Rating Curve

"Deja Vu" is the prime example of a visually incredible level which is ruined by its gameplay. Each part having the same gameplay but a completely different style and ambience is an interesting concept, even if it's not very novel as it's already been accomplished before through creator contests (does anyone remember back when that one 'Mushroom Forest' layout used to be popular?). Each part is extremely striking and unique from one another, and it's intriguing to see the flair that each creator has integrated. I think the ominous atmosphere of CuLuC's part makes it stand out compared to how relatively serene and calm the other parts are, and I like the whole effect of reality being 'shattered' as the level draws to a close.

Unfortunately, the main problem here is that the base gameplay is mind-numbingly bland. On a visual level, it's exceptional, but it's highly apparent that not much thought was placed into the gameplay. This isn't a level that creatively pushes platformer mode to its limits, instead just using it as a canvas to display its art. This is fine in itself but it's a little disappointing to see a level sacrifice its own enjoyability in favor of aesthetic value. I'm not a massive fan of platformer levels where you're forced to 'wait' for objects to move either. It's a little unintuitive which is a shame because this would be an excellent level if the gameplay was improved. Some of the obstacles are also obscured thanks to blending in too well with the surroundings, which is an interesting complaint as this also applies to a lot of sunset levels from 1.9 and 2.0. I thought we would have learned to make a better distinction between obstacles and blocks, but I suppose some things never change.

I'm not going to address the 'slop' or 'corporate' allegations (with regard to its deco) in this review because I think reducing a level to 'soulless slop' is just reductive and unhelpful criticism. I firmly believe that hyper realistic levels such as these are NOT the greatest threats to the integrity of the GD rating system unlike the arthouse crowd that purports them to be. If anything, I think levels like "Milky Ways Redux" (120367620) getting Featured is much more concerning with regard to the state of the GD rating system. I think that most of the 'slop' accusations in the GD (artsy) community is misdirected, especially when unremarkable and unoriginal levels like "Milky Ways Redux" are much worse offenders when it comes to showing how awfully biased the rating system is.

holy shit they made a level about adachi. but where are the cabbages? 6/10 i'm disappointed.

I think "Maili HI" might rightfully claim its title for Split72's best level. It's almost crazy how good this is when you consider how bland and factory-produced the majority of Split72's output seems to be. The atmosphere here is definitely on-point and I love all of the little 'movements' that go along with the song (such as the streetlights metronomically flashing in time). It manages to effectively capture the whole 'tropical island paradise' vibe in spite of being so simplistic. There is only one part that I really hate and that's the little segment between 33% and 43%. It's practically indistinguishable from any generic Split72 level that you draw from a hat, which really sucks because the rest of the level is so unique and strays far from the boring levels Split72 has come to be known for. Aside from this nitpick, I think this is an extremely solid level! It's atmospheric, the song representation is nice, and it didn't even feel like a 5 minute level despite its runtime. Also, this level inspired "Oahu" which I think improves upon every aspect of this level (except for the fact that it's a little too short).

It's always a surprise (although not a pleasant one) to come across a rated level that's nothing more than a half-assed tech demo, and "Reaching Rebounds" is the epitome of this genre of level. For one, it's an extremely barebones and empty level with almost nothing going on. You could argue that by choosing to make this level as visually bland as possible, Split shifts the player's focus away from the deck to the level's whole 'wall jump' gimmick. The only problem with this line of reasoning is that the 'wall jump' gimmick is dreadfully executed (as well as annoyingly inconsistent). Not only that, but I don't think it's a very valid excuse for a level that is completely packed with meaningless filler. The level's opening and multiple 'lightbulb parkour' interludes serve no purpose other than to waste the player's time and make "Reaching Rebounds" appear to have much more substance than it actually does (although the lightbulbs making a sound effect and glowing once stepped on is a neat effect, I'll give credit for that).

The 'wall jump' gimmick doesn't feel almost as terrible as when I first beat this level (I beat it in 7 minutes whereas my first attempt to beat this level when it first released came to around 11 minutes), but I still don't think it was executed all too well. I think with some more polishing and playtesting it could have turned out to be a better level, but as it stands, it just feels like an extremely primitive and unenjoyable beta version of a substantially more promising final product. It also doesn't help that "Reaching Rebounds" doesn't intuitively use its wall jump. The ways wall jumping is used in this level always feels extremely forced, and it never feels as smooth or exciting to pull off as when you perform a wall jump in something such as a Mario game, for example.

Anyway, I don't really have anything else to say about this half-baked tech demo. Maybe some of the hate comments were extreme, but it's a bit ridiculous to see how many people are deluding themselves into thinking this is actually a good level.

I don't think there's a better word to describe this level but completely 'exhilarating'. "Hold your Colour" is a level so energetic and lively that it really does manage to convey the ecstasy and vibrancy of a grand, large-scale and elaborate party that practically never seems to end. It's a level that I find feels so wildly liberating and freeing in execution, with it essentially just encouraging you to give yourself up to the music and absolutely kill it on the dancefloor. 'Hold your Colour' regardless of whatever shade it may be because who gives a damn if anybody judges you? What matters most is you're having a great time, not what anybody else thinks. It's an excellent and enjoyable level which I think is even more enhanced when playing with headphones. Playing with headphones just allows you to get even more swept up in the ludicrously colorful party that lies at the heart of "Hold your Colour" (especially thanks to the music). There's so much pure energy bursting from "Hold your Colour" that I really have to admire it.

With "time for basics", Sweetdude raises the very good question of 'What if "Stereo Madness" was an excessively glowy and overproduced 1.9 level in Sweetdude's signature style?'. The answer is… a pretty good remake as well as standalone level! The first (as well as only) part of Project Resurrection, "time for basics" is an interesting level that almost makes you wonder what would have happened had Sweetdude come around to remaking every main Geometry Dash level. It's a level that really doesn't live up to its title, with its noisy, vibrant, cluttered visuals being anything but 'basic'. However, its signature Sweetdudeness is able to add so much life to a level that is so seemingly 'basic' in nature. There was actually a period in 1.9 when Sweetdude genuinely seemed to be polishing his formula and "time for basics" is a clear remnant of this, unfortunately this era was brought to a close by the beast known as 2.0…

Fun fact of the day: Just because something is supposedly 'subversive' and 'experimental' that doesn't necessarily mean that something is 'good'. Something can completely defy your expectations while at the same time be absolutely lacking in any quality or taste. I mean, "Hurry Up Tomorrow" and "Megalopolis" are undoubtedly bold in their directorial vision, sure, but that doesn't automatically make them any less of the bloated, self-indulgent vanity pieces that they are (although they function better-off as unintentional comedies rather than actually serious productions).

I don't know what I dislike more, the level "Melody" itself or the cultish fanbase that it has amassed in recent years. I think I'm leaning towards the latter on this one. Sweetdude is a creator who's always been somewhat divisive. He has 73 CP and most of his levels are mass-produced, glowy copy-and-paste fests. Some of his levels can actually be somewhat unique and even I can admit this as a self-professed detractor of Sweetdude's work ("Zeldas lullaby" is pretty decent even if it doesn't wholly match the song and "Syobon Action" is a neat video game recreation that strays far away from the typical Sweetdude formula). On the other hand, you have dreadful bores like "With You Tonight" and eye-bleeding disasters like "Nyan cat time" and its sequel. It's a two-faced coin when it comes to playing Sweetdude levels. You either get something decent or you don't. Although I'd argue that this is a biased coin that leans slightly more towards the latter.

Sometimes, I wonder why this level is called "Melody" when "Cacophony" is a title that would have been much more suitable and apt… Visually, I don't know where to begin when describing this level. I'm normally a fan of excessively colorful and maximalist levels like "Glowy" and "Utopian Delusions", but "Melody" is one of those rare GD levels where the overwhelmingly noisy rainbows and designs just don't look good at all. Creating a rainbow level is one of the easiest life hacks to make a level that looks serviceably good at the bare minimum. Take almost any rainbow level in the game and there's a 90% chance I'll (at the very least) like how it looks. I'm sorry to disappoint the supposedly 'high-brow' arthouse crowd, but "Melody" very much resembles Skittles upon being vomited. It's discordant and hectic, and not in the good way that I'd usually like. I'd normally find messy levels like this to be somewhat charming, but "Melody" doesn't do anything but repel me.

Perhaps the messiness and noisiness of "Melody" could be forgiven if it had better gameplay, but as it currently stands… No, I'm sorry to say, it plays terribly. The obnoxious moving objects that plague "Melody" just impede any impression of fun or enjoyment that could have seemingly been derived. It's painful to look at, it's painful to play and I personally don't like it. It's the perfect caricature and embodiment of 'that one early 2.0' level that people love to complain about. It's an evidently dated level and I personally think it just hasn't aged particularly well in comparison to a large majority of its contemporaries. "Melody" may be considered 'original' in the sense in that nobody else other than Sweetdude thought blindly mixing together every color and decoration would be a good idea. But once you play other Sweetdude levels, you begin to realize how formulaic and derivative they are of one another. "With You Tonight" is a lazy copy of "Fireflies" in all but name and song. I argue people wouldn't have complained about Sweetdude if he hadn't pumped out so many levels that were akin to one another. Not only that, but if he hadn't continued to get away with it.

I may have been inclined to give this a 4 or a 5 out of 10, but the reverential fans of "Melody" may be enough to drag it down a notch. There have been pieces of media that have overbearing fanbases that are more than enough to stir me away, but I seldom come across a GD level with such a reverential and devoted fanbase that it almost seems like some modern twist on the 'Emperor's New Clothes'. People are entitled to their own opinions as am I yet I still think the lauding of "Melody" is far too excessive, to the point it's almost farcical. The historical revisionism with regard to rehabilitating Sweetdude's reputation had gotten to a point where it's ludicrous. I'll admit that I'm a little biased against Sweetdude but that doesn't mean that I can't admit that some of his levels can be half-decent, because they actually can ("time for basics" is a nice riff on "Stereo Madness" for example which I think uses the signature Sweetdude style well). I just hate how cultish the fanbase behind "Melody" has become. It being 'just a GD level' doesn't necessarily make it artless but I don't think that excuses the comically-high pedestal that people place "Melody" upon. Oh, it's a level all about embracing the creativity involved within the creative process? Well, you could actually argue that about any GD level. Any level published on the GD servers is an exercise in creativity. "Melody" isn't special in that regard. Oh, it's an overwhelmingly happy and euphoric level which encourages the player to surrender their mind to the colors flashing on their screen? Well, I'd argue that "Mujigae" is a level that tackles the theme of 'embracing the (visible) spectrum' much more effectively. Hell, "Mujigae" is another messy 2.0 glowy rainbow level that I think does everything people think "Melody" is trying to do with much more skill and tastefulness.

This is (without a doubt) my most inflammatory review yet. It might be even longer than my review of "04 In Retrospect", but I just needed to express my thoughts on this level. Just adding a brief disclaimer that this is only an opinion. This should in no way dictate your views of this level. If you want to adore and cherish the "Melody" as a 'subversive' hidden gem then you're free to do so. There's nothing I can do to stop you. If you want to hate it, you're also free to do so. Just keep in mind this is only an opinion. This isn't a fact or anything. This isn't going to hurt anyone. It's just my thoughts, okay? Don't take it personally.

"28 weeks later" is a pretty charming post-apocalyptic sunset level from 2.0. The gameplay's admittedly a little lacking but I don't really mind considering the fact this is a level where the art is the primary focus (and it's a pretty easy level to beat anyways so I don't really have any qualms with it). It's a pretty cool depiction of a city being ravaged by zombies and I love all the little details and stories which are going on in the background between the stick figures. There's people committing suicide, zombies rising from graves, fallen trees, burning buildings, and an overwhelming sense of dread as society as we know it today has completely drawn to a standstill… I think "28 weeks later" (the level) is a pretty effective way to convey an apocalypse in 'Geometry Dash' fashion. I really wish this got rated because I think it still deserves a rate 9 years on (although perhaps the depictions of people hanging themselves might be too much for RobTop?). It's a nice art level and I like the fact that it uses a remix of 'In The House - In A Heartbeat' (it's nowhere close to the original song in terms of quality but it's nice to be reminded of one of the hardest songs in cinematic history).

Speaking of the movie 28 Weeks Later, it's one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen but I still really enjoy it for some reason (in spite of how obnoxiously stupid everyone is within it). It's definitely not on-par with 28 Days Later, but it's blockbuster fun with a few scenes that are good on their own (I'd give it a 3/5 :P).

Every copy of "AriZona" is personalized. Make of that what you will.

"Dreamflasher" may be one of BrainETR's lesser works, but it's almost certainly better than most (and by 'most' I mean approximately 95% of) 'Zen Dash' levels out there. For one, it has more personal flair than practically every level to come under the 'Zen Dash' banner (however I am partial towards "RadioCutter"). I'm not too sure what to say about it to be honest. The gameplay's fun as always and BrainETR always manages to make rainbow blocks not look horrible. The movements and pulses are all super lively and it's a cute little breather level that acts as a follow up to a behemoth as amazing as "HideOut". My only complaint about "Dreamflasher" is it's a level that's way too short. That's it, that's my only qualm. I think I'd have loved it if it was more than a minute long. Other than that, there's nothing much to say. Just a completely solid snippet that I could be excellent if expanded upon :)