Ultimo universo takes a very unique approach to feeling larger-than-life, ironically using tiny, near unnoticeable details in video and vector-style graphics. Although seeming counterintuitive this minimalist approach succeeds unreasonably well. While this core design philosophy is not as flashy or awe-striking as others the execution nullifies this. Custom pulses and animations offset this feeling of familiarity, the frozen orbs at the start of the level especially giving the illusion that you are witnessing the birth of the universe in an attosecond by attosecond basis. Every section of gameplay while unfamiliar due to the minimalist structuring, feels pretty intuitive and engaging while also not being super difficult, allowing you to really appreciate the journey you're going through

i can't perfectly articulate what this level's story is going for but i feel like i'm so so close. a thing i sense however is that the level's message is pointing a problem in our world (after all nacho21 probably hasn't gone to space) and how it was probably adopted from other space works outside of geometry dash

(Disclaimer: I haven't beaten this level yet. My personal best is at 85%, where I've died twice. Also, while I am aware this is a remake of an earlier version of this level, I will only be talking about Ultimo Universo (2023) as it is the version I am most familiar with. I have now beaten this level as of 5/2/25.)

This level does not feel like an epic rated insane demon released in 2023, in both good and bad ways.

Ultimo Universo is Nacho's latest level after a 4 (or 7) year hiatus from building after Larga Espera. He doesn't have a large levelography, but he has released some very famous and influential levels, like Duelo Maestro and Larga Espera. The stakes for his return to building would be high. So, does he measure up? Well...

Let me talk about some things I do like about this level first. My biggest things I like about the level include some of the gameplay and structuring in the level. The structuring is very minimalist and there is a lot of vast, open space where there is no gameplay or structuring. This would be an odd design choice in most other levels, but it works great in Ultimo Universo. It is a space themed level, and these large, empty spaces work great because space is vast, infinite, and very empty. One of my favorite parts is the purple part halfway through where the level utilizes all of the height in its gameplay. You fell up into the cosmos, you soar higher, then you jump down, far down, back into the world. This spacious feel throughout the level goes hand-in-hand with the gameplay, which is also (mostly) very simple and you can still take in the backgrounds of this level while you are playing.

But then that leads in to this level's biggest problem: the backgrounds. Ultimo Universo's design is carried by its art backgrounds, and they are a main draw of the level in that regard. However, a lot of these backgrounds are compositionally uninteresting. Mainly, a lot of them are sterile with little movement and have washed out colors that don't pop out to the eyes. There may be one or two moving parts to a certain background, but it isn't enough to keep them from starting to feel stale too quickly. Stylistically, the backgrounds are also inconsistent. Most backgrounds follow the subpar, almost modernistic design I explained why I didn't like earlier, but some backgrounds border on attempting realism (like at 18%) or attempting to be cartoony (like at 35%). Regardless, I did not find them very interesting.

I also don't like some of the gameplay. While I do enjoy the gameplay for the most part, there are some chokepoints and unfair parts that just ruin it for me. These include (but are not limited to): the ball at 7% with the invisible spikes on the edges of all platforms, the ship at 39% with janky structuring, the ball directly after with its uncomfortable orb timings, the ball with the block & slope structures at 59% which is impossible to sightread due to how odd the structures are and how fast you are going, and the bossfight at 85% being very precise and deviating slightly off the invisible path (that you can only see after you die) makes your chance of survival almost none. While the invisible arrow path becoming visible on death does seem like a good idea on paper, it doesn't work in practice because after each attempt you only have a second and a half to see the path, which isn't enough to really process it. After this bossfight, the ship is a completely open free fly for a few seconds to remind you of how bad the balancing is in this level. There are multiple moments like these where the level jumpscares you with no gameplay (somehow), while other times jumpscaring you with bullshit. Another thing I didn't like about the gameplay was the pacing of the level. It felt much older than 2023 in the sense it made little to no sense. Samsara is an intense song throughout, but there are some moments that are beat drops and others that are the space surrounding these drops. While Ultimo Universo does thematically align itself well with the song, the gameplay does not. You are thrusted into these seemingly random speed decreases during drops or speed increases during non-drop parts, and it's off-putting every time.

Finally, I need to talk about the story in this level. This is supposedly a story, but I can't tell you what it is about. Even after playing this level for hundreds of attempts, I still have zero idea what is going on or why I am frequently alternating between outer space and Earth-like places, shit just happens. There are ways to tell stories minimalistically that give the player nuggets of information while still letting them interpret for their own (like CICADA3302), but this is not it. So much information is omitted that it feels incomplete. It is never explained where you start and where you go, you just start somewhere and go places. The unfortunate thing is, there are some great moments in this level. The rapid cinematic camera shots at 89%, the way the level transitions into the end screen as the spaceships destroy the level, and the end screen itself are all well done. They just feel out of place when the rest of this level's story lacks an equivalent amount of thought and planning put in. It's a cool ending sequence, but where is it in the context of everything else? It doesn't work as well as it could because the rest of the doesn't properly build up into it.

To answer the question I asked earlier of "Does [Nacho] measure up?" I'd say no. While it is an improvement from the original version of the level, Ultimo Universo still feels undercooked and unpolished. This level still has potential to be amazing, but considering this got epic rated in 2023, I don't think the rest of that potential will ever be realized.