Rating Curve

i mean it's honestly not that far off from the likely triaxis influence but it's one that really makes up for it in its pacing and sheer focus, as t3mpl4te levels tend to do well in general. does a thing a lot of other levels have done, but does it better than any of them. it's also that there's not many levels that throw a 2 player dual at you at 90%

definitely one of the first levels anyone interested in the 1.9 era or gd history in general should see, if only for how many levels, even many actually good or iconic levels, do the crystal thing from the first part and the strobe thing from the drop. very much ground zero, even more than usual for the ground zero creator himself

the premier early 2.1 megacollab garbagefest. you may think i'll say it's a "so bad it's good" level, but that's honestly not entirely accurate to my thoughts about it. it's a level with a very strong aura to it (helped in large part by its excellent song of course) which often manifests in generic and/or ugly styles but that's not really the full picture. it's a weird level to say this about, but it's one that really has grown on me as time passed. i always thought it was kind of interesting though it's absolutely never been a technical or creative standout, but the parts that felt weak to me at first i've gotten more affection for, and its weirdest parts have always been a standout in their own way. and the truth is it's a lot more creative and well paced (probably by accident) than most of the forgettable glow slop mcs we got in years to follow, like very few of them have a part quite like creatordino. i'm not really good enough to say, i was surprised how fun a lot of it seemed when i went through in practice about a year ago as well, would probably beat it if i was good. definitely one of the most memorable megacollabs of the era

i think i have to reexamine them but this is probably my favorite echonox level, which is pretty weird given it's a "my first 2.1 level", quick experimental (in the literal sense) levels often among the weakest of even excellent creators. it's just one of those levels that's inexplicably euphoric, very fitting for early update hype, and its rushed/quick nature as well as its strong progression gives it a real focus that a lot of great pure effect levels are characteristic of. probably the best it could be given the circumstances

another one of those where my take goes pretty against the grain of what the level's known for. i don't really care about the pastebin anymore, i forget if i had good points or not, this level's special to me coz it's just a really well executed minimalistic drone ambiance thing. gd for fans of drone and experimental synth music. i've not actually seen eraserhead (only the bits of twin peaks season 3 people say remind them of it) but it's a pretty apt namedrop for the vibe too, so monolithic and alien and industrial. definitely some great potential for a 20, 30, 40, 90 minute version of this, with all the sync and effects and stuff

it can definitely show a bit of early update jank in some of the designs, but at a pure emotional level, besides probably new earth, is probably taman's strongest. not best level in general, for sure, but there really are almost no levels in the game with as strong of a buildup and payoff. that alone is its greatest strength, cuz like goddamn that first sunset part and some of these designs. has an atmosphere i can pretty confidently say no other gd level has, especially impressive for a borderline overused song at the time

i remember this being added in the very last batch of map packs that happened in 2.0 and i knew it by then (i believe, it's been many years.) first time i ever got that feeling of 'oh this is a great pick to be canonized like this', something that only happened a little more in the first wave of gauntlets coz those were rouuuugh, and happens a lot more now in the non-contest gauntlets. really is a perfect pick, a genuine minor challenge to someone just starting out (i know coz i was there once)

obviously tho a large part of it is how atmospheric it is for just being a design level. a pretty simple design level even! the way it uses air deco i don't think has aged the best but i don't really have any complaints other than that. even the subtle 2.0 additions updated into the last third only serve to amplify the feeling, which is pretty damn rare of a feat. i think i ultimately prefer the sequel Dark Sea cuz it cranks the atmosphere and creativity up even higher, but they definitely both hold a very special place in my heart

pretty much the quintessential 'early 2.0 level that's good because it's good'. at the very end of when major design levels had significant resemblance to robtop levels, you can definitely still see geo dom and deadlocked in here but there's a flurry of other ideas and much more ruthless gameplay, using move triggers as god intended for some frankly downright terrifying gameplay. really should be one of those extremely iconic benchmark levels imo, great introduction to what an insane demon can be. one of the first moments i truly grasped what the potential of 2.0 was