Rating Curve

I love this level. Love it so much. One of the best levels in the game for sure.

And I have no true idea why. I can't fully express it.

I'll mention the song first of all, it's a remix of Fear Factory; an already great song, but this remix goes even further being one of the best songs on Newgrounds imo. I'm not musically adept enough to explain why, but the tone and instruments used really add to this level's mood.

As for why I view this level so highly, it mostly boils down to atmosphere I guess. There are a number of mechanical or gloomy levels out there, but none that capture the raw feeling and mood of this one. The level feels like an out-of-bounds area. That's my best way to describe it.

I mean; the dark and drab factory theme, the background that looks similar to the default BG but is rigidly remade, the 20ish coins that are all impossible to get, the spikes and pads that you clip through at the end, the unconventional methods of gameplay, the random numbers during the UFO part, and of course, the vertical ball that feels completely off from anything you've ever played. All of these elements go into making this level feel like a liminal space, or even like a dev exit. Some place that no soul has traveled—or was ever meant to travel.

Okay, so basically I think this is the best level of 1.9. 'Nuff said.

Fine I'll say more, the beginning is the best part of the level, expressing the arpeggiated nature of that part of the song. The way the elements flash is so bold, yet subdued at the same time, as to not be painfully in your face. I wish that Nine Circles level could have used that philosophy instead, but it is what it is. The color choices are also just beautiful, invoking the more neon aesthetic. The gameplay is not that difficult, but that makes sense since much of the detail is hidden within the flashes.

In the ship, the difficulty is cranked high up, the color changes are far more erratic, and the flashes become more in-your-face. While not nearly as nice as the cube, this change does make sense, since the music and speed has turned up. The gameplay is also more visible, which NC levels still fail to do. All in all, a very dynamic part.

The drop design is much less flashy, using mostly pulses with an orange and later a green color scheme. It's honestly impressive how well Jeyzor managed to design over such unconventional duals. Speaking of which, the duals are pretty hard! Way harder than in Ditched Machine, and I'd wager skill-wise they even clear Abandoned Machine's dual sections in difficulty. They are so satisfying to pass, and well made (excluding the secret way).

The level transitions into a short slow wave, and then the last stretch. Not much to say about these 2 sections, but I will add, using purple for these parts was such a good idea. The song just feels very "purple" idk, maybe that's just me.

All in all, a phenomenal level level for 1.9, doing an incredible song more than enough justice too.