Rating Curve

not one level in the game that works with its song better than this one. the gameplay elements being completely invisible is such an ambitious choice but i really can't imagine the level being any different; the bare icon above the backdrop of animations and visual cues that tie into the gameplay is incredibly striking. all the parts despite being themed completely differently with individual gameplay gimmicks come together as a whole super well, as well as individually being a treat to play. the way the last part in particular plays out, deconstructing before reverting back to simple shapes, is gorgeous and a really fitting ending to the sort of melancholy i interpret the level as trying to convey, which comes through pretty clearly, even if hard to identify with words, despite it being really cute on the surface. that cute factor shouldn't be ignored though!! there's a lot to take in from how those two emotions play with each other here, it's a rewardingly complex experience. beautiful level, beautiful ending. one of my all time favorites

obvious classic that’s just as good as people say it is. the best uses of repetition you’ll find in the game are nearly all in this level, it’s super captivating visually (even the first half), and it is so damn singular it’s basically become synonymous with the song in my mind because nothing has ever used it as uniquely. i can’t imagine where the game would be without it. crazy stuff

the collective memory of neodesign as a movement and a genre seems to start right around when this level gained attention, but i still prefer the early, less concrete days of neodesign, when the emphasis was still on conveying atmosphere and mood using simple compositions and it didn’t feed into itself stylistically to such an extreme extent as it started to just a few months later. this has a raw power to it that i can only call cinematic; it’s really just a few minutes of fairly repetitive design but each piece of the level feels so thoughtfully put together and the way it’s structured creates such a hypnotic, almost spiritual journey. the always-upward movement contributes to this, as do the color changes and slight shifts in design (ie stars becoming a bigger focus in the latter half) that align with the progression of the level. remains my favorite cometface

classic. holds up shockingly well today. the wave part is iconic for good reason

i mean it’s just really funny. admittedly dated but unlike a level like removed submission which gets most of its humor from the song this is a legitimately funny parody as a Level, even removed from the song (although the song does add to it!), because of the level it’s built on. the individual jokes are hit or miss — though the red e and the “bossfight” with dozens of saws are pretty good — which makes the humor almost entirely a result of the way the level is built (the superbuffs are sort of ridiculous at times) and really the fact that it exists in the first place. much better as a whole, as a lot of great art is

side note it’s also funny that high life is really really good on its own but i’ve come to like low death more just because of how absurd it is that it was even made. Lots of untapped potential with comedy in gd!!!!

surreal!!!!! completely singular!!!!! literally era defining !!!!!!! the drama surrounding this level and the one send it got was like a sharp turn for the game in my eyes. the very first acknowledgment of stuff like this from the folks in charge of deciding what levels get attention and it was extremely negative?! of course that would have an effect. not saying this alone is what “killed” the avant garde movement but not long after that spike in attention (albeit mostly negative) gd got updated and it seems like the more experimental creating styles that the level was born from started to disappear. it was likely a mixture of a lot of different factors that did it; new (younger) players, further divided opinions, weak confidence in sending/platforming weird levels, 2.2 more or less resetting the creating scene. it’s a shame but it’s still beautiful that we have this level as a reminder of when stuff like this actually happened

a lot to say about this one. even though i had been anticipating it for a while this blew me away the first time i saw it in full, completely froze me in front of my screen. there are interesting thoughts on the level’s narrative in the youtube comments and i really like the one that suggests the level follows someone dealing with the loss of a lover. more than anything the gameplay lends to this theory, seen in the fake dual sections and the similarities between the first and second wave sections, which is really special because so many narrative levels convey their stories purely through their decoration or with art added into the level. the visuals hold up too though; the second section of the level where everything gets pulled away (including the other icon) and you’re left with what looks like an old remake of a main level (minus the gameplay of course, which is very unique and assists the storytelling pretty powerfully in this section specifically) is genuinely a shock in the best way possible. watching the drops fall down during the next part especially when they turn red on the blue background is exhilarating, the same kind of feeling you’d get watching something unfold in a movie.

there’s such a real ability to communicate emotion that the title sorta does this level a disservice lol. it’s more than sadness being conveyed here; i get such a sharp feeling of loss (and in the first ~2 minutes specifically, dread) watching this that i’ve never found anywhere else in this game. masterclass in storytelling, really feel like this one transcends geometry dash in a way

This is real geometry dash Bitch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love this level to death. one of the best things that has ever happened to the game. beautiful progression (!!!!), extremely creative designs, i still believe this is something that should’ve started a movement but has unfortunately gone completely unnoticed minus a few sends. it had just as strong of an effect on me personally though, and i know there are other people that owe a lot to it too. this thing almost singlehandedly reshaped the way i create when it came out and still worms its way back into my mind every time i open the editor. nothing will ever come close, best level of all time <3