Escape from Eriadu was an excellent level, yet numerous flaws brought down the score a bit. If more time and care would have been taken on texturing and item placement, the score would have been better. Read on.

The architecture of Escape from Eriadu was admirable. Throughout the level, I saw excellent usage of sloped surfaces and details, ranging from pillars and beams to networks of rafters, and fountains. I was impressed with the high level of architectural detail; many areas were positively filled with interesting features. Furthermore, I was pleased with the decent variety of sector shapes, and especially the ceilings of many rooms and hallways. Rather than being flat, they were arched or dome shaped, making the level look a bit more interesting. The door to a small cantina in the beginning of the level was very interesting; instead of being a mere rectangle, it was shaped similar to a classic key-hole. Despite the overall excellence, there were just a few minor problems that didn't prove too drastic. I felt that a few of the areas were a bit large and empty, such as the place right outside of where you find Commander Tyne. It was massive, but with only a few pillars to improve the architecture. Also, some of the ramps were unrealistically steep, unless you were planning on bringing your climbing gear. For the most part however, the level had excellent architecture. Texturing, unfortunately, was a very different story. I was quite disappointed; there were colormap problems, misalignments, and cut off textures everywhere! In addition, some of the selections just clashed openly with each other, and in other areas, I don't think uglier textures could have been used. For example, there was a terrible texture on the bar in one cantina that made my eyes hurt, literally. In other places, about four different textures with different patterns all came together at one spot, creating another eyesore. I spotted misalignments constantly, and I doubt that there is an area free of them in the entire level. For a project as long in the works as this one, I think that is pitiful. During testing, note should be taken of these problems and they should be fixed. Due to the ease of stitching in the 3d preview, more than a handful of misalignments is unacceptable.

The enemy placement was above average, but a few things still irked me. While in some areas the stormtroopers were given an advantage over you, such as elevation or cover, many rooms featured large masses of enemy troops, and you don't have the greatest weaponry either. Furthermore, there was not nearly enough health in the level; there were plenty of shields placed at intervals, but I was almost always pretty low on health, which is still an important part of the game. I thought it strange that Mara Jade, a fairly formidable Jedi, had only three Force powers, none of which were that advanced. I would have loved a bit of persuasion, or perhaps healing (that would have been a great idea, but no such luck, eh?). Anyway, for the most part, the enemy placement was reasonable and the level was definitely beatable. The realm of enhancements is another place that the level suffers a bit. First off, there wasn't even a tiny cutscene in the beginning to offer a tidbit of the story and a clear idea of the objectives. I was quite pleased with the fact that many of the stormies were walking around and patrolling, prowling for their adversary. That makes the game so much more fun to play when you accidentally bump into a group of enemies as they charge around the corner, with blasters blazing. Despite this positive aspect of the level, I felt that there were not too many other special enhancements. As I write this review, I can't think of any cog or special effect that made me think "wow!". There were just the usual array of slash grates, button doors, key doors, a forcefield or two and a soundtrack. In summation, the enhancements were not that exciting or captivating.

The atmosphere of Escape from Eriadu was quite good. I liked the nice city feeling that accompanied the gameplay, and the lighting was also above average. I did think that a few areas were a bit dark for playing purposes, but it wasn't too bad at all. I saw some nice use of colored lighting that added a bit to the level, and also helped to disguise some the terrible texturing mistakes. The gameplay started out very good, but then dropped off a little as the level progressed. The reason is because many of the aspects were too similar - I can't remember how many times I slashed a grate and crawled through a vent. As you can imagine, that got old fast. There were a couple of interesting features, such as slashing power generators to turn off a forcefield, or having to drop out a window onto a small ledge etc. I also noticed a bit of HOMing in one place caused by the wrong grate texture (the see-through version for adjoins) being used instead of the one that just draws the black area between the bars. In addition, there were a few places with poor realism that I didn't like. For example, in the brig area, you press a button that opens some doors that are high up in a wall in the outdoor area. The only way to get there is to Force Jump, and when you get in, you drop down to a room that has only a crawlspace as an exit. How would anyone get in there? Crawling through vents to get to work?

In conclusion, Escape from Eriadu was a level with excellent architecture, mediocre texturing and level dynamics, and above average atmosphere and gameplay. I definitely recommend that you download it and play it, as it is a great level if you overlook the numerous minor problems.