Rating Curve

Such an inspirational level. Probably neigefeu's best.

Neigefeu's mastery with colors is something that has followed him throughout his creating career and something i've looked up to. You get get so far with excellent color work and Neigefeu proved it again with a level that relies on simple designs and a phenomenal song by LLAAPPSSEE to make for a chilling atmosphere that has captivated me for a long time.

The beginning minicube cube section starts off simple. A masking effect, circles for the background, and already, all the core values that make Sunward what it is are there. The gameplay is already on the more unusual sides of things and the level already has a very mysterious vibe to it.

Moving on the the cube part, the level opens up to brighter colors, and bumpy gameplay matching the song perfectly. The buffer intensive gameplay is a unique trait not seen in many levels that i wish was used more around this difficulty. A simple block design and powerful flashes help tie everything together making for a very strong opening to the level.

The following ball/cube part consists of very floaty gameplay with lots of vertical movement, often involving off camera gameplay that still manages to feel intuitive. once again, every design in the level, from block, to background, to air deco, is relatively simple, yet, it still manages to keep me engaged and looking forward to the next part.

Speaking of, the ship part, once again, consists of unique gameplay tropes and design choices, that, once again, are simple in nature. This is something that i will stop pointing out throughout the review but keep in mind that this is, in my eyes, the backbones of the levels, it's what makes Sunward what it is. Anyhow, the colorwork in this section is particularly nice, ranging from deep blues to pale yellows. The wobbly structures make everything feel alive, while not impairing the playability of the part.

The drop of this level is nothing short of phenomenal. I am decently biased here as the level takes on my two favorite colors, pastel yellow and green, but nonetheless i can appreciate how compositionally perfect this part is. The orb form a path for the player to follow as stars pulse and the background flickers in a very mesmerizing way. It just all works so well with the song, the ending taking on orange hues before transitioning to the following part is a perfect way to end this breathtaking section of the level.

Leading into the mini cube part we have what is in my opinion the weakest part of the level. It's very lackluster in intresting color work and a bit of a letdown after what the previous part delivered. But still not a bad part nonetheless with its own qualities such as the structuring.

Although a great part, the 2nd drop wave doesn't make me feel the same way the 1st drop did. I blame it on the slope structures making the part feel cluttered in what was an otherwise very open and "aerial" level. It's a shame as the background has once again some great colorwork that could've outdone the previous drop. The gameplay in this part also seems a bit weaker and simply doesn't do it for me like the other parts did.

The final section of the level consists of a cube falling through a bunch of stars as the level flashes different colors. Simple but effective, this part, while nothing special, is a good way of ending the level in my eyes.

could they really not think of any other name for this level

Phenomenal color work, will write more about it later

In my eyes this is among the most recognizable extreme demon in the game, and for a good reason. The song representation in this part is so good that the first cube section has become iconic for it, every somewhat experienced GD player remembers the click pattern. The base gameplay in this part is good and really innovative, the level takes a simple structure, repeats it, and explores so many ideas on what to do with it. Unfortunately, the pink orb section at ~8% has been ruined by 2.2, making it much harder than what it originally was. My only real complaint with this part would be 11%, i don't mind the gameplay being completely covered up but the section just shouldn't be this hard considering that the gameplay is invisible. I would also like to point out the color progression throughout the cube section, as the bright and pale yellow turns more orange and saturated.

As you are catapulted into the second part you encounter really odd memory ish gameplay, that at first might seem unfun, but after learning it it gets very consistent apart from 1 or 2 clicks. The wonkiness of some of the inputs can be excused by how creative the structuring in this part is, the level is literally closing in on you as you narrowly escape which was really well executed. This part is imo really underrated as the song representation is just as immaculate as the first section. The guitar riffs goes so well with the gameplay and each one of them is made powerful through both the decoration and gameplay. My only complaint is the wave part, it feels rushed, and i don't like how it completely discards the idea of going through structures that the entire level had maintained so far.

The drop energy the drop part carries is phenomenal. The song is already great on it's own and the decoration just goes so well with it, it just has that raw energy where what matters most is the ideas being put forward, and not the execution itself, which i think is a mentality more creators should adopt for decorating overall. The background is simple but works well, the color work is great and the gameplay really keeps you engaged. It's fun, gimmicky in some places, never gets frustrating. The level gets easier overtime, making the drop really enjoyable to play on it's own, while not being frustrating if you play from earlier in the level. The ending ball part is really neat, its a great ending to a great level.

I doubt this is what the creator intended, but to me the progression in this level just boils down to "getting closer to the sun", the start consists of a desaturated yellow, and ends with really bright and colorful sections. Again, i just wish 2.2 didn't mess things up with this level.