Entering 2021, vrymer gained traction for his repertoire of very creative ideas that were fleshed out into one delightful experience, or, in the case of Eternelle Vehemence, a collision of different ideas within a 5-minute runtime that, while not necessarily the most polished or cohesive, was a spectacle of ingenuity that never once felt boring. After a brief absence from the creating scene, vrymer returns with sha, which, in my opinion, not only outdoes the likes of Eternelle Vehemence, but serves as one of the most uniquely designed levels that serve both as a testament to Vrymer's proficiency in the editor and to the community's limitless potential for creativity through abstract designs.

When playing sha, you're immediately met with a spectacle of bright, unorthodox color schemes which, in theory, shouldn't necessarily work with each other and should clash like hell, but manages to work wonders here. The colour combos are so bizaare yet so pleasant and riveting, which is crazy to think about even 3 years later. The structures are also very uniquely designed, and the parts change frequently, which gives players barely enough time to process the information altogether for a given part. The craziness of the level is further honed by the robot part, which has some of the coolest effects I have ever seen emulated on a block design with how it bends in different directions with the background following suit, easily making it one of the most memorable part of the entire level. The trend of trippy visuals and bizaare yet simultaneously polished and clean structures continue toward the end. The culmination of strangeness is topped with a bossfight against a creature named Mr. Baboo, which I can't even begin to describe how I feel about the whole sequence. The bossfight feels like it should be dragged out and boring because of how lengthy it is and how simple the bossfight is, but with the text that shows up on screen and the walking animation of the bossfight, I couldn't help but continue to be enthralled. It's just so damn good, and the bossfight serves as a cherry on top to what a strange yet amazing experience us players went through.

The gameplay is something I especially want to touch up on here, because if we were to look closely at the gameplay, there actually isn't much going on with it. It's fundamentally simple, and, dare I say, pretty linear and uninteresting. Yet, not one experience of the gameplay felt inherently boring in any way. This is thanks to the visuals being such a strong component of the level's experience, such that it triumphs over the linearity of the gameplay. What's even better is that despite the trippy visuals and unorthodox structuring, the gameplay is almost perfectly sightreadable, and I have little to no complaints on how hazards are telegraphed. I should also mention that sha tends to use slower speeds for much of its gameplay. Many levels that use slower speeds tend to use such speed portals to signify less intense or stimulating parts and leave faster speed portals for more energetic and intense moments. sha, on the other hand, is quite stimulating in just about every part, and manages to be consistent with it with the exception of the robot part and the bossfight being the staple moments of the level.

If a player were to describe sha as a "sensory overload" of an experience, I would believe them. This level has so much going on with its saturated colour combinations and crazy shapes that, it's no surprise that a few people may jest about how this level is pretty much the equivalent to taking LSD. There's definitely been "LSD-type" levels before, but none as cohesive and as pleasant as sha in my opinion. vrymer truly is a talented creator who knows just how to execute his ingenious ideas with great zeal, with sha being a level that rightfully earned its place in the Strange Gauntlet and being a level we'll remember for years to come.

• Review from Viprin + Paste