My 7th hardest and my favorite level in my top 10 hardests

i like this level

I don't remember who told me this first, but "devin's levels always feel like walking into a sketchbook" is a comparison I've always thought of when approaching devin levels. When I repeat this saying, I usually mean it in a less-than-good way. devin's levels are unparalleled creativity and artisticness few creators have, but it's to an extent where I end up not liking a lot of his levels because they're doing so much that they end up unfocused and incohesive. While there are times where devin is able to use this to his advantage, like in his self-titled level being a great representation of everything that makes devin so special, this also causes most of his levels to fall somewhat flat to me, namely world war and man man.

While devin's other levels can be like the metaphorical sketchbooks I just described, alika feels like walking into a sketchbook in the most literal sense. It looks and feels like one more than any other level of his. The even weirder thing is, despite this quality being the most obvious here, this is somehow also one of his most cohesive and focused projects he has released. He was able to play to what makes his style so recognizable amazingly and in an organized manner while also in a presentation none of his other levels really have.

It's easy to see the Zylenox inspiration felt throughout devin's levelography, but this inspiration is usually taken from Zylenox's Triple Six and onwards levels that are much more art-focused. In alika, however, devin is mainly looking towards Zylenox's pre-Triple Six works, back when Zylenox was mainly known for his factory style like in Annihilation Nation, as well as general influences from vintage core creators with a near-complete reliance on standard blocks the complete absence of a custom background and resorting to that one 1.9 background (this doesn't cause the level doesn't feel empty, though, because of this level's dense structuring). Despite this, the elements of devin's art-based style are still very present in this level, as alika is filled to the brim with animated factory machinery. They're crude and unpolished, but they're well-made and feel alive, just like how devin does it. It's a robotic factory of doohickeys that serve no proper purpose (if only there was a corporation that specialized in this stuff!), yet it all feels lively and sensical. All of these factors combine into a product which has its inspirations worn on its sleeves, while still maintaining that unique devin feel in the best way possible. I love it.

(Take this final part of the review regarding the gameplay with a grain of salt, while I have beaten this level, I fluked it from 58% somehow.)
If it wasn't for the visuals, the gameplay was also usually a dealbreaker for me with devin's levels. For one reason or another, I have not found a lot of his other levels very fun. alika is an exception. The structures are clearly defined and I never felt my deaths were unfair, the mechanics are simple, easy to get down, and see some good mileage in this level, and the coin placements were simple but satisfying to collect. I also really liked how this level was paced. Despite metea11's Troubles being an accelerando song, alika does a great job breaking things up with slower moments while still matching the energy of the song with the way the machinery moves. The level never feels boring or uncomfortable to play. There are some chokepoints I am not fond of, like the first wave, and some parts with dead ends you can mistakenly enter and not be able to anticipate due to how much is going on, but other than that I had a blast trying to beat this level and I would highly recommend it if you have insane demon skill level and are able to put up with longer levels.