On nostalgia

I think it's safe to say that people have a complicated relationship with the past; we look back on memories fondly but revolt at media that exploits the feeling.

Next Yesterday is a level rooted entirely in nostalgia not for a better era of creating, but for a uniquely beautiful one. The level is mostly a montage of original parts made in the image of other creators, and while some of these parts have changed over the years through several major updates to the level, the love for these creators has not dissipated in the slightest.

Really, all of the emotion in this level comes from nostalgia, which a critical eye might be wary of. What makes it work for me is the execution; ilrell is an outstanding creator, technically speaking likely one of the best out there, and has such depth of knowledge in the field that every idea lands. It's not perfect, but for the concept I don't know if it could have been done much better (though I'm not a fan of a lot of the superslowed parts that were always a nuisance in 2.0). The wash of green over the whole level accentuates the nostalgic qualities for me--it reminds you that this isn't really a 2.0 megacollab, it's an idealized memory of one. When have you ever actually seen a cohesive 2.0 collab haha

I think nostalgia is too often decried as an artistic tool. Evoking the ethereal nature of a memory is no easy task, at least effectively. ilrell would go on to make more levels like this, but none of them ever quite matched the magic of the original to me.