Rating Curve

A very divisive level that has came out in recent months. If you aren’t aware, this level was made for a Stereo Madness remake creator contest hosted by Waboo, with the total prize money of $1000 for first place.

This level’s main identity is being a visual showfest. That alone doesn’t sound very exciting, as there are hundreds of other levels like this, but I actually really enjoyed many of the visuals shown here, particularly its 4th-wall breaking elements. I especially loved the part at around 56% with the person going crazy and destroying all the monitors; Its such a batshit insane part that I can’t help but love how overboard Bli went with it. The fake death at the end also admittedly caught me off guard when I was first playing it, such a fitting finale to the level. And of course, Bli’s insane optimization skill continues to impress.

On the other hand, there are other parts that kind of feel like they were just made for the sake of it, such as that “high-tech” part at around 18%. It’s visually stunning, but it doesn’t really feel as properly themed as other parts in this level, making it feel overall less cohesive. Both ship parts also have this effect of rapidly changing the backgrounds and styles through several flashes, which is fine enough, though other levels have executed parts like this better. I think it would be way more fitting to have these backgrounds themed around GD block designs, or even other aspects of a mobile device, rather than just detailed, albeit generic looking environments.

As for the gameplay itself, yea its quite literally just a slightly nerfed version of Stereo Madness. This seems to be where most people take issue with the level in regards to its gameplay, and that’s understandable, it makes the gameplay feel rather unoriginal. However, whether this was intentionally done or not, I feel like the gameplay just being a reskinned Stereo Madness acts as both nostalgic and a subversion; I actually cannot think of a better level to remake that a theme like this would go with. That being said, the gameplay isn’t without its gripes; A few parts in the level don’t have any musical sync at all, making them feel awkward, and costing the level a bit of that Stereo Madness charm. And I didn’t think the aforementioned “high-tech” part needed to be entirely auto. It’s a pet peeve of mine when 2 star levels have completely auto parts.

Overall, its not a top tier level, and it definitely has flaws, but I found myself to have enjoyed Rage Quit a lot more than I expected. I’d argue the level is overhated, with many seeming to claim that it has absolutely no merit, due to it being made for a creator contest involving money, and others even think its the “worst level ever”. This is such a disingenuous mindset to have; Just because money was a reason for someone to make something doesn’t mean it has no thought at all put into it (By that logic, we would deem any piece of critically acclaimed media to be nothing more than cash cows).

But to be entirely fair, I think this level didn’t really deserve its mythic rating (and im 99% certain that’s why its even so controversial in the first place lol), mainly due to it lacking the substance and depth found in most other mythic levels, its better reserved for being legendary instead. Though it actually isn’t the weakest mythic in the game rn imo (Throat of the World can comfortably take that spot).

Arguably the most popular demon in the whole game, but that mainly comes down to its long time reputation as the easiest demon in the game, which also makes it the most popular first demon to complete for many new players.

The level itself isn’t all that interesting, primairly due to the limitations of the older versions of the editor, but I can appreciate how it got an update every now and then in later versions.

Clubstep, but with all blocks replaced by invisible blocks. Nuff said.

Man, this was such a frustrating experience. At first, the level seemed fine enough while I memorizing it. However, the main problem is that once you have it fully down, the level becomes entirely carried by about 5 inputs (with the wave at 73% being particularly awful). This completely ruined any momentum I had with the level, turning it into a boring and tedious yet annoying snoozefest, especially with how boring the predrop is. I’m not sure if this kind of balancing was the intention or not, but even it it was, I still wouldn’t like this gameplay design at all.

As for the decoration, its okay. I like how it doesn’t take itself seriously, but it also just doesn’t have enough variance to keep me engaged.

I’m an avid memory enjoyer, but even though this seems like one of the more well-received memory levels, sorry but this level was just not it for me. You should probably go play Lost Love instead, as that level seems to be this one but actually good.

An absolute masterclass of a GD level, one of the most iconic levels of all time, and is still one of my favorites to this day. Pioneered the way for how to make high quality levels, and despite being released almost a decade ago now, it still holds up beautifully. The song representation is some of the best in the game, with many standout parts having an “emotional” feel, the whole ending especially being my favorite. This level as a whole just feels like an adventure. If you somehow have not played this already, you’re missing out on one of the greatest GD experiences ever.