2.0 levels, especially ones that come off as less polished, are massive guilty pleasures of mine. This level imitates this style very well, and I have quite a bit to say on it.

This level, includes a lot of what I love about this genre of levels, that mainly being the ideas present. 2.0 levels especially can often have very odd, more gimmicky, gameplay, that takes a tad bit of time to learn. And although I didn't find this level anywhere near as learny/memory-based as many of the levels it takes inspiration from, I still find most of the ideas used to be fun to play.

Every section is completely different from each other, and every part stands out well due to this fact. The opening of the level, while short, takes on a cleaner approach to 2.0 design, more alike to something a creator such as Serponge would make. There isn't much gameplay here, hence not much too review, but it partly displays the vibe the level will give off. The level throws you into a "memory" section, if one would even call it that, which I find to be the first display of unique gameplay, being the type you would only find in 2.0. The design shows off the 2.0 style well, being just a bit more messy than the start. The gameplay here is fine, better than the most of the genre of levels this level is replicating, though it doesn't stand out. I don't find gameplay to be that big of a deal with a level like this, however, and I'll get into that later.

Next up is the bossfight, and THIS is 2.0 replicated very well. It's cluttered and messy, and hits the exact notes this level needed. The boss fight is just the default monster named "Jeffery", and it's filled with corny text. This part demonstrates the "raw" part of 2.0 perfectly, with a messy background, a stupid bossfight, and being generally corny and silly. The bossfight happens to also be interactive and has an actual health bar, and although dealing damage is just spam, it actually makes this part quite fun.

You then transition into a UFO, and this is another part I enjoyed playing greatly. Uses far more red than necessary, but another part I though the gameplay stood out more than the vibe this part had. The structures move towards the player instead of the way around, and it gives this part such a goofy and fun feel to play, which I can assume was part of what this level was going for. The structures all also move with "bounce out", something I have no clue why all these 2.0 levels used because it looks terrible, but it once again adds to the wacky and "raw" nature this level presents.

The next area of the level uses a background that reminds me of "Frontlines Full", and again gives of a more raw feel to the level. The gameplay plays like a weird 2.0 level, similar to the rest. Includes more corny text, so I'd consider that a bonus. The final part of the level reminds me heavily of Megalovania by EternaswipVMAX. Another part that reminds me of 2.0 simply because it feels so random, and although it has the awkward mechanics one would expect out of it, it's still enjoyable. Afterwards comes the endscreen of the level, marking the end of Ego Death.

Now, I'd like to get into why I don't feel like the gameplay matters at all with this level. This level feels like a celebration of whatever genre of level you would call it, whether that be early 2.0, raw, or anything else, and gameplay hadn't ever truly come first with these levels. It was always the idea, the concepts, the quirkiness of these levels that made them stand out, and Ego Death hits that mark perfectly. I don't believe a level, that comes closer to a celebration of these aspects, should be seriously judged on gameplay, but I will admit I enjoyed it's charming style, and some parts I did have some genuine fun with. If I was seriously reviewing the gameplay, it would likely end up with a 5/10, as it has quite a bit of flaws, including balancing, having blind transitions, and being awkward to play as a whole. I'll be ignoring that with this, as I didn't find it a crucial point in what this level wanted to get across.

I found this to be an enjoyable time machine back into an era from over 7 years ago at this point, and I found that it succeeded in this aspect quite well. Could never have genuine hate in my heart for any level with this style, anyway.