Side-Scroller Level Design

Memory

Inspired by Shotgun's thread http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114791 I decided I want to see what 2d and 2.5d side-scrolling games people love or enjoy the level design in. Post an example or title of some side-scrollers that you think are well done, or just have awesome levels in which you really appreciate the art or design.

Art-wise, I like the hand-animated smooth style of Odin Sphere:


and for exploration and level design I have to go with the classic GBA Castlevanias:

JamesWild

I've always been partial to the level design in Sonic games, and I feel Fancy Pants Adventures is a natural evolution of that. If you've never played FPA, it's a free flash game, go check it out, crazy good animation and physics feel.

xrg

Super Mario Bros 3. In big part due to the stuff mentioned in this blog.

Snader

Limbo. Because it feels very natural and free, unconstrained from things like tile sets or other modular/repetitive things. This is felt in the gameplay itself, where interactive objects (such as the boat) are very well integrated into the game world. It also had well-working parralax layers that didn't feel disconnected, yet distinct enough to not be confused with the foreground layer.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O5_TnPwCJc"]Limbo Gameplay PC HD - YouTube[/ame]

C64anabalt, perhaps the best looking C64 game ever. All it's lacking is the parallax scrolling, otherwise it's pretty much the same as the original. If this were released in 1987... oh boy. The visuals and levels are also pretty realistic, with not a lot of weird architecture and floating platforms like the average platformer.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I1zqkyIYC4"]C64anabalt Gameplay - YouTube[/ame]

Yes, both are black and white - but that's not why I like them. It's a funny coincidence, though.

Tekoppar

Art-wise I would have to go for the Metal Slug series. The level of detail found in these levels (and everything else) is just mind blowing.






For level design I have to say Super Metroid; http://goo.gl/xook1

SanderDL

Rayman Orgins comes to mind:





The artwork in it is really beautiful and very dynamic. And the timing and pacing of the levels was great.

JamesWild

I played Rayman origins for about two hours, and I had a lot of problems visually. I couldn't follow players on the screen as they were so small and the backgrounds had lots of contrast.

I think Metal Slug had the right idea here by slightly fading the background and giving the players black outlines, though I've not played that one.

There's a lot more to good game graphics than good art; they need to be designed in such a way that they don't clash yet are very distinct. One of my favourite stories of this ilk is that Spyro was originally green, but was made purple because it stood out in the green/yellow/blue worlds.

thomasp

visually, my favourites are the aforementioned 'odin sphere' and it's successor 'muramasa':


despite there going on a lot on screen in the fights, you can make out your characters just fine and the environment is at times breathtakingly beautifully lit and animated.


level/puzzledesign i find strongest when the levels aren't just restricted to one narrow corridor, also mood is important for me here.
and i'm not a fan of arcade-y controls and animations that feel like a throwback in time. 'another world' is the favourite:


also 'limbo' was very good:


another interesting one for exploration and (turn-based) fights is the RPG 'valkyrie profile 2':

Memory

I think all the examples here are great. It's interesting to see also, that either retro or more recent side-scrolling titles are so varied in their genre, style, and how you play them.

To me, games like Limbo for example, are about atmosphere and communicating certain emotions and a sense of danger through level design. Where classics like sonic are more about frantic speed and the levels have more of a natural flow. I think this can hurt a game sometimes though too, for instance in the Sonic games, I remember how goofy it felt for me during boss battles...it's such a break in the action and the controls are a little slower to decelerate so it feels a bit slippery.

Ok time to check out the other games posted I'm not familiar with.

@xrg, will read breakdown but 'game sites' are blocked from work. Haha!