the only purpose of this level was being named "collaboration" so it could trick people into thinking it was the first ever one

This level has changed Geometry Dash for both better or worse, but for all things considered, this is not the worst thing ever for one of the first major megacollabs in history. It's certainly a very interesting sampler of ideas from a pretty star-studded cast at the time (Dorabae, Jax, saRy, Xnail, etc.), and I think they all bring out their respective charm in each part they make. Combined with the fact that 1.8 is still at a point where levels look decently homogeneous, I think this level straddles a good balance between cohesion and individuality in each part. I also think it's unbalanced gameplay actually works in its favor since it makes for a very interesting progression, especially saRy's infamous ship part at the end being really easy to choke at.