Rating Curve

System Split is often regarded as Picha’s magnum opus, and I cannot agree more. Being their most popular level, it has some impressive decoration and gameplay.

To start with, the decoration is phenomenal for 1.9. This level takes on an interesting tech-themed style, which is very evident in the block designs and air decoration. Picha gets this style across by incorporating lots of metal blocks, as well as unique 3D block usage that resembles caution tape. Further expanding on the designs, they are masterfully made, consisting of various different blocks which are used in super neat ways. Namely the 3D usage again, as Picha thought outside the box and incorporated these blocks into the designs. The inclusion of these 3D blocks makes for some interesting designs that have never been seen before.

The only issue I have with System Split are the few parts which reuse decoration. Although Picha made slight changes, the dual at 28%, the cube at 62%, and the cube at 83% all reuse decoration from previous sections. Unfortunately, this makes the designs slightly less special, and I would have liked to see some new decoration made for these parts. However, this is not too big of an issue, as the designs reused are still extremely unique for the update.

Additionally, the gameplay is just as good as the decoration. System Split features a healthy mixture of every gamemode that existed in 1.9, which I always like to see in levels. The base gameplay is extremely fun to play, consisting of unique movements and curved gaps in the free-fly gamemodes, as well as a ton of fakes in the non-free-fly gamemodes. These features spice up the gameplay and add some extra difficulty to the level.

Because of the decoration and the gameplay, System Split is truly a fantastic level for 1.9. This level has been one of my favorite levels ever since I started playing the game, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has not completed it.

Written on November 17th, 2024. (After completion)

Scream Machine is yet another Extreme Demon you may have heard of, being TMco’s first epic Extreme Demon, and first list demon. Scream Machine is a 3 minute long adventure through many sub-themes of horror, accompanied by insanely difficult gameplay for the entire length of the level. Recently, I have grown to be quite a fan of this level as the decoration is truly phenomenal, leading to me picking up this level as a new hardest.

Like my previous review of FIREPOWER, Scream Machine is yet another level that I can say has some of the best decoration ever made in the Geometry Dash editor. The inclusion of many sub-themes of horror brought a unique twist that cannot be found in many levels. On top of an amazing lineup of creators, there is not a single part of this level that is of a lower quality. From Realvet’s robotic part featuring animatronic parts and a vibrant blue color, to CuluC’s carnival part of scary clowns and dangerous rollercoasters, to SwagMasta’s underwater part featuring several aquatic creatures like the magnapinna squid, there is not a single part that is not filled to the brim with assets and themes of horror. Adding to the excellent theme, the masterclass array of creators is a recipe for some excellent designs and decorations. All of the parts have incredibly special designs that are built upon the individual themes, making the level quite a joy to watch.

Fortunately for this level, the gameplay is just as excellent as the decoration. I will admit the difficulty is quite unbalanced, as the level’s difficulty is carried by a handful of parts, such as Iris’s junkyard part, Helpegasus’s borderlands part, and SwagMasta’s aquatic part. Regardless of the difficulty, the base gameplay is extremely fun and unique. I had quite a blast practicing this level and doing runs on it. The far attempts I got, although very few, were also very satisfying regardless of dying to something stupid. Although the gameplay is amazing, Scream Machine features a lot of timings and skill-based gameplay, and when combined with the great length of the level, I would only recommend this to those who are masters at completing XL levels.

Overall, Scream Machine is a generational megacollab featuring a unique twist on a rare theme, outstanding decoration that builds the theme, and gameplay that makes this level a joy to complete. This megacollab truly put TMco on the map of fantastic creating teams, and I am going to be more than excited to see what they make next. I was also super glad to have pulled through with beating this level as my brand new hardest completion after four years of having Freedom08 as my hardest. I seriously do not think there was a more perfect choice.

Written on July 23rd, 2024.

R3XX3R has been one of my favorite creators for a while now. He has been building since 1.9 and only recently has he become one of the most talented creators in the game. I have known about him since he was building Melodic Travel, and it is amazing that he has continued to grow as a creator for this long. After a few lengthy breaks he came back to the creating scene and released some fantastic levels, one of these being Burn. R3XX3R genuinely impressed a lot of people with his attempt at a 1.9 style level themed around fire and heat.

With that being said, Burn has fantastic decoration and theming. R3XX3R used many objects from 1.9 and older to create very unique designs. Although he restricted himself to older blocks, he complemented these designs with beautiful pulses and newer features such as movements and layering. Burn is filled to the brim with all of these aspects, showing R3XX3R’s monumental amount of talent in the editor. On top of all this, he tied the level together with a classy theme. Being a level of heat and fire, Burn features many industrial themed designs complemented with lots of orange color and individual fire assets. The excellent fire assets and tasteful usage of orange gives the level a plethora of personality and cements this level as one of R3XX3R’s best levels.

As for the gameplay, it is just as terrific as the decoration. R3XX3R intended for Burn to be rated Easy Demon. However, the gameplay is not too challenging, and as a result of this it was rated nine stars. The gameplay being not that challenging can be good though, as more people can enjoy this masterpiece. R3XX3R made many unique gameplay choices that cannot be found in non-demons made in the same era, making for some very fun and enjoyable gameplay.

Overall, Burn is truly one of R3XX3R’s best levels. He was not afraid to show his talent in the editor and it made for an excellent level. Burn is without a doubt one of my favorite levels of his, and it makes me incredibly excited to see what he makes next.