In spite of its namesake and appearance in the Crystal Gauntlet, "Crystal Essence" hardly sticks to the 'crystal' theme, instead opting to pose as a glow level extremely typical of its era. I'll admit that it actually does look pretty nice, but it's ludicrously difficult to make a rainbow-colored level look anywhere close to terrible (unless you happen to be sweetdude or something). The gameplay of "Crystal Essence" is pretty 'meh' for the most part except for its rather infamous dual section where aligning the waves can sometimes be a bit inconsistent. I don't think it's abhorrent but it's noticeable enough that I understand why it would be annoying for many people (it would probably be more accepted if the level was bumped up to an 8 star rating). Its relatively 'grounded' style makes it quite forgettable in contrast to some of the other more striking levels encased within the Crystal Gauntlet, such as the sleek "Lustre", the highly-literal "Sanctuary of Light", and even an excessively glowy disaster like "Crystal Fusion". Nevertheless, it's just alright I suppose… Nothing to write home about except for the fact it appears in a gauntlet.