It's always nice when an author decides to make a story that's new and creative. Take this one for example. The idea of a droid trying to find its identity is reminiscent of Marek Sunrider in the "Ruins of Talos" series. However, the creativity is that instead of a jedi, you're a droid. Also, you only come into the level knowing a small fraction of what's going on. The only way to find out more of the story is to actually progress through the level, and uncover the rest of it. This may not seem that important, but keep in mind this hasn't been done in many other levels.

One of the most controversial parts of this level is its architecture. When playing this level, I noticed that certain rooms had little to no detail in them. The room with Threeteedee's memory banks was a circle with a flashing sign that basically said "3TD's memory banks." That's it. Not much detail there, and other rooms were similar in appearance. Even the rooms that had detail in them were very box-like in its basic structure. On the other hand, the design manages to capture the feel of a smelting facility. Large pools and pits full of hot liquid frequent the level, creating an aesthetically pleasing appearance as well as a interesting obstacle. Occasionally, you will find a conveyor belt carrying droids into these pools. Computer terminals can be found monitoring the various parts of the facility. There are several other reasons, but basically it all boils down to this: despite having blocky architecture, the level manages to capture the overall look and feel of a smelting facility, which is just as good in my book. Texturing, like the architecture, is also an interesting part of the level. All of the textures used were appropriate. I never got the impression that I was somewhere other then a smelting facility. At the same time, however, textures tend to repeat over and over. The dominate texture in this level is the white tile. Also, there were several stitching errors. Some were blatant and some were hard to see, but all of them are noticeable if you look hard enough.

One of the best parts of this level is its placement of enemies. The sheer number is just enough to keep the level challenging without making it impossible. Most of the enemies are the factory workers; although you will occasionally have to fight some security droids and the dreaded droid troopers. Try not to fight more then one at a time or you will not last five seconds. Another good thing about the enemies was their actual placement. Only about a handful were standing around like they had nothing better to do. The rest were monitoring computer terminals, guarding doors, and torturing droids. Balancing out the enemies are the items. To be honest, I was initially very surprised at low number of shields and health packs (batteries). At first I was going to comment on how there were way too many enemies for the amount of items. Then I noticed that at one spot, you can stock up on shields an infinite amount of times. With that in mind, there really is no point in throwing in a lot of shields around the facility. However, this nice feature is only available for the first half of the level. Then again, 70% of the enemies are In the first half of the level so it all balances out. As for enhancements let me just say one thing: Wow!! This level alone should be played just so everyone can see all of the new features that the author laboriously put into it. To start off, the main character has a new skin: a droid one. The author then goes further to get the main character to actually sound like a droid. The voice is a prissy, metallic one, and is perfect for protocol droid like Threeteedee. Rounding out the characters you have the lovable but absent-minded ZD9, a gruff jedi master, and mean-tempered security foreman who's not too happy to see you reactivated. As for the level itself, there are numerous features. The most obvious are the computer panels that actually do something other then look good. Also, each one is different, so you never know what pushing one might do. You might get rewarded or you might get punished. There are also new MAT's, AI's, 3DO's, and WAV's (dialogue). Although, actual speech is becoming more common in a level, it's still always nice when the author decides to use it. Rounding out the enhancements are several new cutscenes.

Some players might be discouraged at the lack of shadow (much of the level is in one-degree of light). However, keep in mind that this is a smelting facility. There's going to be a lot of light coming in not only from overhead lights, but also from the glow of the searing liquid. There were times when I felt that a particular room needed some shading to it, but for the most part, the lighting was acceptable. One thing that does impress me is the realism in both the game and the plot. Usually, the only drawback to a creative plot is that sometimes the author will leave loose-ends at the end or he/she will disrupt the established plotline of SW. Not so here. The author does a good job of keeping the plot sound throughout the level. Also, as said earlier, the realism in the level is good. I felt like I was in a smelting facility. My only complaint is with the setup of the level. Most of the time it felt too linear. In a lot of places there's only one way to advance, which doesn't leave the player much room to experiment in choosing a path. In his follow-up level, the author needs to give the player a little freedom of movement. Let the player choose his/her own path in certain areas. It also took a little away from the feel of the facility because no one would setup their facility like that. Also, the latter part of the level, while fun and challenging, was also a bit overdone. The room where you have to flip seven switches in a certain order brought back the days of the old NES system where you leap from ledge to ledge. Challenging: yes. Realistic: no. As for the actual gameplay, I was surprised at how fluid the level is. I had expected more lag, but here it wasn't the case. The only problem was at the end, where the game would suddenly crash and dump me back into Windows. This only happened in one part. The author lists it in the text file, and has no idea how to fix it. As long as you don't save the game in that area then you will be ok. Still, it was rather annoying.

Don't let some of the negative aspects of the level turn you away. This is a solid level overall. The number and quality of the enhancements are astounding. It has it's share of problems, but that shouldn't stop you from trying it once. I think you will like it.