When was the last moment that sparked your interest for astronomy?

I doubt there's another level in recent memory — aside from "Experiment" and "HideOut" perhaps — that I've replayed so many times. A technical, visual, and artistic marvel, "Aperture" is a monumental masterpiece that truly surpasses and breaks through the boundaries for what should be possible within the confines of Geometry Dash. There has been a lot of pushback recently against levels which focus primarily on serving up a visual spectacle, and while "Aperture" rightfully seals its role as one of the most stunning and jaw-dropping levels that update 2.2 has bestowed upon the community, "Aperture" is a level that is able to masterfully blend both its spectacle and artistic merit to create what could only really be termed as an exceptionally dazzling and sensational achievement.

There's a wonderful narrative that is subtly told and sprinkled throughout "Aperture". All of the incredible effects and details within it don't just add up to make a beautiful albeit hollow canvas. It's a profound yet passionate level concerning a girl's own passion towards astronomy. Her fervent dedication to chase and capture the stars through the lens of her own tiny Polaroid drives her to pursue her passion, only for her to be faced with failure as she begins to slip behind academically. Even in spite of this, she doesn't surrender and instead returns back to the pivotal memory of a night that changed her life and perspective on the world forever. The reason why she chose to pursue her dream in the first place. "Aperture" is a beautifully escapist level, in my opinion. Escaping from the troubles and burdens of everyday life through one's interests is something I believe everyone out there can relate to, whether it be through astrophotography, video games, literature or music. "Aperture" is a level about finding a vessel in which you feel comfortable enough to abscond from the harsh reality surrounding you, whether that harsh reality mainfests as disappointing grades or any other entity not of interest.

For a level so diverse in its environments, going from scientific diagrams, to film reels, to bedrooms, and ultimately to the stars, "Aperture" manages to come together to form an amazingly cohesive whole. It's not a level in which flashy, fantastic visuals are just tacked onto one another for the sake of it (which I think a decent number of levels might be guilty of). Not only is everything within "Aperture" spectacular, but everything within it is incredibly suitable for both its theming and concepts. I was genuinely blown away when I first played through the film reel part for the first time. It's such an amazing and stupendous section, not only because it looks phenomenal, but also because it's so aptly appropriate for what "Aperture" attempts to capture (see what I did there?). The level's description is merely a date, almost as if the level is trying to capture a moment in the past, a memory you could say. What is one medium by which moments and memories can be preserved and maintained (theoretically) forever (theoretically)? That's right. Film. "Aperture" is a level about a woman remembering the moment that sparked her interest for the cosmos. What would be a more apt manner to convey this marriage of time and memory other than a flickering and aged film reel?

Gameplay-wise, I think "Aperture" is actually incredible. It does take a while to get used to its 3D gameplay, but "Aperture" executes the whole concept of '3D Geometry Dash' better than any level before it has. It's definitely hard to introduce 3D in the middle of a mostly 'traditional' level, especially for a game that wasn't specifically tailored or created to support it. However, I think "Aperture" excels at pulling it off, much more than it has any right to. The final wave is definitely daunting to play the first time you reach it (it's definitely trippy for a level to switch dimensions as smoothly as this level does). But once you learn how to master its 'gimmick' (I hate calling this a 'gimmick'), it is so satisfying to play it and finally be rewarded with watching your waves spiral frenetically further into the sky and beyond.

"Aperture" is a tour de force of a level, the kind of level which once it comes out, it elevates your expectations for every level following it until the next 'big level' to shake boundaries drops. It has the visual spectacle, a meaningful narrative melded into it (which is vague enough that I believe you can have more than one interpretation), perfect theming, interesting and innovative mechanics, a fantastic song (as well as song rep) and is also a mind-blowing showcase for how far the editor can really be pushed. I think the GD editor is an art medium of near-infinite potential, and even with the release of "Aperture", there's still so much more out there that can be explored. This is the kind of level we need more of, a perfect blend of both spectacle and substance.