Rating Curve

CONCUSSION CORRIDOR is a yet another collab from the iconic duo of Split72 and Voxicat. This time, being a remake of Split’s 4 year old demon, Blinding Blitz. Although this level is a remake, it has its own unique identity thanks to the fantastic decoration.

The decoration in CONCUSSION CORRIDOR is made in Split’s newer style. Even though it’s a drastic change from the design oriented nature of the original level, I think the newer style works better. This level features her classic solid color designs and complex details, which look a lot cleaner than the rough and irregularly colored designs found in the original. Although the designs are simple in this level, they are complemented perfectly with lots of movements and pulses. These features make the level feel very fluid and dynamic, which is always exciting to see with Split’s style. I personally think the biggest improvement to this level compared to the original is the intensity. In the drop, there are endless vibrant pulses, erratic movements, and fast moving particles in the drop, which all work together to match the chaotic nature of the song.

It’s hard for me to find any issues with this level without sounding nitpicky, but there is one I want to mention. The second part has unnecessary hue shader usage. The shaders edit the color of the player and other objects with preset colors, creating some unnatural and jarring color combinations. I believe the hue shaders could have been omitted entirely, in favor of actual color triggers, which would not edit the color of the player and other objects.

Overall, CONCUSSION CORRIDOR is a fantastic level and an excellent remake of Blinding Blitz. This level makes fresh updates to all of the original level’s ideas, while also having lots of its own individuality, which is always exciting to see with remakes. I am amazed that this level is still unrated, as I would absolutely recommend this level for an Epic rate.

OUCH is a super Extreme Demon megacollab hosted by my good friend awesomeme360. I had not seen anything from this level until the full showcase, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how well this level turned out.

Fitting with the painful name, this level features a hardcore fire theme. As much as I would consider fire to be an overdone theme in Extreme Demons, OUCH makes the theme feel refreshing through its unconventionality. To fit the theme, this level has a typical red, orange, and yellow color scheme, as well as a bunch of fire and lava objects. However, there are a lot of oddly shaped structures, unusual designs, and interesting effects which make this level fascinating. Another thing I really like about this level is the intensity, as there is a ridiculous amount of pulses and movements. These features make the level downright intimidating, which I love and think is a rare quality found in levels nowadays.

The only issue I can possibly think of is the varying quality of parts, which is typical for this genre of megacollabs. This level does fluctuate a bit in quality, as I believe Akunakunn and PikachuFan’s parts are noticeably weaker than parts from MannyHeffley, Iconic, and InfernuZ. I feel like Akunakunn’s part could have used lots of movements and stronger pulses, as it lacks the intensity needed to be a proper drop part. Unfortunately, PikachuFan’s part has a bigger issue, as it lacks memorability. I believe this part could have benefitted from implementing some crazy effect, as it would make the part stand out more, rather than just being a typical design part. Although these parts mentioned are weaker parts, I still believe they are solid parts which give this level charm.

As someone who has hosted a handful of megacollabs in the past, I say with great heart that OUCH is one of the best megacollabs I have seen recently. With its very unconventional decoration and ridiculous intensity, I honestly believe this could have gotten an Epic rate.

Camellia is a brand new level from Cassidyy, which takes the player on a wintry adventure through the mountains and clouds. I would consider Cassidyy to be a fantastic creator that everyone should watch out for, as proven by the wonderful decoration in this level.

In this level, Cassidyy has proven to already be excellent at her own art style, as most of the designs consist of solid-color blocks used in intriguing ways. Although solid-color block designs can get boring easily, the designs and assets are kept unique through the addition of texturing. The texturing gives the assets in the level some unique shapes and patterns, making them truly special. Yet, the true selling point of this level is the backgrounds. Camellia is filled with flavorful parallax backgrounds, which build the theme immensely and really throws the player into a winter wonderland.

My only issue with this level is the lack of intensity during the drop. Granted, it is not too big of an issue, as the moving backgrounds and pulses add some intensity. However, when the first two drop parts are compared to the last one, there is a noticeable lack of intensity. I feel like the easiest way to fix this could have been the inclusion of some fast moving speed-line particles, similar to the ones seen in the transition between the first two parts of the level. Not only would they have added needed intensity, but they would have undoubtedly convinced the player that they are soaring through the air and the clouds, further building the theme.

Overall, Camellia is yet another excellent level from Cassidyy. Because of the amazing art-style decoration, as well as the fantastic theming and rich backgrounds, I would love to see this become her first Epic rated level.

Keter is a neat Insane Demon made by SincejastlrXD, a creator I have not heard of before this level. I saw this level when it got rated, and it was a pleasant surprise to see such a fantastic level from an unknown creator. The level shines through its cleanly themed decoration and fun gameplay.

Keter takes on a mixed theme of fire and electricity, and a traditional design style, often using stylized designs and a predominant orange color. Although this type of level can get boring easily, the level is made interesting through loads of dynamic movements, different hues, and exquisite backgrounds. In this level, the dynamic movements clearly steal the show, and I would like to shout out a few instances of these movements that give the level a lot of character. Specifically the compressing platform at the beginning of the level, the wiggling light blocks at 38%, and the line structure that unfolds into position at 53%. On top of these movements, the level is complemented by numerous pulses and effects, matching the intensity of the song. All of these inclusions already add plenty of liveliness to the level, but when combined with the intricately crafted designs, they make this level such a joy to view.

The gameplay is another strength of Keter, as it features lots of skill-based segments and unique click patterns, which make for some enjoyable gameplay. Although this level is an Insane Demon, there is no forced difficulty. This leads to a challenging, but painless experience when playing. Another bonus of the gameplay is the healthy usage of every gamemode, as SincejastlrXD clearly has the fortunate ability of making engaging gameplay with every gamemode.

Overall, I believe Keter is truly a hidden gem of a level. I would have loved to see this get an Epic rating for its beautiful and dynamic decoration, and incredibly enjoyable gameplay. After having completed this level, I will be excitedly awaiting to see what SincejastlrXD creates in the future.

Written on November 23rd, 2024.

Clarity is a level that I was so excited to see Hypno finally finish, being his first solo level in over two years. I had the pleasure of watching Hypno build his level over the past several months and it was very thrilling to watch him grow as a creator. His growth is very evident through Clarity’s strengths of song representation, designs, and gameplay.

To begin with, Clarity is very rich in song representation. I know Hypno is a big fan of song representation in levels, so it is a treat to see so many examples of this. My favorite example is the volcanoes that erupt to the vocals later in the level. Although I only listed one, there are so many other examples of song representation, showing that no note in the song was forgotten about. Additionally, Clarity has a lot of unique designs. The designs found in the level have compositions that are easy to decipher, while still being tailored to the specific themes explored in the level. I rather like this characteristic of the designs as they feel very GD-esque, which I think is an excellent quality any level can have. Hypno also further elevated these designs by giving them effects, pulses, and movements, introducing an aspect of liveliness to his level. Furthermore, Clarity has excellent gameplay. Hypno’s love for song representation and skill of building fun gameplay was deeply rooted into the layout, making for some very high quality gameplay. Overall, these strengths truly make Clarity a fantastic experience both to play and to watch.

Although Clarity has excellent decoration and gameplay, the level is still not perfect. The only complaint I have about Clarity is that it lacks some polish. I will absolutely not hold this against Hypno though. It can be tough to know how or what to polish, and it is something you learn more as you progress as a creator. All things considered, Clarity is an excellent level from Hypno and I am so glad to see him be finished with it. I would absolutely love to see Clarity get an Epic rating, as I think Hypno deserves it for his hard work.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, RASH was Loltad’s first slam-dunk of a level, getting him his very first epic, and over 228 thousand downloads. This level has been one of my favorite Loltad levels for a while now, and I am finally glad to have completed it. Both the decoration and gameplay are amazing, making for a level that is very memorable.

To begin with, the decoration in RASH is fantastic, even for having aged a bit. This level is inspired by the “Corpse” floor in The Binding of Isaac (from the Repentance DLC), which is strongly reflected in the grotesque theming. Although the theme starts to apply strongly in the later half of the level, Loltad built the theme through disgusting assets. These assets start to become plentiful past 55%, as this level pulls out a part with designs reminiscent of flesh, complemented with lots of eyeballs. I think the last drop is the best instance of the theme, as there is a mix between more traditional designs, and decayed flesh structures. And to top it off, Loltad included a lot of flies in the last part, truly getting the point across of this being a gross level. Even though the theme is more apparent in the second half, the first half still works to build a nasty look for the level. The entire level uses a warm color palette, as well as a predominant desaturated red color, providing an almost humane feature to the designs. On top of this, the level has lots of pulses, movements, and fantastic level composition that make RASH enjoyable even regardless of the intense theme.

As for the gameplay, it’s just as enjoyable and unique as the decoration. Loltad has a knack for making very interesting gameplay, and it’s very evident in RASH. This level has so many unique timings, fun skill-based sections, and lots of slopes to keep the gameplay fresh. There is also some repetition utilized in the beginning of the drop, which makes this section of gameplay particularly memorable to me. As for the balancing, it’s a little busted. The level drops off in difficulty towards the middle, and then picks up in the final drop, which makes this level extremely flukeable. This is both a positive and a negative, depending on if the player flukes the entire ending, or gets a progress fluke (like me).

Overall, RASH is a very special level that cemented Loltad as a talented creator. Even though I was annoyed that I had a progress fluke to 93% and then took another 2 hours to complete the level, I still enjoyed this level a lot. The fantastic decoration, grotesque theming, and fun gameplay helped me continue to enjoy the level. I would absolutely recommend RASH to anyone looking for an interesting but difficult Extreme Demon to complete.

Written on August 24th, 2024.

Towerinator is a level that I was very excited to see when it released. Towerinator is Lyal’s entry to the NCS gauntlet creator contest, using Dioma by JNATHYN. I have been a fan of Lyal since they released Overload, and it has been amazing to see Lyal improve this much as a creator. Fortunately, Towerinator is yet another big step in Lyal’s thrilling creating journey.

Firstly, Towerinator has amazing decoration. Lyal has proven that they can create fantastic designs many times, and Towerinator is yet another example of this. Towerinator features a tower theme, and Lyal puts this theme to use in the designs of the level. The designs found in this level often use different brick-like objects from all updates, reflecting old towers and castles made of bricks. These block designs are complemented nicely with lots of air-deco and background assets that also fit within the theme, such as the candles at 1% and the walkway background at 41%. Although Lyal made many beautiful designs for this level, Towerinator’s strong suit is the energy. Starting at 60%, the drop of Towerinator has astonishing energy which matches the song’s energy. The parts in the drop use very bright colors and pulses, and lots of dynamic movements, creating a perfect example of upbeat energy. However, the predrop has excellent energy as well. Lyal reflected the slower energy in the song to a tee in parts like the ones at 1% and 22%. For these parts, Lyal created a darker atmosphere with darker colors and more spread out pulses. Altogether, Towerinator has no shortage of creative designs and lots of varied energy.

Additionally, the gameplay is just as enjoyable as the decoration. In Towerinator, Lyal created nicely flowing gameplay with lots of timings and skill based gamemodes, making for some fun, but tricky gameplay. Because the gameplay is fairly difficult, the level is currently rated Medium Demon. Regardless of this, the level is still not too difficult, which lets anyone be able to enjoy the gameplay in this level.

Towerinator is yet another example of Lyal showing his brilliance in the editor. The excellent designs and energy paired together with fun and nicely flowing gameplay makes for a remarkable level. Personally, I would love to see Towerinator make it into one of the two NCS gauntlets, and this level once again makes me excited to see what Lyal makes next.

Written on July 26th, 2024.

Crystal Blizzard is a level that I’ve known for a while now, as I have became great friends with Loltad during the past two years. When he first showed me this level, I thought it was fantastic and I was surprised to find out it was never rated in the six years the level has been uploaded. Around a year ago, Loltad gave the level a slight decoration update in hopes of trying to get it rated, but it was still never rated. Although the level is very old, Crystal Blizzard was masterfully made and it shows that Loltad has been a talented creator for a while now.

To begin with, Crystal Blizzard has remarkable decoration. Although this level came out before he developed his newer style found in levels like Rash, Worse Trip and Dustmuncher, Crystal Blizzard possesses the best rendition of Loltad’s older style. This level features very unique designs and eccentric structuring that are complemented with a cool shamrock green color. On top of the shamrock green, the level has occasional red pulses and hues of blue and lime green which break up any potential monotony of the shamrock green. Although the level is mainly green, the first part features grayscale designs, with cool red and blue pulses which uplift the part. Loltad further complements the designs and colors with neat effects and movements like in the part at 20%. Almost every structure in this part has its own distinct movement which gives a dynamic feeling to the level. This part is also paired with a rotating crystal sphere in the background which further adds onto the dynamic feeling. Furthermore, this dynamic feeling continues into the dual part at 52%, as Loltad gave this dual part a bunch of pulses, and another appealing rotating background. Overall, the decoration in this level is masterfully crafted which makes for a fantastic experience.

Additionally, Crystal Blizzard has stellar gameplay. Although Loltad is known for his learny gameplay, this level is toned down compared to his other levels. The fact that this level has less learny gameplay makes it accessible to more players. However, Crystal Blizzard is still fairly difficult. In my opinion, I think the level is Hard Demon difficulty, which can be challenging for a lot of players. Regardless, the level is not short of fun gameplay. Most of the gameplay consists of timings and skill based gameplay, which a lot of players can become good at quickly. Also, there is an incredibly satisfying dual towards the middle of the level which only adds onto the greatness of the gameplay.

Without a doubt, Crystal Blizzard is an excellent level. Loltad truly displayed his creativity in this level, and it provided a monumental step in his journey to become the creator he is today. I personally think Crystal Blizzard is one of Loltad’s best levels, and it would be fantastic to see this level finally get the rating it deserves.

Written on July 5th, 2024.

Journey into space is an old 1.9 level that was shown to me a few years ago. I am a sucker for 1.9 levels, so this level immediately interested me. I was even more surprised to find out this level is still unrated after 9 years. Many of you might know Joshenjol from Geometrical Space, his fantastic 2.0 level that was recently rated after 8 years. However, Journey into space proves that Joshenjol was an insanely talented creator long before Geometrical Space.

Journey into space features typical 1.9 decoration. However, it maintains a fantastic space theme. Throughout the level, you can find numerous pulsing star objects and corner pieces used as distant stars. You can also find endless patterns made out of glow that resemble distinct cosmoses, and occasional sets of objects that look like constellations. Yet, the assets that really take the cake are the shooting stars at 5% and 87%. Joshenjol made these shooting stars sync to repeating beats in the song, which was a very creative idea. On top of that, Joshenjol has many other effects that he synced to the song. For example, the fading blue detail color at 1%, the pulsing glow lines at 10% and 44%, the Cataclysm-esque pulses at 52% that continue into the next part, and the rainbow color loop at 79%. All of these effects help make the level not only look amazing, but give it a sense of life. Another aspect that Joshenjol excelled on with this level is the color usage. In addition to the varied shades and hues of blue that make up a majority of the designs, Joshenjol included rainbow accents in some parts. The addition of the rainbow accents truly keeps the level fresh and interesting. All in all, the theming, synced-based effects, and colors really showed how much creating skill Joshenjol had in 1.9.

As for the gameplay, Journey into space maintains an easy, yet still challenging difficulty. Joshenjol requested a difficulty of Insane, and this level reflects that difficulty. Most of the level is fairly straight-forward. However, there are plenty of challenging bits, such as the fast paced parts from 22% to 52%. These ship, cube and ball parts can be rather challenging to sight-read, and they are easy to mess up. Additionally, there is a tight and fast wave at 64% that can be challenging for some players. However, the gameplay is still relatively easy, and incredibly fun as well.

Joshenjol has been a talented creator for a while now, and Journey into space proves this. The fun gameplay and flawlessly executed effects and theme help to create an unforgettable experience when playing this level. It is a shame that this level never got rated back in the day, and I hope it will finally get the rate it deserves.