An experience that takes you through the mind of the creator and crushes you to your very core.
I would be hesitant to call high expectations a level, as it seems to go against every idea of being one. There is no winning in this level, you will always die no matter what you try. No matter how hard you try and escape, the walls will always close in onto you and crush you. The world will always go against you and never succumb to your wishes, that’s what this level portrays itself to you as. A level with no winning. A life with no end goal.
I think that’s what PAHC was thinking when they made high expectations. It’s not a level meant to be played, it’s a showcase of the inner workings of their mind. A dark, raging chasm of expectations that crush you no matter what. There’s no way to escape these expectations, there’s no way to suddenly find a way out that wasn’t already there, there’s no way to complete this.
Except death.
high expectations showcases PAHC’s mind at this point. Their most popular level SAVE AS had been released a year ago, and was still their most popular by far. Every new level they released always came with some people disappointed that it wasn’t the next SAVE AS. There’s no way that wouldn’t weigh on somebody’s mind, every level they released that they put effort into, always came with that same couple of people disappointed it wasn’t the masterpiece they had all hoped for.
That’s what this level represents, a constant surge of expectations, crushing this creator from the outside no matter what they tried to make. It signifies the lowest portion of their life, a time where perhaps all they could see as an escape from these expectations, is death. A silent end to the ravaging red around them. If these expectations will crush them to their death in the future, what’s the purpose of living through this hell just to see it happen?
A death in this level makes the level go silent, everything stops moving. It doesn’t matter where you die, whether you jump and hit the walls before they crush you, or sit there as it inevitably crushes you to death on its own. It’s a trap where you’re the victim, with no possible way of winning.
high expectations is haunting. It is an experience which shows a creator breaking from all the expectations surrounding them, putting you in their place as the walls crush you to death as it is to them. It is a showcase of everything difficult PAHC was going through at this point in time, and should be treated as such.
I’m glad they’re still here with us. They are an amazing creator and I’m glad they were able to move past this as an individual. This level serves as a reminder of how overbearing life can get, and is a showcase that even when you’re falling into the darkest pits of your mind, there will always be a way out to the surface.
I would give no rating if I could, but since I'm forced I'll give it an 8 for the visuals.
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sorry about this gang