Rating Curve

Written on December 4th, 2024.

Delta is a list-worthy design megacollab that is intended to be a spinoff of Mindcap’s Greek letter level series. Hosted by Drakosa and ArtsiBurn over the course of a year, the level stands out through the decoration and gameplay.

I am a sucker for design megacollabs, so I think Delta is a fantastic level. Almost every part has very unique designs that are complimented with brilliant colors and effects, making for a beautiful level to look at. Another big strength of the level is the gameplay, as it looks extremely unique and fun to play. It is tough to make gameplay that looks fun to play, and I think Drakosa and ArtsiBurn's team of gameplay creators pulled this feat off.

The only overarching issue with this level is the quality difference between the parts. There are a handful of parts that are considerably higher quality than most of the level. Namely both of Mercury’s parts, CDMusic and Rynoxious’s collab part, and Ryder’s part. The issue with design megacollabs is that a difference in quality between parts is to be expected, as no builder can have the exact same level of creating skill. However, this issue can be circumvented if there is time and effort set aside for improving the weaker parts. Unfortunately for Delta, it is hard to tell if there was an attempt to deal with this issue. Some of these weaker parts are missing interesting designs or effects, making them unmemorable. Another issue with the weaker parts in Delta is the monochromaticity of these parts. Not all of the weak parts are monochromatic, but a handful of them are. I think the easiest step that could have been taken to improve these parts is adding some different hues to these parts.

Regardless of this issue, Delta is still a fantastic design megacollab. I think Drakosa and ArtsiBurn did a fantastic job at hosting a level that truly feels like an official Greek letter level.

Written on August 13th, 2024.

Operation EVOLUTION is a level that I was pleasantly surprised with after finding in sent tab. This level is a solo medium demon made by Pongix using the entirety of Operation: Evolution, making the level over five minutes long. Unfortunately, I have not heard of Pongix before finding Operation EVOLUTION, but this level made for an excellent first impression.

To begin with, Operation EVOLUTION has very nice decoration. Throughout this level, Pongix has made many simple, yet elegant designs. Additionally, it is evident by the designs and air-deco that Pongix has taken a lot of inspiration from Jayuff, which is always a treat to see. Adding onto the designs, Pongix complements them with sweet colors. Operation EVOLUTION uses a lot of rainbow, which creates a very colorful experience of a level. Additionally, the combination of parts that have rainbow as the main color, like at 6%, and parts that have rainbow as an accent color, like at 41%, helps the level feel like it is not overusing the beautiful colors. Yet, on top of the elegant designs and bright colors, Pongix ties the level together with unique assets for almost every part. Pongix’s inclusion of these assets was an excellent choice, as they give every part a feeling of uniqueness compared to other parts. Many examples of these assets can be found, such as the artsy vegetation at 18%, the television obstacles at 21%, the massive colocasias at 42%, the spinning boxes at 60%, the tall flowers at 69%, and the custom Geometry Dash assets at 77% like the cube, the attempt count, the play button, and the large star. There are endless amounts of these custom assets found throughout Operation EVOLUTION, making this level a joy to watch. Including these assets with the neat designs and bright colors shows that this level is truly Pongix’s magnum opus.

Additionally, Operation EVOLUTION has very fun gameplay. Although the level itself is not challenging, the level is five minutes long, which can add the element of nerves to playing. However, the easier nature of the level makes for enjoyable gameplay. Pongix used all of the gamemodes in Operation EVOLUTION, and many of them are used to extents that make the gameplay complex, while still being sightreadable. The only major complaint that can be made with the gameplay is the difficulty in telling which obstacles can and cannot kill the player. But if it is learned which obstacles have hitboxes, the level becomes a fun experience.

Operation EVOLUTION is a level that Pongix put so much love and care into that it would be impossible to talk about everything in one short review. There are so many unique features in the decoration and the gameplay which help make this level one of a kind. I was very happy to see this level get the deserved epic rating last night, and I will be excited to see what Pongix makes in the future.

Written on August 2nd, 2024.

Stereo madness 2077 is a level I found in the sent tab almost immediately after wallywalrus released it, and I played it because the name caught my eye. Needless to say, the level turned out to be just as eye-catching as the name. I cannot say I have heard of wallywalrus before, however, Stereo madness 2077 surprised me greatly with its quality and uniqueness.

Stereo madness 2077 is a fantastic take on a 1.0 style level. This level starts off as Stereo Madness, hence the name, and then quickly turns into its own unique level. After the beginning intro, Stereo madness 2077 turns into a factory themed level, using the default blocks from 1.0 in very unique ways. On top of the default blocks, some sections of the level are accompanied by the metal blocks from 1.6, and many designs are complemented with orange lasers. Further adding onto the unique designs, wallywalrus incorporates many individual assets that add onto the factory theme. Throughout the level you can find rotating gears and piston heads that move to the music, giving the level a dynamic feeling. Additionally, these individual assets are accompanied with particles which give them importance and a reason to be in the level. However, the level is not the same throughout. At 63% the player gets crushed by a giant piston head as a transition into the next part. After this startling transition, the player is pushed into a darker section of the factory, further building on the theme and intensity. Overall, wallywalrus’s distinctive usage of these older blocks creates an interesting experience of a level that has never been done before.

On top of the unique decoration, Stereo madness 2077 has some very fun gameplay. Even though the level is not a demon, the gameplay is rather challenging. The gameplay requires a good amount of skill, as there are timings and skill based gamemodes scattered throughout the level. Regardless of the skill needed, wallywalrus was not afraid to show their skill of gameplay creation in this level. The inclusion of these timings and skill based gamemodes makes for some incredibly fun gameplay, which can be enjoyed by a lot of people.

After playing Stereo madness 2077, I can say that this is a level that wallywalrus can be proud of. The usage of older blocks and the inclusion of fun gameplay creates an amazing experience that will be remembered for a long time. This level has put wallywalrus on the map for me, and I will definitely be looking to see what they will make in the future.

Written on July 9th, 2024.

CP Machine is a level that I fell in love with when I first saw it. This level is a core themed megacollab based around levels like MagmaCore by Endlevel, as well as creators like Loogiah and Majacko. CP Machine was also intended to give pla his first creator points, hence the name. However, this level was delayed for a while, and pla has creator points now. Regardless, this megacollab features excellent work from every creator that made a part.

To begin with, CP Machine has fantastic core decoration. Almost every part features intricate details and designs that reflect the core style very nicely. These intricate designs are also composed of mainly older blocks, giving the level a feeling of 1.9. In contrast to most of the level, Skele chose to do a modern design for his part. His city themed part at 55% gives the level a breath of fresh air in the midst of the intense core style. Skele made less detailed designs, and focused on making a dynamic part with lots of moving structures. Even with Skele’s modernistic part that is different to the rest of the level, CP Machine sticks with an intense fire theme. Almost every part uses warm colors, fire objects and bright glow to successfully create the fire theme. However, Etheriall’s part at 37% breaks the theme by switching to dark blue colors. Although this part strays away from the fire theme, it does not affect the quality of the level. Switching the color to dark blue was a clever move to create a successful break part, and it works with the rest of the level to stay dark and intimidating. As a whole, the intricate designs and intense theming makes a very frightening level.

As for the gameplay, it is mostly fun. The way core style is made guarantees awkward gameplay, and this level has surprisingly little of it. Most of the gameplay in the level is fun. However, Killa’s gameplay at 74% is strange and can be confusing for some players. This part has a small memory element to it, and awkward timings that are easy to mess up. Additionally, Skele’s part is very tough to sight-read because of constant moving objects. Although this level has some tricky sections, the gameplay is very consistent and is very fun.

CP Machine is definitely a megacollab that pla can be proud of having hosted. The excellent theming and designs makes this level a high quality one. This level feels like a proper core level, which is fantastic. CP Machine has been unrated for a few weeks now, and I would love to see it get rated very soon.