Rating Curve

the polishing is a little kitschy and i don't think the song works with the level but a lot of the art, which is clearly the focus here, is really really impressive and ties together the varying designs that would otherwise feel disjointed pretty well. wish it was a bit more subtle but that doesn't really detract from the level, it's clearly just aiming to accomplish something different. not my favorite sgc entry but absolutely one of the best

how the concept for this one came about i have no idea but it's extremely creative. one of the coolest recent releases for sure, feels very close to levels like minimal meadow in philosophy

one of their most ambitious, really earns its grandness. the freeform stream-of-consciousness-esque creating style surprisingly suits the ambient parts of the song really well, which are separated by the more concrete and traditionally pretty sections. the harsher freeform designs are the real highlight here though, there's a lot of cool texture play to note, such as the overlapping outline blocks and how much it more it makes the glow effect on solids stand out. then there's the ending, combining both of these philosophies for one of the most visceral and affecting conclusions to any level ever. an instant favorite

i hold this one very close to my heart. this was the catalyst to me burying myself in the experimental creating scene that informed both my gd creating and my taste in art generally. i must've spent most of the past few years trying to recreate the magic in this level, but i know i'll never come close, nor will anyone else i fear. generational work, even if it's not my favorite twig and cabaret level it's definitely the one i have the strongest personal attachment to

beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!! this level does so much with such a tiny selection of objects, even if it's a little amateurish compared to presta's other work it's just as good at putting together a mood

first and last level to really take advantage of color banding. nothing else that tries to use the effect as a core design element even comes close

compositionally stunning as expected from flash but this fails very slightly to hold up against his best work. it’s full of great ideas, has excellent cooperation between gameplay and visuals and uses these gorgeous, intricate designs that i am a huge sucker for but it doesn’t quite have a real core for me to attach to, similar to how i feel about well rested. still probably the best space gauntlet entry (mostly because it’s one of the only ones that feels like it was made for more than just winning the contest) and completely singular as all of flash’s levels are

pure joy. i’m not too into older levels but this certainly is one of the best i know of, deserves its status

song and level work together here in a way so rarely seen in gd. i’m hesitant to call the level a companion piece to the song like a lot of other great song representations in the game; conversely it exists on equal footing with the song and they complement each other instead of the association being one sided, a huge feat especially considering the level is entirely built around the very basic principle of progression. it’s very linear and sort of predictable but every addition of a new design element still feels like a revelation.

for an open world level i don’t think this does a very good job at being open. it just gives you multiple distinct paths to take, not really permitting real exploration. my criticisms stop there though thankfully, because despite the fundamental flaw in the concept’s application this is such an impressively put together level and it clearly deserves its flowers!! i used to watch an all paths replay on youtube like every week after it came out, the attention to detail completely enamored me and it still does.

really big fan of all the underground sections in particular