Rating Curve

beautifully orchestrated. the icon's interactions with the environment are really fascinating and i adore the progression and how it interprets the song, seeing the first distorted cathedrals in particular early in the level is just such a Wow moment. unfortunately the ending is a bit shallow and could (& should) have done more with the deconstructed segments of the previous parts instead of just Laying them there, but the flashes and slowly developed colored overlay do a very good job of bringing it together a bit better thankfully. Great piece but doesn't quite hold up against cometface's best

corny text aside (Sinful!!!!!!!!!!!) this is one of the most visually unique levels i've ever seen. really Attacks you with the effects but it is absolutely justified because holy shit they are gorgeous, each flash makes me feel more and more like i am watching the level consume itself. it works stunningly well with the song too, really digs into its core rather than trying to represent every individual sound in the song which is far more than i can say for most gd levels. also lovely color work

will point out the VERY VISIBLE jump indicators ruin it for me. The toggle to turn them off was my idea !

most of mezbo's recent levels are fairly similar, all set to the same mood, using similar objects and featuring this sort of organic style of structuring that i find really compelling no matter how many times it's repeated. this one stands out for some reason though. it's got another layer behind what i'm used to, depth that i feel their other work is just barely missing; all the little flourishes and details in the decoration, things that i feel either fall short or are just absent in mezbo's other work, pull this level together and really make the tone work beautifully here. surprisingly it's even more simple visually than some of their other levels, as there's very little variation in design or color, yet it's still their most complete work. really nailed the "mood piece" thing with this, i rarely see levels that do it this well

very few levels in the game place their worth entirely in their ideas. this doesn't either to be fair, it certainly exerts some effort to Look Good while conveying its concept, but i bring this up because what makes high expectations good almost exclusively is the context of the level, making the decoration clearly the less important aspect. it's not something you have to read up on extensively to "get" (although pahc's review does provide good insight) because it does a stunningly good job of communicating itself; the dread seeping through the level shakes you to your core and becomes immediately apparent the second you hit play. that feeling never leaves through the level's short length, aided by not only the sharp red-and-black visuals but most importantly the fact that you are always aware of a box slowly closing in on you. once it finally comes down on you you just die, and the shock of dying a seemingly unpreventable death here is one of the coolest moments in the game. no fanfare, not even a death effect, the level just stops. that death is the concept i'm talking about and it alone sells the level. this grand deprivation of an ending ties beautifully into the idea of an inevitable, impending death and the commitment to this concept in a game where removing the "end" of a level essentially invalidates its level-ness is monumental.

hands down the most fun i've had beating a level. gd has literally never felt this good to play

sprei and tenzk have a lot of really great levels but i think this is my personal favorite of theirs. the first half is wonderfully constructed, the lack of ceiling structures in particular really contributes to the immersion and grounds the world very well (something very few creators are mindful of !!) and every little detail or art, especially in the ship part, is really fantastic. that ending on the other hand draws away from fine details and instead relies on just the line-constructed wave structures and background to contribute to the whole, both of which are individually great; i do have to say however i think the part doesn't really convey the fact that the song's noise is in the Foreground very well because of the fact that the only real noisy element takes a backseat in how this part is composed (the structuring on the other hand doesn't pack the same punch) and as a result these two elements don't come together in the strongest way. regardless it's a very fitting climax and adapts the song nicely, even if it leaves me wanting a bit more it's clear it was made with love and for that reason i consider it a personal favorite

really love how much it feels like everything in this is glowing, the designs are super super creative and fit thematically really well. just great atmosphere overall. one of my favorite 7ak levels and one that is terribly overlooked !!!!

masterclass in worldbuilding. organic plantlike designs ?!?! level progressively getting more surreal over a several minute runtime ?!!?!? clearly defined and structured color usage !?? it's like it was made for me

i am absolutely not a fan of game recreations in geometry dash, mostly because of the lack of creativity involved in 1:1 remakes, but this level's adaptation of rain world's style and general atmosphere to an actual geometry dash level is incredibly cool. the attention to detail is fantastic and it nails the vibe, plus even if it has to sacrifice some of the aspects of the game to adapt it properly it makes up for it by replacing them with distinctly geometry dash elements.

very fun color choices that suit the designs excellently. also i adore how much it feels like you get to interact with the designs in this as opposed to just moving around them, it's got some really creative gameplay that does a great job of cooperating with the visuals. one of my favorite demons