Rating Curve

Absolutely beautiful level. I love the variety and intricacy in the various designs. The effects and transitions are on point, and it really has no dull moment despite being entirely monochromatic. The song chosen is also an intimate, soaring piece that makes this level feel like traveling through an illustration, perhaps something like a double-spread manga panel. The gameplay is a little tricky at times, but the novelty of the tilted part (created before camera triggers) is commendable.

it’s easy to understand why everyone hates this level, and every 0 it gets is deserved. That being said, PAHC Never Clear by our very own lolcow WKGames is deranged to the point where I see it as more of a work of performance art than a GD level.

One of my favorite levels ever. Every part just has this beautiful dynamism to it. I love the way everything moves, and the colors work well with the song. "Tsuretette" is over a half decade old, yet it still looks fresh all these years later.

For as long as there have been humans and stars, we have gazed upon the heavens with wonder. Aperture by Chunlv1, Reunomi and Matty2003 is a Space Gauntlet entry themed around the act of Stargazing, with a specific focus on telescopes and astrophotography. Aside from the name (the aperture is the hole through which light passes in a camera), the level's in-game description is a dead giveaway of this level's intentions. "Picture taken at April 25th - 1990" is almost certainly a reference to the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, which happened on that day. Given everything else in this level that involves telescopes, I think this is a reasonable assumption.

The level starts with a spider part that is a little tricky to learn, but is fairly satisfying to pull off once you get it done. Here, the circular structuring that gradually expands feels like zooming out while taking a photo.

The next section is a cube part that doesn't really adhere to the same telescope themes, but even here are little easter eggs that fit in with the general theme. Much of the background and foreground is comprised of papers, where we see drawings, planetary charts, and to tie it all together, an acceptance letter to "Praiseton University"'s Astrophysics Department for the 1979 academic year. Considering the letter claims this "Praiseton" is located in New Jersey despite such a town not seeming to exist, this may be a parody of Princeton. The letter gives context to all the papers and study material we see in this section; the protagonist of this level is furthering her education. Unfortunately, she seems to be having a tough time as the last paper we see has a big red "F" stamped on it.

We transition into a robot section with an animation of eyes closing on the screen, as if the viewer has blinked. As the player goes through a room with books and astronomical equipment, we see the text "For how long were you asleep?". It seems our protagonist has studied to exhaustion. Then, we see a telescope, perfectly positioned by a window gazing at the moon.

The drop transition features an animation of a camera, calling back to the titular Aperture, and then flies through a rolling film strip with frames of stars and constellations. I especially love how the ship movements in tandem with the film strip make the player look like an astronomical object themselves, zipping across the screen like a comet.

After this is another cube section similar to the first one, with photographs of planets and stars alongside mathematical functions. Text appears here too, with the words "When was the last moment that sparked interest towards astronomy?" slowly appearing as the part progresses. Here is where the level's story begins to materialize. Given the exhausting studying and lackluster grades, our protagonist may be grappling with feelings of burnout regarding her Astrophysics education. In times like those, it is very easy to question your commitment. Why am i doing this? What's the point of it all?.

As the player makes it way through a bedroom (presumably the protagonist's) in an unobtrusive swing/ship section, we approach the open window that hints at what is to come. In the bedroom sequence too, are fine details worth appreciating. The parallax on the foreground structures is immaculately executed, with the desk-like structure that has a lamp on it being a highlight. I also appreciate how it's not really a desk, more of a diagonal structure that better fits the natural movements of the swing. This is, after all, a Geometry Dash level.

As the player makes their way out of a large window, we are transported to a robot section in which the player moves around a large telescope, a domed building that may be where the previous sections are set. The 3D circular motion is great here too. We transition into the second drop with an animated sequence featuring our heroine gazing at the stars and forming a frame with her fingers. The film strip makes a return here too, as the moon transitions into an animations of it cycling through its phases on the film.

From Spu7nix's "HOW" and "WHAT", to levels like 3Depth and even mods like 3Dash, GD creators have long wished to break the dimensional boundaries of this game. The 2nd drop is a euphoric sequence as the player jumps through structures that come from the front, rather than the side of the screen as is usual. We see stars, asteroids and a tunnel reminiscent of the flash game Run. The 3D structures here are well done, and the gameplay is easy enough to understand. Bonus points for using the actual player instead of creating a fake cube. We go into a ball section where the player goes through a satellite, ending the first 3D sequence.

After this is a return to 2D side scrolling, in a section that was a little annoying to play. A few of the jumps feel "blind" and hard to anticipate here. We get into a wave section where the filmstrip is once again visible in the background as we smoothly transition to the final gameplay sequence in the level. Here is a dual wave section where the players zigzag alongside the walls of a tunnel. Here it feels as if the player is traveling inside a telescope. As the end of the tunnel approaches and the titular aperture opens up, we see a singular star, glowing brighter than all the others, come into focus. Everything goes white, and the endscreen appears.

The endscreen is a stunning art piece featuring our protagonist silently contemplating as the star from earlier materializes amidst her hands held in front of her. The 2nd drop, overall, functions as an epiphany, the answer to the questions and doubts that floated through her conscience in the level's midsection. As the grand magnificence of the heavens overwhelms our senses, it's as if the stars are communicating the conclusion to our small narrative. This is the point. This is why you are here, studying to exhaustion and doing all this. It's the simple wonder that implants itself onto every stargazer, the expanses of the skies leaving all observers speechless. That is what I feel when I play Aperture.

Perhaps I’m just a sucker for the effect/modern levels of 2.0, but this level is one of my favorite megacollabs ever. Each part is great in its own way, and feels like a showcase of each creator’s talents. Some of the effects here are still jaw-dropping, all these years later. No part here looks dull, and the bright, cheery song uplifts the overall vibe. It’s an absolute blast of a level, and a love letter to one of my favorite eras of this game.

A satirical comment you often find on YouTube videos of songs that are considered bad is something along the lines of "This wasn't released, it escaped." In a sincere context however, that is what this level feels like to me, a sounding board of random ideas, a sketchbook of sorts. The name, "Test Tube", implies this. This is not really a GD level in the conventional form, and I find it strange that people are judging it as such. This is a canvas of paint splatters, perhaps a scrapped palette adorned with attempts to mix a new colour. This gives me the same feeling as listening to a "mumble demo" of a song, something you'll often find in internet leaks in unreleased music circles. In particular, Ye (fka Kanye West) is known for these demos, where a finished instrumental will play as he tries to form a rhythm by mumbling out a verse. Most of it just sounds like "sunna wunna hunna mmffpgh" as the beat plays, but oftentimes a random word will slip out, reminding you that you are not listening to an intentional work. These leaked demos are often obtained illegally through iCloud hacks, SIM swapping and social engineering. They were not meant to be heard by anyone, just a part of the artist's creative process. To listen to them feels like intruding into another person's mind, an act of voyeurism through an mp3 on KrakenFiles. "Test Tube" possesses that same eerie feeling, yet for some inexplicable reason, BlanketAddict decided to release this for the public. The twitter drama that spawned upon this level's release is also interesting on its own. It feels like Duchamp's "Fountain" for an audience entirely unfamiliar with it.