Rating Curve

I can't believe Split72 developed self-awareness! In spite of this rather shocking breakthrough, I think that "Slop" is a level that is exactly what it says on the tin. It's a factory-produced, unremarkable, disposable, forgettable, and easily-replaceable artefact of mediocrity with no distinguishing features that allow it to stand out, except being astonishingly empty and devoid of any life or flavor. There's absolutely nothing unique about it other than its somewhat self-aware title. However, just because it may be self-aware of its nature as 'slop', that doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually good, just like how bringing up linguistic devices in an English essay doesn't actually mean anything unless you can explore the effect the use of each device has on the reader/audience. I'd be willing to give "Slop" a few extra points if it was at least willing to be sardonic or sarcastic about itself, yet its intentions on being 'slop' are wholly genuine and sincere. It isn't attempting to make any sharp commentary on the dire state of the GD rating system or the homogeneity of most levels in the Awarded tab and instead just opts to perpetuate it. It's self-aware of its nature as boring sludge that is dispassionately pumped out but instead of trying to subvert or pointedly criticize that, it's wholly complacent with just being mass-produced 'slop'.

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.

Etzer may have taken the prompt 'Cosmic Dolphin' too literally in the construction of "Cosmic Dolphin". It's a level that certainly integrates elements of the cosmos such as shimmering stars, but at the same time, it also features detailed depictions of dolphins (detailed for 1.9 at the very least). It's a cute level and I remember that it used to lag my old iPad 4 a lot (seriously, the only reason why this level probably wasn't featured was because of its excessive object count and lag). Aside from the impressive dolphin art and stars, it probably doesn't stand out too much from its contemporaries. However, it's a solid level for what it is and it reminds me of a time when easy 2* levels actually had gameplay (shocking, I know?).

Rainbow blocks can actually look incredibly good if tastefully added and "Cosmic Dolphin" is one of those rare instances in which they are perfectly implemented and utilized. It's an almost magical way to open the 'Deeper Space' project and would certainly be one of my favorite main levels if it were somehow able to get canonized. It perfectly embodies the bright and innocent spirit of its song as it takes the player on a voyage that travels between stars and rainbows. Not to mention, 'Cosmic Dolphin' is a great song and I'm practically inclined to favor any level which uses it (or most of the stuff from Megawolf's discography, to be completely honest). I really love the UFO part in which you navigate the 3D rainbow rings. It's visually striking, highly memorable, and the effect of star particles dispersing and spreading out as each 'hoop' is successfully cleared is satisfying and adds to the level's liveliness and atmosphere.

All in all, it's a really great beginner level that would be an excellent manner to open a hypothetical GD spin-off. Perhaps it might be too impressive to think that RobTop could feasibly make a level like this (the 3D part would certainly be too ambitious for someone like him to undertake). However, it's a wonderful way to open 'Deeper Space' and a cute level when viewed as a standalone as well.

Geometry Dash creators will really make a solid, serviceable, and respectable level before ruining it with the most godawful title. I'm not even going to say the title of this level in this review because I hate the title that much. For the most part, this level is pretty ordinary and unspectacular. It's far from being twigxcabaret's most impressive level but it fits with the song's lighthearted and cheery vibe I suppose. Other than that, the gameplay is fine. I can't really comment on it except for the fact that it's extremely 'Okay'. It's neither bad nor exceptional, just resoundingly alright and tolerable. It’s extremely short and exactly a minute long so it doesn't really leave much of an impact other than being a happy filler level.

Regardless of the level's quality, I just don't like the title. It's been one of the most inescapable and overused terms on the Internet in the past few years and I don't know how or why it has become so. I sincerely wish GD creators knew how to pick better titles for their levels, because the levels themselves are actually alright, it's just the obnoxious, cringeworthy titles which sort of 'spoil' the whole experience. The sheer annoyance of reading that title is enough to deduct one point. Sorry… :/

The Super Mario one was better.

All jokes aside, "Odyssey" is a level that just hasn't aged well. The designs are overall cluttered, messy and lack a strong sense of cohesion. The level is meant to be part of the 'Magic Gauntlet'. However, it's a level that's really lacking in any element of 'magic', with the only real hints this level is meant to be magic-themed being a few potions here and there at the start, a depiction of Harry Potter's glasses and scar, a floating spell book, and a small monster wearing a wizard hat (which is admittedly kinda cute). Aside from these features, the level could just be interpreted or viewed as a typical early 2.1 level. The worst offense that "Odyssey" makes is its tedious gameplay. Its second half is rather annoying to play through, especially considering the fact that any death here means you need to make your way through the level's sleepy opening once more. A sluggish beginning only acts as an impediment to any semblance of enjoyment when the player will probably need to replay it due to the shoddily-constructed drop (the ship transition at 65% is particularly a nuisance).

(It's better than "Empyrean" though!)

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.

While "Persona" is a level indistinguishable from practically any other DubstepFanatic level, on the plus side, it has a good song (although any rendition will never be able to live up to the original 'Beneath The Mask' or its rainy day variant). Maybe I'd be much more forgiving to this level if it wasn't so tangentially connected to the 'Persona' series. After all, Persona 5 does have some of the most memorable and striking art direction in a video game and it would be very interesting to attempt to transpose its visual style into GD. Alas, "Persona" is a pretty inoffensive, monotonous level with not much special to it aside from its song.

I'm glad I was able to rebeat this in 1 attempt, but "Flappy Ice Cream" just isn't a good level. First of all, ice cream isn't supposed to kill you. Secondly, this level isn't worth 4 stars. Thirdly, it's just extraordinarily lazy. Fourthly, I wouldn't be surprised if this level gave somebody a phobia of ice cream or made someone never want to eat it again with how awful it was. Fifthly, this just shouldn't have been rated in the first place.

The ice cream actually looks good for a 1.9 level, but the abysmally repetitive gameplay is exhausting enough to turn somebody off ice cream for the rest of their life. I'm not sure why the hell the level decides to randomly switch to wave part-way through… It's called 'Flappy Ice Cream' but still can't fully commit to the 'Flappy' part of its namesake. At least the wave spices things up and is easier to control than the UFO, though that doesn't make the UFO parts any better or less tedious to play through. The chain deco would be fine if it just wasn't the same three patterns repeated throughout the entire level. I think Defectum should be questioned on how an approximately 1 minute and 40 second level is able to feel as if it lasts an eternity. The time dilation on display here is astonishing.

(At least it isn't "Flappy Illuminati")

Defectum is really able to pull off the whole '1.9 epileptic' style better than Sweetdude was ever able to. However, "All I ever wanted" definitely leaves the player 'wanting' some better gameplay to accompany it. That UFO section is pretty questionably built for a 5 star. In all honesty, it's not as bad as some people say it is, although the first ship part does veer a little too far into its flashiness.