one of the most unique and interesting Space Gauntlet entries so far, and I am so happy to say that this is by far one of my personal favorites. this level's direction is far from what has been already presented, and it aims for a unique and lovely experience similar to other levels of the same quality. Out of Place stands alone in comparison to most entries.

I'd like to begin and mention the artistic choice this level aims for, with a vibe similarly set as "Planispheres", where the main focus of this level is how the player begins rising to space in a cloud section, where there are angels sitting on some clouds. I really like how the creator implemented some pulse-work in this cloud section, with bright pulses on the more noticeable drums and laid back dark pulses on the undertones of this level. the texturing of the angels and the overall background is very well-executed, mainly because of the theme's general execution in this part.

I would also love to point out how the level introduces the general "space" theme most levels aim for, in a unique and excellently way. a transition of a man "breaking the fourth wall" and tearing apart the cloud part, only to then transition into outer space. the spinning foreground & background elements of this level are incredible, with an amazing attention to detail that makes you play the level more. the color scheme in this part is incredibly well executed as well, and it also has some blue tinting that functions as an overlay, which I feel it's executed neatly throughout the following parts. not only that, but towards the drop section of this level, the energy that this level emanates in comparison to the song's energy is lovely throughout, with a more lenient yet livid color scheme that represents the part's general energy throughout. I love the song representation in this, as the lyrics themselves add up to the energy to it. that, and the scaling & rotating art assets in this level, it's all lovely!

as the level progresses forward into the prelude section of the level, it fondly reminds me of Hollow Knight's art style, with the way the colors are laid out and the outline thicknesses and style. there's a lot of neat design choices & details throughout this. however, the pulsing / fading doors in the background make this part feel Out of Place (lol) with the part's general design. it does make up to it with a neat transition to the next section, but I personally feel there should be a better background choice to this part, as I personally feel it doesn't fit.

following the above, the planet section in this level is the one that sold me out the most, with very intriguing planets that do feel extremely worked upon & polished, the texturing in these planets is greatly executed, and the overall ambience of this section feels so fitting with everything that was previously mentioned. the colors in this part however tend to feel a bit muddy because of the constant hue changes past the red orb, before then it was really appealing for me, but I can see how the creator meant to use those hue changes following the red orb. just wish it was a bit neatly implemented throughout.

briefly, people might suggest, as it's popular knowledge, that levels focusing mostly on visuals perform poorly in regards of gameplay. but I personally believe that the difficulty the creator aimed for this level is neatly executed, and it's really fun throughout! it's not as easy as other entries are, where they solely focus on the visuals in this, but it's not as hard as other entries tend to be. while I understand that the visual & gameplay balance is mostly outweighed by visuals alone, I really find this level very great to play!

with everything wrapped up, this level is by far one of my favorite entries in this level by a long shot. the artistic theming this level goes for fondly reminisces levels like "commatose", "Planispheres" & "space I guess" with incredible pulse-work, attention to detail and superb song representation that really left me completely speechless. I'd love to suggest this is by far one of the greatest levels released in 2025 so far. least I have to say is that I am looking forward for this level to receive a mythic rating & placed in the top 5 entries of the Space Gauntlet!