A nice break from the probably AI-generated levels that make up half the awarded tab

Art in its purest form.

Acceptance is not just your typical Geometry Dash level. It's more then that. It's pure unbridled thoughts and feelings from the creator. Thoughts about creating for yourself and not for anyone else. Thoughts about creating something that you will cherish forever. Thoughts about creating for the love of it. That's a beautiful message that most creators nowadays seem to forget sometimes. That's why I love creators like SGameT and sN0UK. They build to express themselves and for the love of it.

When I talked to some new creators, one of the things they would always complain about is how people would say that their level wasn't "rate worthy" enough, and how the rating system as a whole made themselves think worse about their creations. I know many talented creators who stopped creating because they felt that they weren't good enough for the "standards". That shit is soul crushing. Imagine the number of lost potential creators who stopped playing because some mod didn't think their level was "up to standard". It's an epidemic that many people don't talk about or just accept it as "part of GD", when in reality is discouraging people to make level they actually like and instead make a generic 5* pixel level to "fit in". It's devastating. Reasons like these are why I admire these levels so much. They tell people to stop creating for the "system" and start creating for yourself. It's beautiful.

As for the level itself, the level starts out as a typical 1.0 level, until the song starts glitching out. That's when the level turns into an abstract morph of scaled objects and trippy shader use. In the middle of the level, the creator talks to the player about what creating means to them. He questions if creating should "meet other people's expectations" or not. He answer's: "It's your vision, with your own standards. I can't even define it myself. But it's what I believe in. This is what creating should mean." before dropping the trippiest visuals I've seen yet. The use of the music along with the shaders makes this level so emotional to watch. I can't describe it, you just have to play it for yourself.

That's all creating really is. An output of your current emotions and desires. I feel like most creators forget that. If you're not liking anything your creating, then what's the point of it? The editor has infinite potential to create something you love. Why waste it on a level you're gonna feel indifferent about in a day?

The message couldn't be more true. That is why everyone in this game, regardless of if they make 'good' or 'bad' levels, is a good creator in some way. Everything is subjective. You can make literally anything you want. This level is more specifically about 'creating' in geometry dash. But when it asked the question, "What does creating mean to you?" I decided to take the question further and rephrase it as, "What does art mean to you?" The answer to that question is too personal for me to even write here on this website. I have no intention of doing such a thing. This creator understands something many others do not. It is that with art, you have absolute freedom. I cannot say another word because it is all too personal. But this goes so much deeper than just geometry dash. It goes so much further than just art.

(Excuse me if this is not written well, it has been a while since I have reviewed something. I plan to review more soon !! :D)

SGameT is a creator I've mentioned many times before. An incredibly talented and underrated creator who I think should be much more popular due to their insanely good song representation and shader use. I first found them from their level Neural Pathways, a featured 6 star which was somehow their first rated level and notified many others of their existence. Neural Pathways is extremely well made and one of my favorite levels in the game, however I wouldn't say it's my favorite from SGameT themself. While Neural Pathways is a very well made level with mesmerizing visuals and simple yet intriguing gameplay, Acceptance is an absolute mess of a level. There's not a single second of this level that doesn't try to break through your screen with it's extremely bright and strange colors in combination with the shaders that warp themselves all over the screen. However, while the visuals are a very major part of the level and fit the song extremely well, what is very apparent when watching is the seemingly normal pieces of text throughout it. Even despite the level becoming a cluttered mess of warped objects, as the background flips on itself and the shaders attack your eyes, you can see messages to the player.

Acceptance is far from a normal level, it's a showcase of what happens to a creator that feels like they can't express themself. This is the breaking point of someone who has been told to conform to standards in order to get notice from others. Even though they've tried their hardest to express what they want in a level, something that they're proud of and want to show to the world, there will always be people that want to fit it to their standards. They never think about a creator's vision for their level. Stating "flaws" of the level that were intentional design, having a level called "not rateworthy" because it doesn't fit every single check in this imaginary checkbox people decide to follow. This might not be exactly what SGameT experienced to make this level, but it was my interpretation when watching.

Acceptance is as the name suggests, accepting that you don't have to follow any kind of standards when making levels. You don't have to follow every piece of advice someone gives you, you don't have to meet these "rateworthy" standards to make a level that people will enjoy. Creating should be about your visions and your visions alone. Nobody should conform to someone else's standards at the detriment of their own connection with the level. Acceptance shows this extremely well with the text throughout the level. "What does creating mean to you?" "Should it meet expectations of others?" in which the answer is provided shortly after.

"It's your vision, with your own standards."

"I can't even define it myself."

"But it's what I believe in."

"This is what creating should mean."

Creating is an outlet, it's a free world where anybody is allowed to make whatever the hell they want. Just because people have different standards to you, doesn't mean you should follow them as if it's a rulebook. Make what you want, make what your mind wants, make a journey only you could make, and even if others have issues with it, why the fuck should it matter? In a game as big as this, there's many other levels for them to enjoy. People will eventually find your levels and fall in love with them, and even if they never will understand what effort was put into it, the thought process behind certain details, why a certain block looks like that, why the gameplay was built like that, you will always know why.

Acceptance is both a masterpiece in atmosphere and intent in my eyes, an extremely broken level that feels like the clutter within someone's mind trying to break out. Nothing in the level feels standard, everything is out of place and is made to attack you.

And that's what makes this level's message hit so hard. For being a level made a month into 2.2, the shader usage in this level is absolutely phenomenal and makes an absolutely unforgettable experience. This level is one of my main inspirations for creating and showed me that sometimes you can just build for yourself.