Rating Curve

There's actually some pretty interesting gameplay and effects in this if you go looking. It's just that looking is very hard. I had to exit out part of the way through a practice run because the flashing lights hurt very bad. Probably the point honestly, but it's a bad point

Also for some reason I don't really care about the text/story, which I normally would care about. Like, it's just there, even though in other levels this might make me cringe or maybe it might even be one of the good uses idk it just have an effect on me.

Bitch

Color usage goes well with the song. Much like how the lyrics are very "bombastic" but it sounds very "held back", the deco is made of rainbow highlights surrounded only by gray and black. Shame the rest of the level is rather lackluster

Phantasm(a) shot dead in The Bronx

You'd THINK I would have more attachment to the level I restored, but as it turns out, that low video quality (why'd it do that) was simply hiding low level quality behind it. It's not horrible but it is absolutely a Betrayal of Fate ripoff filled to the brim with straight fly. Do kinda wonder what the rest of this would look like decorated though...

Once you get past the start of the song sounding like that and the visually displeasing white gradients and that janky-ass wave transition and awkward gravity change and mirror portal spam THEN it's a good level. I like the pulsing object trails and especially the hearts turning into circles for the one orb in the ball segment. I'm also a big fan of the starting part coming back but "recontextualized" and extended with a more cheerful part of the song (maybe the start should sound like that after all). Generally just a fun vibe to the visuals

The first half and the ending are pretty good. "Slow, grayscale, underground" are adjectives associated with levels that either go heavy on the emotions (e.g. Lonely Travel), or have an overwhelming, intimidating atmosphere (e.g. Cimmerian Shade's slow parts). Instead of those however, this has a feeling that I can't really describe as anything other than "jazz". Like, this is the visual equivalent of the song's genre. It's not the anxiety of a Minecraft cave, rather it's more like an underground lounge where you'd hang out with friends. The gameplay restrictions help this to a degree as well, no spikes=less threatening.

Then there's the wave and robot, and listen, I get it. This is supposed to be intentionally infuriating to play, so in theory this sort of sarcastic anti-horror would fit well with that, but it ends up horribly clashing with the established atmosphere. It feels like it's from another level, and frankly it feels like there should've been another (not pigstep (wtf happened to that)). Two intentionally infuriating levels, one sarcastically relaxing, one sarcastically sarcastic. At least the robot's sync is good

Another one of those cult impossible levels that I just don't really get. Yeah it's creative but it never sticks with an idea for very long, unless it's the deco, in which case it sticks around for too long. It also doesn't have particularly good sync

Don't really get why this of all levels got a cult following. It looks way too similar to itself throughout and for what? The changes in the song's energy and tension are also completely absent from the level itself. At least the gameplay is cool

There's something more important than reaching the end.

I wanna directly compare this to another famous lost level: Element 111 Rg.

E111Rg's restoration took years of research. Every new Stormfly video on it gave it continued relevance throughout the ages. Wrong turns and nonsense throughout. As more parts were unveiled, some became iconic for their difficulty, strange gameplay, or even their association with specific players.

ICTX was also long sought-after, has major difficulty spikes, and while not as weird as E111Rg, the gameplay certainly isn't like most levels. The difference is that it didn't have a long and interesting journey attached to its restoration. It was anticlimactic, simply roadbose coming back and building it from memory without any previews or prior announcements.

Some nice atmosphere at the start but it just drags on for too long. Also a fan of the blocky gradient design and the first ball

incoming cheese guys

While some parts definitely haven't aged the best, I'd say most of them hold up pretty well visually. Gameplay wise G4lva and Serp could use some work (this is why I have trust issues).

However, it's not the parts themselves that make the gameplay miserable. It's the transitions. Why are there so many ways for these things to kill you??? It's not that hard to just put a platform or something to make them not kill you, and I know this because that's already in the level! Hell, in TechRebel/HyperFlame there seems to be an attempted transition fix but you have to click again afterwards. Why????