In 2013, RobTop must have considered the black background a gameplay element on par with jump pads, orbs and gravity portals, because like all the aforementioned elements, it had a formal introduction in the form of Base After Base. Or maybe it was just a repurposed Ultiate Destruction. Regardless of RobTop's actual intentions, the black background does create quite an odd environment worthy of its own level: the square-tiled background of previous levels and the odd abstract-mechanical designs of the blocks fade away into a world of pure white on black. A black background is Geometry Dash at its most abstract, and Escalater takes full advantage of this fact. This level of metaphoricity is rarely seen nowadays.