Keeps kowareta company in the very short list of levels I wish were top 1 difficulty. Chilling, manic like no other, even if carried a little by some of the best gameplay an extreme demon has ever had. I do wish the wave stepped up its visual intensity a little bit.

It kinda innovated an entire creator medium/genre, but I don't think it has particularly aged gracefully at all. (Night Life is the best Para level.)

set a precedent for so many levels to come

This is one of the few levels in this game I would consider perfect. The level is built from the ground up to instill fear in the player in quite a unique way. The title of the level, "Cold Sweat," commands your attention and puts the player in a state of unease after reading it. This starts off the experience brilliantly before the level even begins.

The first section consists of timing gameplay with small bursts of speed that mimic chills of anxiety. This is the first sign the level gives you that something is off. Fear starts to build as the level progresses. The next section consists of memory gameplay that mimics a feeling of confusion. Then it all stops. The player is given time to rest, but this break is in fact just preparation for the coming two parts. It is put there intentionally to give you a moment to think, but most importantly, be scared. Nervous is too weak of a word here. The spam UFO's only purpose in this level is to tire you out. While it may not be that difficult, spamming the whole way through prevents your mind from wandering, preventing you from thinking about the incoming wave part. The level's climax comes in the form of a wave part that requires an insane amount of concentration and muscle memory to perform correctly and is just a spectacle gameplay-wise. It is iconic for a reason and it wears that pride on its sleeve. Coming from the previous UFO part that was mostly mindless spamming that becomes tiring, this part is a huge challenge in gameplay whiplash that elevates it in intensity and fear. It demands your attention and prevents you from looking away despite its horrors. During these two parts, the visuals consume your field of view as they mimic illusions of where the gameplay actually is. This builds off the confusion and overloads your senses just as fear might do someone having a panic attack. This is until it all stops. The confusion of what just happened clouds your vision as you are left to rely on the song for clues of where you are.

Every design choice in the level's gameplay and decoration are put toward a climactic journey perpetuated by fear. While most GD levels typically build on nerves or suspense, this level takes one step further turning those feelings into full on fear. Every design choice was made with this intention and it shows. What a masterpiece.