Scrub City

49th: Scrub City Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level

Citizens are advised to keep their noses close to the ground, and to not harm the local avian wildlife.

Overview Creator(s): Listless Quent Composer(s): Ryo Kawakami, Minae Fujii, Kouji Murata (originals) Mathew Valente (cover) Statistics Scores: 49 57 79 51 Total: 59 / 100 Rank: 49th Elements: 1 Box Items: Garyoby Lyric Sprinklan Count Bomb Crystal Generator Enemies: Garyoby Lyric Sprinklan Gimmicks: Count Bomb Crystal Generator Destroyable Block (Concrete Shot) Yoku Block Bosses: Punk

Theme Music Mega Man 9 - Plug Electric Boss: Mega Man III - Mega Man 4 Boss Stage Order Location: Tier 7 Previous: Tesla Coil Next: Oh No! More Compactors

Scrub City is the 49th place entry in Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level. Its most distinctive feature is that every Lyric within the level will spawn a Garyoby upon death. As Garyoby is immune to every weapon in the game and cannot be killed, platforming becomes significantly more difficult if one is allowed to spawn, especially if one lands on a small platform. The level also contains Crystal Generators dropping crystals from the ceiling, as well as waiting puzzles involving Yoku Blocks and Count Bombs. Volt Man also appears frequently as an NPC, providing moral support and not much else.

Strategy

The first few screens contain little more than Lyrics in largely empty rooms, safely demonstrating the dangers of killing them as they spawn Garyobies on death. Another ground-crawling enemy, Sprinklan, also appears here, but unlike Garyoby, it can be permanently killed using the Tengu Blade's dash. After a simple Count Bomb puzzle, Crystal Generators start to appear, and Lyrics are found floating close to Count Bombs. If one happens to drop a Garyoby onto a Count Bomb, Mega Man will be forced to either reset the current screen by leaving and coming back, or using Rush to avoid that Count Bomb if possible. One helpful tactic is to use the Spark Shock to freeze Lyrics in place, keeping them out of the way without causing a Garyoby to spawn.

A checkpoint features a simple demonstration of Yoku Blocks and how they're used in the level; as temporary barriers rather than platforms. To the left is a Destroyable Block requiring the Concrete Shot, behind which is a screen with an E-Tank. Soon afterwards is a waiting challenge with a Yoku Block blocking a slide gap, while a Lyric floats around, crystals drop on either side, and two Sprinklans drop down from above. Freezing the Lyric in a safe spot and avoiding the two ground crawlers is ideal, though if the Lyric is killed, the Tengu Dash can also be used to safely pass through the resulting Garyoby and the two Sprinklans. The Tengu Blade should also be equipped before sliding into the gap, for it leads to a waiting puzzle where Mega Man must avoid dropped crystals while Yoku Blocks block the way forward, all while he's constantly sliding. However, the invincibility of the Tengu Dash means the crystals cease posing any threat, and Mega Man can safely hug the blocks without fear of being hurt.

After the hazard-laden slide passage is a multifloor vertical shaft with Count Bombs plugging gaps downward. Sprinklans patrol the floors and will dash towards Mega Man if he's in their current path. To prevent this, Mega Man can either kill them outright with the Tengu Dash, or shoot them to stall their advance, though this will cause them to throw projectiles outward. Upon reaching the bottom, Mega Man enters the level's final section, which centres on platforming over pits and Count Bombs while crystals drop from above. Fortunately, there are only two Lyrics here, so the risk of a Garyoby making things difficult/impossible is low (though not entirely absent). The Flame Mixer can protect Mega Man from the crystals, but if a flame hits a Sprinklan, it will dissipate while the enemy sprinkles shots outward. Having Beat Rescue on standby is highly recommended, as a safety net against the hazardous pits. Beyond this gauntlet is the level's boss, Punk, who is fought in a room with two Crystal Generators in the ceiling, dropping crystals close to the centre of the arena.

Judge Comments

Judge Comments
ParmaJon  : 49 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 14 / 35 8 / 15 10 / 10 11 / 25 6 / 15 As a whole, this level is fine. The crystal droppers are sort of tasteful in the first part, fairly good in the middle, and really annoying at the end. The middle is really the most memorable and fun part of the level, where you mix the Yoku blocks to stop you and you're stuck in an area with stuff happening around you. This part is genuinely fun and unique. It's not that it's never been done before, but it does make the level stand out. The end is just annoying and overbearing with the amount of stuff happening. It's not awful, but it just becomes too much with so much instant death.
PKWeegee  : 57 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 15 / 35 9 / 15 10 / 10 13 / 25 10 / 15 You know, it's weird to see Gabyoalls flying out of the flying enemies. But it did add a bit of strategy to things, so maybe it's not all that bad? Anything else...? I don't think so. Oh, I suppose the time bomb challenges were decent, but they never went anywhere.
M-Jacq  : 79 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 25 / 35 13 / 15 10 / 10 20 / 25 11 / 15 Garyoby's a Spine who looks real fine, and is also immune to the buster Always zooming along the floor, homing in on robot ass So So clever how you used the Yo ...ku blocks to make those parts timed So cool how you could choose when those Lyrics would drop all the spines Oh, I wish I could scrub The negative parts from the level Scrub City Dodging over bottomless pits, falling crystal bits Hurts its quality (Hey, if you're allowed to do clever things with Lyrics...)
Freems  : 51 / 100
Design Creativity Function Fun Aesthetic 14 / 35 9 / 15 9 / 10 10 / 25 9 / 15 Some people get some rough combos with the box goodies. Getting two Spine enemies is rough, I get that. Making your flying enemy drop one of those Spine enemies upon death is not the solution. Especially because I swear I can't figure out how this specific variant dies in this engine and if it lands on a Count Bomb you need to cross, then it's time to break out your dog and move on. Outside of that terrifying detail, it's mostly standard Count Bomb shenanigans with a Yoku section that, while a creative way of forcing you to handle the falling crystals, just sometimes keeps you waiting longer than is really worth the challenge. Honestly, and this is probably the only level I'll say this about, your biggest downfall was probably the box enemies you got. It gave you a rough hand, and I'd certainly be interested in what you can do with some better luck and more time.

Notes

• The idea of Lyrics dropping an enemy when killed was previously used in Make a Good Mega Man Level 2, in the Pit of Pits sublevel "Lyrickrolled".
• M-Jacq's judge review for this stage references (and is intended to be read to the beat of) the TLC song "No Scrubs".