Rating Curve

Not all memory levels suffer from "memory level syndrome" as I like to call it, but this one definitely does, and it's not by a little bit.

When I say "memory level syndrome", I mean that to make memory more difficult, by necessity you have to make things look the same throughout, and that can be pretty boring. Repetition, mazes, etc. You have to be really careful about using these, and this level just wasn't. That's why for me the best parts are the start and the dark section. You're still given something to look at that isn't just a generic blob in the mind.

1.9 equivalent (derogatory) of a 2.2 level (derogatory).

Shockingly boring, you'd think it'd have something going for it with an interesting concept and generally good execution but it somehow fails anyway. Not really sure how to put it

I've seen a couple people put this as their favorite or one of their favorite pre-1.9 levels and I just don't get it. This thing has 1 interesting design per part and copypastes it so many times you forget its there, with some outright bad sync too

DEImos

A dumpster fire made of forgettable and boring parts with random and forced references to its predecessor. It doesn't even feel like it was made with the personal kind of spite I assume it was made with because hybrid just generally doesn't seem passionate about making his megacollabs good. All of that is compounded by the fact that the level this was made to spite happens to be a personal favorite

First iteration of this level was the least bad but that was only ok at best. I remember when that came out and a lot of people in the impossible level community thought it was amazing and I still don't really get why. I mean there's some neat bits of cool sync here and there but its not like that's super hard to find. As time has gone on this has recieved multiple updates and none of them have improved anything.

It's hard to think of something quite as ruined by the song as this.

There was clearly a vision in mind when Thycket picked it, but man, any discomfort coming from this level as a result of the song just does not make up for everything else that was lost. I wish I liked this level, I really want to like this level, but how can I do that when it's all jumbled up and forgotten immediately after seeing it due to a lack of structure? It isn't the good kind of lack of structure you have with old Slaughterhouse or Eyes in the Water. Those levels use a lack of structure amazingly well to get the player lost and hopeles in claustrophobic tunnels and unnatural scenery. Disquietude's lack of structure is paired with unique and varying gameplay, distinct parts, and well, structures.

A literal bad dragon

If you needed one level to represent GD in 2018-2019 this would probably be the best answer, both for better and for worse.

Super hyped up (for good reason! A top 5 GS megacollab with a unique theme and song is pretty cool!), only to kinda fade away into irrelevance after it was done (maybe being #11 when it came out had something to do with that).

Many old creators are still around but some of them are past their prime, though many others definitely still have it down (special shoutout to Viprin's part btw, underrated gem, love the rotation/circle theme he did with both the designs and bg).

There's some shockingly bad cohesion, literally every single part transition after TheDevon is an unjustified style switch, and even the dragon is inconsistent, with the whole level indicating the rest of the body to be serpentine except for when you actually get to see it in Osiris' part.

Gameplay is very much in a transitional state between 2017 and 2020, again both for better and for worse, but it does a pretty good job of conveying the song's energy so I won't complain too much (except for Osiris' part and the bossfight having noticeably bad sync).

As for the dragon, I think the design itself is actually pretty good (ingoring Osiris' part) and I especially like the texture on its scales, but man the way this thing moves around is awkward. There's a reason why the best bossfights and "level mascots" in general are either detailed but static/rigid or cartoony where they can get away with moving around weirdly. It's kinda hard to animate in this game, especially pre-2.2, y'know?

FUCK peer pressure I'm going back and admitting the old endscreen was better than the after effects bullshit. Anyway

When I really like a particular level for its history, I usually have one particular version I get attached to above the rest. SWI is no exception, this certainly isn't the version I like the most, and if anything this is the perfect example of a version I don't like. No extension, worse deco, disappointing difficulty, just generally inferior

Interesting and well executed theming both in gameplay and deco, I absolutely love how outright deranged the path indicator looks, and the shurikens being thrown in sync with the music are a pretty nice touch, but too many parts are just visually flat and I can't really put this higher than a 7

Cherryteam's best level. Good enough job at conveying difficulty, that short wave and the timing ship are iconic, nothing offensively bad, nothing super crazy