This is actually a fairly recent completion of mine and I felt strongly inclined to jump on and review this one, because this was honestly so close to perfection. I love the atmosphere, style, song representation, general concept, etc, but there is one major issue that really held this back for me. The absolute worst thing you can do in a horror level... well, aside from using skull.ogg, is putting text in it. This could have honestly been a perfect level if it just had 0 textboxes, because they really kill the liminal immersion that I think this was ultimately going for. Compare it to something like between us by katas, a level that makes perfect use of eerie, hollow music to carry the level on its own and give the player a deep feeling of sorrow. This level differs in that it pretty much tells you how to feel. It tells you you aren't supposed to feel like a child anymore. It tells you that things will never feel the same as they once did. Not only is it presumptuous, it forces emotion that should feel primal in a well-executed atmosphere, and in the process, weakens it.

That really is the only flaw in this level, because otherwise, this contends for one of the most gorgeous levels I've ever seen. I think the old Pixar style is done to absolute perfection, and the song truly drives that theme. It isn't disturbing per se, but it does maintain that hollowness I mentioned in regards to between us. There is still a sense of unease that complements the level perfectly, and I think would be even better if not for the aforementioned issue about the text. I would also be remiss not to mention the legitimate "horror" elements because they're definitely important here. One could call them cliché or forced, but I don't think that's the case here. The noose in the Up section of the level may be a bit of a generic choice, but given that this is a two route level, I think it works because you are actively sucking the life out of the level by hitting the switch for route 2. Therefore, a greater emphasis on death makes sense to me. A lot of this review probably sounds pretty backhanded, but the truth is that I honestly love this level. I just think some minor fixes could have made this a very special experience. Unfortunate that this isn't in the discord gauntlet (one of the most boring gauntlets imo so it would have been much appreciated), buuuuut, it is a little spooky, so I can't complain that this was kept away from the kiddies.