"Deja Vu" is the prime example of a visually incredible level which is ruined by its gameplay. Each part having the same gameplay but a completely different style and ambience is an interesting concept, even if it's not very novel as it's already been accomplished before through creator contests (does anyone remember back when that one 'Mushroom Forest' layout used to be popular?). Each part is extremely striking and unique from one another, and it's intriguing to see the flair that each creator has integrated. I think the ominous atmosphere of CuLuC's part makes it stand out compared to how relatively serene and calm the other parts are, and I like the whole effect of reality being 'shattered' as the level draws to a close.

Unfortunately, the main problem here is that the base gameplay is mind-numbingly bland. On a visual level, it's exceptional, but it's highly apparent that not much thought was placed into the gameplay. This isn't a level that creatively pushes platformer mode to its limits, instead just using it as a canvas to display its art. This is fine in itself but it's a little disappointing to see a level sacrifice its own enjoyability in favor of aesthetic value. I'm not a massive fan of platformer levels where you're forced to 'wait' for objects to move either. It's a little unintuitive which is a shame because this would be an excellent level if the gameplay was improved. Some of the obstacles are also obscured thanks to blending in too well with the surroundings, which is an interesting complaint as this also applies to a lot of sunset levels from 1.9 and 2.0. I thought we would have learned to make a better distinction between obstacles and blocks, but I suppose some things never change.

I'm not going to address the 'slop' or 'corporate' allegations (with regard to its deco) in this review because I think reducing a level to 'soulless slop' is just reductive and unhelpful criticism. I firmly believe that hyper realistic levels such as these are NOT the greatest threats to the integrity of the GD rating system unlike the arthouse crowd that purports them to be. If anything, I think levels like "Milky Ways Redux" (120367620) getting Featured is much more concerning with regard to the state of the GD rating system. I think that most of the 'slop' accusations in the GD (artsy) community is misdirected, especially when unremarkable and unoriginal levels like "Milky Ways Redux" are much worse offenders when it comes to showing how awfully biased the rating system is.