Rating Curve

Hating on this level because "the gameplay isn't fun" is some of the most frustrating rhetoric I've ever seen in criticism of this level. the world of scarlet fucks incredibly hard on account of its hostility and abrasiveness- the gameplay reflecting that is the point! This level feels like swimming upstream in the best way possible, and in my mind this is what a perfect space gauntlet entry entails. It pulls off the "alien" vibe much better than the vast majority of other SGC entries because of its unappealing elements. A real shame this didn't place in the contest, I think it would've been such a great pick for the gauntlets especially in blowing new players' minds.

unreal at times. such an awesome blending of core and art. and the gp is no slouch either- one great example being how you break the destructible boxes in beat with the snares in the last ship, such a cool detail.

my only complaints are that the faster parts are a bit messy and the level winds down in such a disappointing fashion- it does not need a title drop and a dedication, just end your level right where the “GG” is.

also, something to add on to ElectricNJ's review, I find it really cool that this level is themed around transhumanism since you can view the core style as a transcendence of traditional design levels! that gives a lot more dimensionality to this level aside from being just another core level; there is a purpose to using the style to communicate a specific theme!

This is another example that proves the Yume Nikki Snow World Conjecture correct. That being, if you make a level with this song, it is peak.

A good word to describe this level is ornate. Not in the core sense, where its excessively filled to the brim with detail, but rather ornate in the sense that it feels intricately designed. Compared to other levels that use this song, this feels the most alien or unfamiliar, which I think is something that sets it apart from other levels with this song.

GD's creating environment pre-1.9 was a whole other world compared to how creators approach their work in the modern setting, yet there are always levels that fall between the cracks of the old era. This is one prime example of such, one of the earliest examples I can find of a GD level telling a story or conveying a message outside of the context of the game itself. The only other example I can think of is the original Hate War by saRy, an anti-war piece.

Like Hate War, Exit serves as a condemnation of war, but chooses to approach this theme more through visual iconography rather than only text. A flurry of bullets, raining hellfire, and a sharp contrast between army green and bright, burning oranges makes this an attempt to showcase the horrors that one experiences during war. We can think of each part the player goes through as a terrible memory of near-death experiences, weighing a toll on the protagonists (who are the little cartoon exit sign humans we see throughout the level), who want an escape from all the bad they were subjected to as a result of fighting in a war, through the means of suicide. GD's abstraction with its artstyle plays a role in this, "repressing" the true realities before they catch right up in the ending, as we witness the hanged man right next to the ending wall, an attempt shatter any sort of comfort one might experience while playing this level. It’s not too shocking- the depiction is very cartoonish after all- but I think it was at least a pretty smart decision to let this visual linger right at the end screen rather than just passing by it.

I think this is executed incredibly well for a pre-1.9 level. There is one problem I have with this level, being that there are some parts that don't contribute much thematically. 50%-80% don't really add much onto a lot of the symbolism that was being established in the first half of the level (unless you read those spike structures as shurikens or something), and as a result it makes the level lose a bit of focus. However, other than that, I think there's a lot of fantastic decisions being made- all the art is really well done, there are a lot of cool set pieces that create a lot of intrigue, and the text reading "EXIT" helps demonstrate a toll on the protagonists' psyche, as if the words are a command rather than an indicator for the exit. Lastly, I like how ambiguous it is with its imagery. It doesn't explicitly state what's going on, but it conveys a mood that allows viewers to pick up their own interpretation on things. It’s certainly no literary iceberg, but to see some level of omission and tact here is incredibly refreshing even in the present day, where a lot of creators just straight up explain any sort of deeper meaning someone could derive from their levels instead of being confident in the player's abilities to figure things out.

I definitely can understand if you don't get much out of this level, but I hope you go into analyzing this level with an open mind, and hey, maybe you get a much different interpretation from mine. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Im usually not a big fan of idea dump levels but this does it for me. All of the ideas weirdly coincide with one another even though a lot of the imagery is gone by the drop. Such a crazy level I cannot believe I never saw this before.

Such a great representation of its song. Docking points for the portals during the middle section following the player’s y pos but other than that. Damn.