Rating Curve

Joshenjol is a creator that has gained some traction recently due to a handful of his 1.9 and 2.0 levels being rated after several years. As of recently, all of his rate-worthy levels have been rated, except for one. Midnight was Joshenjol’s first level of 2.0, being a very colorful space level. Although this level further proves that he always had unique ideas, this level has some significant issues.

Similar to Joshenjol’s previous levels, Midnight is very rich in unique ideas. I find the ideas come through the most in the backgrounds, as this level is full of stellar space backgrounds. These backgrounds are often composed of glow pieces and corner pieces, resembling stars. However, the ideas extend further into the designs and air decoration. Joshenjol was not afraid to use the new decoration objects in this level, often creating some beautiful designs to fit with the space backgrounds. Additionally, there are tons of different hues and pulses scattered throughout the level. All of these aspects make the level very colorful and interesting when combined together.

Unfortunately, Midnight is extremely rough around the edges, which was the same fate for many other early 2.0 levels. The most notable issue is the layering, as there are numerous instances of improperly layered objects. These objects clip around other objects and create a jarring look for the level. On top of the improperly layered objects, this level has questionable movements. During the first half, a lot of the movements happen too quickly, causing strange appearances when paired with the easings used. This could have easily been fixed by increasing the duration of the movements and changing some of the easings, creating smoother movements.

Overall, Midnight has some very unique ideas, but these issues are too strong of setbacks. Regardless of these issues, I am a huge fan of this level, and I would like to see it rated alongside his other old levels.

Written on November 26th, 2024.

66669420 is a catgirlBlitz level that I had not seen before, so I was happy to see it for the first time. catgirlBlitz is a unique core-style creator whose decoration I am a big fan of. Fortunately for this level, it has the usual strengths of her style.

For being over a year and a half old, 66669420 holds up very nicely in terms of catgirlBlitz’s progress as a creator. She used a lot of animated objects in her designs, which is a trope of hers that I am well aware of. I am a fan of the animated objects because they add liveliness to the level, where life can easily be lost under the limitations of core. Furthermore, catgirlBlitz chose to use a warm color palette for the level, which she works nicely into the level by assigning different hues to separate objects. This is a simple way to improve colors, and I like it a lot as it prevents the decoration from feeling repetitive.

However, there are some flaws with the decoration. catgirlBlitz used a lot of ground spikes to add a feeling of claustrophobia to the level. Normally I would be a fan of this inclusion, but there is a lack of detail in these ground spikes. This leads to the two extremes of over-decoration and under-decoration, which you do not want both present in a level. I believe this flaw could have been fixed, as ground spike decoration is often extremely simple to make and worth the extra effort. Additionally, 66669420 has a lack of movements. Movements are a fantastic way to add life to any level. Therefore, the absence contrasts with the energetic song, further creating a feeling of lifelessness. However, I am not going to hold this against catgirlBlitz. Movements are incredibly difficult to work into core-style decoration, and she also worked life back into her level through animated objects and pulses.

Overall, 66669420 proved to be a very nice stepping stone in catgirlBlitz’s creating career, as the level contains her usual strengths and flaws to be worked on.