Rating Curve

A stunning level with really unique progression and gameplay. Themed to perfection the entire way through, and the world and story this level creates is like nothing else in this game.

There isn't a single section I believe is below average, and uses 2.2 additions to enhance the decoration and storytelling perfectly. The gameplay intertwines with the decoration in an incredible way as well, such as the first part of the level having multiple routes and pathways, truly allowing the player to feel like they are exploring an abandoned and lost city.

The gameplay being somewhat learny only helps this, making the city feel like a maze, overrun by nature. The player enters a building, and goes through sections, one for every orb in the game, with gameplay that is very satisfying. The building begins to looks more clean and less overrun, as you reach above the clouds, with what is probably my favorite part of the level. The colors are warm and pretty, and there is still working technology, implying some areas of the city are still populated/have some function. The gameplay here is smooth, and retains the calm feel the music has.

Afterwards, you ascend to space, and explore a ruined space station. The background here is gorgeous, and I personally adore space themes in levels. The gameplay here includes some memory, based around broken parts of the space station, including the gameplay well into the design. The level's endscreen features the player collecting a crystal, one said to give power.

Overall, Forgotten Metropolis features gameplay that is calming, yet still remains exciting, and some of the best decoration to come from 2.2 so far. It does the song it picked justice perfectly, and this is easily one of my favorite hard demons in the game.

2.0 levels, especially ones that come off as less polished, are massive guilty pleasures of mine. This level imitates this style very well, and I have quite a bit to say on it.

This level, includes a lot of what I love about this genre of levels, that mainly being the ideas present. 2.0 levels especially can often have very odd, more gimmicky, gameplay, that takes a tad bit of time to learn. And although I didn't find this level anywhere near as learny/memory-based as many of the levels it takes inspiration from, I still find most of the ideas used to be fun to play.

Every section is completely different from each other, and every part stands out well due to this fact. The opening of the level, while short, takes on a cleaner approach to 2.0 design, more alike to something a creator such as Serponge would make. There isn't much gameplay here, hence not much too review, but it partly displays the vibe the level will give off. The level throws you into a "memory" section, if one would even call it that, which I find to be the first display of unique gameplay, being the type you would only find in 2.0. The design shows off the 2.0 style well, being just a bit more messy than the start. The gameplay here is fine, better than the most of the genre of levels this level is replicating, though it doesn't stand out. I don't find gameplay to be that big of a deal with a level like this, however, and I'll get into that later.

Next up is the bossfight, and THIS is 2.0 replicated very well. It's cluttered and messy, and hits the exact notes this level needed. The boss fight is just the default monster named "Jeffery", and it's filled with corny text. This part demonstrates the "raw" part of 2.0 perfectly, with a messy background, a stupid bossfight, and being generally corny and silly. The bossfight happens to also be interactive and has an actual health bar, and although dealing damage is just spam, it actually makes this part quite fun.

You then transition into a UFO, and this is another part I enjoyed playing greatly. Uses far more red than necessary, but another part I though the gameplay stood out more than the vibe this part had. The structures move towards the player instead of the way around, and it gives this part such a goofy and fun feel to play, which I can assume was part of what this level was going for. The structures all also move with "bounce out", something I have no clue why all these 2.0 levels used because it looks terrible, but it once again adds to the wacky and "raw" nature this level presents.

The next area of the level uses a background that reminds me of "Frontlines Full", and again gives of a more raw feel to the level. The gameplay plays like a weird 2.0 level, similar to the rest. Includes more corny text, so I'd consider that a bonus. The final part of the level reminds me heavily of Megalovania by EternaswipVMAX. Another part that reminds me of 2.0 simply because it feels so random, and although it has the awkward mechanics one would expect out of it, it's still enjoyable. Afterwards comes the endscreen of the level, marking the end of Ego Death.

Now, I'd like to get into why I don't feel like the gameplay matters at all with this level. This level feels like a celebration of whatever genre of level you would call it, whether that be early 2.0, raw, or anything else, and gameplay hadn't ever truly come first with these levels. It was always the idea, the concepts, the quirkiness of these levels that made them stand out, and Ego Death hits that mark perfectly. I don't believe a level, that comes closer to a celebration of these aspects, should be seriously judged on gameplay, but I will admit I enjoyed it's charming style, and some parts I did have some genuine fun with. If I was seriously reviewing the gameplay, it would likely end up with a 5/10, as it has quite a bit of flaws, including balancing, having blind transitions, and being awkward to play as a whole. I'll be ignoring that with this, as I didn't find it a crucial point in what this level wanted to get across.

I found this to be an enjoyable time machine back into an era from over 7 years ago at this point, and I found that it succeeded in this aspect quite well. Could never have genuine hate in my heart for any level with this style, anyway.

This is my hardest completion in the game, and I adore every aspect of it. As the last Ocular miracle level, I do find that it would be at its best at the end of the five and a half minute level all these parts were intended to be included in, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I still find it amazing and one of the best levels this game has to offer, though.

I'll review it part by part, as I have things to say for most of them.

The first part of the level (0-11) is probably the part I have the least to say about. It's the buildup before the drop of the level, has somewhat weird gameplay which I'm not exactly sure how it was intended to be played, but it works fine. One of the weaker parts of the level gameplay wise, though I do think the dual is somewhat satisfying. Design wise, it's pretty, but it doesn't stand out very much. Not much else to say here, I'm pretty sure it's the shortest part.

The next part (11-23) is easily one of my favorite parts both gameplay and decoration wise. First thing to note is that I found this to be one of the most learny parts of the level, even more so than the Guillester dual. Once you learn it, however, it flows and plays great, and I can only imagine how playing this part feels from 0 on Ocular Miracle, though I'll attempt to be judging this based on it's role in this level. It still feels incredible to play, even with that setback, as the music still makes this part feels amazing. The song used (Exit This Earth's Atmosphere) is part of what makes this level feel so magical and great to play, and it enhances this part to be at its best. I love the colors used in the design of this part, as they contribute well to the more magical feel of this part of the song, and it makes the player feel legendary while playing it. I'll discuss this more at Guillester's and Zafkiel's part, but it is incredible how well this level does this song justice. This part did as good of a job as it could for this part of the song. Once again though, I will note that this is one of the parts that took me the longest to learn, but it feels great once you have it down.

23-31 is, unfortunately, one the worse parts of the level, though that isn't to say it's bad by any means. The gameplay plays fine, though I believe Pennutoh has done better. Another part that is somewhat learny, though not to the extent of Makaron's for me. I believe this part disappoints when it comes to it's design, mainly it's use of colors. The 2nd drop is the most exciting part of the song, but this colors used here were all rather dull, especially in comparison to the parts around it, which are all far more colorful and felt more ethereal. I don't think the decoration is bad by any means, and it doesn't entirely lack energy, I just think the color choices and color schemes could have been selected far better. Going back to the gameplay, it feels somewhat jank, but it's fun and feels good to pull off.

SrGuillester and Zafkiel is easily my favorite part of the level, and one of my favorite parts of any level in the entire game. The dual is very learny, but feels incredible to have fully learned, and it is so satisfying to pull off in an actual run. It all feels so magical to play, and the way it plays with the song is makes this part as good as it is. A common trend in the greatest levels in the game can often be how well they represent their song, and how the song adds to the feel of the level and the part you are playing, such as the end of Death Moon, or the buildup and "explosion" Lit Fuse has, and this section of this song could not have been delivered more justice in the gameplay department. The design is also the best the level has to offer, and may be one of the best "glow" parts of any level. The background looks stunning, and once again, a reason this design is so good is because of how well it and the song intermingle and work together to form it, along with the pretty colors, that I don't think could've been chosen better for this part. To add with the gameplay that feels perfect to play, this works as one of the best, most magical part of any level in the game. And although the level doesn't have any meaning to it, any story to be told with it, I find it to be emotional anyway. This, along with Ocular Miracle, is the justice this song deserved, and although this part won't have the impact it would've had if it was 75% into a 5 minute level, it doesn't truly matter to me, I adore it anyway. Maybe I'm just a glow lover, but I could care less. I love this part so much, and not much in this game compares to it. for me, at least. Feels like it hits the exact emotional beats the song intended to hit.

Xaro's part follows it up, and is probably the easiest part of the entire level, or at least one of, but I think this is great to have directly after the dual because of this, allowing the player to collect themselves. It's simple to learn, flows nicely, and has some of my favorite color choices and schemes used throughout the entire level, being decorated by Lucas, who made 11-23 as well. Once again, the colors Lucas used maintain the high energy of the song at this part well, and while I'll admit the block design is lacking in comparison to his first part, along with most of the level, it isn't too big of a problem. This part still keeps the magical, intense, feel that the rest of the drop had, and I think that's all it needs. A fun, simple, part, a nice way for the player to adjust themselves, and get back into the flow of the level.

Onto the first post-drop part of the level, which interestingly starts around 50%, a consequence of Diligence being a piece of a bigger level. It isn't the biggest of deals by any means, as it still begins to build the tension that it did on Ocular Miracle, it does soften the blow a tad bit to get here at 190 BPM every attempt. Probably for the better, though. Onto the actual gameplay built here (by Gaiden) I think it helps with deescalating the intensity of the level, and slowly building up tension for what the final 10% of the level climaxes to. Not very high CPS, just simple clicks to the beat, and it works as another section for the player to collect themselves and focus up for the upcoming part, than can be choked relatively easily. Design wise, it has more pastel colors, that I feel fit the intensity of the song very well, as the song's pace is slowing down greatly at this point.

Unerve's part was both built and decorated by them, and this could contribute to this part once again perfectly encapsulating what the song would want you to feel at this point in the level, (70%) also allowing the design and gameplay to fit together perfectly, a lot more simple when it's made by the same person. The gameplay here is the last part that's easier to die at, having some stranger duals and a weirder wave, but it still flows great, just like all the other gameplay in this level. (Sorry if I sound like a broken record, but a lot of the gameplay is satisfying to play! Very coherent collab gameplay wise, and this applies to most of Ocular Miracle.) I found that the colors used here made this part feel a lot more risky, intense, and unsafe, working perfectly with the difficulty this part has.

I'll include both of the last two parts of the level into one paragraph as there isn't too much to say about both of them. Bionic's part is another contender for the easiest, excluding the odd fading transition into it. The gameplay here is good, but not too interesting, so I'll mainly focus on the design with this one (made by Ji), and I think it's one of the prettiest parts of the level. I find the background to be beautiful, one of the most interesting out of all of OM. The main colors used are a nice pastel blue, pink, and orange, which, of course looks nice. The block design is also quite detailed here, and it obviously looks good. Only complaint I really have about this part is that the portals can blend into the BG rather easily. As for the final part of the level, this is purely a nerves test, as the gameplay is on the easier side, but it's still very nerve-wracking, and very possible to have a run end here. The gameplay also requires some level of focus, that I don't believe was seen with the part prior's gameplay, as you can easily die here if you get carried away clicking randomly. Obviously feels different from the end of a 5:30 long level, but as I've said before, it still works. The BG here is once again pretty and nice to look at (I love space/planet backgrounds!!) And the design and colors look nice too. That's all I really have to say about each part, though I will end that the art at the end looks gorgeous.

I probably like this level far more than most, and this is just reviewing it as if it wasn't a complete package, but I believe it's still a magical experience. I'd absolutely recommend, though I will note it's very learny.

1.9 themed classic. Gameplay flows very nicely outside of the first cube part, and the level has some fun swingcopter gameplay, easily some of the best you can find around this difficulty range. The level is based around the 4 elements, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, and it's themed nicely for a 1.9 level. Water was themed more towards the color blue than water itself, which is the only flaw I have with the theming itself. Otherwise the theming is on point. Out of all the parts, my favorite would probably be air, as it looks nice, and has the most satisfying gameplay out of the four, though fire's swingcopter is also very enjoyable. The music compliments the level well, making it feel more like an adventure than just random themed sections, which is what this level very much could of ended up being had it got the song aspect of itself wrong. Classic for a reason, and a great level for those wanting to get into insane demons, as it is around Windy Landscape difficulty.

This level got me back into the game, so I can thank it for that. Overall, I think the gameplay is fine, pretty enjoyable, though the difficulty is weighted towards a few parts near the middle. The design hasn't aged amazingly, though I think it surpasses Dedication and Renevant. The song is also a bit annoying. Still a solid level, though, and one of the better, more accessible, 2.0 extremes.