Amazing atmosphere and theme, creative and well-synced gameplay, the famous coin, and nice little details like the ceiling, background, callback to the start at the end, and the deco in the first wave are all great. It's a shame that the vertical ball was executed so poorly because it's a cool concept and this would've been one of all-time greats if it wasn't that bad

I love this level. Love it so much. One of the best levels in the game for sure.

And I have no true idea why. I can't fully express it.

I'll mention the song first of all, it's a remix of Fear Factory; an already great song, but this remix goes even further being one of the best songs on Newgrounds imo. I'm not musically adept enough to explain why, but the tone and instruments used really add to this level's mood.

As for why I view this level so highly, it mostly boils down to atmosphere I guess. There are a number of mechanical or gloomy levels out there, but none that capture the raw feeling and mood of this one. The level feels like an out-of-bounds area. That's my best way to describe it.

I mean; the dark and drab factory theme, the background that looks similar to the default BG but is rigidly remade, the 20ish coins that are all impossible to get, the spikes and pads that you clip through at the end, the unconventional methods of gameplay, the random numbers during the UFO part, and of course, the vertical ball that feels completely off from anything you've ever played. All of these elements go into making this level feel like a liminal space, or even like a dev exit. Some place that no soul has traveled—or was ever meant to travel.