Here I will explain why I love this level without anyone coming up with the what's-its-name insecurity theory, I love this level because it reminds me of the aesthetics of Japanese games like bullet hell, with 3D backgrounds from the old era, I love every part although the predrop robot part not so much, wow I don't even want to write a review, yes the change at the end is very abrupt and the gp is somewhat condescending, but I still love it

I'm really liking Kira as a creator, but I don't think this hits as strong for me as WANNACRY despite this technically being "more impressive" than that. Feels a lot more overstimulating without really offering much substance, the predrop is probably the strongest part of this because of that. The first part of the drop just feels very unnecessary if I'm being honest; it's alright to play and isn't horrible but I don't really understand why it's there. The ending cutscene is very pretty but the cutoff of the song to get there feels quite jarring.

About the song, I don't really like the use of Exit this Earths Atomosphere here, since this song has already been used a lot in the past. Very little creative opportunity is left by choosing this, so I wish Kira had just went with a fresh song nobody had used before like they had with WANNACRY.

The theme the level's going for is really neat with the "emulation", and I actually do like the part where it switches between all of the different space gauntlet entries since I feel like it gives new life to entries that didn't place. I heavily studied the space gauntlet entries so this was a nice surprise for me. While it isn't the most original thing Kira could have done for this part, it still I suppose got the job done. The other parts somewhat lose this theme a little though, prioritizing crazy effects to both its benefit and downfall.

Gameplay is whatever. I fluked the drop and the predrop was alright to play.

Overall still a decent level, just a bit confused in what it wants to be.

Though certainly not the most fawned over or despised Space Gauntlet level that placed in the top five, Alien Dream Emulator is certainly the most inconsistent in execution. It showcases some incredible ideas, mainly in the first half, but fails to deliver what could have been an absolute masterpiece due to its glaring shortcomings. Directly proceeding some of the most breathtaking and unseen landscapes ever made, Alien Dream Emulator throws all of this built up atmosphere of mystique and surreality to go all in on trying to capture a hyperrealistic intensity. Despite this certainly not being an ineffective showing, there is undeniably some missed opportunity at the drop to create something further evocative of its namesake "Alien Dream Emulator" rather than just the glowing surface of a star. Unfortunately this is not the greatest consequence of the time crunch this level underwent. Paying homage to all the other entries in lieu of coming up with unique alien designs makes me unable to help but wonder if this decision was worth the complete sacrificing of block decoration, structuring or even structurally functional gameplay without the use of invisible barriers to correct its imperfections. These issues are unfortunately large blemishes on the level's otherwise unmatched ideas in Geometry Dash's current high-profile creating landscape, and it pains me for this to be the case since I really do adore the consistently high execution of its ideas in general, but alas its ideas have holes too large to ignore (7.5)

I do get that this level is very unsightreadable, which turns off many people, but I think there's way more to it than a bunch of epileptic visuals. I love the weirdcore alien corruption theme in the level. At first, you may not notice it, but soon you'll find that this level is basically Abducted but evil; you're minding your business in a field of flowers when you're suddenly abducted by a spaceship and tortured by aliens. Decoration-wise, it's a masterpiece as expected from a Kira mythic with a lot of detail, but what stands out to me is the emulation part. Kira gives fantastic designs to the emulator, centering around the emulated levels and their themes. Also appreciated is how Kira puts their own spin on each level, and while these don't look better than the levels themselves, they still look really cool. Additionally, you could spend an hour tearing apart the decoration of this level and still find many intricate details, which I find really nice. This level might be one of the most detailed levels in the game.

The gameplay, while not incredibly sophisticated, and rather simple, but I don't think it suffers from any major issues. One could say that the gameplay is hard to see due to the decoration, but I think the contrast between the spikes and the decoration helps the player navigate their way (especially seen during the last part). The people will hate me for this, but I think that this is the best insane in the game.

The people who say that this level is bad because it's flashy, I don't understand that a flashy level doesn't equal a bad one. Flashiness is just one way to build intensity. This method is kind of lazy, but I think Kira executes it amazingly. Some people also think that the inclusion of levels that don't have a chance of winning in the emulation is condescending, but I feel that Kira allows these levels to be remembered and introduces these levels to a new audience. The people who worked on the emulated levels seem to appreciate it, even Flash, who absolutely despises this level. Plus, most of the winning entries weren't even known of until the last 5 minutes before the deadline, so I don't blame Kira for not using these levels (though an Out of Place emulation would go so, so hard).

However, this level still has it's flaws. As I said, I really like this level, which is seemingly an unpopular opinion, but this level poorly uses SFX. I think if it did not use SFX it would be way better. It's not a large flaw since SFX is rarely used in the level, but where it's used, it's incredibly jarring and uncomfortable.

Also, I want to mention that for the people who think this level is random, the emulator and the 3D comet are both foreshadowed from the beginning; you may notice this when you watch it or practice it again.

If I had to rate every single level I have ever played (over a thousand), the number of 0/10s I would have is less than 10. A 0 doesn't actually mean it's literally the worst in every possible way. If a level is bad, I simply feel nothing towards it because who cares. A 0/10 instead means that it manages to piss me off in a way that few other levels do, in a way that I simply cannot ignore or dismiss.

Alien Dream Emulator is one of these levels. This is the most cynical level I have ever seen in my life. The contest judges for the gauntlets have increasingly favoured flashy garbage over all else, so what better level to rise to the top 10 than a level so flashy and epileptic it manages to rival the Electric Soldier Porygon anime episode? It is straight up irresponsible to make a level this flashy. not only is it deeply unpleasant to look at, not only does it hurt my eyes, but it is a legitimate danger to those that suffer from seizures. We used to worry about Nine Circles levels being too flashy - this really is a sign of how much worse it has gotten since then.

This might legitimately be the worst level in the game. Not because it's completely irredeemable - I think the concept is quite cool, and it has two quite decent parts (being the start and the "emulating..." part). But it's the perfect blend of every single awful trend in gauntlet levels mashed up into one rotting turd on a plate decorated with the right amount of glitter to make Nexus viewers soyface. It is a microcosm of everything wrong with 2.2 creating trends and chasing mythics. It uniquely pisses me off in a way few other levels do. It is now featured in the official Space gauntlet, and will be there forever. And that is what makes it deserving of a 0/10.