Rating Curve

BER ZER KER's main flaw isn't in its relatively unengaging and unimmersive gameplay (levels such as Out of Place have minimal yet immersive gameplay), it's in its lack of theming. I love Grax as a creator; he makes unique and well-polished levels, such as Transtellar and Broken Signal, that I really like. However, this level is DEFINITELY the worst thing he's created. It's not even that bad until you compare the level with literally anything else he's worked on. Why is that? Likely because this level has no theming/direction. I can't blame Grax, since he built this level in only 2 weeks, but this level is REALLY rushed, and we can see it in how this affects the ideas and theming department. In this level, there are many random and disconnected things going on. We go from an alien drone-thing to a burning city to Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th chasing us. One must ask oneself, "What the hell is going on? What are we even doing?" when playing this level. It could be argued that doing this is to represent the chaotic nature of the song, but there are many better ways of doing this. My suggestion? Theme it around escaping the city in ruins. It would have maintained the chaotic energy of the song while giving it actual theming and progression. Instead, the level's theming feels like the "random bullshit go" meme and I'm overall not a fan of this.

Theming aside, the decoration is also very inconsistent. I actually really liked the first few parts, but right after the part with the NCS visualizer, the decoration becomes very messy and feels unfinished. Of course, if Grax had more time, he could have done this level better. The gameplay is all over the place. I think where it starts to fall off is at the drop, since the gameplay after the drop is very minimal and also very unimmersive, as personally I didn't really feel a sense of atmosphere when I played that level (some may differ though). Overall, if Grax had more time, this could have been a fantastic level, but alas, it's a shame that it had to turn out like this. Something this rushed should not have even gotten top 10, let alone first place mythic. I think it's legendary worthy but I'm sad to say that I didn't really like this level all that much.

I normally do not play platformers, at least not as much as classic levels. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that this is the first platformer level I've reviewed on this site. But after playing it, I think it deserved a good review. My favorite part of this level is the unique gimmick with the orbs and how it changes throughout the level. You're level can have a good gimmick, but not expand on it (or add more gimmicks), leading to the level feeling stale. But ImMax does not do this, and instead adds color mixing and color palette changers to the already existing gimmick to add challenge to the level and make the level feel a lot fresher. I also like the sense of progression in the level, which I think is very important in platformer levels. Going from a peaceful to a chaotic landscape is pretty simple, but it is well executed here. Though the decoration of this level is not very sophisticated, I like how ImMax's style is translated here. I think it looks a lot better than some of his previous platformers. Overall, the legendary was very well deserved, and I hope this level wins the Viprin Mini CC5 it was made for, instead of that stupid cherryteam level, only made to impress (I want to be clear though that I actually do like their levels, just not this one).

I think it's funny how this level is parodying the over-the-top and "serious" visuals and very generic theming in Space Gauntlet entries (though Hyperastralis was the only level in the Top 20 with such theming, in my opinion). The decoration is still pretty solid, though, I must say. Still, the gameplay is designed to be as painful to play as possible. Maybe it was designed this way to make fun of how most SGCC entries had gameplay as an afterthought, but this level's gameplay is not fun to play; I hated every second of its blind transitions and awful swing gameplay. This is easily one of MindCap's weaker levels. Though that ending was hilarious. "Yo", truly words of inspiration that make me want to rebel against everything I know.

Skeletal Shenanigans is one of, if not the most popular level in the game right now, currently sitting at 9.2 million views on Nexus's channel despite only being out for a month. Why did it get this popular? I'm guessing it's because of the boss, which makes very appealing and clickable thumbnails. Plus, getting mythic and event level means that a lot more people (mostly kids) know about this level's existence. But there are a lot more great things to say about this level.

Skeletal Shenanigans was made by famed creator YoReid (with some building done by Airzyy during a build swap, sorry for forgetting you Airzyy), known for levels such as Floating Outskirts, well-designed and polished platformer levels released before platformer mode was released. He does have plenty of other, more conventional levels, Skeletal Shenanigans being one of them. This level in particular was made particularly for JamAttack's CC5 (though it is unclear if it was originally intended to be an entry) and was able to snag 2nd place.

As a JamAttack Creator Contest entry, this level is already fantastic. Two core requirements of the contest were using Jam's style and a gem at the end of many of his levels, and YoReid does a great job with both of these. Jam's style is beautifully incorporated and is very apparent, yet YoReid's identity is not completely lost; instead, both styles are seamlessly incorporated. The gem is also used well, with the story of this level revolving around this gem, the power it holds, and the attempts of the player and the skeletons to try and get it. It's funny to see these skeletons brutally slaughter each other for the gem, while at the end the player takes it away from a skeleton who, unfortunately, tripped and fell.

The theming and decoration of the level are already very good. You can feel a kind of medieval vibe coming from this level, as a good part of the level takes place in a fortress. This theme has already been done before, but the addition of the silly skeletons makes it feel a lot more refreshing. I already said that the decoration style is very appealing, but I also wanted to say that I really like this level's environments. The usage of parallax gives these environments depth and adds to the atmosphere of the level. The animations used for the skeletons and the environments are very clean, some of the best animations in the game. I especially like the wizard. He's very cool. RIP Wizard Skeleton, we'll miss you.

The boss is the main highlight of the level. On paper, it sounds pretty uninteresting, just a giant skeleton head shooting fireballs with smaller skeletons occasionally coming and helping it. Not as bombastic as something like The Abomination from Ultra Violence. But the execution of the boss is phenomenal. The usage of keyframes helps this level a lot. The large skeleton's fireballs are randomized, making the level feel less repetitive between attempts. The smaller skeleton's attacks also track the player, which is really cool. I'm surprised 2.2 classic bosses haven't been doing this until now.

Some people find issues with the level's gameplay, but I found it pretty fun. The boss is the most interesting part gameplay-wise due to its gimmicks, but I did find the entire level fun to play. However, people whose hardest are easy or medium demons will find the spider sections especially rough.

So, six paragraphs of top-tier glazing later, I believe that Skeletal Shenanigans has its wild popularity deserved for a lot more things than just being a mythic event level and getting a lot of clickable thumbnails. Is this level mythic? 100%. Did this level deserve to place first at the JamAttack CC5? Yes, though Forgotten Metropolis is also very good. Is it my favorite 2.2 level? Hell no, not even my favorite level of 2025, though it's in the top 3. Also some of y'all hate on this level because it's popular like find a better reason to hate

This level is a very interesting case. You either love it or hate it. Some people hate it so much that they consider it to be the worst level in the game. Others say that this is one of the game's best. My thoughts? Eh. Upon release, I loved this level, thought it was fun. But now that it's been quite a few months, I want to give my full thoughts on it.

Rage Quit was made by Bli, a very popular creator known for his stunning deco and his work's amazing optimization. This level was made for Waboo's Stereo Madness Contest, so it's certainly plausible that Bli didn't really care about this level and only made it to impress the judges, though this is unconfirmed from my knowledge. Though the decoration and effects are certainly fantastic. The screen breaking, the flashing between different scenery, especially the part with multiple TVs, it's simply amazing, especially for being made in a month. This is obviously what got the level to mythic, as the gameplay is very unsophisticated.

However, even the best decoration is meaningless without good theming. So, is the theming good? In concept, yes. A lot of people criticize the level for just being a "random" effects showcase, but no, this level is certainly themed around raging, specifically in Stereo Madness. I think raging on the earlier RobTop levels, especially the first, is a pretty relatable experience, which is why I like the theming. The execution, however, is all over the place. There are plenty of parts that follow the theming, such as the beginning and the part where the guy breaks the TVs, but there are also many parts that have nothing to do with this theming. Why does the drop flash random backgrounds? It looks cool, but what does this have to do with the level? Also, for the ending, the guy sticks his hand to try to catch the cube, which I think is cool, but why is it flashing random deco styles? It could work as a tribute to the game's history, but in this scenario, it's random and pointless. Overall, I like the theming but not the execution.

The gameplay of this level is literally just nerfed Stereo Madness. The level was made for the Stereo Madness contest, so it makes sense. A lot of people complain that this level is meant to be watched and not played, but the gameplay is so easy that watching and playing the level give you roughly the same experience. Some people give this level ridiculously low gameplay scores, but the gameplay is not annoying or unfun to deserve such a rating. Also, this level has more gameplay compared to 90% of modern 2 stars. That being said, the gameplay is still not fun or engaging, and I think that it hurts my score for this level.

Overall, I'm not the biggest fan of this level, I think this level is overrated and overhated at the same time. It's a decent level, but it has its flaws. Is it mythic worthy? Yes, but it's still my least favorite mythic, even compared to levels I don't think deserve the rating, such as Button Masher. Its decoration is doing some heavy lifting here, and I wish there was more effort put into other aspects of this level.

I want to give this level a 9, but the middle gameplay is not very fun. Everything from the robot after the UFO to that wave with the guillotines was not fun for me. I thought the camera controls for that spider were especially jarring, but other than that camera controls were properly used. Other than that, I liked the level. The concepts and usage of 2.2 features were all really fun and creative, especially the section where the screen was cut in half by the undead knight. The decoration is probably Subwoofer's best behind Crush, and overall, the theme fits the song very well. I really like this level and wish I could give it a higher rating, but due to the unfortunate issues in gameplay. Subwoofer is a very good creator with a distinct style and very creative levels, but needs to improve his gameplay, in my opinion.

I really like how well this level emulates the feel of Minecraft, and all the little easter eggs when you take the wrong path, but I just can't like this gameplay. The upside-down ship and the transition to this are really, really bad, and most of the time, the gameplay isn't very interesting. Given the chill nature of the song, I'm not expecting WANNACRY levels of stimulation, but surely something more interesting could have been done. A very faithful recreation of Minecraft, probably the best Minecraft level, but that bar is not set very high. Magpipe can definitely do better. As for the legendary rate, I think it's deserved, but it's probably smack in the middle for me compared to the other legendaries.

I was shocked when I first saw Towerinator place 15th in the NCS Gauntlet Contest. I remember practicing the level before and hating the mini UFO. Why did such a "basic" level place THIS high? I then decided to practice it again, and my God, this is a good level. I still dislike the swing section and the wonky transitions that come off as unexpected, but the gameplay is good for the most part. I must say, though, the theming and atmosphere are incredibly strong. I think using JNATHYN's Dioma (amazing song btw) with its dark and mysterious tone, and pairing it with a tower/ruins theming helps the level's atmosphere a lot, making it seem as if we aren't supposed to be here. Though I didn't like the deco at first, it slowly grew on me, as the simpler block designs work well with this level's theming and backgrounds. Also, I wanted to add that the buildup to the drop was impeccable.

Though some aspects of the gameplay are not very good, this level is still very strong and deserves a legendary rating instead of the epic rating it got. As for its placement in the NCS Gauntlet Contest, I think it should have placed even higher, like 11th or 12th. Though Lyal's later level "The Beyond" is probably better because its gameplay is better, this is so far Lyal's best work, decoration-wise.

Despite having the crazy, "Is this even Geometry Dash?" visuals, this level turned out to be the most forgettable level of the NCS Gauntlet. For one, this level's only real theme is "cool visuals" which is a real bummer since the visuals are genuinely really cool; they are just tied together with a nonexistent theme. The gameplay is also not good. The "normal" sections that utilize RobTop's gamemodes are all boring with either minimal or painful gameplay, partially because of how much it utilizes the Swing gamemode, a gamemode that creators are not familiar with at the time of writing this, including F5Night. The custom gamemode, which is the focus of the level and is utilized the most, isn't bad by any means but I would much rather prefer gameplay with vanilla gamemodes than something that goes on for so long.

Overall, this is a lot of wasted potential. I think this is the worst level in the NCS Gauntlet Contest top 20. I don't understand how this won money, let alone get into the gauntlets. There were far better levels that didn't win anything.

I'm not the biggest fan of hyper-realistic deco, but it's done incredibly well in this level. Decoration-wise, every part looks very visually appealing, possibly one of the best-looking levels in the game. The effects at the level after the drop are absolutely jaw-dropping. The gameplay is actually fun for the most part, even if post-drop is very unsightreadable. It's not super fun, but I was able to enjoy it a lot. I also want to say that I think this level does a good job of representing the "majestic" nature of the song. Now, why do I think it's not as good as some people think? Well, though the decoration looks very good, it has no real theme. If one wants to make a good realistic-style level, they should also add a nice theme for it to be interesting for things other than its gameplay. I think levels like Waterfall and And Ever do this nicely, but this level is lacking in that department. The creators say that this level is a representation of personal trauma, but this theming is very unclear to people outside of the creators.

Overall, while I do like a lot about this level, I wish its theming was clearer. This level should have made it into the Top 10. As for this level's rating type, which was very controversial, I am not sure if this level is legendary or mythic, it's really hard for my feeble brain to decide.