Fun map with mostly good patterns, but mislabeled and has issues with timing and vision-blocks.
This map is fun and engaging, but it is not a Normal difficulty map. The difficulty is Hard, arguably edging into Expert territory with some of the patterns.
This mapper made judicious use of Mapping Extensions during the chorus sections, filling air with tiny walls that warm up the map like fireflies. That choice adds a whimsical and memorable quality to the map that I really enjoyed.
The map has multiple mistimed notes on the vocals and piano. My check of the map in MMA2 revealed notes laid down early by 1/8th, including the opening note (Examples at 0:16.458 and 0:33.542). These brought the enjoyment of the map down a notch as the mistimed notes are obvious enough for me to notice after playing it a few times.
Readability is good, except where there are some obvious problems: Some notes are potentially vision-blocked being either mapped too soon after a wall or mapped under a 1/2 wall (Examples at 0:29.792 and 0:38.542). Not all environments and color schemes have transparent walls.
The overall flow is good, but the early 1-lane bomb reset and related reset on the left-hand feel out of place (0:14 to 0:17). A natural reset there seems a better choice, especially in a Hard or Normal level.
The use of stacks in a few passages to express specific vocal elements, like a pronounced “ts” of “lights” makes sense in the context of the map (2:01). It is a choice I would expect to emphasize something more substantial. The choice is the mappers to make, though.
The mapper created a fun, engaging, below-Expert map with a sweet song. This map deserves the positive attention it is getting. I feel it unfortunate that this is not curatable because of the timing issues and the few note-placement decisions around walls.
It is also worth mentioning that over the last year, this mapper has created multiple maps labeled as Easy, Normal, and Hard. The actual difficulties are really one step up from the label. The quality of their maps is improving over time, regardless of the mislabeling, especially in their consistency.
I recommend the mapper seek out more thorough test-plays of their maps to minimize the risk of uploading maps with timing issues, and to get confirmation of what the appropriate difficulty label should be.
I encourage them to keep moving forward with their efforts to create fun, engaging, and high-quality maps that players of all abilities can enjoy.
Mapper: dadadahamsters
