Experience aside, this level is genuinely like no other, and I mean that in the best way. The gameplay is as it looks, very rough. It has a very first third heavy balancing, in which your thrust into an extremely difficult high cps section that serves as the first roadblock as keeping stamina for that long is brutal. You’re given a “break” with the cube, only for your hands though as this part is very easy to die to and is probably the hardest individual part in the level. The drop is very challenging as well, but can be done very consistently (people have beaten this with less than 5 drop attempts). The cube/wave part is genuinely so cool and serves as an amazing transition into the final ship, the finale of your journey. Visually stunning and serves as the end of your journey with the level, but not with your journey of life (hold onto me for a second here) which is where I think the true value of this level lies.

Ashes doesn't just serve as one of the most unique playing experiences you can get with an extreme, but it conveys to you a message. Heidax intended this to convey depression and battles of moving on from it, in the form of a geometry dash level, which is so incredibly brave and powerful. They struggled first hand with that, the level symbolizing how one’s battle might look through that. The very rough and jaded beginning showing the brunt force of someones real issues, everything is overwhelming and dangerous and it feels like so much to handle. As you push through, little by little, you can make it to the “end” symbolized by the calm of this ship. I like what it does here, especially with the poem, as it stands as a sort of peace you get from reflecting on and understanding of your past trauma’s and hardships, and how you learn to accept whats happened to you and still make something of yourself. This is shown especially for me, with the final four lines, stating “the final ambient-ish part is when I finally come to peace with it all

I haven't gotten there yet

but I think I will one day

I want to get over the ashes of my past as well.” I highly recommend you read the whole poem, so powerful.

This level serves as to me as what the true potential for what geometry dash as an artform can be, a tool to share your message with the world. This level, admittedly, isn’t the best, but it does what few levels can attempt to do and fewer succeed in doing. Heidax is genuinely such an amazing person and did a fantastic job with this level. Check it out for yourselves people!