Rating Curve

Taman perfected making an atmosphere back in 2015 and every other creating is just scraping to make a level as good

My friend showed me this level a while back, and honestly I was just lost for words watching it.

All I can say is many more people need to know about this level, it simply just a spectacle of chaos that no level is even close to being like.

I remember back in early 2.1 being extremely fond of this level, being a good landscape to showing the potential of how 2.1 effect levels could go about.

There’s no distinctive theme in this level, with it flowing through a mishmash of different ideas, from the cybernetic background of the first ball, to the crystal mines in the final ufo, however it feels that this is the point of the level. It’s just echonox’s attempt to bring a showcase of various effects that he’s been able to built.

It works well, the song especially compliments the level well, which also feels slightly all over the place, but still feels well and isn’t at all a bad track to be listening to whilst beating.

Another main highlight of the level is it’s transitions, one of the main reasons I like the decoration as much as I do, every transition flows extremely well between each segment, is smooth to watch, and help prevents the level looking like a mess.

While I’ve complimented the deco a lot, my overall rating isn’t too favourable since the level to actually beat is quite tedious. Gameplay feels awkward throughout, and the predrop has some timings that are quite a stretch for a medium demon.

Genuinely a magnum opus in Devin's career, world war is a perfect blend between his oftentimes uncanny block design with his overall unserious and wacky approach to creating levels.

World war feels like a level with no theme or idea, seemingly cascading between multiple settings, however this premise is executed extremely well. Being used already to Devins style of creating helps understand this level, but noticing the extreme attention to detail shows there is meaning to each section and it isn't just a complete mess. Each part seems to lack cohesion in a certain aspect, take the first ship. There is no structuring in this section, with the same birdlike saw and ground spike copy pasted everywhere. However the kaleidoscope like display of effects in the background, that seem to contrast with the rough feel of the saws, keeps the level vibrant and interesting, and shows there was still passion put into this part.

Another aspect of this level I really like is the seemingly unpolished feel the level gives, random pickable coins throughout the level, or the random display of pink orbs near the halfway point add to the feel that this level is a "mess". The grotesque arts placed in the level also add to this feel, they serve no purpose to be there, but they help add to the shock value of this level. In some sections the level seemingly loses its whole composition, for example the cube after the wave.

The song choice is another reason why this level stands out so well. The music used in a level tends to be extremely important, and is able to make or break the whole feel of a level. It isn't just about using a song deemed to be good, but about using something that can encapsulate what you are aiming for with your level. With this levels song, whilst it definitely isn't something I'd listen to in my free time, its sporadic nature is a perfect suite for what this level is going for. Highlights for in which this level uses the song to its best is definitely at the end of the level. During the second drop of the level, the song ramps up to its highest, with a heavy power noise beat that is quite uncomfortable to the average listener. The level represents this by instead of ramping up the intensity with some epic effects or bg, but with a constant flashing of a black screen, or the occasional silhouette art of a person. The blocks start shaking aswell, and lines or purple orbs are spiralling in chaos. Overall these details picture the level as being in its peak, and its starting to spiral out of control. After his climax, the song instantly changes feel, with singing vocals playing that signify peacefulness and a resolution. These vocals are perfectly represented with the colourful background effects, which I have 0 clue how they were made in the editor.
Overall, another review on this level perfectly summarises my thoughts, its like an avant-garde geometry dash level.

Such a beautiful level, that truly shows the potential of what could be done in the 1.9 editor.

The level understands its pace, the rainbow effects don't start up until the drop, instead the whole predrop of the level starts as a showcase of some extremely stunning level design. The first part in particular stands out, especially the rainbow arches that are bridging structures together that shift in colour, a very impressive feat to do back in 1.9.
The entire drop, once arrived at, is a entire spectacle of extremely well executed rainbow effects, keeping the whole rest of the level active and vibrant. The rainbow corridor at the beginning is just iconic, there's a nice contrast of the vivd colours inside the corridor, and the cold grey design on the outside, further highlighting the beauty of the rainbow effects. The rest of the drop continues to keep up its pace, I'm especially a fan of the little animations done in the ball sections, for example the pulsating crosses, that looks like a flower thats constantly growing then withering away. These features are definitely very eye catching, and add to the vibrancy of the level. I'm also a big fan of the final ufo with the hilly landscape and multicoloured glow blocks giving quite a wondrous site.

Overall, this level deserves to be compared in the same tiers as levels such as colourful overnight, which both use the limited colour effects in 1.9 extremely creatively to create a joyful and lively experience.

I remember when this level first came out, and it basically shocked the whole community from how much long it was compared to any other level in the game, This is easily one of the most emotional levels in gd, with the amazing song choice definitely helping out with this.
The level begins off in greyscale, with a most of the level obscured, only a small circle around the player, giving the impression of emptiness, emphasising the feeling that you're alone, with nothing around you. You start off as a cube, wandering through brick-like block design that seems to give the feeling you're in a deserted town (?). You then turn into a mini cube, where the tiny blocks do a great job at making the player move to the piano notes. The cube turns into a ship, and you're suddenly taken to a hilly landscape, where you must avoid all the floating islands around you. Eventually after a bright flash, the black void surrounding you goes, but despite this, everywhere is still empty, you can take a better look at what is around out, however there is still no-one around you, you're still alone. The remainder of this first section is a massive adventure across many different greyscale environments. You stride across an empty city in the desert, you are taken all the way up to the clouds and even end up inside a steampunk factory. One of my favourite parts of the level is where you seem to be part of a old film tape, your wave trying to avoid the seemingly misplaced obstacles around you. It's a part that requires a lot of focus to avoid, and once you make it past this section, you are greeting with a beautiful landscape of a pyramid, whilst still in the film tape, you can now relax now, and admire the view. Another highlight is the ship section at 47, as the ship glides through the floating orbs, there is a strong aura of light surrounding you, giving you hope, that maybe things will get better eventually.
A turning point is around 2/3 of the way into the level, where the first colour starts to appear, with a single red rose in the background of the level. However despite this, you are thrown into the most intimidating part of the level. White little orbs start to appear above you, fairly innocent looking, however the level is quick to show you what happens if you touch one of those, with a barrage of monsters jumping out to slaughter you. You must navigate yourself through this field of thorns, whilst also focusing on the innocuous looking orbs, trying to avoid them aswell. Afterwards a mini cube section occurs, where more colours start to appear as yellow beams of light, as the cube is constantly rising up, hinting that you're possibly rising to a more promising place, with a gleam of light at the top giving you more hope. Eventually another bright flash comes, and you reappear with a blue sky around you. The gloomy greyscale of the level is gone, and its a beautiful azure landscape around you. Things feel more promising now, maybe all the previous despair is starting to fade away. You continue your adventure, going through a swap full of creatures, and a vast desert landscape, with many falling stars to avoid. Eventually the level goes black, with a small credits sequence to show that you've finally come to the end of your adventure, and single tiny spike right at the end to throw off any unaware players, meaning they would have to restart the whole 6 minute journey again.
Overall, the level uses simple block design, creative backgrounds and an amazing atmosphere to perfectly encapture the feeling of a proper journey

There isn't much I can really add onto talking about this level which hasn't already made this level probably the most well respected level in the game, however I will add i especially love the ball part. After a fairly lowdown section of the level that follows one of the more intense parts of the level, ball bit perfectly encapsulates the sudden ramping up of the song with the added guitars. The way the ball moves up and down in sync to the song, with the more rapid ball movements contrasting the moreso smooth-flowing movement of the previous cube. The background is also spectacular, with how the arrows change direction with which way the ball is moving. The backgrounds in this level are amazing, and definitely one of the major reasons why this level is as influential as it is now, especially throughout the last 25% of the level.