Rating Curve

Does way more with the restriction of using literally only 1 block and some colors then I could have imagined to be possible. For a long time I considered this to be Xuser's coolest level, but I realize now that most of what he would make in the future builds on this concept to much greater heights, especially Orbdancer. I know it's an insanely annoying nitpick, but the green jump indicator blocks irritate me a lot; there's no reason this level couldn't have just been a demon without compromising the cohesiveness of the visuals, because I don't think it would have even played worse. Regardless, this level serves as an amazing blueprint for what Xuser would go on to build as well as a very respectable effort in its own right.

The self-described final boss of neon blending-slop, Dawnshard really is the culmination of a style Xuser has been honing for several years now. Brighter and more vibrant than ever, this level is a constant rush of patterns, colors, and effects nearly seamlessly integrated into each other. This level plays like an absolute dream--it's only decorated in the first place because I loved the layout so much, and with the changes and not insignificant reworks it's difficult to point out anything that could tangibly improve the playing experience. Mesmerizing in both fields, and if this is the end of an era for Xuser then I can't wait to see what comes next.

Serponge's parallax superstructure fading in from cometface's part is one of the most striking visual moments in any level ever. Seeing this cosmic behemoth in the distance only to realize that it's your destination inspires both fear and awe that persists until Audieo's first part kills the momentum, which is a shame because I think the rest of his parts match the first half in quality. Some of the most memorable environments I've seen in a level and likely the most menacing and looming atmosphere of any space gauntlet entry, possibly of any non-demon.

Probably the most accurate representation of a factory out there--oppressive, smothering, painful, and piercing. I happen to not enjoy feeling any of those things.

It could fill your inspiration meter full, it could fill your planter boxes with earthworms, it could fill your skies with rainbows dancing across clouds, it could earn you credits towards your biology degree--or it could just be a cool plant level

Far and away the best quid level and the only one that matches Antichamber in terms of creativity. When quid first appeared, I never would have guessed that they would make the same glowy level a dozen times and every person in the world would call a different one their favorite, but seeing this level gave me hope that even the worst creators might have something valuable to offer. Of course, there are still the classic quid tinges of carelessness and laziness, like desynced elements that are clearly meant to match the song, gameplay that basically only serves to fill space, and reused ideas from previous levels. If this level was in the hands of a competent creator, I think it had a shot at being perfect.

This entire review was basically just an excuse to hate on quid while leaving a positive score. Sorry!

I rate this creator's depression a 0/10!

Ambition is a real killer. The scope of this level is far beyond what I think ilrell was capable of in terms of gameplay and hosting throughout most of its early development; some parts find their footing, but the level ends up being more incoherent because of it. Definitely a clear pre-cursor to the later magical realism ilrell/Chunlv1/Arclia hosted collabs which far outpace this in popularity and quality these days. I can't say this is more than an interesting relic with a handful of gorgeous bits.

My comfort level, if there is such a thing. Every part is more beautiful and immersive than the previous, increasing in both decoration and gameplay quality throughout, which to me matches the slow and subtle progression of the song. I know this isn't Kiwi's "masterpiece" or whatever, but it feels more personal having loved this level for years.

Makes me pretty sad to see that the community attitude towards this level has hardly changed over the past 4 years, even in a space like this that has a least some sort of critical gaze. I guess that neutral-positive is better than neutral-negative, but I've always felt this level was really brilliant and one of the very few instances where something truly new captured the wider attention of the playerbase. As time as moved on, my favorite part of this level has honestly become the opening cube, from the ebbing of dim lights, vertical rise and fall, and admittedly, influence on my own ideas about what makes a good level (if you're curious, maybe you'll notice a throughline of discussion of structuring in many of my reviews). Basically, I like it a lot, and I don't think there needs to be much more to it.