Saturday 31 August 2013

Perfect 10 with SpaceMonkey187

I am sitting here , awake far to early as usual on a Saturday morning . Still, this lack of sleep does give me the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for a little while now . A new , and hopefully regular feature here on Hidden Moon.

Perfect 10

The idea is simple : To get creators to produce a list of 10 levels . The theme could be anything . Their favourite levels ever , their top 10 space themed levels , a selection of the best multi-player levels about , The top 10 underplayed hidden gems . Whatever takes their fancy !

To kick things off I'm going to pick a theme that is close to my heart . Silhouette. I can hear you all falling off your chairs as we speak . lol . For me , silhouette levels produce some of the most powerful imagery in all of LBP . Below you will find my perfect 10 Silhouette levels , arranged into some sort of order and featuring some of the biggest names in the community . This is just my top 10 . If you disagree with me that's great . I am hoping this feature will produce debate and give plays to some great levels . So if you think I've got it wrong leave a comment below or contact us on Twitter .

Okay , before we get started I just need to point out that it doesn't seem right to include any of my own work in this list , so you won't find any of it here .

Lets get started !

10 - Silhouette of Elements by JustinArt 

Lets kick things off with a MASSIVE level from JustinArt . Silhouette of Elements features 4 stages ( Earth / Wind / Fire and Water ) . Each stage also features different platforming gameplay . The boss ( Pictured below ) is visually very striking . The shear size of this project guaranties it's place in this top 10 .




9 - The Sun Planet by Unexpector

Next up we have The Sun Planet by Unexpector . Combining two of my favorite things , A space themed silhouette level was always going to be a hit in my book . Slow paced and beautiful , let this wonderful level take you to a far off world .




8 - Inspirations by MuddledMuppet

This is one of my all time favorite projects. not strictly a 100% silhouette film , but it does feature enough elements to make the list . The first time I watched this I was blown away . It showed me that LBP was much more than just platforming . It was expression , and it could be art . Muddled Muppet talks from the heart about his inspirations , his children . I found it very moving . My one great regret is that I was not involved in this group project .




7 - Shady Functions by Luos_83

Shady Functions by Luos_83 coming in at number 7 . Luos_83 was always one of LBP's best visuals creators , seemingly able to turn his hand to many different styles , his silhouette effort was no exception . Shady Functions features top gameplay and visuals , plus a cool little paradox . What's not to like ?




6 - AbstraPhilis 3 by ZedCOcoZza (LBPV)

The first of two entries by the incredible ZedCOcoZza . Zed has been blazing a trail of silhouette levels over on LBPV . It has been a long time since I have been inspired so much by a single creator . AbstraPhilis 3 taught me that there was a different way to creating . Levels could be lighter on gameplay but still keep the players attention . All 3 of the AbstraPhilis series are worth checking out but only one could make the list and I went with part 3. .




5 - The Other Side by CompherMC (LBPV)

Is there a more imitated game on LBP other than Limbo ? Probably not . Hundreds of creators have drawn inspiration from Limbo and tried their hand at a silhouette level ,  me included . Where many have tried , few have succeeded to the same standard as CompherMC . The Other Side is a masterpiece . Where as the visuals have arguably been bettered , the gameplay has not . It is also one of two entries in this list that has a point in the level that has completely surprised me . A moment that cries out for a rewind button . . .




4 - Shadows of Salem by Pirmaut

I was lucky enough to have been given a sneak peek at this level while it was being made . I had joined Pirmaut one Saturday morning and convinced him to give me a little peek at the silhouette level he had been working on . Shortly after entering he got kicked out for some reason , bad internet connection perhaps ? I was suddenly left alone in this creepy landscape full of horrific imagery ! (eek O_O) I remember thinking that the quality of Pirmaut's silhouette work was of the chart and so much better than mine . I realized I had to up my game . I owe this level a lot for giving me the inspiration to do that .




3 - PurgatorY by  ZedCOcoZza (LBPV)

Top 3 time and ZedCOcoZza's second entry . In my humble opinion this is Zed's best work to date . PurgatorY is packed with atmosphere and the level of detail in the visuals is off the chart . This level alone proves why he is my favorite creator and one of LBP's best . PurgatorY can be summed up by two words . . . LEVEL ENVY !




2 - Flint by DaaMonkey (LBPV)

Flint by DaaMonkey narrowly misses out on the number 1 spot . I am a massive fan of this level . It was amazing before it got the professional make over , now it is even better . Everything from the intro to the cunning puzzles scream professional . Flint could easily be a stand alone indi game . In the end that is probably the highest compliment I can give it , because how many LBP levels could you genuinely say that about ?




1 - At World's End by DrunkenFist_Lee

Finally , in at number one I've chosen At Worlds End by DrunkenFist_Lee . No surprise really was it . lol. I've said it before and I'll say it again , At Worlds End is the bench mark that ALL silhouette levels must be measured against . A true masterpiece from start to finish .





Honorable Mentions :

Spot Light (2D) by Necococoron (LBPV)




So there you have it . Trying to narrow down all the great silhouette levels to just 10 , and then to put that 10 into some sort of order was very tough . I know that there are a load of quality levels that have been missed out . I could have probably picked 50 but Perfect 50 doesn't have the same ring to it does it now . Apologies to anyone left out . it was just a bit of fun .

If you would like to submit your Perfect 10 leave a comment below or make contact on Twitter . 

1 comment:

  1. This is a fantastic list and more than anything else, it screams for all of us to fire up our Vitas. One level that I would have had on my list is an LBP2 level by Lordwarblade called Warblade Battle Forged 1 Player.

    This is a cool idea and a great way to expose more hidden gems to the community. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete