Earlier this week, I beat this level as my 5th extreme demon and my first of which to not be XXL or longer. I've had my eyes on this level ever since I first got to know skywalker14's art-based style through his other levels. I had loved its visual style and its approach to gameplay, but it seemed out of reach until recently I grinded it out for hours each day. Despite the amount of pressure I put on myself to finish this level in just a few days, as well as how difficult the level is, I love this level just as much after beating it.

The first thing I would like to bring up in regards to how the level exceeds is the level's name and how this level sorta plays with the player's expectations. I NEVER DREAM shares the name of the NONG it uses, I Never Dream by Against All Logic, but there's a difference: I NEVER DREAM is written in all capital letters in the level's name, which is something level creators sometimes do to their titles to make them feel more impactful. So when I saw the level was called I NEVER DREAM and it was extreme demon difficulty, I assumed the experience might be something dreary or somber. The beginning somewhat holds this up since the level starts much darker and with a more muted color palette, but at 14% the level reveals its true colors. It's very bright, beautiful, colorful, happy, and a little heavenly. This contrast from how the level appears on the outside and how it appears in the heart of the level is really enticing. The level rises higher and higher, picking up in speed as well, only to start revealing near the end the euphoric image this level originally painted was a facade. The colorful flowers become hallucinogenic rainbow plants with eyes, the background goes from a sky blue to a blur of flashing and speeding colors, all the while you're going faster than any other point in the level and the song becomes more intensely-layered with its vocal chops and edits. There's one more reprise of the blissful scene we first saw earlier in the level, then the level ends. With this all laid out, I NEVER DREAM kills three birds with one stone: the level's theme and initial presentation sets up a diversion of the player's expectations, the level also has a very strong progression despite only being 1 minute and 40 seconds long, and the final thing is that this level just looks very pretty and has great song representation.

Meanwhile, the gameplay is a special treat in its own way. I NEVER DREAM gets its difficulty from being composed entirely of unusual cube and ship timings. The level has its own gimmicks with structuring and utilizes them well to make unique gameplay without sacrificing enjoyability. Some examples that come to mind are how jump pads are used on top of flowers with corresponding colors and a trick using orbs and blue pads to make timings where you have to click after changing gravity or you can't pass the section. There could've been more uses of these mechanics had the level went on longer to expand on them more, but I NEVER DREAM still utilizes them enough for them to be a memorable aspect of the level. For the most part, the gameplay is very well-constructed, although the first 13% is easily the hardest part and it has a couple stupid jumps, it eventually gets consistent. I've only one got one main complaint: the spike/saw hitboxes can feel a bit unfair at times. While the circular rainbow flowers feel like they have fair hitboxes, it feels like the hitboxes on the smaller, 2D rainbow flowers are too large in some places in the level. The flower itself does not appear circularly, so it seems like you die despite barely touching it. Something similar goes for the leaves like those used in the beginning of the level. They sway and move around, so it's hard to properly gauge their static hitboxes just by looking at them, causing some deaths to them to feel unfair.

Despite that one issue I have with the gameplay, I NEVER DREAM is a level I would recommend in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a great easier-end extreme, proficient with extremes or not. A level of such extreme difficulty while wearing such an upbeat theme already stands out against the sea of other extremes, but I NEVER DREAM stands among the highest even in that field. And on its way, it also demonstrates everything skywalker14 is able to pull off masterfully as a builder in just a minute and forty seconds.

Its okay? Its kinda obviously skywalker still tryin to assemble a more clear and effective style. It makes a few choices i quite like and a bunch which i find annoying but nothing here is outright terrible or absolutely gorgeous. Its easily topped by levels he made later on.