If Episode 01 of "Somewhere Else" views death from the lens of someone on the verge of passing on, Episode 02 concerns their death from the view of their surrounding loved ones. "02 Downward Spiral" is a level intended to embody Anger, the second of the famous Five Stages of Grief. It's likely BrainETR's most 'experimental' level (which isn't as a surprise as "Somewhere Else" is BrainETR's most experimental project) in the sense that it completely strays from respectable and typical block design in its second half, morphing into an incomprehensible mess of slopes, flashing lights and cluttered decorations which work in unison to create a turbulent atmosphere that mimics the inner turbulence of someone destroyed by the loss of a loved one.

The level opens with a few brief, flickering images which are all key to understanding the series. There's a heart monitor that fleetingly appears, mimicking how the series all started in "Turn To Dust" with several heartbeat sounds while a film reminding the dying individual of the life they lived starts to play. There's an hourglass that isn't a callback to "Turn To Dust" but rather conveys the notion that time is always ticking. It conveys the notion that one's time has run out, or maybe that the individual this level is centred on wishes they had more time to spend with their deceased loved one (as hourglasses can always be overturned, starting the clock once more). There's a shattered photo, a callback which only brings the haunting endscreen of "Turn To Dust" to mind. Perhaps the shattered photo could represent how the individual has tried to erase any memories of their beloved following their passing? Regardless of how you interpret the images depicted at the beginning, they certainly place you into the mind of somebody brutally tormented by the death of a loved one.

The gameplay definitely experiences a slight hiccup once it reaches the robot section and any structure the level originally had devolves into a junkyard of discordant slopes. It might be representative of the mind's inner turmoil but it's a little awkward to play for the first time. The text 'CAN'T GO BACK' and 'ALL GONE' certainly hammer the message that the individual the level centres on has entered a regressive 'downward spiral' thanks to their loved one's loss. It's a little on the nose but I'm willing to let it slide as the level is essentially a stream of consciousness for someone experiencing feelings and thought of anger and grief.