Average Ratings

Difficulty-/100
Overall7.94/10
Gameplay7.12/10
Visuals8.96/10

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Reviews

Created Date
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avatar
3 days ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
7/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
avatar
last month
-/100
DIFFICULTY
8/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
avatar
2 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
8/10
OVERALL
9/10
VISUALS
6/10
GAMEPLAY

CITYFADE is a level that had captivated me ever since I first watched it around a month after it released. I'll get into what exactly got me hooked in a bit, but for now just know that it was a level I absolutely loved. I voted for it in the GD Awards 2024 and this level was one of the things that got me into Against All Logic (alongside I NEVER DREAM). So, after completing Light Travel in early July this year, I knew I wanted to do CITYFADE next. I began playing it on-and-off over the course of the month and later beat it out of absolutely nowhere on July 28th with a ridiculous fluke from 65%. With an experience that seemingly sounds so great, this seems like a level I'd give a 10, but I've got some issues with the level.

Starting with the positives, the song representation in this level is absolutely phenomenal. Against All Logic's City Fade is a beautiful song, it's both otherworldly and a song groovy enough for the dance floor, but it's also an extremely intricate song. Around 2 minutes in, the percussion stops being like traditional house music and becomes much more free-form, almost like a percussion ensemble arrangement as opposed to a drum rhythm made digitally. After this section, the song also starts introducing more static-y synths, sound effects and reverb for more atmosphere, etc. There is a lot going on in the song, and being able to represent it properly in the form of a GD level is an especially tall order. With that said, MaxxoRMeN steps up to the plate and does the song complete justice. Not only is he able to thematically represent the song well throughout all of its sections, but he is able to account for the eccentric percussion passages really well and integrates them into the gameplay very naturally. The final 20% is just out of this world, there is so much going on in the background and it feels like this non-euclidean metropolis and its surrounding world are collapsing in on themselves and you're on a mad dash to try and make it out alive. The rising synths paired with the ship gameplay at the very end is so climactic and satisfying, it really puts a test on your nerve control. In regards to visuals and execution, this level is an absolute masterclass in what it tries to do and it's deserving of a Legendary rating just for that.

But at what cost does such excellence come at? The level is great to watch, and while the gameplay is mostly good too, that's not entirely the problem. The big problem is that this level lags like hell. I don't think lag is an issue I've ever brought up in a review before since for the most part it's a non-issue for me. I've got a decently strong computer, so most levels I'm able to run without frame drops on full detail and those I can't I'm still able to run well on LDM. The same cannot be said of CITYFADE. There is only one LDM setting, and it is inadequate as I still experience significant frame drops late in the level. The first half runs completely fine but the second half doesn't because that's where the level really amps up in particle & shader usage, as well as there just being much more art & animated things. I play on 144fps, and when I get to the random part (the first really laggy part for me), my FPS oscillates like a metronome between the high 130s and below 100, with LDM on might I add. With LDM off, I can even get below 20fps at some points. The final section of the level is equally egregious as well. Lag is something I almost never bring up in reviews since in most cases it's a non-issue for me, but when it actively gets in the way of being able to properly play the level, it's a problem.

Finally, I want to bring up some other problems I have with the gameplay. The random part is great conceptually, but in practice it doesn't work out as well and the way it plays is the only part of the level where I would say the execution falters. It's still technically sightreadable and there isn't too many different orb combinations, but the problem is that this part is completely impossible to practice. Besides being extremely laggy, trying to place a checkpoint before the random part results in you getting the same orbs every attempt AND trying to play CITYFADE from a start position will cause the game to crash. Essentially, you've got a laggy pure sightreading test in the middle of an XXL extreme demon. What the fuck!!!! I got so extremely lucky only getting to this part of the level twice from 0 ever, if I died during this part 5+ times or had to replay it every time I got to the second half, my enjoyment of this level would probably erode very quickly. There are some other things I don't really like, such as how the vertical part goes on for long enough to start to feel uncomfortable or how the UFO has some uncomfortable click patterns and moving objects that make inputs difficult to eyeball, but the random part stands firm as a cardinal sin MaxxoRMeN committed when building this level.

So, would I recommend this? I'm giving it a high score, but I'm not entirely sure I can recommend this, certainly not as a first extreme. I think this is one of those levels where you have to really be into it if you want to come out of this level with a positive experience, there's a good chance you might not like this level afterwards if you aren't fully invested in it. It's not a horrible XXL extreme demon, but I'd probably be more willing to recommend CICADA3302 or even Light Travel to this. And that's saying a lot, as personally I think CITYFADE might be an insane demon, easier than the other two levels.

avatar
2 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
0/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
avatar
2 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
9/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
avatar
3 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
10/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
avatar
3 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
7/10
OVERALL
7/10
VISUALS
7/10
GAMEPLAY

Builds insanely well and has some really, really memorable parts but I don't see myself coming back to this one.

avatar
3 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
10/10
OVERALL
10/10
VISUALS
10/10
GAMEPLAY

movement theory

Okay seriously what a masterpiece. I don't know how else to say it, it's a masterful display of movement! The visuals, the gameplay, the SUBTITLES make my head spin with serotonin and love and more importantly LOVE! CAPITALIZED for EMPHASIS! Relation and Resonation is what I have to say. It tickles my brain in places unreachable to the concept of reach. A World beyond Words is where I find my self when I subject my self to CITYFADE.

avatar
3 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
10/10
OVERALL
10/10
VISUALS
10/10
GAMEPLAY

Awesome sync and awesome usage of the city theme and 2.2's features.

My only gripe with the level is the first 10%, there isn't a lot going on with the song so I do get why the gameplay is there but still feels annoying to play from 0.

I love the randomized part which forces you to sight read the level.

avatar
3 months ago
-/100
DIFFICULTY
7/10
OVERALL
-/10
VISUALS
-/10
GAMEPLAY
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