Combustible Quagmire

32nd: Combustible Quagmire Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level

And this is why making swamps with oil instead of water is a bad idea.

Overview Creator(s): Kunosachiaka Composer(s): Toshiko Tasaki Statistics Scores: 82 60 46 68 Total: 64 / 100 Rank: 32nd Elements: 1 Box Items: Bounder Fire Totem Wander Bell Bouncy Tile Drill Boulder Enemies: Bounder Fire Telly Fire Totem Wander Bell Gimmicks: Bouncy Tile Drill Boulder Oil Bosses: Boobeam Trap

Theme Music Astyanax - Level 4 - Marshy Swamp Boss: Astyanax - Level 2 - Redroad Forest Stage Order Location: Tier 8 Previous: Flowers and Thorns Next: Short-Tempered Circuit

Combustible Quagmire is the 32nd place entry in Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level. It is a swamp-themed level covered in flammable Oil, with Bouncy Tiles scattered throughout as a major gimmick.

Strategy

After a few short screens introducing most of the major gimmicks and enemies, the stage goes to a platforming section over oil. With Fire Tellies and Fire Totems positioned in high areas, destroying them before they set the oil alight is difficult without using the Rain Flush. As such, staying out of the oil at all costs is advised, even before it is set on fire. The end of the section has an E-Tank in a hidden slide passage, guarded by a Fire Totem; if it sets the oil on fire, climbing up the ladder and returning will reset the oil. Following this is a long corridor lined with Bouncy Tiles, with Bounders guarding the ceilings. Taking them out from afar to prevent them firing hard-to-avoid shots is recommended.

After the checkpoint is a hallway with chutes that dispense Drill Boulders. While it may be tempting to use the Flame Mixer to block them, the ground is lined with oil, making it very risky to do so. Instead, sliding past them or using the Rain Flush is a safer option. The final section before the end is another oil field with platforms over it, though this time Drill Boulder chutes are an extra hazard. The chutes are almost always placed right before a Fire Totem or a Bouncy Tile, so Mega Man can't afford to dawdle in one spot for too long. To cross a large gap, jump from the right corner of a Bouncy Tile instead of directly on top of it.

At the very end is the boss, the Boobeam Trap. Each turret has a different weakness; the Flame Mixer (top left), the Tengu Blade (top right), the Spark Shock (middle left), and the Salt Water (bottom right) are all required to defeat it. Should Mega Man die, there are six large Weapon Energy pickups right outside the boss door he can use to refill his weapons.

Judge Comments

Judge Comments
ParmaJon  : 82 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 31 / 35 9 / 15 10 / 10 22 / 25 10 / 15 Really solid level, I'm impressed. The bouncy tiles never felt tacked onto anything and felt so purposeful throughout the whole level. The first boulder challenge is tricky at first, but it's very learnable. Using the oil to prevent you from just flame shielding through the section is genuinely brilliant. It lets you use the weapon for most of the level, but prevents cheesing your way through it. The oil almost feels like a box item for much it is used; HOWEVER, throughout the whole level it really feels like a compliment to enhance the other assets, which is exactly what it should do. The Boobeam Trap is slightly removed from the rest of the level, but it's one of the most fun boss fights in the contest? The fair difficulty curve and a really solid aesthetic make this a truly enjoyable level. Thank you.
PKWeegee  : 60 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 17 / 35 9 / 15 10 / 10 14 / 25 10 / 15 What did Quagmire have to do with this? So like, introducing the falling rocks with oil on the floor is really mean. I instinctively switched to my shield, which just so happened to be made out of fire, killing me instantly. Kinda mean, but in a clever way. Props for that. Besides that, it was a decent level, although not the most outstanding one.
M-Jacq  : 46 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 10 / 35 6 / 15 10 / 10 10 / 25 10 / 15 Okay, while this isn't really a knock against the level itself, it's extremely weird that this level's gimmick seems to be MM6 oil and Fire Tellies, when neither MM6 oil and Fire Tellies are in the box. So that's a score dock from me, personally, but I don't think that's the problem with this level. No, my problem here is that the bouncing is a bit much. I'm really not a fan of levels where you carom at high speeds in tight, bouncy-tile-laden hallways, because it makes me feel like I've lost control of my player character. All the things going up and down in this level also makes hitting some enemies a pain (e.g., that Fire Totem which would be just in shooting range if you were on solid ground, except not b/c you're bouncing up and down!). I also don't really get the Boobeam Trap in this level. Boobeam Trap is already a pretty infamously crappy "boss," but this change to it feels kind of pointless, and doesn't add any real challenge beyond the mild annoyance that comes with having to cycle through all your weapons one by one. They're not even color coded red for Flame Mixer et al, so it really is just wild guesses. Why not Fire Man? As is it just feels like another aspect of this level which is out of the player's control. I did, on the other hand, like the use of the boulders here, which is odd because I think they're usually a nuisance. And I did sort of like the stage's relative shortness. But there's not a ton about it I really liked, so much as I tolerated it, is the problem.
Freems  : 68 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 24 / 35 7 / 15 10 / 10 17 / 25 10 / 15 Please mom don't put me back in the bounce maze. For the most part it was a pretty solid level. It didn't really do anything out of the ordinary or crazy, but it was solid nonetheless. I do have some gripes as I often do. I don't like how some of the Fire Tellies WILL drop fire in the oil because there's no way you can see them coming or shoot them without having something like Rain Flush or Homing Sniper at the ready since they fly in so low. And with the E-Tank reward at the end, it feels just a little bad that I didn't have godlike reflexes in knowing they were going to be down there. The bounce tile tunnel is just... very strange. It adds nothing and is annoying to control. Lastly and while I understand you didn't create boulders... my god boulders are obnoxious, just always. It doesn't help that putting them next to the already finicky bounce tiles just makes it hard to make jumps that are already a little tricky to line up. Lastly, I don't know if I'm stupid or what but I'm not sure what the way to tell what Boobeam Trap was weak to what without trial and error was. I saw they were different colors, but purpleish doesn't equal Tengu Blade, so it went right over my head. Gripes aside, the general meat of the level was fun. And that matters a lot more than my paragraph of gripes.