Rating Curve

Make a sequel to The Golden, but make it hell themed. Holy shit award winning idea folks

I flip flop on this level a lot- sometimes I hate it, sometimes I like it, but I never really see myself thinking of this as anything above a 4 or a 5. This level occupies a space between an in-joke with friends and a personal struggle, and when it comes to art I just do not like when people make art from of their in-jokes and put them out on the center stage, partly because I'm projecting my own personal sentiments and history about these sorts of things, but mostly because I'm simply not going to care for them the same way the author is- it's not made for me. This level is much more of a victim of circumstance though and there's a level of intimacy and struggle that KrmaL went through to verify- had it been easier and verified quickly I don't think this level would have been as memorable or impactful, but the determination to put this out, to confront this level and just get it done with is very admirable.

So it eventually leads me to the question: Do I care about the historical context enough or not? I would probably say no, although this is not an attack on the accomplishment or KrmaL's character or anything- it's just that I do not know him like that. And it's what made the parasocial relationship from the wider community with KrmaL and wanting this level verified so baffling in retrospect. I get that if you have your own tight-knit GD friend group or if you're even friends with KrmaL you'll view this level more favorably- and you have full right to do that- but I find it so odd as someone who has never interacted with him before, to really get it the same way someone who might've been a part of GeoStorm or g will. I respect him a lot as an artist, not a friend, and when I view this level from the perspective as KrmaL the artist, it's just a level that he made when he was starting out creating. I don't know, I just don't really see what makes this special. I'm glad to see how it exudes the fun he had making it, and I do find it really interesting how much that fun started to become a burden, but like I said, it's not a level for me.

really solid showing from KrmaL despite this being shouldered between two giants (Falling Up and Black Blizzard). Not much to say other than it’s a fun creative romp with a fantastic predrop. This level’s got spunk.

Unironically the second best hell themed extreme demon behind old Cataclysm. Noobas's levels have been mostly overshadowed by his hacking, and while he's got a catalog full of bangers, I do think there is some merit to his most popular level- a more uncompromising, unpolished form of Cataclysm. It's definitely carried by its menacing song, and TrusTa's version is missing that hype dual wave at the end, but I think it's okay for what it's worth. Future hell themed extreme demons have shown that it could've been much, much worse.

Pretty good, but I cannot tell what the fuck is even going on here, even moreso than levels like Killbot or Nightshade. I do really like the predrop parts though, especially how gritty they look with the 2.1 tilesets; I usually despise them but I think they work pretty well here.

Everything but the bossfight in this level is perfect. Also another perfect transition part from Funnygame, probably his only one in 2.0 which is a bit of a shame.