Rating Curve

The two most surprising things I can name about "tempestad cristalina" are that it only has 17.4k downloads and that it's merely Featured (it was seriously robbed of an Epic!). It features a pretty unique and distinctive visual style yet it still manages to look stunning with how lively and dynamic everything manages to feel. It manages to encapsulate the feeling of a grand, expansive journey and I really love all the diverse and different environments that it portrays (whether it be the floral field at the beginning, the crystalline cave escapades, the sky-based segment that's a clear homage to "White Space" or even its autumnal conclusion with a little, cute cutscene to reward the player for making it through). Honestly, it's almost criminal how under-rated this is…

'At The Speed of Light' is a song that has come to be associated with the gates and flames of Hell thanks to it being popularized through the iconic AfterCataBath trilogy. However, "cosmic collisions" is a level that subverts its song's typically hellish connotations and instead aligns closer with its original intent of conveying this light-speed journey through the cosmos. Simplicity can sometimes be extremely effective, and "cosmic collisions" is just the perfect example of this! It's a level which is basic in execution. It features simple block design, simple air deco and even rather simple gameplay (unlike the intimidating extremes by which its song gained notoriety), yet it manages to overcome these odds and become one of the most memorable and enjoyable 1.9 levels.

"cosmic collisions" perfectly aligns with the rapid, break-neck pace of its exhilarating song. While its gameplay might be extremely easy, each click and input almost perfectly goes along with the rhythm of 'At The Speed of Light'. It's super satisfying to see the cube perfectly jump up and fall in accordance with the pitch the song is currently at. It's also fun to rapidly jitterclick during each of those slow wave sections that appear sporadically (and for it to match the song so exceptionally too). From a technical perspective, it might seem rather barebones thanks to its basic and simplistic structuring, decoration and block design. Regardless, "cosmic collisions" is able to stand out thanks to how appropriate and fitting each quick, momentary, and seemingly insignificant pulse is. For a stage that appears so plain on a surface level, "cosmic collisions" is masterful when it comes to song representation. I find it extremely funny how "cosmic collisions" and the infernal AfterCataBath trilogy both manage to be appropriate and fitting ways to interpret and transpose the energy/mood of 'At The Speed of Light' to Geometry Dash, especially because they are so wildly divergent projects. You could visualize the song as a fast-paced odyssey through the stars like "cosmic collisions" or as this dark, apocalyptic nightmare like in "Cataclysm" or "Bloodbath" and these would both be equally valid interpretations! Just goes to show how great 'At The Speed of Light' is in spite of how overplayed and inescapable it may be.

In all honesty though, "cosmic collisions" has aged incredibly well. It was one of my favorite levels when I first started playing and it's still an amazing level now!

This is probably going to be a hot take but "Mujigae" is genuinely such an incredible level. Sure, it's a bit messy and it might not be the most polished level as of 2025, but I've always been a huge fan of it since the time I first saw it sometime back in late 2018. It's without a doubt one of the most unique takes on a Nine Circles level, straying far from the hellish undertones of the original and instead opting to shower the player in this bright and overwhelming torrent of rainbows and neons. "Mujigae" is a level that can't be described as anything but euphoric in terms of atmosphere. It's a beautifully passionate level that perfectly manages to embody these pure feelings of joy and ecstasy as it implores the player to, much like the level's visuals itself, 'embrace the spectrum' (obviously alluding to the visible spectrum and not a certain other spectrum as several jokers in the comments have pointed out). The overwhelmingly bright and vibrant visuals only serve to reflect the overwhelming happiness that emanates and radiates from "Mujigae". I seriously doubt that I can name a level that manages to get any happier and more blissful than this does. The sheer rapture that "Mujigae" is able to evoke already manages to elevate it above being a simplistic 'Rainbow Nine Circles' or 'Gay Nine Circles' level that many have already derided it as. In fact, I think its emotional core alone allows it to stand out more than a majority of levels out there (not just basic 'Nine Circles' levels).

In all honesty, I think "Mujigae" is genuinely a phenomenal level. It perfectly fits its song and just encapsulates its feelings of warmth and elation. I love that it encourages players to open their eyes to the beauty a simple rainbow can behold, nudging them to 'embrace the spectrum' and take in the audiovisual banquet that is occurring before them (obviously, it's much harder to do that when you're actually beating the level, but upon watching a playthrough or playing it with no-clip on, it's much easier to focus on its splendor and spectacle).

Although, my most controversial take-away (only on Hyperbolus) is probably just that "Mujigae" is a level that does everything that people say that "Melody" does.

It's no accident that "Tokyo Rush" is a level that became so iconic upon its release. "Tokyo Rush" is a level that simply pulsates with life; it's incredibly colorful, dynamic and perfectly imitates the thrilling sensation of 'rushing' through a metropolis like Tokyo in the middle of the night, being subjected to all the dazzling neon signs and lights that decorate and adorn the streets surrounding you. Aside from being a visually pleasing and lively level, "Tokyo Rush" is just an extremely fun level to play through. Most 1.9 harder levels have pretty questionable gameplay so it's refreshing to play through a 1.9 level with amazing gameplay as well as balancing that still holds up to this day. I think that "Tokyo Rush" perfectly embodies the liberated, free-spirited nature of 'Pneumatic Tokyo'. There's just something special about the 'rush' you get as you dash off into night and everything around you just turns into a messy, multi-colored blur.

"Tokyo Rush" is a pretty iconic 1.9 level all things considered. Its influence can't really be denied when you see how many remakes it spawned. Kips' second uploaded level is literally a remake of "Tokyo Rush". Not only that, but Kips literally worked on another remake of "Tokyo Rush" back in 2018 with another creator, ItsRusto. Usermatt18 was responsible for releasing "Tokyo Dash". Ferdefunky released "Osaka Rush". Nasgubb released "Kyoto Rush". Alkali released "fukuoka rush". So many remakes and reboots have been published, yet I still doubt any of them touch the original "Tokyo Rush" in spite of how solid they may be.

'but everything heaven-sent must burn out in the end'

"01 Turn To Dust" is the first episode out of five within BrainETR's "Somewhere Else" series. "Somewhere Else" is a rather unique project for BrainETR to undertake, being a foray into more experimental level-making centred more strongly on creating an atmosphere than adhering to conventions. Each of the five levels comes together to create an overarching narrative centred on grief and loss.

"Turn To Dust" is a level that can't be described as anything but morosely sad, focusing heavily on the immediacy of one's death as they relive a few moments from their life like an old film reel flickering upon a screen. It's a deeply depressing level that perfectly embodies its song's misery and general gloominess as images of a swing and a skyline at night glitch and gradually deteriorate over the course of the level (perhaps as the dying person's brain gives out?). The final, beautifully-composed animation of a photograph alongside its frame being destroyed and 'turning to dust' is a haunting and impactful image that really sends chills. It's a daunting ending that truly sets the mood for the rest of the series onwards.

I love how "Turn To Dust" doesn't sacrifice gameplay for its own story. It's only a mere fragment of the whole tale (being the first act to "Somewhere Else") but it's still impactful when viewed as its own entity without the added context of the rest of "Somewhere Else". My only real complaint could be that it’s certainly on the nose with its whole 'Please remember your life' introduction; it certainly isn't the most subtle with regard to conveying the level's general theme and maybe the level could have been more impactful without the text? Regardless, it's a great introduction with an excellent final visual.

"Indosiar" was a level so far ahead of its time that it only managed to scrape by with a mere star rate when it was so clearly worthy of an Epic. I'd argue that its mere star rate might be one of the most egregious sins and wrongdoings of the flawed GD rating system, as even though it is true that it had an obscene amount of objects (as well as lag) for its time, so many featured levels since have contained even more ludicrous and baffling object counts. I'd argue that if Reunomi was lucky enough to release this even a year later in 2019, it would have been practically locked for an Epic.

Grand, magnificent, breathtaking and expansive in scope, "Indosiar" is a phenomenal and exceptional level that couldn't be described as anything other than a captivating visual marvel. I still remember watching it for the first time in 2018 and being blown away by how advanced and realistic "Indosiar" was, and even 7 years later it's almost inconceivable to think that a level this detailed and mind-blowing could exist amongst its relatively bland and generic contemporaries. On a visual level, it is a fantastic tour de force, a landmark ocular odyssey that sweeps you off your feet to just marvel and gaze at the spectacular cityscapes and skylines that it subjects you to. Even to this day, it's a level that's highly impressive and admirable due to the broad, encompassing scale exhibited within it. It’s rare that a level is able to feel like it can capture the grandeur and unbelievably gargantuan scale of the big city, but "Indosiar" is able to do just that and succeed. The infinitely-stretching sky, the ceaseless seas of factories, the sprawling forest of skyscrapers. "Indosiar" truly captures what makes urban landscapes so remarkably special and distinct.

The weakest aspect of "Indosiar" is likely its gameplay. It's definitely a little learny and demands a few attempts or a practice run to fully decipher how to proceed onwards. The gameplay definitely does take away a little from the beauty of the incredible backgrounds, especially due to the need to split your attention between staying alive or staring in awe at the visual bliss bestowed upon you.

All in all, "Indosiar" is a level that is far ahead of its time. It's a captivating and enrapturing level that truly embodies the expansive nature of the megalopolis. It's a level that makes you realize how small we humans are in comparison to the concrete jungles we have constructed and established. I should really get around to checking out "Anesthesia" however, because that is a whole other breathtaking beast of a level to tackle.

"Traum" is German for the word 'dream', hence it's only natural that Partition's "Traum" is a delicate, dreamy and relaxing level that emanates warmth and comfort. It's a quietly beautiful level as it seamlessly shifts from place-to-place, moving from the stars, to clouds, to a cityscape at night, much like how a 'dream' can move you to all corners of the Earth for no rhyme or reason. It's visually captivating amongst its contemporaries and I can't stress how excellently the song complements the level.

It lives up to its title :)

"Pusheen Party" might be one of the most adorable levels to ever be made. The animations are criminally cute. The art is simply spectacular and the song couldn't be any better! Just such a charming, sweet and heartwarming level. <3

"JAUNT" is legitimately one of the most fun levels in the entire game. I don't know how BrainETR does it, but I don't think gameplay in an easy demon — or most levels out there, to be honest — gets any smoother, satisfying or electrifying as it does in "JAUNT".