Rating Curve

The Sun Came Forth demonstrates a notable departure from the qualities that defines Renn241’s skillset in the editor, but said departure is substituted with such a riveting atmosphere that, dare I say, it makes for one of the most memorable levels by the creator.

At first, I wasn't fully captivated by The Sun Came Forth's pitch darkness and sparse greyscale decoration in the initial part. The empty spaces left a lot to be desired. However, as the level progressed, with added details and colorful gradients in the ball part as the song ramps up, it became evident that the level may be conveying a message or experience transcending geometrical details alone. This message would become even clearer upon reaching the first dash orb in what might be the most cathartic drop sequence I have seen since Lit Fuse. The burst of energy and vibrant colors upon hitting the dash orb was truly beautiful. It felt like a release of pent-up emotions, resonating deeply with the melancholic tone of the Cacola song. This emotional journey continued as the player descended, with the vibrant, rainbow-colored background distorting increasingly, reflecting a sense of anguish and emotion. This distortion intensified through subsequent wave and ship parts, leading to a return to darkness. By the end, I was left speechless.

This level was a very beautiful emulation of Renn241's emotional turmoil, with the drop expressing the creator in his most distressed state despite being the most vibrant part (an irony to the title name), with the emotions being even stronger until the end. I absolutely love levels that provide this kind of personal and emotional connection, and The Sun Came Forth might be the best level I've played in a long time to do that. I recognize the level may not be to the tastes of everyone, especially when considering some of the gameplay is completely blind, and the parts may feel dragged. In my opinion, levels that best capture the creator’s emotions in the way they intended are some form of masterpiece in their own right.

The powerful experience ties to the creator's struggles with creating. As mentioned in his YouTube description, Renn241 finds immense dissatisfaction and hatred in what he builds, viewing his levels as soulless and meaningless. The Sun Came Forth is supposed to be a step towards being a more impactful experience, by reflecting on the emotions that Renn241 has for oneself through the representation of intense emotions with respect to the song. One commenter of the video sums it up perfectly: "perfectionism of a creative form is a terrible thing." This is true, and it's a very institutionalized concern that several creators experience. My only wish for these creators, and Renn241 especially, is to find solace and satisfaction with their creative endeavors. It saddens me when such talented creators, like Renn241, struggle to realize the value and beauty in their work and end up getting consumed by the darkness that is self-doubt and perfectionism. I guess the main takeaway is that it’s important to embrace one’s imperfections and creativity; allowing our creative minds to flow more freely without an internal or external voice hindering us can truly help lead to more fruitful and satisfying outcomes. Though The Sun Came Forth may still remain unrated, regardless of any future outcomes, I sincerely hope that Renn241 (and others for the matter) can find peace in their creative journeys, knowing that their levels have inspired several others and spark joy among those experiencing them.

Beautiful work, Renn, please keep being the amazing creator and person that you are. <3

• Review sourced from Viprin + Paste

With each subsequent release, bli continues to solidify himself as one of the biggest creating titans of the game in recent times, showing his prowess in both art and optimization to a fervent degree. No doubt has the community been hungry for bli's first 2.2 level, but for many, it might have been a surprise that bli's latest masterpiece is a Stereo Madness remake.

Rage Quit was designed for Waboomania's Stereo Madness contest, where 100 creators were challenged to recreate a limited duration of Stereo Madness, with each qualifying competitors being tasked to build for larger offsets and, eventually, the entire level. bli was one of the finalists, and unsuprisingly, won the competition with their level, which has some of the most jaw-dropping transitions that I have seen since the release of the 2.2 Update. From the punching of the iPad, to the player breaking out of the screen and into the matrix, to the fake error screen, Rage Quit offers a plethora of visually stimulating elements to unpack, to the point it's kind of overwhelming. My jaw dropped when I witnessed every transition and eye-catching effects that succeeded each other in rapid fashion, and that excitement seldom receded as the level continued to throw in effect after effect. By the end of the level, I was stunned with what I had just witnessed, and I'm sure a majority of others have felt that way too.

However, once my first impressions have receded, I found it difficult to achieve a remotely similar level of carharsis after rewatching or replaying Rage Quit. I don't deny that Rage Quit is, without a doubt, a technical masterpiece, but it also doesn't feel like culmination of bli's creative potential, nor did it reach the level of emotional resonance I was expecting from a level (or creator) who would be the fan-favorite to receive the coveted Mythic rating. As such, I found myself teetering towards the lesser value in the Legendary rating. My rationale lies in how the level struggled to establish a lasting, personal connection with me beyond the initial awe that I felt upon my first experience watching the level. As stunning as the level is, and quite frankly being one of bli's most technically impressive works that he released thus far, in many ways, it felt like all that I had to experience from Rage Quit was merely caught that one overwhelming experience I had the first time. For many creators, the art of creating levels have long been about the trial-and-error process of designing and releasing levels that were imperfect yet human, allowing for personal connections on said levels and paving way for growth and evolution. This feeling is one that I felt was lost in Rage Quit, as the level manages to capture a sense of perfectionism that, while leaving me with no real negative criticisms, deprives the authentic, human characteristic of the level. We value art for their abstractness and authenticity of feeling human, but when something is manufactured to look perfect, the personal connction is often lost.

I recognize that I am one of the oddballs for viewing Rage Quit in a mannerism that isn't congruent to what most may think, but I also recognize that first impressions are often the strongest impressions. For many, that first experience was a sensational, unreal, and cathartic experience that was unlike anything previously experienced in a Geometry Dash level, which makes sense as to why it's a fan favorite. No doubt, bli is a sensational creator and he knows his audience well; he is very capable of designing such extraordinary visuals to rightfully capture the spotlight, and that in itself is a talent. For these reasons, it's no surprise that Rage Quit got a Mythic rating. However, if you were to ask me personally, I still yearn for a level that shows bli's true capabilities, a level that is free from gimmicks and public marketing and is instead a true testament to bli's ambitions, artistry and passion for the game that he has achieved great success in.

• Review sourced from Viprin + Paste

Entering 2021, vrymer gained traction for his repertoire of very creative ideas that were fleshed out into one delightful experience, or, in the case of Eternelle Vehemence, a collision of different ideas within a 5-minute runtime that, while not necessarily the most polished or cohesive, was a spectacle of ingenuity that never once felt boring. After a brief absence from the creating scene, vrymer returns with sha, which, in my opinion, not only outdoes the likes of Eternelle Vehemence, but serves as one of the most uniquely designed levels that serve both as a testament to Vrymer's proficiency in the editor and to the community's limitless potential for creativity through abstract designs.

When playing sha, you're immediately met with a spectacle of bright, unorthodox color schemes which, in theory, shouldn't necessarily work with each other and should clash like hell, but manages to work wonders here. The colour combos are so bizaare yet so pleasant and riveting, which is crazy to think about even 3 years later. The structures are also very uniquely designed, and the parts change frequently, which gives players barely enough time to process the information altogether for a given part. The craziness of the level is further honed by the robot part, which has some of the coolest effects I have ever seen emulated on a block design with how it bends in different directions with the background following suit, easily making it one of the most memorable part of the entire level. The trend of trippy visuals and bizaare yet simultaneously polished and clean structures continue toward the end. The culmination of strangeness is topped with a bossfight against a creature named Mr. Baboo, which I can't even begin to describe how I feel about the whole sequence. The bossfight feels like it should be dragged out and boring because of how lengthy it is and how simple the bossfight is, but with the text that shows up on screen and the walking animation of the bossfight, I couldn't help but continue to be enthralled. It's just so damn good, and the bossfight serves as a cherry on top to what a strange yet amazing experience us players went through.

The gameplay is something I especially want to touch up on here, because if we were to look closely at the gameplay, there actually isn't much going on with it. It's fundamentally simple, and, dare I say, pretty linear and uninteresting. Yet, not one experience of the gameplay felt inherently boring in any way. This is thanks to the visuals being such a strong component of the level's experience, such that it triumphs over the linearity of the gameplay. What's even better is that despite the trippy visuals and unorthodox structuring, the gameplay is almost perfectly sightreadable, and I have little to no complaints on how hazards are telegraphed. I should also mention that sha tends to use slower speeds for much of its gameplay. Many levels that use slower speeds tend to use such speed portals to signify less intense or stimulating parts and leave faster speed portals for more energetic and intense moments. sha, on the other hand, is quite stimulating in just about every part, and manages to be consistent with it with the exception of the robot part and the bossfight being the staple moments of the level.

If a player were to describe sha as a "sensory overload" of an experience, I would believe them. This level has so much going on with its saturated colour combinations and crazy shapes that, it's no surprise that a few people may jest about how this level is pretty much the equivalent to taking LSD. There's definitely been "LSD-type" levels before, but none as cohesive and as pleasant as sha in my opinion. vrymer truly is a talented creator who knows just how to execute his ingenious ideas with great zeal, with sha being a level that rightfully earned its place in the Strange Gauntlet and being a level we'll remember for years to come.

• Review from Viprin + Paste