Youngdefiant, aka the king of gaming, the king of YouTube, the realest gamer on the internet, the 100% fact spitter, the higher level thinker, the leader of the real gamer movement, the king of anime, the king of manga, and the one who's better than you in every way, has once again returned to deliver the facts, has once again returned to deliver the greatness. Even though you losers on this Hyperbolus website simply do not deserve it.

Lonely Travel by Funnygame is one of the most overrated snoozefests ever cursed upon Geometry Dash. Six minutes long? More like six minutes wasted. Majority of it is black and white like we’re watching some bootleg silent film from 1920. And yet, y’all bots out here calling it "art." Nah, it’s not art — it’s a grayscale endurance test that only gets praised because the community is addicted to pretending slow = deep. You losers really sat through this monochrome marathon and clapped like it was peak level design. Pathetic.

Funnygame tried to make an emotional journey, but forgot to include anything actually engaging. The pacing is glacial, the transitions are janky, and the gameplay feels like it was built to drain the soul out of anyone with real skill. I beat it, of course — because I'm built different — but let's not pretend it’s anything but a painfully drawn-out walking simulator on autoplay. Y’all call it iconic. I call it a black-and-white screensaver with a jump button. Keep hyping up mediocrity, peasants. Meanwhile, I’ll be dominating levels with actual substance.

If you've talked with me a good amount or have read my Hypnotic Travel review, you would know I HATE travel levels with a burning passion. I've beaten 18 travel levels, and most of them are uninspired, creatively bankrupt levels made for the sake of being long and latching onto a trend, and as a result I get nothing positive out of my experience with them. It's the case of everyone wanting to be like someone else with a complete lack of an understanding of what made Lonely travel such a smash hit.

With that said, Lonely travel is one of, if not the best level in this awful trend. The winning ingredient to the formula that nearly every travel level completely missed was a strong progression. In fact, almost every great XXL+ level, travel or not, has a strong progression as part of its formula. This is why Lonely travel has the right to call itself a "travel" level, and almost every other "travel" level feels like a misnomer by comparison. Back to Lonely travel, the first half is completely black-and-white. This lack of color, combined with the slow pacing and sad song give the first half of this level a very melancholy feel. You're traveling somewhere to be happy again. At 60%, we see our first color with a singular beam of sunlight from the surface illuminating a flower on a rock at the bottom of a cave. It's a great, it feels like we are getting somewhere. In the next section, more beams of light are able to pierce into the dark, gloomy dungeon. Then, we are blinded and put in a new place: the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the air is fresh. The world has color again. Everything will be okay. We go through a forest and desert before the level abruptly ends at the 6 minute mark because FunnyGame hit the object limit. While the level ends here due to a limitation, I don't think there was a better place to end the level. Where would story go after the main progression is already done? Besides, the level is already around double the length of the previous longest level.

Outside of this progression being a highlight for me, there are plenty of other great moments to be found throughout this level. Namely, transitions are really well used to make high-impact moments. Two of my favorites of these are the transition from grayscale to full color I mentioned earlier, but another equally amazing moment is at 52% when the song goes silent for a moment, the screen is white, then the song goes into its chorus as the player is revealed to be in the clouds as the sun is setting. It's hard to properly communicate how satisfying of a part this is through text, it still gives me goosebumps. Two other things I really like about the level include the stuttery old film effect at 23%, as well as how well-made all of the parallax backgrounds are throughout the level. Lonely travel is a bit of a minimalistic level as it spreads its 30k objects over 6 minutes, yet it never really feels empty and FunnyGame is always able to demonstrate how talented and ahead of the curve he was in every part.

However, my main deal breaker with this level, and why I can't love this level as much I would like to, is its gameplay. I just did not have fun playing this level. If it was not for a few choke points, Lonely travel would be an easy demon. The part at 31% with the countdown and the fast yet stiff movement is by far the hardest part and where about a third to a half of my deaths were. It's so tricky to time these, and sometimes the block will fall out from beneath the player and they will need to hit an orb, so there is also some memory involved. Some other choke points I'm not fond of include the UFO right after being hard to see and not having a comfortable click pattern AND randomly deciding to go backwards in the middle of the part, the cloud part halfway through having unclear hitboxes at times, the trees in the foreground of the forest part at 85% sometimes making inputs blind, and most parts with the vignette becoming frustrating because of the limited vision. It's a good idea that fits well in Lonely travel, but it's execution comes at the detriment of the player's time to react and it would be better if it was slightly transparent instead of fully opaque. When 80% of my deaths were at the hands of a few select choke points in the level, this results in the rest of the level (and playing the first 30% constantly) to become quite boring.

Despite my criticisms of the level from a gameplay standpoint, I still overall like this level. While I hate how it spawned the horrible trend of travel levels, I'm glad that Lonely travel was the level to start the push for XXL+ levels in general. Countless amazing levels that I love today would not have existed if Lonely travel was never made. There's also the chance for you to have more fun with the level than I did, so if you want to get more into XXL+ levels, I recommend trying this level.

Review: "Lonely Travel" by FunnyGame
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)

"Lonely Travel" is not just a Geometry Dash level—it’s an emotional journey. FunnyGame’s masterpiece stands as one of the most atmospheric, immersive, and artistically ambitious levels the community has ever seen.

Spanning over six minutes, "Lonely Travel" is a slow-burning odyssey through a constantly evolving world, where visuals, music, and gameplay fuse into a powerful narrative experience. The level showcases a staggering variety of themes and settings—from tranquil forests to haunting ruins—each one meticulously designed to reflect a mood or moment. The transitions are smooth and meaningful, often catching the player off guard with their creativity and subtle storytelling.

What truly sets "Lonely Travel" apart is its emotional resonance. The minimalistic approach to decoration, paired with the melancholic soundtrack, evokes a strong sense of solitude and wonder. It’s rare for a level in Geometry Dash to feel this personal, this human.

Gameplay-wise, it’s accessible and forgiving, allowing players to soak in the atmosphere rather than stress over difficulty. Every part is synced beautifully to the music, creating a seamless experience where rhythm and emotion drive the player forward.

FunnyGame has crafted a level that breaks boundaries—not just in length, but in soul. "Lonely Travel" is a timeless classic that proves Geometry Dash is not just a game, but a canvas for artistic expression.

A 10/10 masterpiece that invites you to slow down, breathe, and feel.