Rating Curve

The song isn't necessarily the longest so I can't really criticise "Reflected" for its minute length. "Reflected" is a level which rose to prominence due to its presence in the GD World featured tab prior to its overhaul. It's a cute and short level with a fairly simple gimmick, but it manages to accurately capture the serene, peaceful nature of its song (which I personally really like, it's nice and tranquil and I sort of wish F-777 released an extended version). It's a calming level with not too much going on, but its simplicity is part of its charm.

"Vanilla" is probably one of the best 2.0 levels ever released. Not only that, but I personally think it's one of the best collab levels to be released. While it is called "Vanilla", it's a level that anything but vanilla. An incredibly funky fusion between Skitten, TamaN and JerkRat's styles, it's one of the most dynamic, lively and kinetic levels I've ever played. Its gameplay is exceptionally smooth for a 2.0 level and it plays incredibly well over 8 years since its release (it's not just great gameplay for a 2.0, but it's great gameplay even to this day). It's a level that's extremely fun, not only to play, but its entire spirit and atmosphere is overflowing with a certain ecstasy that makes it diffficult to resist its charms. Its visuals and deco are as vibrant and playful as its gameplay and song are! Rainbow blocks normally look pretty hideous in almost 99% of levels they're featured in, but "Vanilla" is able to skilfully blend them in so they look highly natural and fit very well.

"Vanilla" is a very iconic level (as is made evident by spin-offs such as "Chocolate" by Censr or "Strawberry" by SirHadoken) but none of its bootlegs are able to live up to or match the insanely electric energy that "Vanilla" has. It's such a lively and joyous level that I really, really love.

Playing this level normally and then watching it in reverse is one hell of an experience.

"Deja Vu" is a level that takes 'what if you played a level in reverse?' to a whole new extreme. Sure, doing a level in reverse has been done before (for example, "Well Then" by Zobros or "stereo madness re" by RealKamijo). However, it's never been done quite to the extent or accuracy that xXLOCOXx's "Deja Vu" pulls off the reverse level gimmick. When I mean everything is in reverse, I mean literally everything. The song is reversed, all of the different animations are reversed, the sound effects are reversed, and even tiny details in the background you might not even notice unless you were paying extra close attention are reversed. xXLOCOXx has taken a lot of care into making sure every little detail you can possibly think of within "Deja Vu" has been reversed. It makes for an extra trippy playing experience as you move from start to finish (or should I say from finish to start?) but it's also really impressive just how accurately xXLOCOXx is able to mimic real Geometry Dash physics (in reverse, of course).

Viewing the level in reverse (or rather, in its real, linear order) shows just how much attention to detail has been taken. It's phenomenal how xXLOCOXx has constructed an entire level in reverse that functions completely fine when you reverse it. I know that sounds stupid to say out loud, but the amount of detail and care taken in constructing "Deja Vu" is extremely admirable. It easily could have just been a layout or basic, bare-bones level as a proof of concept but xXLOCOXx really went the whole way to gorgeously decorate it and embellish it with impressive effects and in doing so, show the true extent that time and the most minute of details can be manipulated and warped.

"Deja Vu" is a time-bending masterpiece of a level which I honestly think is xXLOCOXx's magnum opus. It's an excellent level which works excellently well both in reverse and in its 'regular' order (but I'll let you decide what the real, intended order to play/view "Deja Vu" is)

The only major sin about "TobRop Desert Map" is it's simply way too short! The atmosphere that BrainETR is able to create with this level in such a short span of time is completely unmatched. It's a simple map at its core yet its wonderfully stylised decoration and perfectly selected song come together to create an immaculate scene which could be right out of a classic Western film. The build-up in this level is phenomenal and it almost feels as if "TobRop Desert Map" is building up to an iconic final stand-off scene set under the heat of the desert sun. It's such a shame that it ends so prematurely because it's got such a perfect set-up it just makes you want to play even more and find out what happens next. This is a level I totally wouldn't mind there being a sequel to because it's so skilfully crafted it almost seems like the starting chapter to what could be a fantastic long-running saga of Western-themed levels. The ambience is perfect. The visuals and all the little details are perfect. And as a BrainETR level, the gameplay is bound to be top-notch. It's just such a shame that it ends so early...

Consumerism has never felt so good.

While "AriZona" is essentially a 2.5 minute commercial for the eponymous iced tea brand, that doesn't mean it's any less of a good level. Its decoration is nice, smooth and clean, and if all commercials looked more like this level I'd probably be more inclined to buy the products they sell me. Furthermore, Mountain Light is an absolute banger of a track and practically any level with it is almost automatically going to be a good level at the very least (see Messier 45 by Jayuff, which is actually kind of a masterpiece).

It rightfully earns its place in the Poison Gauntlet because its gameplay and visuals are toxic to anyone who comes across it.

Perhaps "World Peace" is a little too naïvely optimistic of a level, as we're even further from world peace than when the level first released. I remember "World Peace" used to be one of my favorite levels when I first started playing Geometry Dash back in 2018, but 7 years on, I can still confidently say that I love it for what it is. Its message might be a little simplistic or on-the-nose and it might even come off as a little cheesy to some, but I really love just how much "World Peace" bursts with optimism and joy. Not many levels are able to capture or embody such an immense degree of happiness or euphoria. It's beautiful just how happy and hopeful it is for a future where lives don't have to be lost due to meaningless, senseless wars. While it is wholly unfeasible for all wars in existence to ever cease, there's something very cute and endearing about how innocent and carefree "World Peace" is. It's a level about a future we were promised but will never be able to attain.

But the most important part, the part that made this special... was that she loved me too.

A very adorable, sweet and heartfelt love story about two nondescript cubes, Jayuff's "Because I Loved Her" is probably one of the most memorable levels from GD World before its Featured tab received a complete overhaul. For a story about two cubes, it's actually very compelling with regard to the storytelling department. It's silly, I know, but it's difficult not to root for the protagonist of this cubic romance as he crosses oceans and climbs mountains to try and reach the love of his life. It's extremely sincere and genuine in what it tries to do and tell and I respect this level for its pure sentimentality. Its gameplay is surprisingly involved and engaging for a 3* level, although this likely lends itself to the level's format as well as narrative. "Because I Loved Her" is an incredibly romantic level that makes for an excellent pairing with Jayuff's later level "Amorous". Sure, it might look cheesy or treacly but it's genuinely a very good and competently made level. Its song choice — Yellow Orange Afternoon by Megawolf77 — is simply sublime and perfectly complements the delicate and undeniably cute love story that it tells.

"Maverick Bird" is a masterful level by ZenthicAlpha that exhbitis truly unique, avant garde and subversive gameplay. Subversive in the sense that it subverts any sense of originality or good gameplay by repeating essentially the same structures for almost 1 minute and 40 seconds straight. Riveting, I know. Not to mention it looks completely like a layout (accomplished by setting the only color channel to black and turning on blending). At least the background changes color over the course of the level so you could say there's at least a little diversity, right?

When the 9* remake is easier than the original 4* level, you know there be must be something terribly wrong with the original level. "P0RTAL" — an attempted remake of the game of the same name — is one out of many levels and reasons as to why map packs have ascended to such infamy within the community. To start, it's frankly a very boring and tedious level to play and sit through. There's a few annoying places to die and nothing sucks more than having to get through some of the most mind-numbing gameplay to get back to where you were. Some of the moving objects can be pretty unpredictable at times and the level's whole gimmick can't help but feel like a nuisance. The level's design is pretty bare-bones, plain and empty except for some nice (copy-and-pasted) pixel art here and there. Sure, the emptiness might help capture the atmosphere of a sterile laboratory, but it just feels lazy and rushed.

At the end of the day, "P0RTAL" is just another reason why people hate map packs so fervently.