Rating Curve

Avoiding a specific color (or colors, in general) is a gimmick that has been accomplished before — in Jayuff's "Strange Color" — but Subwoofer is able to infuse "Red Is Bad" with enough stylistic flair to make it feel all-new and refreshing as it revisits this concept. "Red Is Bad" is a pretty apt title. Touch the color red and you die. The level's complementary color palette, entirely consisting of shades of red or green, makes it visually appealing, with the usage of red and green almost making the level feel like a retro video game at times (with the malignant red acting like a virus infiltrating and invading a computer system). It's a level that looks pretty good, the gameplay is considerably fun, and the three coin routes (which all require separate play through to attain) are also cool! All in all, it's a nice level with a neat concept.

"Back On Dash" is an incredibly clean and smooth revamp of one of the game's most iconic main levels that serves as an excellent way to open the NCS x GD collaboration. I love how it manages to maintain several key structural aspects of the original (as is most evident from the ship section) while still managing to feel novel and refreshing thanks to the fresh coat of paint AudieoVisual has applied to it. In all honesty, it's one of the better levels to come out of the NCS x GD collab, especially considering how the gameplay of some entries certainly teeters towards the questionable side. It's an excellent level from a technical perspective and all in all, it's a great remake that still maintains the DNA of the original while managing to feel new.

"through time" is a level almost synonymous with the days when GD World was still a popular and relevant spin-off game. It's a cute level with a nice artstyle that serves as an admirable tribute and farewell to update 2.0, even in spite of its relatively short length. I also have to admit 'Promises' is a pretty good song. Overall, I think it's a very solid level and probably one of the best things to come out of GD World during its tiny lifespan of relevancy.

An evocative, gentle and incredibly 'warm' level (in both the literal and figurative sense), "Flickering" by Skitten doesn't feel too far from the intimate sensation of snuggling for the warmth of a 'flickering' fire on a cold, dark, stormy night. It's a surprisingly good level in spite of its simplicity, and the beautiful piano rendition that accompanies it only enhances the cozy, comforting ambience that is created.

Even after all "this time", EnZore's "This Time" is still a level that holds up substantially well. Its first two modernistic sections — which host two thumbnail-bait anime girls that are undeniably well-drawn — might not cohere too well with the rest of the level, which is, for the most part, an incredibly solid early 2.1 design level, yet it's an extremely smooth level that greatly suits the song (AstrEnfant by Miyolophone, which I find to be criminally underused). Even if I'm not the greatest fan of custom portals, it's still rather fun to play.

Not every creative decision may work here (with the text being used as jump indicators for the first UFO section certainly being a little distracting), but "vVv vVv vVv vVv vVv" is an interesting level overall. It's certainly one of BrainETR's more 'experimental' releases if I were to label it, with it being made almost entirely out of pulsing objects, save for the final cube section. It being built primarily with pulsing objects definitely gives it a unique visual style, although it's still recognizably a BrainETR level from a glance. I think it's a pretty cute tribute to Michigun, even if isn't necessarily the most 'Michigun' themed, with the only explicit ties and references to Michigun being the expository endscreen and a few triple spikes. Regardless, it's an interesting level. "Fluorescent Journey" is another 'experimental' level by BrainETR which also uses pulsing objects, through I think it slightly has the edge over "vVv".

The song tearfully asks 'Why Did You Leave Me?' only for the level to nonchalantly and bluntly respond 'Because You Play GD'. It's a heartbreaking and evocative tragedy that's almost as old as time itself, if time was only 6 years old, of course. Even then, it still remains as devastating as it was when it first came out. Not all wounds can be sealed by the sands of time.

Setting its comedic song + title choice aside, "Because You Play GD" is a very solid level from Elisione. Elisione definitely has an extremely distinct and recognizable style when it comes to structuring, and "Because" is no exception. It manages to be an extremely euphoric and upbeat level in spite of its song's seemingly depressing title, bursting with rainbows and life in spite of the underlying sadness within the song. Visually, it's pretty stunning and dynamic thanks to the torrent of vibrancy it supplies and I think it's a level that really holds up to this day!

AudieoVisual's "LIMEADE" is the Geometry Dash equivalent to an earworm. Catchy. Memorable. Punchy. Infectious. And I think it's almost impossible to get that little 'Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is' voice-line out of your head. It's an exceptionally polished level where everything comes together to form an incredibly smooth and refreshing final product, much like a serving of 'limeade' under the sun. I don't think it would be incorrect to label it 'level of the summer 2024', because everything about it just screams and exudes 'summer'. From the bold and vibrant typefaces that stand out to the insanely clean designs it brings, "LIMEADE" is a level that just fizzes with fun and excitement.

An excellent remake for an already exceptional level, "Aperture 1p9" creatively transposes "Aperture" back into 1.9, managing to replicate the magic and jaw-dropping effects of the original "Aperture" while still abiding by period-accurate restrictions. It's a transposition which I greatly appreciate for its faithfulness to the original. Trying to imitate a part as technically complex and visually impressive as the 3D part within "Aperture" seems almost inconceivable, especially to try and copy it in an older update, but "Aperture 1p9" miraculously pulls it off. Every single part has a striking resemblance to the original in spite of the imposed limitations. Some parts might not be as hypnotically stunning as the original without the help of shaders, camera movements or move triggers (such as the famous film reel part), but I have to respect "Aperture 1p9" for how far it does push boundaries.

Obviously, as a very faithful remake, it's not going to conceivably compare with the original (as any of its novelty has already been used up by the original "Aperture"), but it's an excellent showcase of how limitations really do breed creativity.

Out of all of Geometry Dash's main levels, "Jumper" is probably the most memorably structured. Its primarily pillar-focused platforming is instantly recognizable to almost anybody who's played the game, to the extent that seeing any other level built on columns makes you naturally think 'This has to at least be inspired by "Jumper" right?'. It's admittedly simply structured, with it mostly consisting of basic pillars stretching from the ground or ceiling, but I think it's extremely effective at what it does. It's a level with a primary gimmick that tests your ability to discern whether or not it's appropriate to jump or let go. 'How well do you know the way of the jump?' is a question that is posed to any new players who stumble across it (which is pretty apt considering the level's own song and title). It's a pretty fun level to play through if you're a new player, especially as you try and 'guess' where you should hold and release, maybe dying because you misclicked (or forgot to) before finally achieving a feeling of pride upon fully memorizing when to and when not to click. I think "Jumper" is a pretty and fun satisfying tutorial to strategic jumping.

Other than "Geometrical Dominator" (which indisputably secures the throne for happiest main GD level), there isn't another level that is able to feel as happy or playful as "Jumper" does. "Jumper" has a pretty charming and whimsical song that massively complements its fun gameplay and makes completing it for the first time all the more triumphant and joyful. Other than just hosting memorable structuring in its cube parts, its ship parts are pretty memorable as well. There's the 'if you can do it with regular gravity, can you do it upside-down?' schtick behind the first ship section. It perfectly fits in with the song but also emphasises "Jumper" as being like a 'test' to see how much you've really learned; after all, "Jumper" was originally the final level of "Geometry Dash" upon its release in 2013. It gauges if you've really engaged with the core mechanics of the game. The second ship section of "Jumper" is probably its most memorable though. Flying past 'spiked rockets' comes with this sense of excitement and exhilaration for any new player. The 'spiked rockets' in question only consist of two blocks, but they're somehow some of the most memorable structures in the entire game, especially when they're skilfully integrated into levels such as Rabbitical's "Space Travel". For a structure so simplistic, they work so well at giving "Jumper" a tinge of adventure and personality.

I don't have much issues with Jumper. My only issue would be the 'intermission' between the first and second ship part. It's definitely acts as a ‘break period' between two major parts of the level, but it's just the least memorable section for me, other than it having a coin, of course.

"Jumper" is probably one of the best main levels in Geometry Dash, and maybe it might be one of the most thoughtfully structured. For 1.0 players, it was the ultimate test to see if you really mastered the art of jumping. It's structuring is certainly somewhat influential, with its pillared structure being present within "Dorabae Jumping Zone" by Dorabae or the infamous "Sunrise 3" by Mask, not to mention its explicit remakes and v2s/Reduxes/Rebirths out there or currently in the making.