Rating Curve

CaveOfTheScarletSky is one of zYuko’s several platformer Extreme Demons, being the hardest of her released ones so far. Heavily inspired by the Celeste map “Cave of the Crimson Sky,” this level takes the player through a difficult challenge, featuring lots of needle gameplay. Unfortunately, there are numerous issues that dwindle the quality of this level.

As the level is based on the aforementioned Celeste map, CaveOfTheScarletSky uses primarily pixel blocks, matching the style of the game. However, alot of the designs were translated into Geometry Dash under the editor’s limitations, with no attempt at circumventing these limitations. This is where the level suffers the most, as I believe Yuko could have improved these designs or made unique assets to fit with the designs. Additionally, there is an unnatural contrast between the pixel block designs, and the high definition nature of the obstacles used. This contrast is also exacerbated by the bright colors on the obstacles during the dark cave sections. I would have liked to see this contrast prevented by creating custom pixelated obstacles, and blending them with the designs. However, not all is bad with the decoration. I think there was a good attempt at improving the atmosphere by making the level darker, as it fits excellently with the unsettling theme.

There are also issues with the gameplay. As mentioned previously, CaveOfTheScarletSky features primarily needle gameplay, which this style can get boring quickly. I feel like gameplay gimmicks, especially ones from Celeste, were an untapped potential for this level. These could easily freshen up the gameplay, and make the level feel more rewarding upon completion.

Overall, I think CaveOfTheScarletSky is one of the weaker Extreme Demon platformers. Although it is an interesting take on the Celeste map, the decoration and gameplay still suffer. In the future, I would love to see Yuko work on these issues, as I believe she can make an excellent level.