Rating Curve

I respect the vision of this level a lot. I think that the parts that succeed outnumber those that don't, and when those parts succeed with flying colors. The ending in particular is one of the best in the game's history, it's iconic for a reason. That said, it's brought down by some of the lesser parts, and even when the parts are individually good the level overstays its welcome a bit in my opinion.

This level is about as good of an execution as I could hope for on a concept that I find inherently flawed. In general I do not think open world GD levels can work, because what I look for in GD levels is a tailored and specific experience. Maybe if the level were easier it could work, but I don't think it does here. That being the case, this level has so much about it to love. The designs in every part are amazing, and the level is absolutely teaming with small details (like the fact that touching the arrows in the ship part makes them spin around). This level is clearly a labor of love, but I just can't bring myself to love it as much as most seem to when I find the concept to be so inherently frustrating.