Rating Curve

I managed to beat Fratura in a one single day, but I can't say I was particularly impressed. For a Tier 8 demon, it felt like an unbalanced garbage. Gameplay felt really inconsistent, and it was disappointing to see it as a Weekly Demon. That being said, the decoration was undeniably well-done, and the song was really catchy. It definitely gave me some vibes reminiscent of Hinds style, which I appreciated. Ultimately, visuals and song were the highlights of an otherwise mediocre experience.

I first encountered Chaoz Airflow several years ago, aiming to beat it as my first Medium Demon. After sinking over 1000 attempts into duals, I realized it was too difficult and dropped it. Years later, I returned and beat it in around 300 attempts! While the level's design is solid, the gameplay feels incredibly unbalanced; the first wave and last UFO section were particularly troublesome, requiring some practice. On the upside, decorations is impressive for this age and the song is catchy. These elements were the main reason the level remained interesting and enjoyable for me, even when I was struggling. Despite the inconsistent gameplay, Chaoz Airflow is still fun to beat.

When I beat Nine Circles, it felt super hard, especially that ship part. Wave part was only really difficult in the first half, though. Overall, I think this level deserves to be Medium Demon (imo). Right alongside Jawbreaker and Fairydust, I played those levels to understand how to navigate semi-memory waves at high speed, and they really helped. From a gameplay perspective, it's not the best choice as your first hardest, but it's definitely not garbage either. For 1.9 level, decorations is really good, fresh, and interesting. This level created a whole new style of decoration that's still relevant today! Zobros definitely made an interesting effect-styled level.

I really enjoyed Stratus; the gameplay is super fun and playable. It's harder than Acu and Cataclysm, but easier than my current hardest, Once Again. If I had to pick a hardest part, maybe the mini-wave section right before the drop could be tricky for some, but as someone who's beaten harder levels, it wasn't a problem. And I fluked this level from 53%! The decorations is good, but I wouldn't call it legendary like RobTop did, epic maybe. Some parts let it down though, especially LaserBlitz's part at the beginning of the drop: it just feels like filler, he can do better. The song is really dynamic, which is one reason I chose to play this level. When you like song, decorations, and gameplay, it's the perfect combo. This level deserves to be played. I'd give it a 10/10. I beat it in about a week, and it’s one of the best Extreme Demons I've played. I definitely recommend it to everyone. Even though it was made early in 2.2, it's still worth playing.

As someone who beat this level, I'll give an objective view. Difficulty-wise, Once Again is definitely an Extreme Demon, harder than Acu, TROLLMACHINE, and Cataclysm, but probably a low-end tier Extreme. It's consistent, but swingcopter part at the end is a literally nightmare. It's the hardest part by far and I died on it like, six times. Pre-drop is kinda boring, so gameplay overall gets a 5/10 from me. The decoration style is old-school 2.1, very reminiscent of Korean collabs like Visible Ray. There's even gameplay inspired by Visible Ray in Once Again. The decor is fine, nothing amazing, nothing terrible. It's just kind of there. Overall, Once Again is a relatively accessible Extreme Demon, if you can learn that swingcopter. The decorations is a nostalgic trip to early 2.1, which some might love or hate.