What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

You can talk about almost anything that you want to on this board.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Punch
Posts: 365
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:52 am

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by Punch »

Strider does this "freeze frame" thing but they actually relocate the sprite in another spot on the screen and show the "level clear" text on a black bg; the way this is handled feels glitchy, so it's the opposite effect, it looks really lame.
This is a block of text that can be added to posts you make. There is a 255 character limit.
User avatar
tokumaru
Posts: 12427
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:43 pm
Location: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by tokumaru »

I also like how Kid Chameleon on the Genesis/MD "deconstructs" the levels once you touch the end flag, showing you the virtual space where the levels are built via holograms, as explained in the game's intro sequence.
User avatar
Bregalad
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:49 pm
Location: Divonne-les-bains, France

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by Bregalad »

Probably not my "favorite way a game have ended a level", but I liked in Mega Man 1 some things that were lost in the sequels.
  • When the boss is defeated, it makes another sound effect as when Mega Man himself is defeated. This "feature" would only be restored in Mega Man 7 (or Mega Man X).
  • You have to grab an orb to end the level (Castlevania style)
  • I'm impressed at how many sprites there is on screen to write stuff such as how much score you get, etc... It makes it looks almost as if there was a 2nd BG layer.
And also, of course, levels sometimes have their boss room entered from the top or the bottom (later MM games always enter from the left). There's however no room where you enter from the right I can remember of :(
Pokun
Posts: 2681
Joined: Tue May 28, 2013 5:49 am
Location: Hokkaido, Japan

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by Pokun »

Yeah entering from various directions is refreshing, and MM1 also has enemies inside these gates (regardless if they are vertical or horizontal) while in other games they only seem to serve to set the atmosphere for the boss fight since they are totally empty.
There are exceptions though. In MM2 there is the castle boss Picopico-kun where you do enter from above, although there are no gates to this boss at all so it half doesn't count. The effect is more like you fall into a deathtrap.

Punch wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2020 4:39 pm Strider does this "freeze frame" thing but they actually relocate the sprite in another spot on the screen and show the "level clear" text on a black bg; the way this is handled feels glitchy, so it's the opposite effect, it looks really lame.
This effect is done right in Ninja Warriors Again for SNES. The level ends when the boss dies (any underlings are also killed off at this time), and it goes into slo-mo (the boss probably still in the air after recieving the final blow) and then freezes as the screen turns black & white and the level end ME is played while the stage clear text is displayed. It's easy to manipulate this in a way to make a cool level ending screen.
User avatar
Aparich
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:37 pm

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by Aparich »

Bregalad wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:33 am Probably not my "favorite way a game have ended a level", but I liked in Mega Man 1 some things that were lost in the sequels.
  • When the boss is defeated, it makes another sound effect as when Mega Man himself is defeated. This "feature" would only be restored in Mega Man 7 (or Mega Man X).
  • You have to grab an orb to end the level (Castlevania style)
  • I'm impressed at how many sprites there is on screen to write stuff such as how much score you get, etc... It makes it looks almost as if there was a 2nd BG layer.
And also, of course, levels sometimes have their boss room entered from the top or the bottom (later MM games always enter from the left). There's however no room where you enter from the right I can remember of :(
Exactly, I liked Mega Man 1 as well, and I agree it some things were off in the sequels, they weren't as impressive for me.
bunder
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:20 am

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by bunder »

I think Cheetamen 2 has a bug where you can't progress past a certain level, but if you reset the game it sometimes starts up on the next level, or the one after that. :mrgreen:
strat
Posts: 409
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:08 pm
Location: Missouri

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by strat »

Bregalad wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:33 am And also, of course, levels sometimes have their boss room entered from the top or the bottom (later MM games always enter from the left). There's however no room where you enter from the right I can remember of :(
Just remembered MM9 has a boss room entered from the right. Not sure if you count Dr. Wily bosses... :lol:
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 919
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:29 am
Location: Denmark (PAL)

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by Sumez »

I love when there's a bit of "fanfare" to beating a level or at least a boss. When the game makes it feel like you've achieved something. The already mentioned Super Mario World sequence is really effective at this, and the overflow of suave design in the MegaDrive Sonic games is an absolutely perfect way to handle it. I also love Mega Man's little "beam out" sequence, really signaling "my work here is done". This is especially cool in the MMX games.
Being a huge fan of Rainbow Islands, I can't help mentioning its iconic end sequence following every round, where you make it to the top, and the screen scrolls up as a huge treasure chest descends. Especially if you're on your last second, outrunning the rising water or an angry enemy the sense of relief and celebration is amazingly welcome.


I also agree that some amount of interactivity is a bonus, even if it's not something challenging. Again, reaching high on the Mario flag pole or breaking the goal barrier while it's high in the Mario games, or knocking the spinning sign about in the Sonic games. And even if it has absolutely no purpose such as climbing walls (or teabagging the final boss) in Ninja Gaiden, or timing your pose in Castlevania, that's something that really makes the sequence more memorable.
Why do you have to pick up an orb after every boss in Castlevania? As far as I know it's never explained by any "lore" or whatever, but it's a little ritual that makes completing the stage more meaningful.
pubby wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2019 4:35 am Bubble Bobble does a clever trick of animating the character moving between levels. It's not just for show though. It guides the player where to look at the start of the level.
And there's even a bit of interactivity / tech to it, even if it might not be intentional. If you move closer to the starting position before transitioning to the next room, you'll have a little more time before the enemies start moving (giving you a better chance to do the "kiss of death").
calima
Posts: 1745
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:16 am

Re: What are your favorite ways games have ended levels?

Post by calima »

In a recent unpublished game, I wanted to put the level end fanfare and victory animations also when you exit a shop. :lol: I thought it was hilarious, but team didn't agree.
Post Reply