys and bombs to further progress higher and higher. When you get tired of the exploration and the platforming, minor puzzles like an unforgiving spike floor and a room hosting the game “hide & seek: bomb style” will be formidable obstacles to overcome. And then at the very top, as depicted in the screenshot, the beautiful overview of the landscape will make you feel inclined to take a plunge to the bottom in awe…

So why is this level worthy of re-reviewing at the end of the year? There are plenty of reasons: the variety. The great platforming. The tricky puzzles. The wonderful scenery that is a trademark of Munchy’s. And finally, but most importantly, the great effort and dedication you can see from the designer (who probably spent a good 3 weeks on this), and to the player who finishes this beast of the level.

And with that, we begin the new year, our beloved 2010, right on the horizon of Stratosphir, waiting patiently for even greater masterpieces to arise from the scratch.

P.S. The average player can take the challenge of finding the finish, but for the expert players, why not take a second look around for all the treasure props hidden in the level? You’ll have to get everything and keep all your lives in order to take my gold medal… -Swords761

Staff Score: 11402 (Swords761)

It is beyond my abilities as a writer to do justice to this magnificent level. Luckily, I don’t have to…after you read this review, you can start up Atmosphir and check it out for yourself.

Some levels in Atmosphir are a fun little diversion, some have some nice scenery but don’t play very well, some provide a fun challenge, and some are so challenging you’d swear they were designed to torture prisoners. And every once in awhile a level like Kingdoms 1-1 comes along that is so mind-blowingly awesome it completely changes your idea of what is possible in Atmosphir.

The first thing you notice when you enter this world is how beautiful it looks. Of course it is made out of the same pieces you’ve seen in a thousand other levels, but there is something about the way they fit together that just works. And as you scale the giant cliffs that surround you, more of the world comes into view and just keeps looking better.

But what about gameplay? It doesn’t matter how good a level looks if it is no fun to play. Don’t you worry, this level does not disappoint. It might not be the most challenging level ever created, but what it lacks in difficulty it more than makes up for in fun. Most of your time is spent exploring the environment, and every so often you will come to a puzzle of just the right difficulty.

This level has something for everyone. Even complete Noobs should enjoy wandering around aimlessly. Experts should be able to make it through on their first try, and beginners should be able to complete it with some effort. But almost everyone will want to play it again.

Thank you Redidas for this inspiring level. I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us. -robcozzens

This is probably my favorite level of the year. The way Memphiston incorporates the twitch platforming concept into Atmosphir is brilliant. I don’t know how if I can describe the environment better than Colinnn did earlier this year:

“True to its name, Virtuality: Aerial Azure definitely carries a virtual feel, as it is composed of white, blue, and light blue blocks against a plain white skybox. The scattered arrangement of blocks makes for an interesting jump challenge as you race against time to reach the finish flag. Although virtual reality has no true color, shape, or structure, this level does capture the true feeling of a virtual realm.”

I’ve never seen anything quite like this. The environment is perfect, as is the ingenious placement of the time powerups. This is one of the only levels that I’ve played over and over again, attempting to achieve a higher score or just conquering the floating challenges in the first place. There’s just something that stands out about this masterpiece, something that separates it from the hundreds of other levels. As of now, Robcozzens holds the top score on this level, but maybe one of you skilled players can top him. -EdacOnag

Staff Score: 422 (robcozzens)

Hanging Gardens of Babylon is undoubtedly one of the most fantastically beautiful levels ever to grace our gloriously awesome play browser.

An epic trek through the recently rediscovered Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Bender’s awe-inspiring creation was a milestone in level designing at the time, and it is still standing tall today amongst the greatest of levels; those ones showcased here this week, and many more besides. But this is enough of me broadly describing the level under the umbrella-term “awesome”. Let me tell you why this level makes it onto this very special list, what makes it so outstanding- to my eyes, at least.

Now, let us begin with the scenery- an oh! what stunning scenery it is! From the pristine white towers of the gardens themselves to the mysterious isles that gracefully spiral around the larger rock masses below. The towers, in their immaculate white-washed glory, stand tall; proud; straight; the epitome of order and law in this world. Conversely, the isles, bedrocks and gigantic pools that compose the entirety of the rest of the world represent disorder and chaos. The rocks and the water roll off from beneath the towering marble constructions, yourself a speck- a mote of dust- in this vast, fantastical, potentially dangerous landscape.

You must weave yourself between the rocks and through the towers in an intrinsically complex and deadly dance; you must frantically climb your way skywards once within the cavernous expanses that compose the sheer white walls of Babylon’s Gardens. Once the pinnacle has been reached you collect the orange nectar known only as, in the Atmosphir world, “jump powerups”. From your lofty peak you must plunge below, working once more through another white tower, collecting the same nectar, and taking the plunge once more. This cycle is interrupted but a couple of times, to explore and admire such beautiful areas as the huge an echoing cave that lies beneath the watery sapphire lagoon that resides above.

But, even after you have heard all this, make no mistake- the level presents an astonishing level that even the most inexperienced of players can beat, but also a highly challenging (and potentially torturous) level that will cause trouble for the best players of our community. But how can this be possible?! I hear you cry. Simple, I answer with glee; this is a level of two halves; of two minds.

Bender released first the insanely hard version, with deathly spikes composing the stairways to the stars. He entrusted to each adventurer to his realm 100 lives for this epic task, yet for most this is not enough. Not nearly enough. Considering this, he took the time to compose a second level, and this he entered into Jump09 (claiming a highly deserved 4th place). This second, easier, version saw all the spikes replaced by purple bricks, adding a dash of colour removing and a vast swathe of death from the level; the only hazard left standing was gravity. Both are astonishing feats in terms of level design, and both deserve this award equally, for they both accomplish all they need to and are, essentially, one and the same.

So now you know what is so special, so original, so awesome about this level and Bender in general. So, I hope, you are inspired to play this level; complete it and enjoy it, and craft your own levels in the image and likeness of it.

Go now, good luck, and happy new year! -DuffyZeEmu

Staff Scores:
Explore / Easy - 4877 (DuffyZeEmu)
Original / Hard - 7578 (okaysamurai)

“It’s always awesome when someone takes something old and familiar, and then remixes it into a fresh experience in Atmosphir. Super Mario Land 3D by bigdrip681 does just that. It’s great fun roaming around this giant world, jumping off of 20-story green warp pipes, mushrooms, stars and more in search of 10,000 points worth of treasure. While the color theme pack makes up the bulk of the design, bigdrip681 also manages to mix elements from several other packs to create a unique style of his own. Absolutely incredible.”

On March 9, 2009, Dave Werner (OkaySamurai) wrote these words, naming Super Mario Land 3D as one of the earlier Levels of the Day. With over 1000 plays, one of Bigdrip’s most famous levels is one of the greatest levels of the year.

Mario has been a family name since his debut in 1983 with the game Mario Bros. (Donkey Kong featured a character named Jumpman, who resembled the famous plumber). His games have been some of the most powerful to his the gaming industry, topping charts and making a legacy. Bigdrip has brought the mustached man to Atmosphir in the form of beautiful block art.

The basic concept of Super Mario World 3D is to navigate a huge area, collecting 10,000 points as you go. Large numbers of jump power-ups make it easy to explore the area, leaping high into the skies as you quest for points.

Even if point-hunting isn’t your cup of tea, the block art alone is reason enough to play this level. According to Bigdrip in his interview with Dave, this level alone took over a month to complete. No doubt this is because of the detail added to this creation. The level features huge, detailed, and generally amazing sculptures of famous Mario characters and icons in an Atmosphir environment. Even better, many of these sculptures are hollow, allowing you to enter and explore them for points and a general sense of adventure.

As with anything, words cannot do justice to such an amazing level. Therefore, I encourage you to go check this level out for yourself. There have been many copies of this level, but do not be fooled: The original is the property of Bigdrip681.

And so my friend, I congratulate you. Your levels are of the highest quality, and I found it hard to narrow it down to just one to write about. I hope that 2010 will only bring more of the same, high-quality products that you have graced us with. Congratulations on earning the Level of the Year award. You’re more than deserving of it. -Colinnn

This level by Phantomboy, was entered into the Boss09 design challenge right at the beginning of 2009, and climbed its way (almost) to the top, placing 2nd. I’m not sure why, but this level really shines as one of the more iconic levels in the game. Perhaps because it contains a smaller version of the first ever level uploaded (5 minutes level by PL|PREDATOR), or because it placed 2nd the same week as the new Atmosphir website was released.

Crashed Mac also featured in our first ever “special” LOTD week this year, the Atmosphir Classics week, another reason that this level should never be forgotten, and is definitely one of the best this year. -Adz

Staff Score: 1063 (Adz)

The classic review of a great level everyday has been a tradition since the fourth of February this year. It all started with Wet-Dry World by virtualboyke, receiving recognition by getting the very first Level of the Day. Today marks the start of a week-long series of reviews that showcase the greatest Atmosphir Level of the Day’s this year. We begin this review of 2009 with Titans Grave[Big09] by Groud. Truly an outstanding masterpiece, Groud’s Big09 entry still remains my favorite level of all time.

I still stand in amazement at how Groud made this enormous environment just with a few different colored blocks; imagine what he will do when Stratosphir arrives in January! As I said when I first gave Titans Grave LOTD in early October, I enjoyed every second of the gameplay–and I played it for over an hour. Spectacular views and breathtaking scenery make it an extremely memorable level; I just can’t get enough of it!

Titans Grave is one of the best LOTD’s of the year because, well, it stands out immensely; the gameplay is incredible, the scenery is absolutely beautiful, and size of the level is just huge, but it doesn’t lose it’s edge as you delve deeper into its depths. When the team agreed to do 2009 In Review, Titans Grave was the first level that popped into my mind, it’s just truly amazing. Groud deserves all the recognition he receives for Titans Grave, with LOTD, 3rd place in Big09, and the honorary position of one of the seven best levels of the year.

Congratulations, Titans Grave is going down in the history books! -boberto

Journey to the Ruins is a unique and exciting level which takes you to the Ruins on a quest for revenge. This level places some uncommon puzzles in a very well-designed environment. You can take many different paths through the beautiful areas. Newcomers to Atmosphir may find this level a bit of a challenge, but advanced players should be able to find their way around. -EdacOnag
Staff Score: 2456 (Boberto)

A few photos from the team hard at work…

Newcomer Blackseptember005 has created a clever little combat level here with a cool concept. Not only do you have to seek out and defeat several enemies and bosses, but you’ll also have to find the hidden keys scattered throughout the camp to make your escape through the nearby caves. If you can’t find all the keys, here’s a hint: you don’t always have to enter tents through the front. I love the Muka platform blocks that you can see through: it’s always engaging to see some activity going on directly above you, and trying to figure out a way to get up there yourself. With this and his Gears of War: Blood Drive and Isengard levels, it looks like combat is blackseptember005’s specialty. Good stuff.