Well everyone, the time has come. Today the Editorial Staff will bid farewell for a time, and join the rest of the community in anxiously awaiting Project Stratosphir. But before we go, we have one last excellent Level of the Day for you all. Here it is, the final review in the current age of Atmosphir…

Many people in the world are fascinated by the sheer beauty of water. Whether it is a romantic walk on the beach or a stroll along a river, these aquatic landmarks always seem to bring a sense of wonder to our daily lives. But how many of us have actually thought about what lies beneath the water’s surface? Most of us would just assume that there are fish, weeds, and other aquatic life. But what if there were more?

When a river in the Amazonian Rainforest dried up several centuries ago, it disappeared without a trace. No one bothered to take the time to fully explore what rested where water used to reign supreme. That’s all about to change when you mistakenly fall into a stone temple hidden beneath the surface of the rainforest in Protector by Papaya255.

Protector has amazed me in several ways, the first being the excellent atmosphere around you from the very beginning. You truly do get the feel of being in an underground, flooded, stone temple. The design of the walls and floors themselves give signs of age. A slight haze in the air only adds to the musty feeling present here. Gameplay itself is also great. From the very beginning, interesting gameplay elements are shown with a simple falling platform race; simply activate the platform and race to its landing point to use it as a platform to reach the other side. It only gets better from there, with challenging uses of hazards and cleverly hidden powerups. Placement of treasure throughout the level only serves to add to this level.

Now as of yet, I have not managed to find my way to the surface. Of course, by the time you read this, that might have changed. But because I have not, I’ll have to trust that Robcozzens has managed to do an excellent job earning a high score (as he always manages to do). Right now he sits at the top with a score of 4518. So I’m going to issue my usual challenge to you now… Can you beat it?

So congratulations to you, Papaya255, on yet another excellent level. Looking forward to many more once Stratosphir launches!

Once again, on behalf of the Editorial Team, I cannot thank you enough for the support that you, the readers, have shown us. We truly would not be anything without you. While we are excited for the new game as much as you are, we will also be excited to begin the next generation of reviews. And so today, we turn the page and take the next step… -Colinnn

The dictionary defines exploditron as “no results found”, so we can only guess as to what ninjablade523 had in mind with his title. My guess is that it has something to do with the many bombable blocks you will have to explode to make your way through this floating structure.

The Floating Kingdom of Exploditron bears a striking similarity to the ever-popular Ruins levels: there are around the corner jumps, jumping from one floating structure to another, and jumps to and from ladders. But it manages to pull off a lot of the fun of those levels without being as keyboard-smashingly difficult.

To provide an enjoyable experience for the largest audience, ninjablade523 released easy and hard versions of this level. All the obstacles are the same, but in easy mode you start with more lives and don’t have a time limit. Veterans will want to tackle the hard version straight away, but even beginners should be able to conquer the easy one. -robcozzens

Staff Score: 3955 (robcozzens - on the hard version of course)

According to the dictionary, a paradox is “a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable sources, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless.” Maximumdragon’s latest level certainly lives up to its name.

This is a fiendishly difficult masterpiece that continuously leaves the player senseless. There is a nice bit of platforming included in the package, just so you don’t grow tired of wandering around the dark-owl filled castle. The unique finish flag structure also makes this level stand out: you can finish after each segment of the level. If you beat the first room, you can win, but your score and glory will climb higher side-by-side with the amount of areas you complete. I can’t stop playing this level; it’s addicting. So far I’ve only beaten the first part, but as the only staff member to have beaten the level, my score of 55675 stands as our highest, but I am sure many players could beat it if they tried hard enough. -EdacOnag

Staff Score: 55675 (EdacOnag)

Escape the Reactor is Munchy’s official sequel to his moderately successful second installment of the exploratorium series- Primary Reactor. The story continues from where Primary left off- after destroying the Primary Reactor’s power supply you must escape from it, dodging toxic sludge and nuclear radiation, and generally just getting the heck outta there before it a splode! D:

First off, this level is huge. There is a huge amount of space to explore, and thankfully, said space has not been wasted. In every single cavernous room with a roof beyond physical perception there are massive girders, deadly spikes, sludge flows and pipes- more than enough to fill up the space and really give the otherwise massive level a deliciously cramped and chaotic feel. But not only that, the grey hues combined with the sickly greens and pallid blues of the sewage flows and fog (respectively), give the level a steamy, slimy feel. Combine all of these clever atmospheric devices together and you get an intense and highly satisfying result; you get all the feel of an apocalyptic cyberpunk meltdown, every little detail going towards this incredible goal, a goal that has been achieved, a goal that others should hope to achieve themselves…

Possibly the best feature that Munchy has included here is the ability to actually fly around the level, particularly within the rooms that it compliments best; those with high-vaulted ceilings and more open spaces than the others. Although said flying is not explained in the story in any way, I have come up with my own theories… Could it be that the radiation has granted your character super-powers? Do the comet tokens contain mystic energy? Or are you simply imagining it all, the entire mission a product of a radiation-induced coma…? -DuffyZeEmu

Staff Score: Unbeaten

MrJamie seems to just have appeared out of thin air with an astounding level by the name of Muka Shrine. It is a fantastic journey through a series of winding tunnels and rooms. Around every corner lurks a new puzzle, ready to take one of your ten lives, but with some practice, I think even a player of an intermediate skill level could get a decent score. I greatly enjoyed all of the challenges and intertwining rooms, as well as the little comet powerup surprise at the end. It took me two tries to beat, and I loved how it had a great replay value, with the large amount of lives, time, and treasure to collect. I’m both proud and glad to congratulate MrJamie on his first ever LOTD. It was an amazing level and I can’t wait to see more of your brilliant creations! -boberto

Staff Score: 11952 (boberto)

Groud’s work has been recognized as some of the best in Atmosphir, and the seventh LOTD from this German designer is another great example of what makes his levels so appealing. In my opinion, what makes Groud stand above the crowd is that he always executes his level concept with great precision. Whether the level is large or small, you always feel that you are in for a grand adventure and that every detail has been thought out.

Here you are an explorer low on food and you have found this small island, known as Whispering Grove, with an ample supply of coconuts (NOTE: Frying pan pictured is optional for cooking said coconuts!). Apparently, you are in a hurry to gather them, because you are only given three minutes to complete your task. Most players should finish this level with ease, but there are a few coconuts in hard to reach places, so you’d better hurry if you are to get them before the time runs out.

So, this level may not be expansive and heavy on exploration like Titans Grave, or you may not be limited in motion like the ground breaking Aztec Mountain (the level that started the low jump value craze that has endured since it debuted in March of last year!), but never fear you are in good hands with this excellent designer. Give this bite sized level a chance and you are guaranteed to have a fantastic, short adventure. -EliteBlackDragon

Staff Score - 1,222 (EliteBlackDragon)

One of the main things I look for in a LOTD is originality. Colinnn has always delivered in this aspect. From the Lush series to his infamous Time Trial Tower Dash, Colinnn demonstrates the ability to incorporate new ideas into a level time and time again. With The Sandstone Deserts, he takes the familiar basic concept of the Lush series and puts a unique spin on it; this level is set in a desert.

Your adventure begins after a Muka Scout steals your canteen, the only water source you have. Knowing you’ll die without water in the heat, your only hope is to go forward in search of a mythical oasis. You must travel across the arid plains, solving puzzles along the way. It takes a very keen eye to spot some of the secrets in this level.

Currently Colinnn and Robcozzens are the only ones to have beaten this masterpiece, the creator holding the high score. I haven’t maneged to get very far in the level yet; it’s a difficult puzzler. However, with enough dedication, you should be able to reach the oasis and feel the cool touch of water on your lips. -EdacOnag

Staff Score: 6594 (Colinnn)

We’ve had a various assortment of dungeon remakes in Atmosphir, particularly focused around the classic Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda. This action-puzzler series was and still is a true milestone to the world of gaming, and I’m sure it’s inspired so many third-party developers to create amazing pieces of work. This is no exception to the Atmosphir community, and hence The Legend of Zinc: Dungeon 1 was born by our great designer robcozzens.

I’ll be honest- it doesn’t play exactly as a LoZ game; but it’s not rob to blame, it’s just the limitations of what the design mode can do. However, I’m guaranteeing to you that you’ll be getting the similar feel as a Forest temple after having played so much Orcarina of Time and Spirit Tracks over the holidays. You have the exploration; the new abilities (which in this case are run/jump powerups); the puzzles to solve to get the key; the locked door; and even a sub-boss and boss (with a couple minor twists) to find and kill. One thing that greatly improves the level but isn’t a real trademark in LoZ games is the treasure collecting; so much of it is hidden, and in two methods- the normal deep-packed treasure, and the hunt for the fern props which each hold 100 points.

So with all of these atributes combined, you’ll have a blast beating the level in the course of a full hour, and then going back to scour the treasure for a super high score (literally). Can you beat robcozzen’s score? I hear he might be giving a Level Review (NOT LOTD) if you can get the highest score (excluding himself)… -Swords761

“Flee” is a fairly common word. The official definition is to “run away quickly.” It is generally used in a panicked sense, such as fleeing a burning house or fleeing from the Level 99 Mudkip that (somehow) just attacked you on Pokémon. So on the day of the Dark Eclipse, when it is said that you must run away from home and reach a high place, what will you do? You’ll flee, of course!

There are three main things you need to keep in mind as you play today’s Level of the Day, Flee by Fallenflames. First, don’t stop. If you hesitate for a moment or stumble as you play, you might as well give up there if you’re going for the gold. Second, keep an eye on your time. You are given fifteen lives, but if you lose only one or two in the right place, you’ll find it exceptionally difficult to reach the end in time. And third, keep an eye out for points. There is one part in the level where you can find the 200 points that are critical to getting a high ranking.

While you may be able to complete the level after a few tries to get your bearings, reaching number one on the leaderboards is a completely different story. As I said above, you can’t afford to hesitate. I have played through this level countless times, each time figuring out the exact moves needed to shave those precious seconds off the clock. Eventually you’ll be able to play through Flee without thinking about it, and it’s at that point that you will try for the high score. It’s critical to know where everything is so you can play through it with your eyes closed. In short, never stop.

I can’t say how many times I have played through this level. I find myself constantly being drawn to it, as if it is calling me to take the gold. By the time this is published, maybe I will have taken the gold, or perhaps someone else will snatch it from me. Regardless, I know I’ll be back to flee again. Congratulations to you, Fallenflames, and I look forward to seeing more from you. -Colinnn

Staff Score: 1865 (Colinnn)

About a month ago Frodo released the inspiring level Sentinel. Players and designers alike enjoyed its unique look and gameplay. Several designers were so inspired that they took it upon themselves to make sequels to Frodo’s level. Instead of getting upset and claiming they stole his idea, Frodo graciously encouraged them to pick up the torch and continue in his footsteps.

So far the Sentinel series boasts five great levels by four great designers. I think my favorite is Paladin by Biznatch101. It has a great compact design that has you slowly making your way into higher rooms that let you look down on the previous areas you conquered. It has lots of hidden treasure, lots of challenging and creative puzzles, and lot’s of fun!

There is no time limit and plenty of extra lives, so most players should be able to make it to the finish with a little practice. But you’re going to have to be awesome if you want to take first place because Swords is currently sitting in the top spot with a very formidable score.

Congratulations Biznatch101… keep ‘em coming. -robcozzens

Staff Score: 5555 (Swordsman761)