Rating Curve

to be fair, it's a bit of a slow burn, but the storytelling is flawless on this one. So impactful <3

In a time where most of the acclaimed and highly anticipated levels have revolutionary techniques and impressively tight art direction, a small level from a mysterious creator rises in popularity for nailing 1 thing: passion.

What makes "ReEntry" fascinating, at least to me, is that it feels like the creator just had a blast making it. It's a level that feels loose and free. It just presents small yet exciting ideas back to back, that somehow culminate in a very cohesive experience. This is something that I feel design levels have been lacking a lot, lately. They are so overfocused on detail, or so rigid at emulating a certain style or a certain era of styles, that they tend to lack innovation. Or, at least, they don't feel as lively as this.

As for less positive notes, the gameplay is quite tricky in a few areas for a 9*

But regardless, I really enjoy this level! Super refreshing, especially for the design style.

Funnily enough, this will age much quicker than any Map Pack level.

With that being said, I don't have much to say about this level. It's a really good shitpost that somehow won a Gauntlet contest with money on the line.

As for specifics, the visuals are really good, however the joke will die out in a couple of years. I also can't really judge the gameplay, because 1) this level lags even on LDM for me, and 2) I can't stand this song for the life of me, so not even 5 attempts later and my motivation to play this level drops to zero, because of that.

I've already discussed this level in video form, when it came out, so I'll try to summarize my thoughts from back then, since they are the same now.

Based on the prompt this level is based on (Stereo Madness remake), Bli made a pretty decent job on this level. The technicalities of this level are quite impressive, especially the fluid animations. I also very much enjoy the overarching story told in the level about a new player rage-quitting on Stereo Madness. The forced deaths the player has to experience are a clever way to build the narrative.

Unfortunately, the storytelling of this level isn't perfect. The first ship part, for instance, is quite simply a filler visual stimulation that has nothing to do with anything in the rest of the level.

The gameplay, while mostly being Stereo Madness, also has some major flaws... at least, when it comes to sightreadability. Some camera movements back and forth make some easy obstacles quite hard to predict, and we can be all day discussing the 9 screens section, and how everything wrong with it would be solved if Bli indicated which screen was not going to be smashed and, therefore, safe to look at.

Overall, like I said before, the level isn't necessarily bad, especially for its prompt and the time limit given, but it has quite some flaws in sightreadability and narrative cohesion.