If I were to build a level to a Cacola song the last thing I would do is use a neodesign starter pack for the whole thing.

Seriously, this level highly misses the mark for me. The buildup is really good admittedly, I find the designs to be great looking and I love the flow it has going up and down and changing scenes seamlessly. But that drop is absolutely unforgivable. It feels like it's trying to copy the best elements of neodesign / experimental classics but doesn't know why they're good.

Representing the chaos in the song using rapid flashes and standard gameplay is really not the way to go. I wish I could understand the appeal this level has on people but other than the first half I really don't.

Heartbreakingly overlooked

the way this level adapts the song is pretty cool, especially the first transition to white and the final rainbow section. however it's a little busy and i feel like the level tries a bit too hard to look pleasing at times, and in doing so sacrifices a bit of the power it Should have given the progression and song choice. there are certain details like the rotating lines and clouds in the sky(?) section and glow pillars in the space section that don't really mesh that well with what's happening in the level generally and feel tacked on to take up space. this is something i see in a lot of levels, and its prevalence makes sense because so many of the levels that get rated do this type of thing so as to not get "empty" or "incomplete" criticisms, but it's rarely something that adds to the level meaningfully. despite these minor flaws, which could have broken the experience, it develops really well. the details i do like, like the green block designs and color choices in the final stretch to give a few, are more than enough to stand the level up and make it worthwhile

When I think of "robbed of epic", this is the first level that comes to mind. The Descension is a 4 and a half minute long masterpiece, utilizing simple yet effect designs, as well as an incredible progression the entire way through. This level can be separated into two parts, the predrop and the drop, which take about half the level each. The predrop starts with very abstract colors, design, structures, and feels like you're exploring some sort of dreamscape realm. The vibes are off the chart, and I absolutely adore it. The borders to shrink the POV does wonders to help that effect as well. There's so many beautiful design choices in this first part that if I were to list them all, we would be here all day. The colors, pulses, everything is just perfect and makes you feel extremely immersed within the level.

After about a minute of exploring this night-esque dreamscape realm, there is an EXPLOSION of light and you are now racing through a barrage of red and blue. It then slowly transitions into a bluish sky where you're now above the clouds. This part is honestly just beautiful, I have no other words to describe it. It fits the song perfectly. You then hit one final dash orb and end up on an invisible platform as the lyrics stand above you in a rainbow colorbanding circle. Stars in the sky.

"flame is gone, the fire remains. the flame, is gone. the fire remains."

And on that last word, you are thrown head first into a barrage of flashing colors against a white background, every sense of cohesion this level had going out the window in an instant. It feels like you entered somewhere where you shouldn't. Structures flying everywhere, colors flying past the screen, the gameplay feels like its breaking as you fly through it. It's an experience I have genuinely seen no other level come even close to hitting. The colors in this part are genuinely beautiful, despite just being rapidly flashing CMYK, the way they're used in the drop give it a sense of self. The decoration as well is incredibly well made, the rotating glow blocks, the blurry foreground covering your vision, the pitch black appearing from the ground, the arcs of glow that come from the ground. It is a climax to be sure. You assume this part comes to an end as you enter a gravity portal and fall into the white abyss, until.

It starts breaking even more, you enter a fast wave part, the colors switch to green, blue, and magenta and start flashing even faster than before. The level seems to be nearing its limits, faces start appearing in the foreground, certain objects start going black, a rotating spiral follows you as you make your way through portal after portal. You finally enter the last ship, as you literally watch it corrupt into darkness. It keeps going, and going, and then.

Black.

You sit there, floating in the air, colorbanding lights float in the air and grow and shrink slowly. The same stars from before the drop stay there, and then, the level ends.

Fin.

This level is an absolute MASTERPIECE, and forgive me if this review seems extremely corny, but I absolutely love this level with all my heart. It is a surreal experience and the song representation is genuinely out of this world. It feels like this song was MADE for this level, and that's a compliment. I'm genuinely shocked this level didn't get epic, and I highly recommend beating this, as it is an experience no other level will provide.