The first part alone of Altitudinem gamva makes me wonder how far we as a community would have come if we were stuck with 2.0 for 8 years instead of 2.1. Nearly every effect used in this level is highly technically impressive in some manner. The perspective shift in the first part and the wavy background at the beginning of the drop are my favourites because at first glance they just genuinely seem impossible to recreate in the 2.0 editor, showing just how skilled Serponge was even as far back as mid 2.0. Even aside from that, the perspective shift makes it feel like the player is climbing a huge spiral staircase, which is both a cool visual and a concept I haven't really seen executed at a high level since except for Still Life by Empika. The wavy lines give a lot more punch to the bass notes of the song and make for a great supplement to it, as well as filling some of the negative space left by the rather sporadic structures. The level's focus on effects does leave most of its other elements lacking, though, and it ends up feeling more like a tech demo or sandbox for Serponge to experiment with effects rather than anything more cohesive or directed. I quite like this sort of level as they bring about a strong feeling of nostalgia in me, but I do really wish more care was put into either the gameplay or the miscellaneous designs and air decoration to make most of the parts feel complete rather than a vessel to show off whatever effect Serponge made. Regardless of this, Altitudinem gamva is still a fantastic early level from Serponge, and it's awesome seeing how far he has come from this already high point.
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sorry about this gang