Rating Curve

Niflheim has certainly aged noticeably, like most other levels made in 2.0. However, I can’t help but feel that this monolith has an atmosphere that remains so thick one could choke on it and then some, after all these years.

Niflheim feels extremely slick, yet almost laboriously so. It rapidly throws sharp movements, disorienting “portals” and nearly random speed changes in the player’s way to ensure that one misstep or a single moment of forgetting what to do next kills you immediately. Nonetheless, the battle against Niflheim is one of attrition, as its steam slowly but surely depletes, as seen in its general decrease in speed and the breaks strewn throughout; almost as if the level itself is trying to catch its own breath and struggling to keep up with itself.

Although the drop is the highlight in Niflheim, that’s not to say the other parts are underwhelming. Niflheim remains charming and subtly beautiful in a way, gradually transitioning from feeling delicate and vulnerable in the beginning, to gradually and thoroughly building up towards the climax, and then releasing all that pent up energy in a dazzling dance of magic and metal.

If I were to describe the aesthetic in Niflheim through a single Google Search, it would be: “2010 Fantasy Weapons”. With just the right amount of cheese and the genuinely unfiltered angst it exudes, Niflheim remains a revered classic within the GD community, and for very, very good reason.

Inside is nearly completely stripped down to Geometry Dash's basic decoration, only really a half-mile run away from being comparable to a coloured layout. Yet Inside never feels barebones or lackluster, as it really does eliminate any shred of banality it could possibly have while only using the most fundemental decoration the game has to offer. Feels like I'm watching a gym instructional video produced in 1997 without the static from the CRT, as this level is also extremely clean, while not overly so to the point that it looks watered down. Inside really shows that what truly matters for a level to be good is intent; i.e. what's on the Inside~~ on the Insiiiiii--iii-i-iiiiiiiide

When it comes to Viprin megacollabs, Kyrie Eleison is definitely the major dark horse of the list, especially when compared against its spiritual predecessor Ouroboros. While Ouroboros is by far the more popular level, I feel that despite it being themed around hell, Kyrie Eleison is far more intense, far more daring, and cuts straight to the point. The aesthetic payoff deriving from these decisions is unbelievable; you can feel every last bit of this level's tenacity, with the added bonus of a kick-ass metal guitar as the soundtrack. Thanks, Jesus!

This level is obviously not the most polished, with certain transitions being wonky, incorrect and strange hitboxes being present and the pacing being slightly mismatched, especially in the beginning. However, the minor whiplash you get from all of these is well worth the trade, with genuinely stunning, ahead-of-the-curve designs and the high-octane, frenzied gameplay accompanied by the imagery of heaven slightly falling apart albeit ever resisting the chaos that has intruded heaven being one that is difficult to forget.

I don't think any Viprin collab, past or future, will ever come close to this level of splendour again. Also, I vehemently disagree with Viprin's opinion. Kyrie Eleison is a way cooler name than Abbadon.

The best gameplay ever conceived in a GD level

10.0

Being an amalgamation of Woogi's design style and Xaro's messy intensity, this plays and looks completely absurd, yet somehow quite fun albeit very unbalanced. It utilises using orbs to weave in between blocks a lot which is pretty unheard of with today's levels. Alongside this, Pentakill also has many other gameplay tricks up its sleeve that almost feel like gimmicks due to how alien they may feel

The structuring in this level is almost as wacky as the gameplay but still recognisable as WOOGI's iconic structuring... somewhat. Some of the later parts in this are very out there visually, to put it lightly. I can't reallt find a good descriptor for this level other than calling it really raw so I'm just gonna end this by saying that although this is definitely not a level for everyone, the experimentation showcased throughout this level's runtime and the final product -- a kitsch, rudimentary clusterfuck -- are very commendable.

Less visceral and more measured in delivery than KINGSLAYER; feeling more cinematic and epic feeling rather than pure madness, though sacrificies the effect of its red part as a result so it balances out

One of the first levels to truly wow me in this game. Flips the concept of a travel level on its head: an action-packed, high-octane rollercoaster of a level while keeping the runtime.

A beautiful level that tells a story purely through simplistic symbolism in its decoration without relying on a major sense of progression. Lovers' Sadness feels almost historically archaic, having roughly similar vibes to Nilotic landscape drawings with the endscreen further cementing that connection.

10.0