I made it to 67% in practice and then I gave up and watched a video. The fact that this is a megacollab isn't inherently a bad thing, and I think there's maybe some sense in which it makes sense for a level that pays homage to the horror genre to have a wide variety of voices. However, the consequence is that the worst parts massively drag down the best ones. The construction zone part with all the tech slopes and stuff was by far my favorite both in terms of gameplay and visuals, and all I could think while playing it was "I wish this were its own separate level so I didn't also have to contend with the boring schlock around it".

Also, in one of the parts, the creator commits an unforgiveable level design sin: they make it so that doing any skips/doing the part in an unintended way causes an invisible trigger to just not give you the correct portal. It's especially egregious here because it isn't even immediately clear that you can't progress, the portal literally doesn't show up. It's bullshit and the hallmark of a lazy creator.

Playing this was the best experience I had in the game

Really, really love the many many callbacks to horror media in this level. Rather nostalgic in that sense whenever I can recognise something as a reference. Even for the parts that I don't theyre almost always something rarely done in levels in general. Not really any standout parts in this one as theyre all very consistently great despite a good amount of deco repetition. Unfortunately as a result of this homogeny in quality and style it does feel like it drags on for a bit too long especially since the song does drag on too

Written on November 17th, 2024. (After completion)

Scream Machine is yet another Extreme Demon you may have heard of, being TMco’s first epic Extreme Demon, and first list demon. Scream Machine is a 3 minute long adventure through many sub-themes of horror, accompanied by insanely difficult gameplay for the entire length of the level. Recently, I have grown to be quite a fan of this level as the decoration is truly phenomenal, leading to me picking up this level as a new hardest.

Like my previous review of FIREPOWER, Scream Machine is yet another level that I can say has some of the best decoration ever made in the Geometry Dash editor. The inclusion of many sub-themes of horror brought a unique twist that cannot be found in many levels. On top of an amazing lineup of creators, there is not a single part of this level that is of a lower quality. From Realvet’s robotic part featuring animatronic parts and a vibrant blue color, to CuluC’s carnival part of scary clowns and dangerous rollercoasters, to SwagMasta’s underwater part featuring several aquatic creatures like the magnapinna squid, there is not a single part that is not filled to the brim with assets and themes of horror. Adding to the excellent theme, the masterclass array of creators is a recipe for some excellent designs and decorations. All of the parts have incredibly special designs that are built upon the individual themes, making the level quite a joy to watch.

Fortunately for this level, the gameplay is just as excellent as the decoration. I will admit the difficulty is quite unbalanced, as the level’s difficulty is carried by a handful of parts, such as Iris’s junkyard part, Helpegasus’s borderlands part, and SwagMasta’s aquatic part. Regardless of the difficulty, the base gameplay is extremely fun and unique. I had quite a blast practicing this level and doing runs on it. The far attempts I got, although very few, were also very satisfying regardless of dying to something stupid. Although the gameplay is amazing, Scream Machine features a lot of timings and skill-based gameplay, and when combined with the great length of the level, I would only recommend this to those who are masters at completing XL levels.

Overall, Scream Machine is a generational megacollab featuring a unique twist on a rare theme, outstanding decoration that builds the theme, and gameplay that makes this level a joy to complete. This megacollab truly put TMco on the map of fantastic creating teams, and I am going to be more than excited to see what they make next. I was also super glad to have pulled through with beating this level as my brand new hardest completion after four years of having Freedom08 as my hardest. I seriously do not think there was a more perfect choice.