Level origins

[Lars Luron]

Hey, all, Lars here.
As I'm sure goes without saying, we've made a lot of levels for MKF over the years. A lot of them have been based on familiar games and franchises, but there's been a handful of them based on lesser known games, or more obscure entries in well-known series. Since we generally consider MKF to be a celebration of all things video game, whether it be popular or obscure, I thought it would be nice to let you guys see the origins of some of our more obscure levels, to let you know just what they were making reference to. This would also have the pleasant effect of introducing you to some new games you might have been unfamiliar with before; it's already done the same with me- before MKF, I was unfamiliar with games like Pulseman, Hocus Pocus, Gemini Wing, etc.

So here's some videos of the original games a handful of my levels have been based on:

Darkstone Cemetary - Castlevania The Adventure
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEeWzLQa7w" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEeWzLQa7w</a>
This was a lesser known entry in the Castlevania series for the Game Boy. It was kind of primitive, with no subweapons, and hearts only serving as points, but it utilized the whip upgrade system well, giving the third form a sort of fireball that helped compensate for the lack of secondary attacks. It was short, only four stages long, but it was fairly challenging and fun. You can definitely see some of the level design elements that I ported over to the level, as well as some of the enemies, like the exploding eyeballs.

Neo Tokyo - PulseMan
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w01gaGlf3aU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w01gaGlf3aU</a>
I'll admit, I was unfamiliar with this game myself until Gladia's original attempt at the stage, but I'm glad I was introduced to it. PulseMan was a Japan-only platformer for the Sega Genesis, made by Game Freak, the same folks behind Pokemon and Drill Dozer. It was a pretty hard game, but damn memorable, and a lot of fun to play through. Of course my version of the stage didn't include the TV Station or the boss, and the second half was partially combined with the Mega Man Battle Network universe, but all the same design elements are there.

Mt. Sabre - Crystalis
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTODCeV6V4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTODCeV6V4</a>
Crystalis, aka God Slayer, was an old action RPG made by SNK for the NES, that I have fond memories of, despite having never actually beaten the thing. It was known for having a rather memorable soundtrack, although the game could be somewhat tedious sometimes given you always had to have a certain element equipped to your sword, but often only one enemy in the room would take damage from that element. Mt. Sabre was a rather lengthy dungeon about a third of the way through the game, that forced you to trek through labyrinthine caverns, blowing up breakable walls and jumping up icy slopes in order to rescue the citizens of the starting town from the soldiers of the Draygonian Army.
When designing the level I had to take a few liberties with the enemies, since they were all pretty much the same apart from various status effects. I was originally going to include the boss of the dungeon, General Kelbesque, in my level, but that idea fell through.

The Sky Garden - Illusion of Gaia
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55P71_l4g5I" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55P71_l4g5I</a>
This was a fun action RPG for the SNES. You played a young lad with psychic powers, who could also be transformed into various combat forms bestowed by the goddess Gaia. The Sky Garden was a fairly memorable dungeon later on in the game, that had you moving back and forth between the top and underside of the floating ruin in order to find all the switches that would let you access the boss area.
Those spirit heads at the beginning weren't actually enemies in this game, but they shared the same sprites as an enemy in Soul Blazer, which was a sort of spiritual "prequel" to the game, so I put them in my version.

Pibble Plateau - Snake Rattle 'N Roll
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyv3gIqb7I4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyv3gIqb7I4</a>
I have to admit; this game was balls hard. It was bad enough that it had weird controls due to the semi-isomorphic view the whole game took place in, but it also had it's share of evil level design and enemy placement as well. I somehow managed to make it all the way to the final boss when I was younger, but never managed to beat it.

Awazon Caverns - Virtual Boy Wario Land
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmCZMkfICAs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmCZMkfICAs</a>
In my opinion, this was, hands down, the best game in the entire Wario Land series. It's just a shame it was stuck on the ill-famed Virtual Boy system. Although it had a fairly linear path, it had plenty of secrets, and tons of treasure to be found. Plus it was just damn plain fun. I still haven't figured out why Nintendo hasn't attempted to re-release this game in some fashion.

Temple of Uranus - Mega Man V
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utEkTLt8rSk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utEkTLt8rSk</a>
Unlike all the other Mega Man titles for the original Game Boy, Mega Man V had it's own unique robot masters called "Stardroids", instead of simply reusing Robot Masters from the NES games. As such, it had a completely unique lineup of levels, weapons, enemies, etc., and as such was a really fun game in the Mega Man series. Uranus' stage was probably one of the more memorable stages, with rotating platforms you'd sink through, scrolling floors, and the battles against the miniboss T. Khamen (although the matter of his size didn't really port too well to MKF). Uranus himself was kind of tricky to deal with, both with his surprise one-hit-kill move, and the fact that he was constantly shaking the floor, making it difficult to hit him with the one weapon he was weak against.

Anyway, that's my list so far. The other Devs can feel free to post their own level info here as well.

[TheomanZero]

I credit MKF with introducing me to some pretty neat games and franchises.  I definitely approve of this topic, as this information should be out there.

[CambridgeSMERSH]

Yeah, MKF introduced me to franchises I have either never heard of or cared about eg. Metal Slug. In fact, prior to playing Pokemon Gold, the only computer game I ever played that was non-educational was Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure.

[Del]

I don't think any of my levels is based on a really obscure game, everyone knows Bomberman, Crash Bandicoot, Contra, StarCraft, Halo, Kirby, etc., perhaps the less known one was Quake 1, it's not as widely known as Doom or Quake 3, it had a dark lovecraft style ambiance and it was pretty scary.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFZ3Kbe78e0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFZ3Kbe78e0</a>



Oh, I totally forgot about Adventures of Lolo for the NES (also known as Eggerland), now that one was obscure. Hell, this game was harder than any of the levels I've made for MKF lol, those puzzles were pure genius.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZw2gO2AJIU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZw2gO2AJIU</a>

[Wetwoo]

My levels from more obscure games:

Bydo Station: R-Type (1987 Irem)
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWtI0426mU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWtI0426mU</a>

Toy Land: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, stage 2
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obl0x2FpQv0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obl0x2FpQv0</a>

[Gladiacloud]

Doh's Dimension: Arkanoid
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeOIHyaXQhI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeOIHyaXQhI</a>

Land of Lattice: Hocus Pocus
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYpwM5euzzo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYpwM5euzzo</a>

Aztec Citadel: Metal Slug 5 + Pitfall
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjM7kJ6Kj1Q" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjM7kJ6Kj1Q</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqKkkfbbgkw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqKkkfbbgkw</a>

Icicle Mountain: Ice Climbers
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5R__TC3saY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5R__TC3saY</a>

Gemini Canyon: Gemini Wing
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ne4RYqIulg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ne4RYqIulg</a>

[JDogindy]

I'll explain these a bit more, but here are a few notable stages that have my involvment in creating and the games where they came from.  Just got to add more YouTube links, is all.

Egyptian Tomb: The Lost Vikings, Bart vs. the World, Kid Chameleon
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcKyDlWn504" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcKyDlWn504</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9MV6tuf0Xs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9MV6tuf0Xs</a>

Egyptian Tomb introduced me to the Lost Vikings, a strategy-based game about three vikings who are stuck travelling space and time.  Each one has a different ability that would normally be featured as just one character in most games, and in order to succeed, all three must survive the level.

I always wanted to have a Simpsons game reference.  Obviously, not the actual family, but something from a game (early on, I had suggested the "purple suit guys" from the original arcade game as enemies), and eventually I decided to rip the Sphinx from the NES game.  I didn't do a completely good job with cleaning it up, so the black background was my ability to mask it.
Fever Las Vegas: Super Double Dragon, Super Caesar's Palace
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Ukz-L-MXU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Ukz-L-MXU</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv0z37PIHQI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv0z37PIHQI</a>
When I heard of "Fever Las Vegas", I wanted to have a Vegas themed game that wasn't gambling-based.  The very first mission is featured heavily in this stage with the casinos and the foyer where you battle Willy in this game was where you fought Steve (who would become a regular enemy in later missions).

The original tileset I made (I created 3... this was before I figured out how to actually make tilesets) was straight out of Super Caesar's Palace.  You may notice the slots slightly exaggarated, and I originally had a plan to have part of the level have the illusion of a very deep chamber, which was based off of a stage from the Brutal Mario hack.

This stage also has a few references to MUGEN, which was how JudgeSpear and I met.  The most obvious one in the original was Isabeau (the controversial Kula Diamond edit by Ex-Infernis) at the keno stand, and featuring King of Fighters' Oswald on a poster.  References to Dragon and Omega Tiger Woods are also featured in the JS revision.

JS would eventually make his own modifications to the tileset, as well.

Anicena Pyramid: B.O.B.

[Lars Luron]

Here's a few more:

Bridge Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIAyTqQBY3E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIAyTqQBY3E</a>
After the success of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, Sega ported a slightly different version of the game to the Game Gear and Master System. While this version had some similarities with the original, it featured entirely new levels as well as somewhat different gameplay and level design. Bridge Zone was the second level in this port of the game.

Green Grove Zone - Sonic 3D Blast
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouQVPtMky6E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouQVPtMky6E</a>
(Actual level starts at 1:56)
While MKF's Green Grove Zone might not have been a direct 2D translation of the original level, and apart from the boss didn't include any of the enemies or hazards from the original, you can tell that I attempted to replicate the overall design of the original level- you can see the similarities, from the classic checkered pattern, to the abundance of palm trees and tropical plants, and the wooden bridges across sparkling waterfalls.
Anyway, Sonic 3D Blast was Sonic's first attempt at making the transition to 3D, although it didn't quite come out as well as they hoped, and the game ended up being not as popular as the others. It tried to change up the gameplay style by, instead of simply having Sonic attempt to reach the end of the level, required him to defeat enemies to rescue "flickies", magical birds native to the area.

Green Grove Zone (secret path) - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYuRaSVRtgM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYuRaSVRtgM</a>
GGZ's secret path is based off of the Green Hills Zone ("Hills" plural- not to be confused with the Green Hill Zone) from the Game Gear/Master System version of Sonic 2. Unlike with Sonic 1, this version of Sonic 2 came before the Genesis version. Unlike the first Sonic game, this one diverged completely from the Genesis version with completely new levels, enemies, bosses, and other features. Green Hills Zone is probably best known for it's music, which was later remixed as the infamous song "You Can Do Anything", the title theme for the Japanese version of Sonic CD.

Journey to Funkotron - ToeJam and Earl
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vloYvK2sK1g" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vloYvK2sK1g</a>
ToeJam and Earl was an odd little game for the Sega Genesis. You played as one (or both on two-player) of the titular duo, ToeJam and Earl, a pair of alien teenagers who crashed their ship while out on a joyride. You have to explore the strange alien landscape, using special elevators to ascend through 25 floors of sheer weirdness in search of the parts for the duo's ship, so they can return home to the planet Funkotron. The game was heavy on exploration, with new paths suddenly appearing in a puff of smoke when you approached, and random presents scattered about whose contents were a mystery until you either opened them or had them identified by a strange old man in a carrot suit. The enemies used in the MKF level, such as the fat devils, cupids, giant hamster balls, and phantom ice cream trucks were only the tip of the iceberg concerning the various bizarre enemies in this game.

Funkotron Frenzy - ToeJam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPg511qh0Kw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPg511qh0Kw</a>
The sequel to the original ToeJam and Earl, Panic on Funkotron played differently than its predecessor. A purely 2D platformer game, this one took place on the duo's home planet of Funkotron, where the duo had to capture a variety of Earthlings who stowed away on their ship at the end of the first game, and scared away the Great Funkopotomus with their "un-funkiness". There was still plenty of exploration in this game, with the ability to search the background scenery for items, as well as various invisible triggers that would make items and other triggers appear when touched. The duo also gained the ability to use special "funk powers", such as the Funk Scan, that could see hidden things, and the "Funkoport", that let you warp through walls. In order to progress through the game you needed to capture all the Earthlings in an area by trapping them in jars, before you could move onto the next. This version contained such memorable enemies as the Ghost Cow, Kamikaze Duck, and the Boogeyman (which was ported over from the previous game).

T'Leth - X-Com: Terror From the Deep
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EryctKmiyJE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EryctKmiyJE</a>
Terror From the Deep was the second game in the X-Com series; X-Com is a turn-based strategy game where you take control of the X-Com organization, a military group developed to fight against the forces of a wide-scale alien invasion. The game alternated between managing the organization itself; including hiring soldiers, buying/selling equipment, expanding the base, researching new technologies and alien biology, and shooting down alien craft, and the actual combat missions, where you investigated crashed/landed alien vessels, alien bases, and terror attacks against civilian population centers. T'Leth, while named after the final alien colony in TFtD, is based off of the Colony/Artefact Site missions (the video shows phase 2 of a Colony Raid mission), which were the most dangerous missions you could send your units on. They were extremely dark, and packed with lots of hostile aliens, many of which were armed with mind control tech. It was very easy to lose entire squadrons on these missions if not properly prepared.

[Xavier Genisi]

The levels I got in are really just Mario levels in W1, but I wanna talk a bit on how I came about making them, if that's alright with you guys. In a game that's packed with all sorts of unique levels, designs, and setpieces, it's quite easy and understandable to overlook the Mario levels. After all, in a Mario platformer with characters from different games with their own mechanics and powerups, levels from all sorts of games, ranging from well-known to somewhat obscure, World 1 can be uninteresting in comparison. Thusly, I always tried to go for something that's a bit unique, or at least had it's own special detail or touch. Even in something that is generic in it's basic design or premise, I'd always like to give a level just at least something that makes it unique, even if it's merely graphically.


Grassland Outpost - Designed as an introduction to fortress based levels, I took inspiration from the fort in World 1 of SMB3, something that really shows in the beginning, though it becomes it's own sort of level as you go further. I added the Bowser Flames near the end as a nod to SMB1 fortresses, the idea being that fire would be shot from those Bowser Statues. As you reach the very end, the blocks that make up the level change to a different color, just as a subtle touch that you're at the innermost part of the fort and near the end. Really, it is just kinda pointless, but I kinda liked that when making the level.


Lake of Amnesia - The whole level is a homage to the Mushroomy Kingdom stage in Smash Brothers Brawl, which features World 1-1 from SMB1 turned into a kind of desert wasteland that has been long forgotten. When I made the level, it was a common suggestion to make Mushroomy Kingdom a level in MKF, but it was always denied because 1-1 has been remade to hell and back. I went with using World 2 as the base for the level. I chose World 2 because while World 1 has been done to the death, the other worlds have generally been ignored, and World 2 struck the special balance of being rather simple and early, yet it was unique enough to be recognized, what with 2-2 being the first water level, and 2-3 being a bridge level featuring the dreaded jumping Cheep Cheeps.

The whole level just paints an interesting picture that I'm rather satisfied with. 2-1 has become a massive desert, with sand dunes covering the level, as well as the large castle at the beginning of the level. 2-2 has completely dried up, with a massive sandstorm raging in the dried basin. The pipe that would normally end the level is covered in sand, forcing you to jump down the pit to continue. Below is a cavern section that has water and cheep cheeps. As you go on, you find parts of bridges here and there, the idea being that this is the remains of 2-3, as the bridges have collapsed down, and the remaining cheep cheeps have remained here in the cave below the harsh desert. The level ends with you emerging from the caves, entering what is essentially World 2-4 to escape the sandstorm.


Shroom Lagoon - A mix of a water level and one of those Mushroom Platform levels, I didn't really have any sort of base design in mind when making this. I had kept the water levels from NSMB in mind when making the first section though. It had the sort of long horizontal water levels with more unique level geometry, as well as a larger variety of enemies, and that's something I tried going for, that despite the basic and rather average design of World 1 compared to the ridiculous amount of variety in the rest of the game, I'd try to make each level have something special, and not seem too generic. The overall premise of the level was something that fit my goal in mind, and as a little setpiece, the second section has a little boat with a Hammer Bro on top. Just for decoration, really.

[EvilMariobot]

Kong-struction Site
Okay, so it's not even in the game yet (still waiting for Magnemania to code the enemy, boss and platforms and it'll be all set), and everyone knows the original Donkey Kong; but what people may not know is 50m. The second level of the arcade version cut from the NES version. Sure, it appeared in Donkey Kong ('94) for GameBoy, but those levels were condensed to fit the GB screen, and even the game itself is rather obscure in it's own right. No, the only way you'll experience it at home is with the port found in Donkey Kong 64.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTT2wxa5XTs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTT2wxa5XTs</a>
Skip to 1:17.
My real challenge in designing the level was adapting the layouts for far more manuverable characters and making 50m and 100m less open-ended. That wasn't my only goal for the level. I also wanted to incorporate shout-outs to the DK/Mario arcade games as a whole. The Fire Snakes to mimic the Fireballs from the original DK Alligator enemies from Yoshi's Island DS and the Spark skins for DK Jr. and throwing in the Mario Bros. enemies for good measure. I felt this level was more a labor of love to design than any of my others.

[The Great B-Man]

Oh, this is fantastic!  It's great being able to see where some of the inspiration comes from that I hadn't a clue about before.  I may have to hunt these titles down some day.

[Gladiacloud]

Sahara Scramble: Metal Slug 3
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJnrHT2wnjo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJnrHT2wnjo</a>

Ecco's Ocean: Ecco the Dolphin
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It_eOIPgCdE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It_eOIPgCdE</a>

Dream Forest and Blue Mountains: Rayman
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuYm1x_c31o" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuYm1x_c31o</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWhoeR-rHw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWhoeR-rHw</a>

Persian Palace: Prince of Persia
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3awmTtEaE2U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3awmTtEaE2U</a>

African Safari: The Lion King
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tafuWJOhc8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tafuWJOhc8</a>

[Rukifellth]

I know that the only thing I don'tlike about Darkstone Cemetery is thoce mudmen, they look so TINY and slightly off.

[Bloodgrey]

The enemies from Arcade Factory:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6-zN_eaRd8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6-zN_eaRd8</a>
The Dragon from Adventure (Atari 2600)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yej3M9Ec8Cg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yej3M9Ec8Cg</a>
The droids from Berzerk (Atari 2600)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=437Ld_rKM2s" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=437Ld_rKM2s</a>
The Space Invaders (Arcade)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOt3JJ39bbU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOt3JJ39bbU</a>
Goombas as sneakers from Fast Eddie (Atari 2600)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHuiPmTJ1Ek" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHuiPmTJ1Ek</a>
Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)

The first part's tileset is custom, the scound is based on donkey Kong, the autoscrolling section is custom also.