When this tower did not get into Zone 9, I was genuinely sad. It was for me the biggest disappointment confirmation wise for the area. I love Zach’s works, and the idea of a Zach SC was so exciting to me as I always thought his style had so much potential for the higher difficulties. Now that I’ve played it, I get why it didn’t make it.
If you are Insane skill level, I would not recommend this tower honestly. So much of the difficulty on this tower is pinned on one part: 9 outside. The reason why I gave this gingerbread as a personal difficulty is because I cannot rate it because of this part. I only failed it once, and I sight read the whole tower. I know people who’ve failed it more than 5 times. I feel I cannot give an accurate difficulty cause I feel I didn’t fully experience the tower.
I love Zach’s way of punishment because you can tell he really thinks about exactly what he’s doing. I feel a tremendous issue with towers is builders not thinking about punishment too hard. You can tell Zach thought about it hard. But I think just 9 outside took this tower too far. I can see people who are Insane skill level in agony because of the length up to that point and how lengthy and difficult it is just to lose your entire run. It’d occur multiple times as well. Then you’re talking possibly losing a few runs to E Side too on the unnetted sections? If you are unlucky to constantly fail here like I know some people have had, it will just ruin your entire perception of the tower as it’ll feel like a drag to do the rest of it until that point. It feels that to me that with 9 Outside and E Side this tower just feels like Floor 9 heavy, the same curse that ToOLC has. Obviously, this tower isn’t as bad with that issue. But it’s a major issue that I think is the reason that cost this tower from making it into Zone 9. I think that Zach should have not built 9 outside and kept E side the way it was and used those parts for sections on 7 and 8 and I think this tower would have been wonderful.
This tower is good, I am not hating it, it’s just now I understand why it didn’t make it into JToH and I can see why a lot of people dislike the tower. 9 outside being a significant flaw to me admittedly does mess with my views, I feel I can’t love this tower compared to some of other works from Zach, and I don’t feel the same urge after I beat this tower to enter the portal and go again. It’d be kind of boring too when I know I'd highly likely just get to 9 outside and probably fail it. If 9 outside didn’t exist and this was a high end rem or lower end insane (not sure what it would be) this tower WOULD be amazing. That isn’t me saying I don’t like this tower, I do. I would recommend it to people who are more skilled like terrifying players, and practicing 9 outside and E side and remaining blind to the rest and sight reading it. That I feel is the best way to experience this tower. If you are Insane skill level or extreme skill level? I’d hair on the side of caution playing this as it may rip you apart. I plan on beating ToNT next, and I am interested in playing ToPB on Zone 9’s release in 2028 and see how I feel about what should have been in that slot afterwards. Zach did a great job with this tower, it’s just I feel 9 outside being there is the thing that made this from a fantastic tower, to just a good one.