Rating Curve

Undoubtedly an all-time classic and the first level I’m going to review on this site, Nine Circles is considered by many to be a core level to beat in one’s GD skill progression. I personally believe this is for the worse; while Nine Circles undoubtedly had a lasting impact on the community as a whole, the way it actually played, to me, was incredibly awkward and unsatisfying. While this level is seen by many as one that introduced a new and creative idea to the table, which I absolutely agree with, it unfortunately also suffers from being poorly designed and balanced throughout. The level has many uneven gaps, uncomfortable transitions, and frustrating parts that make little sense; while these types of things are good for developing a specific skillset, there are much better levels out there to play if you simply want to improve your wave skill. This even includes some of the classic wave of different song/color Nine Circles levels which came not long after the original, such as Jawbreaker, which, while much less merit-worthy artistically, is much more fair and overall enjoyable to play.