Mapper: esa_esa
source
cover kmrysnr2009
Fun Factor0
Rhythm0
Flow0
Pattern Quality0
Readability0
Level Quality0
A map with two different faces and a common theme, that is good for novice and intermediate players.
Normal and Hard start with straight-forward patterns that are appropriate to the levels. Both Difficulties are very playable, but Hard will not let you just coast through it. The music is a fun mix of familiar rock instruments, harpsichord, and tubular bells, with a relaxed pace and a familiar vocal style.
The Normal Difficulty is great for Normal and Hard players looking to warm up for a long play session, or to wind down after some intense maps, or even work on your accuracy score. New players stepping up from Easy will find a few small challenges to improve their parsing skills with some diagonals, lane drift, and parity preserved throughout. The Novice tag applies to this Difficulty. The mapping is clean, properly emphasized, and simply lit. You'll find familiar Normal level patterns with small variations to keep lower level players engaged and higher level players alert when working on accuracy.
The Hard difficulty might be considered an Expert by some, but the relaxed pacing gives players plenty of time to read and play and can be cleared with some practice. The Intermediate tag applies to the Hard difficulty. It begins with familiar vertical patterns, a few diagonals, and good pacing. It slowly introduces some tech style patterns, mostly in the form of well-executed leans, all starting with forehand swings. Then come some cross-overs, a few well placed cross-body swings, dot notes and inverts that require a lower level player to step up their parsing skills and adjust to playing familiar patterns in a different way; like playing side-doubles as both forehands from a lean. This is a good Difficulty to give novice players a glimpse at how tech style maps really do flow without overloading their ability to parse the map.
Readability did not get a 5 because I think the Hard Difficulty in this map would benefit from an adjustment in the NJS and Spawn Offset. The Jump Distance of 29 results in some visual clutter that makes parsing more difficult than it should be.
I felt the flow had a small issue in the Hard Difficulty for the play of the right hand starting at 1:03. After playing a bottom row stream & solos along a dodge wall, the right hand weaves across the board in a few beats from a dot to a diagonal. The flow always feels rough in that one spot to me.
I gave Level Design a 4 because the lighting is complimentary and simple, almost understated.
Overall, this is a technically solid map that offers players opportunities to learn, grow, or relax. esa-esa created a collection of maps with similar 2-difficulty splits, often with something for players at the high end and the middle of of the skill spectrum. Definitely worth checking out.
