Very neat.

Cyber Planet - I remember you showed this to me and I really love it, although maybe not as much as you do. I just can't really get over the way the shake trigger is used in that level, but otherwise it's fantastic. Love how its gameplay feels almost like a puzzle, and the way that this level treats each part like a grand setpiece reminds me a lot of TMN's work.

Sculptures - Obviously fantastic, I wasn't around in the GD community when it came out so I don't really have the sort of memory that I might've had if I was there. Still great nonetheless. Flash's artstyle and the beige is iconic at this point.

Подпалящимсолнцем (2) - Is this the same creator behind from her eyes flow? Anyways, I watched a video and it seems really good. It's quite the fever dream level to say the least. I really like the usage of "broken" decoration specifically in how glow just cuts off randomly, it reminds me a lot of broken by geoplay where the jank makes things even more mystifying. The effects are also absolutely insane; I usually don't like large breaks in gameplay but I feel that these work very well due to how alluring they are. Definitely understand the hype.

Here's my three:

1. Death Moon

2. vast waters

3. Horntail Cave

Being honest most of my 10s are interchangeable for slots 2-3, but I feel these two currently resonate with me the most.

death moon: at this point i can say that there’s nothing i don’t like about this level. it has everything, very fun gameplay, a great buildup for that amazing last quarter, a decoration that doesn’t feel real for 1.9, a song that only makes the level more memorable, and an unmatched vibe that i’m pretty sure no other level has ever come close to. death moon has been praised enough i’m just stating what many people in the community already know: this level is absolutely fantastic in every aspect

vast waters: i haven’t played this level yet, so i won’t judge the gameplay. vast waters really looks like a dream, it might be a little empty sometimes but honestly i can forget about it because of how good the atmosphere is. my favorite part might be everything from the wave to the dual, for me it’s the climax of the level and it shows off a pretty satisfying effect. good level in general, looking into this for my next extreme demon grind

horntail cave: ehhh i’ve never been a huge fan of this level. the decoration is nice, the art is solid, and i’m a fan of the buildup to the dual. i don’t know if i like the two-player section that much though, the only thing that makes this part more intense is the gimmick and the song, which is average for my taste. it’s not that memorable on itself, it’s just “oh wow this level has a 2 player part” yeah i know but it’s just your average 2 player gameplay. honestly the gameplay in general is just average, the only standout for me is that blue ship part which i find pretty neat. i get the hype for this level, but i wouldn’t replay it personally

my top 3:

DsinK by stanstanmansan

WANNACRY by Kira9999

Hollow by QuazeryIceCube

Dsink: An usual pick but a level I deeply respect nonetheless, even with some parts are noticeably better than others (chrons part clears) everything provably aims towards a clear and coherent vision. All of the creators involved in this project are also well known to be some of the more fascinating gameplay creators out there, the little gimmicks and loose structuring here are as always an eye candy to watch. I will also point out how refreshing the overall theming and color palette are, both in the literal and metaphorical sense, it’s rare to see modern day levels create this strong of an immersive setting without sacrificing its frenzy ideas for it. Pretty good choice overall

Wannacry: Pretty overhyped, kira has been (affirmatively) on my radar for a very long while but too much about this level feels ostentatious for me to fully appreciate their strangely creative mind here. The first part feels completely unfitting as well as the drop coming off as somewhat of an underwhelming climax, for the amount of genuine really cool art and energy that is presented here it’s a shame so little of it hit the mark for me. On the other hand, the second part is amazing, I would’ve loved if more was done with its hypnotising world building because this feeling of liminality is easily one of the level’s greatest strengths

Hollow: not my favourite quazery level, but I like it. It makes sense for lapse music and quazerys way of playing with their tiles to go hand in hand, the results are very soothing. The progression is done great, the level is mostly in suspense until the last part goes wild. The initial black nothingness opens up into a beautiful waving star and the colours spiral out of control, the gameplay makes even less sense than it did before, it feels like a real party reveals itself. My critiques are a bit too specific to establish in a quick forum post, but I definitely see the appeal here

My top 3:

Forever bound by bobratchet

Lonely travel by funnygame

Falling up by krmal

Forever bound: first time seeing this level! even though i joined early 2.1 ive had this liking to 2.0 levels that just feel raw as fuck and this level practically showcases a lot of that, to add to this it also has like genuinely great ideas for the version it was built in, from the amazing usage of 3d to the way it just doesn't care about the theming it has and just throws a bunch of cool ideas like this is genuinely what i can expect from a classic 2.0 level this is amazing lmao.

Lonely Travel: this level, for being the birth of travel levels, was amazing, funnygame just uses monochromatic colors for most of the level but the way he did it was amazing, not one of my favorite levels ever but its probably my favorite travel level, it has this sense of progression no other travel level feels to have and it actually feels like an adventure where you go through all of these locations. and when the colors come back it feels so impactful, even though it ends like it did due to limitations it feels like a very fitting end to this level. amazing level its definitely one of my favorites from 2.0.

Falling Up: i interpret this as a story about death and someone "falling up", aand this is pretty much my top 2 in krmal's levels for the rain section alone. krmal used gameplay, pulses, and color to represent the music and emotion incredibly well in this level, when i think of time leaper i think of this, and that final dual pretty much nailed this for me as one of my favorite 2.0 levels overall.

my top 3
well rested by cometface
redeemer by surveyor23
commatose by rply

the person above me:

Well Rested: 10/10 !!
Commatose: i think i gave it a 6/10 idk}
Redeemer: no clue what that is


My top 3:

Wasureta by Helpegasus
JRJRJR by Maxxormen and Immaxx1
Well Rested by Cometface

Wasureta: This level remains in my mind through pure cultural osmosis. If it hadn't been such a vicious object of discourse in the GD community, it would be just another forgettable monochromatic extreme demon for me. As it stands, it's fine.

JRJRJR: This was actually my first time looking at the level, because to be fully honest, I simply can't bring myself to care about the "popular-song-NONG-insane-demon" genre of levels that have been blowing up in 2.2 (Commatose, Pro Lov Ad, Common Loon, JRJRJR, etc). I think I would probably enjoy the level a bit more if I liked Jane Remover's music, which I don't. Without that aspect, it's just flashy shader usage without a lot of substance.

Well Rested: This has been talked about a bit, but Well Rested really feels like surgical perfection, which is not necessarily a good thing. It marked the absolute zenith of neodesign as a style of level, and almost made the entire genre a bit gauche for me as a result, because anyone emulating the style afterwards would simply fall short compared to Well Rested. It's a really good level that came with some unfortunate consequences.

My "top 3" (adjusted to ensure a bit of diversity):

Tetrix by Insendium

Hyper Fantasy by Gboy

The Place by Insidee (the 4 star, not the demon)

tetrix: 1.9 classic. vanguard of the xl progression-based 'genre', where all of the details meticulously sync to all the layers of the tetris remix, setting an insanely good precedent for how progression based levels should look, especially in the more subdued sections that allow the level to ebb and flow with the song (not forgetting the style of the first part repeating itself a few times, super iconic). even restricting itself to two main palettes, its never too much to look at and always something to be impressed by, even on the micro scale. i hesitate to call it 'ahead of its time' or similar because i think it played a pretty big role in forming the 'time' that we have today around longer levels, or at least the purposeful ones. i really appreciate this one and its important to have it experienced in its entirety

hyper fantasy: i dont have a lot to say about hyper fantasy nor do i have strong feelings towards it but the song sure says a lot by itself. given that gboy did a great job representing the song with a mix of his own epileptic decoration, a coked up remix of the can can says a lot about this levels kinetics and also the insanely pulse heavy style somewhat reminiscent of the aesthetics of mlg videos and similar, and this is i think pretty funny and makes for a good play. its very fun (in the sense that the experience of it is very unadulterated), which makes the next thing im going to say even more terrible: i think im partial to MLChristmas for amping up the fun value and being earlier to the neon party. sorry.

the place: your review put it pretty well. this was the level to really put inside on my radar when it released and ive never felt more mystified going through a coin route myself - a low barrier to entry, but something that unfolds on you as you discover just how intricately everything in the level is put together, as much as the level might want you to think otherwise. unrivalled atmosphere & does an amazing job at being the meat and potatoes of the top nomsympony path, where it seemingly branches again through an alternate path (maybe it doesnt matter tho since you die(?) at the end of the main one), and this is tangential to the level itself but it does such a good job at being a piece of a world thats so much larger than it. dont want to call anything insides best if all of its levels are fantastic but this is def a contender

given that its more interesting to have levels i want to hear more about than my favourites (although these are definitely some of my favourite levels!), here are my 3, hope theyre not too difficult:

b spr9s0 by fungifity, altergame xvii by serponge, no love by sprei (on rinjello's account)

b spr9s0 by fungifity - Ooh I like this one. Fungifity coming back after years and showing everyone they've still got it. The way fungifity renders everything, the spiky and sleek shapes and forms, just the way Fungifity pulls off so many different types of structuring and composition techniques. Everything is oozing with movements and animation as well, this feels so alive as a level. Small detail I really like is the way he uses the Hotline Miami song's sfx for the projectiles in the "boss" section, very nice. The gameplay is probably the only thing I can give fault here, not that its bad, but its just serviceable. The first "boss" section would feel much better with randomization if that were a thing in 2.1 although Fungifity could have probably done some follow player type thing like what Skeletal Shenanigans does with some of its attacks. Overall very very solid level

Altergame XVII by Serponge - Not exactly my favorite minigame from Serponge, personally I would choose ones like Mastergame, Altergame VII, Altergame VIII, etc. But this ones nice. At first I thought it was a sounddodger clone but from what I can tell its doing its own thing. Idk I'm generally not a big fan of dodger minigames, and this one is a bit too hard for my liking. They require that GD-esque patience in staying untouched throughout the entire duration, but unlike GD gameplay, Altergame XVII doesn't feel engaging enough to me, mostly the same repetitive dodges and dashes. But I can def say this was designed well. Just not my thing is all.

No Love by Sprei (on Rinjello's account) - Hmmm not too sure about this one. I think if you're going to try to make a Death Grip's level, you have to do it really well. For this one, I really like the approach to the gameplay, how its ruthless and unbounded. No spikes but lots of misleading hitboxes. I also think their forms are a nice callback to the censored No Love: Deep Web cover. As for the visual forms, I think this falls flat sorry. I do like the idea of conveying No Love with minimalist forms, that part I have no problem with. But it needs even more aggression, even more chaos. Cuz that's what No Love feels to me, something stripped down to its most primal, chaotic, animalistic. And this level just does not do that justice in visual form. It gets there with its gameplay though admittedly

Alright I'm gonna go with what wilbie did here and show levels that aren't exactly my top 3 but are still among my favorites, just not as discussed:
Between Worlds by xLoco (Is my favorite level)
Space I Guess by HipVillain
Alphabet M by Funnygame

Between Worlds: Easily Loco's best work, and a masterclass in art and atmosphere. Each of the locations displayed are incredible to look at, and are quite unique for gd. I was quite suprised upon rewatch on how much subtle detail there truly was, such as the decayed version of the fourth part visible from within the gloom, or the physics on the windchimes in the third section. Loco's expertise in sound design helps immerse the player in their world far better than stock sound effects ever could, especially the final parts. While i think the ending is a bit underwhelming, and the gameplay quite simple, "Between Worlds" remains an amzing expirience.

Space I Guess: I'm not too big on this one sadly. While I think the script is a neat touch, one that sets it apart from SGC entries, I belive that it is a somewhat flawed concept. It either distracts the viewer from the clean visuals, or is ignored if the player focuses on the visuals or gameplay. I am also of the opinion that the name is a poor representation of the level, which usually isn't a problem. However, the script takes itself completlybseriously, which conflicts with the joking nature of the title. The deco itself is quite good, but isn't something that personally captivated me. Definitely see why this was a fan-favourite entry for its creativity, but isn't for me sadly.

Alphabet M: FunnyGame was definitely one of the only creating innovators pre-1.9, which shows in "Alphabet M" when compared to the average 1.6 level. Today, I don't see much special about it, although I wasn't around when it released. I like the complex structuring pulled off here, namely the giant "M" at the start of the level, the 32% ship part, and everything after 59%. The gameplay looks like it held up quite well for the time as well, although the 2.0 coins definitely feel out of place. Definitely an odd choice given the other levels, but I definitely can see the appeal.

Heres some of my favourites (not my actual top 3):

Sky Tower by Rafer

The Cellar Path by JamAttack

devin2003 by 2003devin

Sky Tower: Classic Rafer design with (imo) SHK's best song. Love the color progression from the cool blue of the seas to a burning orange of the skies. Not much else to say here; aged incredibly well. Rafer levels as a whole basically don't age but this one in particular feels especially timeless. Probably Rafer's best.

The Cellar Path: honestly I really don't get the hype on this one. I know JamAttack spent like a billion hours making this but at the end of the day when it comes to the final product it's...fine, I guess? I mean, it's a "good" level, obviously, well-decorated and extremely polished, but it's also an incredibly safe level as well. There's nothing in it that hasn't been done, and been done better, by other levels. There's so many "good" levels coming out these days that this one just doesn't stand out in any way from the thousands of other epic-rated "good" levels out there. Extremely forgettable and paint-by-numbers imo.

devin2003: I am gonna get mauled by hyperbolus for this take but I do not like devin's works LMFAO. That being said, devin2003 is probably my favorite of the bunch, even if it has quite a few segments that I'm not particularly fond of. The metatextual callbacks to previous devin works is more interesting than actually worthwhile, I get that this is supposed to be like a supercut of devin's creating career and personality but it barely does anything with it besides spot-the-reference "oh, here's red room." regardless, some parts are still very neat, and I do think devin is a great artist, but art is about restraint just as much as it is about impulse and devin's works have always leaned way too much towards one side of that balancing act.

My top 3:

1.) polymer 2 letting go by fifsqueak

2.) The National Anthem by gecko0

3.) INSOMNIA by DiMaViKuLov26