Rating Curve

Another level I used to call my favorite. The hooded singers (at least that's how I interperet them) are iconic and in general the backgrounds still hold up as some of the best today. The use of blending pulse objects isn't quite as great as in dem travel but it still shines bright (both figuratively and literally). There's also some great attention control with the structuring often being open and designs being transparent to emphasize effects. The gameplay is generally pretty fun and I always found the break robot oddly satisfying to play. The ending is absolutely beautiful with the small pulsing objects representing the quieter notes in the background well. Also I really never found the difficulty spike here to be really that crazy like most other people seem to find it.

It's like a toned down version of nine circles. It's good on its own (but not as good), it's an iconic part of the game (but not as iconic), everyone copied it (but not as much), and the majority of copies aren't as good as the original (but more than with nine circles).

Very legal!

If you know me well enough, you'd know I have a special relationship with old kenos. Given that, you might wonder what I think of the finished version of this level. I think it's kinda eh, average. It's got some iconic parts and stuff, due in part to npesta's verification streams making this a fair bit more interesting, but the deco is very generic and the sync leaves a lot to be desired.

Great theming, great effets, great art, great gameplay, great sync, just a really solid level

practice completions:

AuraXalaiv Muzzasaurus

Pamka Action321 knot

blaxelpy knali akira

Maybe you think it's kind of weird to be sentimental over seeing a joke level's endscreen, or that you shouldn't judge a level based off some personal experience outside it, or that something so unserious shouldn't be ranked above artistic masterpieces, I don't care, and you shouldn't either. Let yourself be free.

Speaking of letting yourself be free and not caring... This is something a few of the people here should really be doing more...

A tour showing what gameplay is like on a pair of red alien planets about 10 million light years away from earth+a break section with some more comprehensible (but just as good) gameplay with some amazing structuring that's been a big inspiration to me. There's clearly still some remnants of the first planet's architecture (both start with similar slope-filled ship gameplay), but generally they're quite different. I would highly recommend visiting the Thycket system if you have the opportunity, just remember to bring enough practice checkpoints.

THE cult classic impossible level. I love the gameplay's theme of using (really good!) effects to obscure it without making anything completely invisible, it's in line with a lot of pre-2.0 and even pre-1.9 design philosophy (in a good way). But even behind the effects, it still has some crazy creative gameplay.

Also to anyone who complains about that one ship part using an overused trope: shut the fuck

Whoever first called this thing a Phobos sequel was spot on

Much like its prequel, it's very much all over the place, and some parts are a lot better or worse than others but really I can't bring myself to hate it. The worse parts and awkward transitions just add to how raw it is. Some great sync too.

That's it? That's the big name riot/GS megacollab we waited 4 and a half years for? That was just gray glow!

What a unique and interesting visual style, I hope these custom designs don't make the gameplay harder than it should-

Who am I kidding. This isn't an interesting visual style. This absolutely belongs with its bretheren in the rest of the crystal gauntlet