"If you play a lot of custom levels, all of this stuff probably feels fine." This perfectly embodies how I feel considering how much I've played in 8 years. I honestly never thought about it in the way you presented in this video but you've managed to give me a new, better viewpoint on it. I still think the 2.2 levels will be super fun and enjoyable but you are perfectly correct in saying they introduce too much too quickly. Good video, keep making bangers 😎
Thank you technical! And yeah I wish I made it more clear but my main concern is how these new levels are clearly pandering to custom level players. Feels like the wrong audience imo
@@х.ИНЕЙ.х absolutely not Brodie??? Everyone who’s ever downloaded geometry dash had played the main levels. Plus the lite version - which has 100 downloads - doesn’t even have custom levels.
Rob should seriously make more levels per update to spread out the mechanics. Or at least he should be ok with NOT showing every single thing 2.2 has to offer.
11:42 ‘geometry dash levels aren’t supposed to be about memory’ Tidal wave, LIMBO , Geometrical dominator and some other demons laughing in the background
@@Q-trainrecordings Deadlocked, phantom smth i forgot, silent clubstep, sonic wave, every sonic wave remix that exists, flash bang simulators like Ispywithmylittleeye 2.2 and joke levels:
I love how Colon finds very interesting concepts that everyone knows but no one talks about, and explains clearly what he wants to say while keeping everything entertaining. Massive props, probably one of the best GD content nowadays!
I honestly really like watching colon ramble on about problems in the game. It's informative while also being exaggerated with a sprinkle of comedy. His content is super engaging and funny. He also takes his time and puts honest care in his videos. It's different from the clickbait and or profit focused UA-camrs.
Same. Especially as someone who is learning to make games, it’s really interesting to see what he has say about game design in general, and how it applies to geometry dash
I like how the icon used in each level is the icon you get by beating the level before. It shows a progression in skill and also would be something a player would do
I just use a set of icons that fit well together if you go onto his online icon kit (BLESS THE GODS) i use the "Master!" cube, a ship you buy in the shop for 2000 orbs (Ship 27), a ball you can buy in the shop for 1000 orbs (Ball 20), the "I Like Jumping!" UFO, The "WHAT ARE THOSE!?" wave, the "Geometrical Dominator!" robot, and a spider you can buy in the shop for 2000 orbs (Spider 2) I am going to use Swing copter 6, the one on the app button for GD Nukebound
@@pikaboigaming9534 noice I used to use the master cube. my current icon set is the back on track cube, the 5 map packs shark ship, the gear ball from the community shop, the blockbite ufo(a vault ufo that looks similar to the creator points one), the robotop robot from the vault, and the Community shop scorpion spider
In Hexagon force, I think the use of the slow speed portal is extremely meaningful at the end. You have a lot of nerve when you're right at the end of the level and since Hexagon force was a fast level, it feels really weird to do the last part. It teaches nerve control, and I love it. Edit : Robtop should hire you, like seriously.
Completely agree! When I still played on mobile, I screen-recorded me beating each level when I did so, and in that replay I can see my mini-ship almost hitting one of the spikes in the dual part. I was so nervous at the end there, as I had already died there once because I didn't realize you couldn't hold when entering the part!
Exactly, the slow ship part at the end of hexagon force is definitely one of the most nerve-wracking parts because at that point you're probably high on adrenaline, praying to not mess up, and suddenly the super sensitive controls of slow ship is thrown at you and you have to calm yourself down while trying to traverse the seemingly easy yet surprisingly hard part. I'm pretty sure it has made me more nervous than when I reached the ending of Deadlocked because I know at least that part is easy and I'm probably not going to mess it up
I feel like the Map has a very good opportunity. Rob clearly wants his levels to be more than just learning how new things work, so main levels should teach mechanics and the Map could be more ambitious and advanced. If he cleans up the 2.2 main levels, he can do whatever the hell he wants in the Map levels without any issues with people not understanding them.
I can't believe you didn't mention the first two moving pillars in Geometrical Dominator. I've always felt like those are the true introduction to moving objects, you see that there's no way to get over that gap so you have to just fall down and find out that blocks can appear out of nowhere now. In general I feel like that's what Geometrical Dominator is teaching you; that from now on, levels are no longer sightreadable because of moving objects abuse, which is a very good description of every custom level in Update 2.0
This also applies to the part where you go up a wall in dash, you can't do anything but run into a wall only to find out you can run up walls now, you're pretty much being told to abandon your past knowledge and learn from scratch which, while may be annoying, reminder that geometry dash was based on a game called 'the impossible game' so i think it's ok for rob to do a little trolling
i tried dash as a returning player, mind you the last i had played was back in 2019, going into these levels is an absolute information overload. while i can compute, understand, and beat many other/far harder levels due to my past experience, the best way to describe these is perfectly said by you "They try to show off too many things in such a short amount of time,". i really hope that there is going to be more easier/slower levels that help/show off these new mechanics, because at the current moment i feel like all they are is a deadlock ship memory hell, rather then a way to show the community what we will be seeing in the future with these additions
I absolutely loved the tiny little attention to detail put in here where Colon's Icons changed based on the levels the player would have beaten at the time. 10/10 once again my man!
This is a really underrated topic nobody ever talks about where the moving objects comefrom or the new lava ground this is pretty original keep going Colon
I feel like Rob is now catering the game to the existing community who've been following 2.2's development from the start. We were all introduced to the new features gradually, so we know how to recognize them. But what about the people that aren't bothering with the community and are just playing the game for the first time? They will be completely lost, and unless they spontaneously decide to decode the mechanics using outside sources, they might end up quitting. Colon is right; this feels like a custom level. No intro and sometimes impossible to sight-read. I'm worried...
I definitely agree with you. Another thing about this effect is with how the game seems to be slowly decoupling its mechanics from tangible, unchangeable elements that players can recognize, making it much harder for casual players. It's as if the levels are supposed to be built primarily with gameplay-changing triggers now, and the creator gets to decide on how the mechanics work in each level rather than using the conventions. Like, what's the indication that the player's gravity will be rotated? One could argue that it's those animated arrow blocks, but they are also reused to show the direction of the spider teleports, so it's probably trigger-based. That potion object is probably a customizable pickup and not something that'll actually be connected to size changes anywhere outside of that level. The same likely goes for the sticky green platforms. RobTop himself choosing to remove some gravity portals in favor of those.. arrow things in Explorers only proves this further. This started even back in 2.1 - there is no reason for why gravity portals couldn't actually terminate dash orbs, but instead that functionality was shifted to an invisible and completely ambiguous block.
Now that 2.2 has released i bought the game on update day without any prior gameplay of the game. Tbh i think Dash is an incredibly fun level and is easy to sight read but that might just be me. Now we wait for explorers
I've always thought alot of the main levels had much better gameplay than most modern custom levels, because they choose a few mechanics to stick to rather than just throwing everything they can at you. Very good video mr colon
This went from just a couple of small spikes to freaking demons firing beams of pure hell trying to kill you while materialising into new forms in split seconds.
For me, i think the gimmicks at the end of geometrical dominator are less for players and more for builders "It feels like a custom level" is EXACTLY how i felt after watching the sneak peeks.
Personally, I think that the short gimmicks in Deadlocked build the atmosphere of the level. The way I see it, Deadlocked is the climax or final boss of the Main Levels with Fingerdash being sort of the afterparty. And due to Deadlocked being that climax, it is showing off everything you have learned from every level and throwing it into one to test your skills and see if you truly are a master of Geometry Dash. also, cool title collectables to put on your profile for doing certain things in the game would be epic!
That's really interesting, actually. In that regard the only thing Deadlocked is missing is the mirror portal. But yeah that's a really interesting way of looking at it.
This isn't true Deadlocked is a bad example of using everything from the different levels I think Fingerdash is a better final level than Deadlocked in terms of using all of the mechanics.
I love that the icons being used in each level are obtained from the level(s) before, kinda mimicking what new players might do once they unlock those new icons. love the little details in this video, good stuff :)
I think the whole problem with the introduction of new mechanics right now is that it's actually really fluid if you play the spin-off games. They introduce mechanics really well, but then the main game uses those mechanics like they're already taught. At this point, they need to just port World, Meltdown, and Subzero to the full version of the game so that everything works well
@@V1TheWarMachine Wonder what they can do is different to trying to figure out how the f did I die there and how im f supossed to go past there Wait But that doesnt make any sense! F this game *quits*
for the 2.2 sneak peaks, i think that the problem wasn't robtop, i think it was the community. Because the update had taken so long, our expectations were very high, where then that forced robtop to showcase as many things as possible in the sneak peaks to avoid disappointment, even though it was inevitable. I think the best outcome is for him to change the level from the sneak peak to make the changes more subtle, as then he wouldn't have like 30 sec to represent 2.2. Edit: good video
True but I agree with colon roptop should have make 2.2 levels like back on track and polargeist centered around 1 thing so you like know what the portals/orbs actually do instead of just jumping into them
I really love this video essay format that you've been doing for a while, especially since they always bring a ton of things I never even thought of before to light. Very clear, good and logical points, and kept my attention the entire time!
@@GDColon I have an in-game Issue my game shows that I have 229 Demons although when I count my demons it doesn't make any sense and it doesn't fit (yes I am counting gauntlet demons and official levels.
I think it bears mentioning with Can't Let Go that while it doesn't introduce any new mechanics, there's a reason everyone remembers it but no one remembers Base After Base. Because Can't Let Go actually does have a purpose: it's the first level which contains an actual timing. That one click in the upside down part is the first real difficulty spike in GD and as such Cant Let Go serves the purpose of forcing new players to begin developing skills like good practicing and a good mindset that they will need later. I see a lot of players quit at this stage but those who make it past generally get a LARGE skill boost. You could say it's the first real test, with the second and most important being Clutterfunk. Related: That last part of Clutterfunk is THE test. It's the first time you will die a lot at the end of the level, and it's already hard enough to get there consistently with both of the earlier ship sections being much harder than any previous ship. This level beats you down; without patience and consistency you will have no hope. At the same time, the music at the end is so epic that it creates this super climactic feeling. This is both by far the largest difficulty spike so far, and the first level that really gives you that massive dopamine hit and feeling of accomplishment from overcoming something that really, truly challenged you. Clutterfunk is what separates those who will only ever be casual mobile players from the future GD degenerates.
@@valacejo Time Machine is a bit of a test but I think most people won't be put off by it for long after making it through can't let go. It just takes getting used to the triple spikes and reverse mode. Theres not that many hard timings or hard ship compared to the upside down ship in Jumper
@@Lacter12 which is why I said "I might be a noob at ship sections" Edit: I am no longer a noob at ship sections, I beat clubstep and electrodynamix with 24% nine circles
@@valacejoTime Machine's triple spikes are actually a lie. Those spikes are clipped into each other slightly (roughly five grid units), so each "triple spike" jump is actually closer to two and a half tiles.
Opinion: Around the time that the complaining starts in this video is around the time that Robtop realized that his official levels were taking the sideshow over user-created levels, so his goals shifted from creating to cohesive campaign to just showing off cool features that would help enable players to do what they did best.
@@ThoughtsGuy yes but no one celebrates there. Hexagon Force's last ship is slow which gives a sense of security while Electrodynamix is fast which makes people focus more
Another thing to consider is the order the player plays the levels in. Sure, they’ll probably start with Stereo Madness and proceed chronologically, but eventually, they’ll come across a difficult level and skip it before completing it. That was my experience atleast. Since the blue pads, blue orbs, and fake blocks are introduced later in xStep, the player might encounter them first in Clutterfunk, since they occour much earlier in that level. The same goes for the fadded spikes and blocks being first encounted in Electrodynamix for players that skip the demon Clubstep.
True, I did the same thing. When I died on a hard level, I would try the next level for fun and occurred gimmicks that I had not occurred in the last level that was supposed to introduce that gimmick.
I feel a reason these levels were so crammed was because they needed to be part of a youtube video showing off the new features. I think they will teach you and ease you in to the new features, just with something else like the map. These levels were supposed to be fun to watch to build hype, so maybe they won’t be as fun to play?
Indeed, the whole point of these sneak peeks are to build hype after 6 years of inactivity, and it really worked, when I first saw them I thought "Wow, I can't wait for Rub releasing the 2.2 in the next 5 years!" And minutes later I thought "hope this isn't an official level, or that it is the final design, because if it is I'm screwed" and I've been playing since 1.9 and still hasn't beaten ToE 2 (is still my favourite demon of the game)
I’m hoping that the reason the 2 unreleased levels look like that is so that people can see what he wanted to show off early on before they spread it out and so that people can try and spot hidden and quick things to make them seem more interesting and that he made this part knowing he would change is later I hope
As someone who's not a GD player, that seemed quite obvious to me. It's a mix of "spot the new mechanic" and "flashy level design" without really caring for how it looks to actually play because the new stuff will be spread out in the final release to be a bit more digestible, whereas here the only thing that needs to happen is to make it all just look cool plus maybe hinting that this would be a Demon level you could play in the end (which I do hope you guys get to whenever this releases/released; I think you'd love it once you understood the mechanics more.)
With Colon’s analysis of both the 2.2 sneak peeks it feels like it’s a good idea for players to play GD Subzero 1st after Fingerdash because that introduces some of the 2.2 features but doesn’t over do it with the amount of them that are introduced.
@@_freezingfrost_6515 i'd say it does, the first time Press Start introduces single screen you have no other choice but to hit the orb which teaches you about single screen areas and then it does it twice to make sure you get the hang of it
I remember playing fingerdash then going to create and spent god knows how long trying to use gravity portals to stop dash orbs and little did I know it was actually S blocks that I needed Edit: Tysm for like 200 likes
I really liked that Colon changed the icon after every level, it's a small detail but still gives the player an idea of how much freedom you have in terms of customization.
I think you had very reasonable points in your video about Geometry Dash. It's important to note that earlier levels in the game were better because they introduced new features in a more controlled way. They didn't have as many features to work with, so each level could focus on showcasing a single feature. However, when the game started to become bigger, like with the 2.0 update, RobTop had to throw all the features into a single level, like Geometrical Dominator, which made it less cohesive and less focused on a single theme. Regarding the 2.2 levels, I think if they also followed the circumstances RobTop used in levels like Clubstep, the community would be enraged, because 2.2 is a very big update and RobTop had to show all his work in a single level. This is understandably hard, but it can be overwhelming for players and make the levels feel less cohesive. I honestly don't mind when many things get introduced into a single level, as it shows me that I'm getting far into the level and gives a certain atmosphere. However, other players may feel differently. The level "Explorers" is a 16 star demon, which will probably only be unlocked after you reach 40 secret coins, and by then you would've played thousands of online levels and knew that triggers exist. And I'm pretty sure that "Dash" will have to be unlocked with the map or something like that. Overall, I think the major problem with these newer levels is that updates take too long, which leads to tons of new features being showcased in a single level. It would be great if the game could strike a balance between introducing new features and maintaining a clear theme in each level. Great vid :)
This comment embodies my feelings perfectly, I feel like the Map is a good roadblock to introduce the 2.2 features before you play Dash, and Explorers is just sitting there behind 40 coins of grind. I respect Rob Top for the work he has put into this game that has become such a fabulous community we are a part of, and I can't wait to play 2.2 when it comes out!
I remember when I first played Geometrical Dominator and I thought you had to hold on the rainbows to make you jump farther and didn't realize that holding was an actual part of the Robot's mechanics for the longest time
Im still sad the sideways spider at the start is still there, dash is such a good level but this introduction to the amazing mechanic that is going sideways is just introduced like nothing. The part after the swing copter section is literally perfect for it, why the f does that spider part have to be that way 😭
I love how the icons used in these completons are what a player would have unlocked by the time they get to that level. Stereo madness is obviously the default icons, but as you go on you can see more development in the player's icons as they beat more levels and unlock more of them. Great touch!
16:05 While I never beat Electrodynamix, this segment taught me to use the environment AROUND an obstacle to coordinate jump timings. Those blocks above with spikes on every side helped me know when to jump even though it was too fast to track the invisible spikes.
@@RudolfJelin first of all, my hardest is hypersonic, second of all i havent died there in like 3+ years, its the fact it existss for new people that i hate, its not at all hard difficulty wise you just cant see it
I'm sorry but I absolutely love the memory ship. sure you can't sight read it but since this is a demon, you are basically forced to do a practice run which will give you enough time to learn it and when you do it's super fun. I love how much of a choke point it is and once you pass it, it genuinely feels incredible like you just beat the hardest thing ever. It was so rewarding when I first passed it and then beat the level years ago. I felt so accomplished and good at the game at the time and even went to show my mom I beat it. that part always stuck with me as being one of if not the best part in any official level.
Rob should make, like 8 new levels. Each one revolves around 2 or 3 mechanics that work well together, and some should be easier. There could very easily be a medium level that revolves just around the new camera controls, which is really easy to understand. The 2 levels shown would then be the demons or insane levels added, with some sightreading tweaks.
Little detail: Sometimes In the background with Colon’s character, there’s a PC showing the clips from before 22:38 Also in Geometrical dominator there’s a makeshift track with the moving platform that follows you, which in your “How to make fair gameplay video” you mentioned to indicate the moving object for it to be fair. 25:38 Also COLON SWEARING?1?2!1?1??
This kind of content is exactly why I've been subscribed for years. You're such an inspiration to me and you continue to make these incredibly thoughtful points in an entertaining video. Love your work man (:
I think the reason that the 2.2 levels are so overwhelming is because there are so many new features that Rob had to show off. Hopefully things will improve in 2.3, as Rob said that he would only spend about 6-ish months per update after 2.2 came out. This should mean Les features per update, leading to less overwhelming levels.
The 2.2 previews look like those levels that bring together all the mechanics you were taught within various other levels as like, some boss stage, rather than some form of introduction It'd be pretty cool if there were various small sized levels that taught you these things, leading to unlocking a level that puts it all together in a cool display Like Rhythm Heaven Remixes or something like that
Yeah but I also feel like we need a level like that for everything up until Fingerdash. Which I feel like the fanmade Press Start full version fits since it also introduces a 2.2 mechanic along with bringing together everything introduced up until Fingerdash.
The point you made about gameplay visuals getting removed in 2.2, such as the mini portal and hitting blocks is on point. I thought about that a lot and I 100% agree. Something I don't like in 2.2 is that new gameplay mechanics have no indicators, such as the timewarp, gravity, arrow triggers. You have no idea what's about to happen with you. If you look at old updates, each speed change arrow, each gravity portal/pad/orb had its own color. Why are 2.2 features being added without visual indicators? That's a topic you should totally consider talking about in a video. Good stuff dude
@@markerpurplemarker1901Those triple spikes in stereo madness are so easy, you have so many chances or enough time to jump between them unlike in later levels such as cant let go, cycles, time machine in which requires timing has so many gravity changes, fake orbs or unnecessary jump pads, and the triple spike in those appears suddenly before you react to it which can lead to more confusion to the level itself.. unfortunately stereo madness lacks that
I think the portals just being completely gone is meant to show how the portals don’t have to be in portal form. They still give you a relatively safe indicator when the mini change or gravity change occurs, and it is a reoccurring thing instead of a one-off occurrence, so I would consider them pretty well-designed.
Agree with everything except for the one invisible mini with the spider orb. A potion is fine, the arrows for the gravity swap make enough sense, but the only orb that's been established to change the gravity is the blue orb. That should be held as true.
I wasn't allowed to play custom levels until I was 15 in 2019. I beat several 2* levels and the first couple of map packs without music against permission in 2017, before orbs were added. I started playing the game in 1.8 in 2014, so I had to learn all of the mechanics in order. (I have horrible coordination, and I still can't beat Electrodynamix or the demon levels to this day) Everything you covered leading up to Blast Processing is exactly what I experienced. Your dialogue from Stereo Madness through Can't Let Go are exactly what 10 year old me playing on my neighbor's iPad in 1.7 was thinking. (1.8 released before I successfully got my mom to download it on my kindle a week later.) I could not time the first spike jump on Stereo Madness and couldn't make it to the ship part for several weeks because once again, I have poor motor coordination. However, once I beat Stereo Madness, Back on Track through Base After Base came quickly. Can't Let Go was brutal, and Jumper took a long time. From there I slowly beat levels as follows: Cycles, ToE, xStep, Electroman Adventures, Blast Processing, Geometrical Dominator, Fingerdash, Time Machine, Clutterfunk, and Hexagon Force. I never had to flip my screen in Dry Out, but the upside down ship in Jumper slaughtered me. At one point I had my sis take over the upside down ship parts on my Kindle sitting across from me because I couldn't do it. I beat Time Machine long after most of the other main levels because it was so hard. The triples and the tightness and the mirror portal was too much to handle. I beat Cycles because I liked the song so much I persisted, wanting to hear more (no YT for me back then, and I was unaware of the editor having songs). However the ship gravity switching portals caused a lot of rage, and I laughed way too hard when I heard you use the exploitive when reviewing that part. At the very least, my dad and sis played at the time, and my dad often cussed at it as well, so I didn't feel too mad at myself, and eventually I beat it. Clutterfunk I avoided since I hated the music, and the dual and the slopes in Hexagon Force were beyond my capability for a while. Personally, I thought the game taught its mechanics well until Geometrical Dominator. Everything beforehand eased me into new gamemodes and features, but Geometrical Dominator broke that for me. I felt it was too much to comprehend and it took me a long time to become familiar with it. I eventually learned though, and when I was finally allowed to play custom levels a couple of years later, the movements in those didn't bother me. Fingerdash had the same problem with too much all at once, but I adjusted to it much easier than I did Geometrical Dominator. As for the new level Dash and the overall 2.2 update, I still can't. I can't pass the first spider part. I don't have the coordination for the platformer mode. I'm overwhelmed by all of the new features and it's actually pushed me away from the game. I do hope to return one day when my real life is much calmer. I found this video quite entertaining, thanks for the laughs!
I've been playing geometry dash on and off for years. Each time I come back I basically have to relearn the game cause I haven't played so long. Muscle memory does help and make the first few levels easier to get through but I always hit a wall when I get the the extreme levels and there's no way in hell I'm able to beat any of the official demons (at least not yet) I'm having the same problems with the new level in 2.2 "dash" where I get so overwhelmed with everything that I can't even get past the first spider bit even though like in the video it's just 2 seconds long. Fingerdash I'm fine with and have almost completed but it's going to take me so bloody long to get used to dash that it's kinda off-putting
@@CasuallyShadow I have tremors as well, and can only play on mobile when all other parts of my hand and forearm are resting on a surface. I use my pointer finger on my dominant (left) hand and minimize the movement. The pressure of my taps is extremely inconsistent, despite being on a med to suppress my tremors that mostly works. And yes, they still kill my runs usually with an unexpected double/triple tap or not tapping hard enough or reaching the screen before my finger decides to wrench upwards. I can't play on PC either, turns out I have a connective tissue disorder that destabilizes my joints to the point that clicking on a mouse repeatedly or trying to press keyboard keys (that are not super flat or soft-touch - my laptop is decent but I still can't do it repeatedly and quickly) will dislocate and sublux my fingerss, causing a lot of pain. As a kid I didn't know why it was happening and lived with it (I also never had a computer that ran GD well), but now that I realize each incident is doing long-term damage, it's rough. People tell me to play on PC to try to "get good" and I'm sick of trying to explain myself. I exclusively use feather touches on mobile to play anything, and my current laptop is a touchscreen that registers feather touches on its track pad, but it doesn't run GD or games in general well. It doesn't reliably keep internet connection either. We can only do the best we can do though! Tremors suck.
@@KDragoness Yeah! So cool to see someone else who has similar issues to me, I often take beta blockers for mine, so isk if that would work for you, but if you haven't tried maybe see! But yeah, I think I could be quite good at GD like my younger brother but uh, yeah, tremors. Keep strong though!
@@CasuallyShadow My dad and I both have benign familial tremors, and we take propranolol as needed, usually when singing or making art. However, back in 2021 severe chronic illnesses onset, and I am now on it full-time for POTS. Taking life one day at a time and staying strong is how I get by, and I hope you are managing well too. If you're into art, I discovered that paint pouring is a good medium for crap joints and tremors. You get the pouring paints, the canvases, and maybe a few special strainers/flowers/cups to work with, and drizzle paint over the canvas. It's abstract and you can't quite predict the flow of the paint, so tremors aren't a huge issue. As long as you pick colors that blend well together and you aren't trying to copy a pattern you saw on social media, it's hard to mess up. Art classes in school were horrible. Drawing, painting, sculpting - it was awful; My tremors sabotaged all of my pieces. I also have always lacked basic hand-eye coordination. Recently, I learned that my genetic disorder (dx July 2022) means my joints are not quite functional and extremely fragile, so I'm not entirely crazy, and there is a reason for why everything from art to athletics to gaming to typing to handwriting has been so challenging, beyond "just" the tremors. When gaming reaction instinct is usually slow or wrong altogether, and all of this contributes to my struggle with GD as a whole. The other part of the "I suck" equation is the fact that I anger quickly and hate practicing - I just want to beat a level in under 10 attempts, ideally 1-3. If you ever want to talk more let me know! I can do email or Discord, and even GD messaging itself, though I hate the character limit there. I've developed several little tricks for managing the tremors in day-to-day life, and am happy to share my experiences.
Honestly though Geometrical Dominator is my favorite level in this game. It may be gimmicky, but I feel like it has 1 theme: Chaos. Idk why but I absolutely how it always keeps you on your toes wondering what will throw you off next. I know it's not for everyone but for me I just love how hectic it is.
One thing I feel is overlooked that you don't discuss is how certain level sections are tied to the music. The game even tells you to "listen to the music to help time your jumps".
I feel like the Geometry Dash Sub Zero levels did a good job introducing some of the 2.2 mechanics. For example, unlike the section in the sneak peak at 31:43, Nock ‘em gives you time to see what you are about to do. There is a delay before it throws you right in.
I would argue that there is a main gimmick to Deadlocked: the teleport portals. It's the gimmick of the ball part everyone likes, it's part of the cannon, it's introduced early, and is in the "i like this part" ship. They're also littered around the level in other places too. Also, I now know that if I have something in a level, it must be the only obstacle/gimmick in the entire level
that's a serious oversimplification. you can introduce 2 or 3, even 5 mechanics in a level. the problem is that you need to safely introduce them, then expand upon them and combine them in the rest of the level, which often isn't possible in the span of a single 2-minute level with more than 1 or 2 mechanics
I have to disagree on the invisible spikes in Electrodynamix For those of us who were a little too fearful of Demon levels (me), this was a good way to introduce invisible objects for people who had otherwise never seen them before. It's simple and you learn it pretty quickly with few repercussions (unlike later in the level)
I think in Geometrical Dominator these diamonds that move blocks were added to show what YOU can do with all these new triggers. Dunno why would anyone be even a little bit upset about it imo
As soon as I saw this in my recommended feed, I dropped everything to watch it. My heart rate literally doubled for a few seconds. I'm really glad you've gotten back to making more videos recently. You're a massive inspiration to me. So thanks, man.
I never really took the time to appreciate how much the first levels actually teach, all of that was so well thought and really teaches how to play the game quickly. Amazing video as always. edit: just noticed the players icon changed as he progressed on the game lol cool little detail
I'm so glad that Colon loves Cluttefunk just like I do and gives justice to this otherwise insanely underrated level... The pacing and the new in their own rights mechanics introduced are both well-done, well-introduced and insanely fun. I especially love that short pause before you enter the mini-portal, reflects the way other game modes were introduced and syncs well with the song too.
The points you made during this video are very valid, although i dont think that its something we should worry about. Because this level is a sneak peek, not a full level show case (for explorers) its subject to change and thats whats important.
I think that the 2.2 levels seeming like custom levels might just be that Robtop saw how everyone was adjusting to how custom levels switch up what you know and figured that it was okay for him to do the same because the core fanbase will be warmed up to that kind of thing already. It’s not that they were so filled that it seemed like a custom level, it’s that they were deliberately made to not only look like a custom level but also showcase how it’ll be so much easier to do custom level gimmicks.
@@GDColon i feel like you cant really blame robtop cause he has to show you this madness of an update in a short period of time he cant just leak the whole level to ease you in with each mechanic having their own 10-20 second part although robtop could have leaked all of the mechanics on twitter in the form of short leak videos ( like he did)
@@macul76 But you don't have to show _everything_ in one level though? Some things can be left unused, custom levels are there for you anyway. I agree with Colon that, a level should be focused on just a few mechanics, like polargeist with jump orbs. 2.2 levels are just... a mess. Explorers feel like LIMBO all over again.
25:39 A way to make this part a little better and readable would be to put arrows pointing to where the blocks are gonna go. If the blocks have more than one movement, then that’s what alpha triggers are for. The arrows can also go hand in hand with the new pixel blocks introduced in this update, as I felt they weren’t really there in geometrical dominator.
The worst offender for Explorers in my opinion is the very brief mini wave part. *It doesn't tell which direction it will go when you hold tap/click, and that is to anyone who haven't gone to that part themselves yet.*
Yeah, it always felt like it would probably be the hardest part of the level, like that one ship part in TOE 2, and that one ship part in Deadlocked, and that one ship part in Clubstep, and that one ship part i
It could be a good idea for the Subzero levels to be added to the regular game because they all are well done and can be used to introduce some of the new mechanics like the camera changes and other visual differences.
It'd be cool if all the levels from the different geometry dash apps were included in the PC version, maybe Robtop could make different tabs in the campaign level screen which would contain the levels of each app
AI Generated comment: "Great video, GD Colon! I really enjoyed learning about how Geometry Dash teaches its mechanics. The use of checkpoints and practice mode really helps players understand and improve their skills. I also appreciate how the game gradually increases the difficulty to challenge players as they progress through the levels. Keep up the good work!" - ChatGPT
What prompt did you ask the bot to get a response where it took input from a recent part of the internet? Last I remember, its database only consisted of web pages from before 2021.
But then, I had a very good idea. I remembered the mechanics. See, remembering the mechanics gave me a whole new view of the gameplay and I was able to understand things that would become important in future levels.
I don’t know if I am being biased but I love the gimmicks introduced in his levels; it makes it feel fun and maybe gives you ideas on gimmicks you could make in your level.
Imo, gimmicks that are put all-over the place should only be at custom levels, cus the creator of that level has the freedom to do what they wanna do with it based on their likings. For RobTop, I'm not saying that he should have any freedom about his game, but what I mean is, he could've been more considerate to what the base game has been built around for the sake of the principles of the early levels, and also there are other newbies comin in around too, although before they even grasp the latest levels, they must get pass through what's before those.
@@Greeeyt I’ve changed my opinion slightly, and in my opinion, if robtop wants to show off a cool gimmick, it should at least be there twice in the level to make it feel connected and not just a random gimmick for no reason but not too many times to the point where it feels like a game mechanic.
"If you play a lot of custom levels, all of this stuff probably feels fine." This perfectly embodies how I feel considering how much I've played in 8 years. I honestly never thought about it in the way you presented in this video but you've managed to give me a new, better viewpoint on it. I still think the 2.2 levels will be super fun and enjoyable but you are perfectly correct in saying they introduce too much too quickly. Good video, keep making bangers 😎
Thank you technical! And yeah I wish I made it more clear but my main concern is how these new levels are clearly pandering to custom level players. Feels like the wrong audience imo
Omg it's technical everyone :0
@@GDColon maybe cuz custom levels are played way more then original levels
@@х.ИНЕЙ.х absolutely not Brodie??? Everyone who’s ever downloaded geometry dash had played the main levels. Plus the lite version - which has 100 downloads - doesn’t even have custom levels.
@@caztra11 good point i forgot about gd lite since i play on pc
That was a really good point about the mini portal completely being gone. I never noticed that but it definetly added a lot more unneccesary confusion
Hey samelot man
Ayy Kingsammelot is here
Good video kingsammelot
I mean yea
um actually it’s seplt “definitely” - 🤓
Rob should seriously make more levels per update to spread out the mechanics. Or at least he should be ok with NOT showing every single thing 2.2 has to offer.
This is exactly what I wanted to say
@@minepro3388 ok, but are new players going to know that?
Omega Faxcon
AGREED!
@@minepro3388 private server. _private_ server. It doesn’t have everything, there’s still lots of stuff we don’t know.
Every time I watch this video, and he says “Find out after these messages,” I SWEAR EVERY TIME I GET AN ADD
probably added the ad in the ad system or whatever the f*ck its called
11:42 ‘geometry dash levels aren’t supposed to be about memory’
Tidal wave, LIMBO , Geometrical dominator and some other demons laughing in the background
Yeah, LOL! 😂
@@Q-trainrecordings Deadlocked, phantom smth i forgot, silent clubstep, sonic wave, every sonic wave remix that exists, flash bang simulators like Ispywithmylittleeye 2.2 and joke levels:
Fr
I love how Colon finds very interesting concepts that everyone knows but no one talks about, and explains clearly what he wants to say while keeping everything entertaining. Massive props, probably one of the best GD content nowadays!
Yes.
YOOOOOO
Yep
he definetely deserved a nomination
i agree
I honestly really like watching colon ramble on about problems in the game. It's informative while also being exaggerated with a sprinkle of comedy. His content is super engaging and funny. He also takes his time and puts honest care in his videos. It's different from the clickbait and or profit focused UA-camrs.
aaaakajskjhqwrei7uhwrhwier thank you so much!! 🧡 comments like this mean so much
@@GDColon did you have a seizure punctuation
@@GDColon bottom type communication
Same. Especially as someone who is learning to make games, it’s really interesting to see what he has say about game design in general, and how it applies to geometry dash
@BeanieCat GD oh god its billy
I like how the icon used in each level is the icon you get by beating the level before. It shows a progression in skill and also would be something a player would do
That’s probably because the person that was playing was using a new account and everytime he best the level he just wanted to switch his icon
I did that
I just use a set of icons that fit well together if you go onto his online icon kit (BLESS THE GODS) i use the "Master!" cube, a ship you buy in the shop for 2000 orbs (Ship 27), a ball you can buy in the shop for 1000 orbs (Ball 20), the "I Like Jumping!" UFO, The "WHAT ARE THOSE!?" wave, the "Geometrical Dominator!" robot, and a spider you can buy in the shop for 2000 orbs (Spider 2) I am going to use Swing copter 6, the one on the app button for GD Nukebound
AGREED!
@@pikaboigaming9534 noice I used to use the master cube. my current icon set is the back on track cube, the 5 map packs shark ship, the gear ball from the community shop, the blockbite ufo(a vault ufo that looks similar to the creator points one), the robotop robot from the vault, and the Community shop scorpion spider
Gd Colon: Says “Find out after these messages.”
UA-cam: A perfect time for an ad!
Fr
That happened to me today lol
How
Y'know in his newest video he placed an ad when he said "shut up and watch it nerd"
In Hexagon force, I think the use of the slow speed portal is extremely meaningful at the end. You have a lot of nerve when you're right at the end of the level and since Hexagon force was a fast level, it feels really weird to do the last part. It teaches nerve control, and I love it.
Edit : Robtop should hire you, like seriously.
Completely agree! When I still played on mobile, I screen-recorded me beating each level when I did so, and in that replay I can see my mini-ship almost hitting one of the spikes in the dual part. I was so nervous at the end there, as I had already died there once because I didn't realize you couldn't hold when entering the part!
I have died so many times there before, even now it is my personal chokepoint although I have 88 on windy landscape.
The heart is gone rip.
Exactly, the slow ship part at the end of hexagon force is definitely one of the most nerve-wracking parts because at that point you're probably high on adrenaline, praying to not mess up, and suddenly the super sensitive controls of slow ship is thrown at you and you have to calm yourself down while trying to traverse the seemingly easy yet surprisingly hard part. I'm pretty sure it has made me more nervous than when I reached the ending of Deadlocked because I know at least that part is easy and I'm probably not going to mess it up
I agree too. Hexagon Force's last slow dual part is so calm yet tense..
I feel like the Map has a very good opportunity. Rob clearly wants his levels to be more than just learning how new things work, so main levels should teach mechanics and the Map could be more ambitious and advanced. If he cleans up the 2.2 main levels, he can do whatever the hell he wants in the Map levels without any issues with people not understanding them.
wth are map levels
@@timm14171 they will be introduced in 2.2
I can't believe you didn't mention the first two moving pillars in Geometrical Dominator. I've always felt like those are the true introduction to moving objects, you see that there's no way to get over that gap so you have to just fall down and find out that blocks can appear out of nowhere now. In general I feel like that's what Geometrical Dominator is teaching you; that from now on, levels are no longer sightreadable because of moving objects abuse, which is a very good description of every custom level in Update 2.0
honestly a very good point!
This also applies to the part where you go up a wall in dash, you can't do anything but run into a wall only to find out you can run up walls now, you're pretty much being told to abandon your past knowledge and learn from scratch which, while may be annoying, reminder that geometry dash was based on a game called 'the impossible game' so i think it's ok for rob to do a little trolling
I'm surprised that colon didnt call the G.D. Memory part the "You just got Geometrically Dominated" part.
@@christhelegend889 sounds oddly sexual dont you think? 😂
@@NoobersLikesCheese zero
i tried dash as a returning player, mind you the last i had played was back in 2019, going into these levels is an absolute information overload. while i can compute, understand, and beat many other/far harder levels due to my past experience, the best way to describe these is perfectly said by you "They try to show off too many things in such a short amount of time,". i really hope that there is going to be more easier/slower levels that help/show off these new mechanics, because at the current moment i feel like all they are is a deadlock ship memory hell, rather then a way to show the community what we will be seeing in the future with these additions
i ve been playing geometry dash for like 1 year but still cant understand dash
this is the true christmas gift, colon explaining: geometry dash mechanics, when, why and how
true
Ik
facts
🌘〰🌒
Fr
I absolutely loved the tiny little attention to detail put in here where Colon's Icons changed based on the levels the player would have beaten at the time. 10/10 once again my man!
First
@@RealBrik shut up.
@@RealBrik 2nd
My dude, he played the game again cause in back on track he died and got orbs, but i agree either way.
i noticed the same thing!
The deadlocked mini ball part makes you feel really badass when you complete it
Can't argue with you more
True
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BADASSERY!!??1??1?1
clutterfunk ball clears tbh but both are great
Don’t you mean BALL-ass? Get it?
28:42 Little did GD: know he has created a meme
Oh no
This is a really underrated topic nobody ever talks about where the moving objects comefrom or the new lava ground this is pretty original keep going Colon
I feel like Rob is now catering the game to the existing community who've been following 2.2's development from the start. We were all introduced to the new features gradually, so we know how to recognize them. But what about the people that aren't bothering with the community and are just playing the game for the first time? They will be completely lost, and unless they spontaneously decide to decode the mechanics using outside sources, they might end up quitting.
Colon is right; this feels like a custom level. No intro and sometimes impossible to sight-read. I'm worried...
I definitely agree with you. Another thing about this effect is with how the game seems to be slowly decoupling its mechanics from tangible, unchangeable elements that players can recognize, making it much harder for casual players. It's as if the levels are supposed to be built primarily with gameplay-changing triggers now, and the creator gets to decide on how the mechanics work in each level rather than using the conventions. Like, what's the indication that the player's gravity will be rotated? One could argue that it's those animated arrow blocks, but they are also reused to show the direction of the spider teleports, so it's probably trigger-based. That potion object is probably a customizable pickup and not something that'll actually be connected to size changes anywhere outside of that level. The same likely goes for the sticky green platforms. RobTop himself choosing to remove some gravity portals in favor of those.. arrow things in Explorers only proves this further. This started even back in 2.1 - there is no reason for why gravity portals couldn't actually terminate dash orbs, but instead that functionality was shifted to an invisible and completely ambiguous block.
now we have 1 more year of 2.2 waiting to be released
Fortunately the levels are getting redone
Now that 2.2 has released i bought the game on update day without any prior gameplay of the game. Tbh i think Dash is an incredibly fun level and is easy to sight read but that might just be me. Now we wait for explorers
I've always thought alot of the main levels had much better gameplay than most modern custom levels, because they choose a few mechanics to stick to rather than just throwing everything they can at you. Very good video mr colon
hi pogon dome 😃😃😃😃😃
pongon domut
Holy shit, plogbmonn dlrogtut
Holy its poigon dongnut
11 likes from a verified channel? Now that's something you don't see every day.
Colon “You can’t jump over 4 spikes.”
Stereo Extremeness “ Am I a joke to you?”
ikr idk why they put a frame perfect at the start it took me 237 attempts for doing that
it is a nerfed 4 spikes
@@KiaanTV237?! It took me like 4
you can jump over 8 spikes on 1 times speed using scroll speed bug
@@Monkayvr251 took a while to realize it was a buffer click
This went from just a couple of small spikes to freaking demons firing beams of pure hell trying to kill you while materialising into new forms in split seconds.
PPSTSD
Post "Press-Start" Traumatic Stress Disorder
@@talade5556 ah yes
@@daniellim2683 nock em harder
Reminds me of Homestuck
@@NeonBeeCat From a 13 years old pooplord messing around at home to a complete clusterfuck
For me, i think the gimmicks at the end of geometrical dominator are less for players and more for builders
"It feels like a custom level" is EXACTLY how i felt after watching the sneak peeks.
i'm the 300th like and the 1st comment.
HOW-
@@noajdjams madjick
Bro I skiped the 2 orb on polarguste
Noncapital swear my life
Personally, I think that the short gimmicks in Deadlocked build the atmosphere of the level. The way I see it, Deadlocked is the climax or final boss of the Main Levels with Fingerdash being sort of the afterparty. And due to Deadlocked being that climax, it is showing off everything you have learned from every level and throwing it into one to test your skills and see if you truly are a master of Geometry Dash.
also, cool title collectables to put on your profile for doing certain things in the game would be epic!
“Talking in the daily chat will get you the Virgin Badge.” -RobTop
That's really interesting, actually. In that regard the only thing Deadlocked is missing is the mirror portal. But yeah that's a really interesting way of looking at it.
@@TheTromblood I honestly was expecting it during that ship part when I saw the invisible size changes. Would have been perfect to throw in there.
This isn't true Deadlocked is a bad example of using everything from the different levels I think Fingerdash is a better final level than Deadlocked in terms of using all of the mechanics.
I really like how your icon changes throughout each level to reflect the level you previously beat
I love that the icons being used in each level are obtained from the level(s) before, kinda mimicking what new players might do once they unlock those new icons. love the little details in this video, good stuff :)
:DDD
@@GDColon Now half of the Gdash community - continues to use the cube from Electrodynamix cause half of the pros use it.
@@Shafz_247 i use the lizard or this random icon I thought looked kinda cool.
aren't a lot of the colours used the colours unlocked from beating the previous level in practice aswell or am I imagining things
@@INeedTherapy0 i believe so, yes
I think the whole problem with the introduction of new mechanics right now is that it's actually really fluid if you play the spin-off games. They introduce mechanics really well, but then the main game uses those mechanics like they're already taught. At this point, they need to just port World, Meltdown, and Subzero to the full version of the game so that everything works well
Robtop gets poor ;c
@@EstrogenCubing I'd help with programming, if he interned me XD
The spinoff levels stay on the spinoff games because rob needs to buy his 17th yacht with the money he gets from ads
I think that I like the lesser explanation, makes you wonder what they can do more, and makes you want to explore their possibilities.
@@V1TheWarMachine Wonder what they can do is different to trying to figure out how the f did I die there and how im f supossed to go past there
Wait
But that doesnt make any sense!
F this game
*quits*
for the 2.2 sneak peaks, i think that the problem wasn't robtop, i think it was the community. Because the update had taken so long, our expectations were very high, where then that forced robtop to showcase as many things as possible in the sneak peaks to avoid disappointment, even though it was inevitable. I think the best outcome is for him to change the level from the sneak peak to make the changes more subtle, as then he wouldn't have like 30 sec to represent 2.2.
Edit: good video
Or split the update into multiple parts.
True
True but I agree with colon roptop should have make 2.2 levels like back on track and polargeist centered around 1 thing so you like know what the portals/orbs actually do instead of just jumping into them
11:43 "Geometry Dash levels aren't supposed to be about memory"
Limbo: "HI, I'm Limbo"
I love the detail of Colon using the icons he just unlocked for the next level
until he uses the supporter cube
@@Chubs606 clutter funk doesn’t give an icon
@@Hydran1x It gives a ship but the point still stands
I love the detail of the icons of the player changing as they beat more levels. Yet again another banger from our favourite cube game player!
Thanks!
Good job for 505K subs!
I really love this video essay format that you've been doing for a while, especially since they always bring a ton of things I never even thought of before to light. Very clear, good and logical points, and kept my attention the entire time!
Thank you;
@@GDColon when are you going to finish the sentence colon
GD 2.2 Level were made for Pro
They're never mean to beaten like before
@@GDColon I have an in-game Issue my game shows that I have 229 Demons although when I count my demons it doesn't make any sense and it doesn't fit (yes I am counting gauntlet demons and official levels.
when gd cologne said “find out after these messages” ads played
True
I think it bears mentioning with Can't Let Go that while it doesn't introduce any new mechanics, there's a reason everyone remembers it but no one remembers Base After Base. Because Can't Let Go actually does have a purpose: it's the first level which contains an actual timing. That one click in the upside down part is the first real difficulty spike in GD and as such Cant Let Go serves the purpose of forcing new players to begin developing skills like good practicing and a good mindset that they will need later. I see a lot of players quit at this stage but those who make it past generally get a LARGE skill boost. You could say it's the first real test, with the second and most important being Clutterfunk.
Related: That last part of Clutterfunk is THE test. It's the first time you will die a lot at the end of the level, and it's already hard enough to get there consistently with both of the earlier ship sections being much harder than any previous ship. This level beats you down; without patience and consistency you will have no hope. At the same time, the music at the end is so epic that it creates this super climactic feeling. This is both by far the largest difficulty spike so far, and the first level that really gives you that massive dopamine hit and feeling of accomplishment from overcoming something that really, truly challenged you. Clutterfunk is what separates those who will only ever be casual mobile players from the future GD degenerates.
I'd say Time Machine is also a very big difficulty spike since triple spikes and other timings appear way more often now alongside the mirror portal
@@valacejo Time Machine is a bit of a test but I think most people won't be put off by it for long after making it through can't let go. It just takes getting used to the triple spikes and reverse mode. Theres not that many hard timings or hard ship compared to the upside down ship in Jumper
@@Chessplayer1719cycles felt like a break when i was doing all the levels, clutterfunk was such a pain
@@Lacter12 which is why I said "I might be a noob at ship sections"
Edit: I am no longer a noob at ship sections, I beat clubstep and electrodynamix with 24% nine circles
@@valacejoTime Machine's triple spikes are actually a lie. Those spikes are clipped into each other slightly (roughly five grid units), so each "triple spike" jump is actually closer to two and a half tiles.
Opinion:
Around the time that the complaining starts in this video is around the time that Robtop realized that his official levels were taking the sideshow over user-created levels, so his goals shifted from creating to cohesive campaign to just showing off cool features that would help enable players to do what they did best.
The last ship on Hexagon Force is a pure definition of "Don't celebrate too early"
YES.
Nah wdym it was super easy
electrodynamix's last ship was harder
@@ThoughtsGuy yes but no one celebrates there. Hexagon Force's last ship is slow which gives a sense of security while Electrodynamix is fast which makes people focus more
@@ThoughtsGuy true true
I love how the icon progressed through the video, it shows true progression in the protagonist of this video
Another thing to consider is the order the player plays the levels in. Sure, they’ll probably start with Stereo Madness and proceed chronologically, but eventually, they’ll come across a difficult level and skip it before completing it. That was my experience atleast. Since the blue pads, blue orbs, and fake blocks are introduced later in xStep, the player might encounter them first in Clutterfunk, since they occour much earlier in that level. The same goes for the fadded spikes and blocks being first encounted in Electrodynamix for players that skip the demon Clubstep.
True, I did the same thing. When I died on a hard level, I would try the next level for fun and occurred gimmicks that I had not occurred in the last level that was supposed to introduce that gimmick.
True. I skipped Time Machine and Cycles in my early days playing. It worked out tho as I beat xStep then went back to do the other 2
sure, but couldn't the spikes at least be later in the level, instead of directly after the first speed portal?
I skipped dry out and went to base after base just because of the last jump on the upside down section
When I got gd full, I immediately started playing blast processing.This was the first introduction to dual and I really struggled with that part.
I swear to god I keep rewatching it and i don't know why.. It's just THAT GOOD.
omg sammmee ive watched 5 times lmao
same like 13 times already
𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕖𝕖
True like 15
4:55 I keep rewatching this
I feel a reason these levels were so crammed was because they needed to be part of a youtube video showing off the new features. I think they will teach you and ease you in to the new features, just with something else like the map. These levels were supposed to be fun to watch to build hype, so maybe they won’t be as fun to play?
Indeed, the whole point of these sneak peeks are to build hype after 6 years of inactivity, and it really worked, when I first saw them I thought "Wow, I can't wait for Rub releasing the 2.2 in the next 5 years!" And minutes later I thought "hope this isn't an official level, or that it is the final design, because if it is I'm screwed" and I've been playing since 1.9 and still hasn't beaten ToE 2 (is still my favourite demon of the game)
The reason why RobTop added Blue pads in that Xstep ship is because they're tempting and it also throw your mind from straight flying to hitting them
The new level sneak peeks seem more like a visual show than something fun to play
I’m hoping that the reason the 2 unreleased levels look like that is so that people can see what he wanted to show off early on before they spread it out and so that people can try and spot hidden and quick things to make them seem more interesting and that he made this part knowing he would change is later
I hope
As someone who's not a GD player, that seemed quite obvious to me. It's a mix of "spot the new mechanic" and "flashy level design" without really caring for how it looks to actually play because the new stuff will be spread out in the final release to be a bit more digestible, whereas here the only thing that needs to happen is to make it all just look cool plus maybe hinting that this would be a Demon level you could play in the end (which I do hope you guys get to whenever this releases/released; I think you'd love it once you understood the mechanics more.)
69. so don’t like.
I actually got an ad
@@JonathanScarletit’s just that robtop has never done this before
If explorers ever gets realeased, it should be *the first RobTop extreme demon*
With Colon’s analysis of both the 2.2 sneak peeks it feels like it’s a good idea for players to play GD Subzero 1st after Fingerdash because that introduces some of the 2.2 features but doesn’t over do it with the amount of them that are introduced.
Yeah, I actually started playing GD through Subzero and I think it introduces the new mechanics much better than the upcoming main levels.
@@_freezingfrost_6515 i'd say it does, the first time Press Start introduces single screen you have no other choice but to hit the orb which teaches you about single screen areas and then it does it twice to make sure you get the hang of it
“ you can’t jump over 4 spikes “
Electrodynamix : are you sure about that???
I remember playing fingerdash then going to create and spent god knows how long trying to use gravity portals to stop dash orbs and little did I know it was actually S blocks that I needed
Edit: Tysm for like 200 likes
Spen'
i remember that also i tryed that too
haha same
F in chat for your past self.
@@Dexzler ?
The analysis from stereo madness to deadlocked felt like a journey, well done
@GD Smile true but I just prefer 1.0-2.0 levels
I love that colon makes videos about all the stupid things I’ve thought about before. Like this is exactly what I thought about when I saw explorers
I like how you change your icon to what you get after you beat the level
I really liked that Colon changed the icon after every level, it's a small detail but still gives the player an idea of how much freedom you have in terms of customization.
He made it to where like on jumper, he wore can't let go, and on time machine, he wears jumper
@@LMGroupieGirl my point exactly
I think you had very reasonable points in your video about Geometry Dash. It's important to note that earlier levels in the game were better because they introduced new features in a more controlled way. They didn't have as many features to work with, so each level could focus on showcasing a single feature. However, when the game started to become bigger, like with the 2.0 update, RobTop had to throw all the features into a single level, like Geometrical Dominator, which made it less cohesive and less focused on a single theme.
Regarding the 2.2 levels, I think if they also followed the circumstances RobTop used in levels like Clubstep, the community would be enraged, because 2.2 is a very big update and RobTop had to show all his work in a single level. This is understandably hard, but it can be overwhelming for players and make the levels feel less cohesive.
I honestly don't mind when many things get introduced into a single level, as it shows me that I'm getting far into the level and gives a certain atmosphere. However, other players may feel differently. The level "Explorers" is a 16 star demon, which will probably only be unlocked after you reach 40 secret coins, and by then you would've played thousands of online levels and knew that triggers exist. And I'm pretty sure that "Dash" will have to be unlocked with the map or something like that.
Overall, I think the major problem with these newer levels is that updates take too long, which leads to tons of new features being showcased in a single level. It would be great if the game could strike a balance between introducing new features and maintaining a clear theme in each level.
Great vid :)
Thank you x!
This comment embodies my feelings perfectly, I feel like the Map is a good roadblock to introduce the 2.2 features before you play Dash, and Explorers is just sitting there behind 40 coins of grind.
I respect Rob Top for the work he has put into this game that has become such a fabulous community we are a part of, and I can't wait to play 2.2 when it comes out!
Hi two of the best gd youtubers!
I remember when I first played Geometrical Dominator and I thought you had to hold on the rainbows to make you jump farther and didn't realize that holding was an actual part of the Robot's mechanics for the longest time
10:47 literally described me perfectly when I had just started😂😂
Now that the 2.2 is out, I absolutely agree with the ending points about the gimmicks
Do you think Explorers "+" section will be changed? When it releases eventually
@@joell4393I feel like a few indicators have been but it's still the same mechanic
@@joell4393iirc Rob said Explorers hasn't been released yet because he completely redid it so I'm guessing it's going to be at least tweaked
Im still sad the sideways spider at the start is still there, dash is such a good level but this introduction to the amazing mechanic that is going sideways is just introduced like nothing. The part after the swing copter section is literally perfect for it, why the f does that spider part have to be that way 😭
Like that part in dash just isn’t too sight-readable, sad
I love how the icons used in these completons are what a player would have unlocked by the time they get to that level.
Stereo madness is obviously the default icons, but as you go on you can see more development in the player's icons as they beat more levels and unlock more of them. Great touch!
28:30 this is where it all started
Dash spider jumpscare
r/colonwhathaveyoudone
Sir you might wanna turn that off, NUH-UH
"ItS nOT sIGhT REadABLe"
11:41 I love that limbo refrence
16:05
While I never beat Electrodynamix, this segment taught me to use the environment AROUND an obstacle to coordinate jump timings. Those blocks above with spikes on every side helped me know when to jump even though it was too fast to track the invisible spikes.
That's actually really good advice 👍
that still does not make it good, like you just cant know what to do and its not even a gimmick for the level its just kinda there
@@ujkloin sounds like a skill...
@@RudolfJelin first of all, my hardest is hypersonic, second of all i havent died there in like 3+ years, its the fact it existss for new people that i hate, its not at all hard difficulty wise you just cant see it
@@RudolfJelin also completely unrelated but its my birthday so aha you cant complain to me
I'm sorry but I absolutely love the memory ship. sure you can't sight read it but since this is a demon, you are basically forced to do a practice run which will give you enough time to learn it and when you do it's super fun. I love how much of a choke point it is and once you pass it, it genuinely feels incredible like you just beat the hardest thing ever. It was so rewarding when I first passed it and then beat the level years ago. I felt so accomplished and good at the game at the time and even went to show my mom I beat it. that part always stuck with me as being one of if not the best part in any official level.
because you memorized soe blocks?
memory is the worst thing in games
11:43 get ready for limbo lol😂
@@JojoJere skill! issue!
@@lovelymayapop skill and memory are not that same. Also, it's "skill issue!" not, "skill! issue!"
Rob should make, like 8 new levels. Each one revolves around 2 or 3 mechanics that work well together, and some should be easier. There could very easily be a medium level that revolves just around the new camera controls, which is really easy to understand. The 2 levels shown would then be the demons or insane levels added, with some sightreading tweaks.
the map?
i thoguht that the map would be for platformer levels @@twnsynrgy
Guess what, RobTop released 2 levels
That would make us wait til 2025 💀
@@persistentgoofball 2026*
I find it so funny that an add perfectly played after colon said find out after these messages
Little detail: Sometimes In the background with Colon’s character, there’s a PC showing the clips from before
22:38 Also in Geometrical dominator there’s a makeshift track with the moving platform that follows you, which in your “How to make fair gameplay video” you mentioned to indicate the moving object for it to be fair.
25:38 Also COLON SWEARING?1?2!1?1??
i figured out how to turn on the tv
@@GDColon remote control moment
COLON HEARTED MY COMMENT
@@Ezzy1331_ the moving object thing was for custom levels not official levels. Gimmicks are fine in custom levels as long as they’re not stupid
@@GDColon are you sure you didnt just lose the remote
This kind of content is exactly why I've been subscribed for years. You're such an inspiration to me and you continue to make these incredibly thoughtful points in an entertaining video. Love your work man (:
I think the reason that the 2.2 levels are so overwhelming is because there are so many new features that Rob had to show off.
Hopefully things will improve in 2.3, as Rob said that he would only spend about 6-ish months per update after 2.2 came out. This should mean Les features per update, leading to less overwhelming levels.
nice pfp
Robtop said he will hire a dev team.
I love this video because colon literally describes why geometry dash are good and also for beginner's that definitely should watch this video
The 2.2 previews look like those levels that bring together all the mechanics you were taught within various other levels as like, some boss stage, rather than some form of introduction
It'd be pretty cool if there were various small sized levels that taught you these things, leading to unlocking a level that puts it all together in a cool display
Like Rhythm Heaven Remixes or something like that
literally the adofai joke, 22-1 sticky ceilings
Isnt that literally adofai tho?
Yeah but I also feel like we need a level like that for everything up until Fingerdash. Which I feel like the fanmade Press Start full version fits since it also introduces a 2.2 mechanic along with bringing together everything introduced up until Fingerdash.
I have a feeling that all the Subzero levels will be integrated into the game for this exact purpose.
The point you made about gameplay visuals getting removed in 2.2, such as the mini portal and hitting blocks is on point. I thought about that a lot and I 100% agree. Something I don't like in 2.2 is that new gameplay mechanics have no indicators, such as the timewarp, gravity, arrow triggers. You have no idea what's about to happen with you. If you look at old updates, each speed change arrow, each gravity portal/pad/orb had its own color. Why are 2.2 features being added without visual indicators? That's a topic you should totally consider talking about in a video. Good stuff dude
The way stereo madness was made is actually perfect for a first level
That's nice and all. But remove the two triple spikes.
@@markerpurplemarker1901 I think it's a good way to show the boundaries of a cube at normal speed
@@afraid2letgo good point
@@afraid2letgo ^
@@markerpurplemarker1901Those triple spikes in stereo madness are so easy, you have so many chances or enough time to jump between them unlike in later levels such as cant let go, cycles, time machine in which requires timing has so many gravity changes, fake orbs or unnecessary jump pads, and the triple spike in those appears suddenly before you react to it which can lead to more confusion to the level itself.. unfortunately stereo madness lacks that
in 14:20 when he said "Find out after these messages" it said VOTE YES
I think the portals just being completely gone is meant to show how the portals don’t have to be in portal form. They still give you a relatively safe indicator when the mini change or gravity change occurs, and it is a reoccurring thing instead of a one-off occurrence, so I would consider them pretty well-designed.
Agree with everything except for the one invisible mini with the spider orb. A potion is fine, the arrows for the gravity swap make enough sense, but the only orb that's been established to change the gravity is the blue orb. That should be held as true.
I wasn't allowed to play custom levels until I was 15 in 2019. I beat several 2* levels and the first couple of map packs without music against permission in 2017, before orbs were added.
I started playing the game in 1.8 in 2014, so I had to learn all of the mechanics in order. (I have horrible coordination, and I still can't beat Electrodynamix or the demon levels to this day) Everything you covered leading up to Blast Processing is exactly what I experienced.
Your dialogue from Stereo Madness through Can't Let Go are exactly what 10 year old me playing on my neighbor's iPad in 1.7 was thinking. (1.8 released before I successfully got my mom to download it on my kindle a week later.)
I could not time the first spike jump on Stereo Madness and couldn't make it to the ship part for several weeks because once again, I have poor motor coordination. However, once I beat Stereo Madness, Back on Track through Base After Base came quickly. Can't Let Go was brutal, and Jumper took a long time. From there I slowly beat levels as follows: Cycles, ToE, xStep, Electroman Adventures, Blast Processing, Geometrical Dominator, Fingerdash, Time Machine, Clutterfunk, and Hexagon Force.
I never had to flip my screen in Dry Out, but the upside down ship in Jumper slaughtered me. At one point I had my sis take over the upside down ship parts on my Kindle sitting across from me because I couldn't do it. I beat Time Machine long after most of the other main levels because it was so hard. The triples and the tightness and the mirror portal was too much to handle. I beat Cycles because I liked the song so much I persisted, wanting to hear more (no YT for me back then, and I was unaware of the editor having songs). However the ship gravity switching portals caused a lot of rage, and I laughed way too hard when I heard you use the exploitive when reviewing that part. At the very least, my dad and sis played at the time, and my dad often cussed at it as well, so I didn't feel too mad at myself, and eventually I beat it. Clutterfunk I avoided since I hated the music, and the dual and the slopes in Hexagon Force were beyond my capability for a while.
Personally, I thought the game taught its mechanics well until Geometrical Dominator. Everything beforehand eased me into new gamemodes and features, but Geometrical Dominator broke that for me. I felt it was too much to comprehend and it took me a long time to become familiar with it. I eventually learned though, and when I was finally allowed to play custom levels a couple of years later, the movements in those didn't bother me. Fingerdash had the same problem with too much all at once, but I adjusted to it much easier than I did Geometrical Dominator.
As for the new level Dash and the overall 2.2 update, I still can't. I can't pass the first spider part. I don't have the coordination for the platformer mode. I'm overwhelmed by all of the new features and it's actually pushed me away from the game. I do hope to return one day when my real life is much calmer.
I found this video quite entertaining, thanks for the laughs!
I've been playing geometry dash on and off for years. Each time I come back I basically have to relearn the game cause I haven't played so long. Muscle memory does help and make the first few levels easier to get through but I always hit a wall when I get the the extreme levels and there's no way in hell I'm able to beat any of the official demons (at least not yet)
I'm having the same problems with the new level in 2.2 "dash" where I get so overwhelmed with everything that I can't even get past the first spider bit even though like in the video it's just 2 seconds long. Fingerdash I'm fine with and have almost completed but it's going to take me so bloody long to get used to dash that it's kinda off-putting
I absolutely relate to this in the way that I have tremors in my hands, so as a result playing GD on mobile is almost IMPOSSOBLE for me
@@CasuallyShadow I have tremors as well, and can only play on mobile when all other parts of my hand and forearm are resting on a surface. I use my pointer finger on my dominant (left) hand and minimize the movement. The pressure of my taps is extremely inconsistent, despite being on a med to suppress my tremors that mostly works. And yes, they still kill my runs usually with an unexpected double/triple tap or not tapping hard enough or reaching the screen before my finger decides to wrench upwards.
I can't play on PC either, turns out I have a connective tissue disorder that destabilizes my joints to the point that clicking on a mouse repeatedly or trying to press keyboard keys (that are not super flat or soft-touch - my laptop is decent but I still can't do it repeatedly and quickly) will dislocate and sublux my fingerss, causing a lot of pain. As a kid I didn't know why it was happening and lived with it (I also never had a computer that ran GD well), but now that I realize each incident is doing long-term damage, it's rough. People tell me to play on PC to try to "get good" and I'm sick of trying to explain myself.
I exclusively use feather touches on mobile to play anything, and my current laptop is a touchscreen that registers feather touches on its track pad, but it doesn't run GD or games in general well. It doesn't reliably keep internet connection either.
We can only do the best we can do though! Tremors suck.
@@KDragoness Yeah! So cool to see someone else who has similar issues to me, I often take beta blockers for mine, so isk if that would work for you, but if you haven't tried maybe see! But yeah, I think I could be quite good at GD like my younger brother but uh, yeah, tremors. Keep strong though!
@@CasuallyShadow My dad and I both have benign familial tremors, and we take propranolol as needed, usually when singing or making art. However, back in 2021 severe chronic illnesses onset, and I am now on it full-time for POTS. Taking life one day at a time and staying strong is how I get by, and I hope you are managing well too.
If you're into art, I discovered that paint pouring is a good medium for crap joints and tremors. You get the pouring paints, the canvases, and maybe a few special strainers/flowers/cups to work with, and drizzle paint over the canvas. It's abstract and you can't quite predict the flow of the paint, so tremors aren't a huge issue. As long as you pick colors that blend well together and you aren't trying to copy a pattern you saw on social media, it's hard to mess up.
Art classes in school were horrible. Drawing, painting, sculpting - it was awful; My tremors sabotaged all of my pieces. I also have always lacked basic hand-eye coordination. Recently, I learned that my genetic disorder (dx July 2022) means my joints are not quite functional and extremely fragile, so I'm not entirely crazy, and there is a reason for why everything from art to athletics to gaming to typing to handwriting has been so challenging, beyond "just" the tremors. When gaming reaction instinct is usually slow or wrong altogether, and all of this contributes to my struggle with GD as a whole. The other part of the "I suck" equation is the fact that I anger quickly and hate practicing - I just want to beat a level in under 10 attempts, ideally 1-3.
If you ever want to talk more let me know! I can do email or Discord, and even GD messaging itself, though I hate the character limit there. I've developed several little tricks for managing the tremors in day-to-day life, and am happy to share my experiences.
Honestly though Geometrical Dominator is my favorite level in this game. It may be gimmicky, but I feel like it has 1 theme: Chaos. Idk why but I absolutely how it always keeps you on your toes wondering what will throw you off next. I know it's not for everyone but for me I just love how hectic it is.
I love geometrical dominator, it's very underrated and fun to play when memorised.
I love gd cologne
Also, when you said “ right after this message” I got two ads
One thing I feel is overlooked that you don't discuss is how certain level sections are tied to the music. The game even tells you to "listen to the music to help time your jumps".
I feel like the Geometry Dash Sub Zero levels did a good job introducing some of the 2.2 mechanics. For example, unlike the section in the sneak peak at 31:43, Nock ‘em gives you time to see what you are about to do. There is a delay before it throws you right in.
14:22 he said ‘find out after these messages’ and I actually got ads 💀
Same
same
Same
SAME LOL
Bruh thats crazy it did for me too
The final thoughts area made me feel like I was going to cry for some reason 💀
I would argue that there is a main gimmick to Deadlocked: the teleport portals. It's the gimmick of the ball part everyone likes, it's part of the cannon, it's introduced early, and is in the "i like this part" ship. They're also littered around the level in other places too.
Also, I now know that if I have something in a level, it must be the only obstacle/gimmick in the entire level
The fact that they aren’t called Teleportals is a crime.
@@chaostheultimayt I actually also thought of that.
@@chaostheultimayt do you mind if i just take that name
use it for my own self
can i steal it from you
@@chaostheultimayt i already call them that
that's a serious oversimplification. you can introduce 2 or 3, even 5 mechanics in a level. the problem is that you need to safely introduce them, then expand upon them and combine them in the rest of the level, which often isn't possible in the span of a single 2-minute level with more than 1 or 2 mechanics
I have to disagree on the invisible spikes in Electrodynamix
For those of us who were a little too fearful of Demon levels (me), this was a good way to introduce invisible objects for people who had otherwise never seen them before. It's simple and you learn it pretty quickly with few repercussions (unlike later in the level)
could've used it somewhere earlier, or close after in the level, not just right after introducing speed :C
i dont like that part
Its my favourite part because i feel like a pro everytime i pass that invisible spike
I think in Geometrical Dominator these diamonds that move blocks were added to show what YOU can do with all these new triggers. Dunno why would anyone be even a little bit upset about it imo
kinda just like how it IS a thing that you can do as a map creator but not necessarily a used feature in normal levels
Because it was poorly done
@@bluebod2264 not really bro
Would be nice if they added the subzero levels to the main game
Colon (14:19): Find Out after These messages.
5Yo Me getting an ad right after he says that: 🤯
Older Me Realising its a coinsidence: ☹
As soon as I saw this in my recommended feed, I dropped everything to watch it. My heart rate literally doubled for a few seconds. I'm really glad you've gotten back to making more videos recently. You're a massive inspiration to me. So thanks, man.
I was looking through the comments that I forgot I left this I was confused to see a heart by colon
I never really took the time to appreciate how much the first levels actually teach, all of that was so well thought and really teaches how to play the game quickly.
Amazing video as always.
edit: just noticed the players icon changed as he progressed on the game lol cool little detail
I'm so glad that Colon loves Cluttefunk just like I do and gives justice to this otherwise insanely underrated level... The pacing and the new in their own rights mechanics introduced are both well-done, well-introduced and insanely fun. I especially love that short pause before you enter the mini-portal, reflects the way other game modes were introduced and syncs well with the song too.
I fucking hate clutterfunk but it's a well designed level outside of a couple points
the only issue i have with it is blind transitions, but eh, practicing is there
The points you made during this video are very valid, although i dont think that its something we should worry about. Because this level is a sneak peek, not a full level show case (for explorers) its subject to change and thats whats important.
I think that the 2.2 levels seeming like custom levels might just be that Robtop saw how everyone was adjusting to how custom levels switch up what you know and figured that it was okay for him to do the same because the core fanbase will be warmed up to that kind of thing already. It’s not that they were so filled that it seemed like a custom level, it’s that they were deliberately made to not only look like a custom level but also showcase how it’ll be so much easier to do custom level gimmicks.
yeah i feel like the new levels pander to the wrong people
@@GDColon i feel like you cant really blame robtop cause he has to show you this madness of an update in a short period of time
he cant just leak the whole level to ease you in with each mechanic having their own 10-20 second part although robtop could have leaked all of the mechanics on twitter in the form of short leak videos ( like he did)
@@macul76 But you don't have to show _everything_ in one level though? Some things can be left unused, custom levels are there for you anyway. I agree with Colon that, a level should be focused on just a few mechanics, like polargeist with jump orbs. 2.2 levels are just... a mess. Explorers feel like LIMBO all over again.
@@sakurahikxri good point but mine still stands
Plus im not the best at gd so i guess i shouldnt really be speaking
"The placeholder name is "Dash""
As it turns out the name wasn't a placeholder
The level name just ended up holding that place forever.
17:07 “causes you to get tripped up instead of instakilling you”
*dies in background*
he didn't die instantly though
14:20 the ship is just UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN. And after you said "Find out after these messages" I got an AD! 😂
He probably intended that many people also got one
25:39 A way to make this part a little better and readable would be to put arrows pointing to where the blocks are gonna go. If the blocks have more than one movement, then that’s what alpha triggers are for. The arrows can also go hand in hand with the new pixel blocks introduced in this update, as I felt they weren’t really there in geometrical dominator.
Yep
Agreed
The worst offender for Explorers in my opinion is the very brief mini wave part. *It doesn't tell which direction it will go when you hold tap/click, and that is to anyone who haven't gone to that part themselves yet.*
Yeah, it always felt like it would probably be the hardest part of the level, like that one ship part in TOE 2, and that one ship part in Deadlocked, and that one ship part in Clubstep, and that one ship part i
@@Thesoulofpros
D BLOCKS HAVENT BEEN INTRODUCED
@@supernovaaaa16 huh
@@Thesoulofpros
yknow, the thing that lets you slide on the ground as the wave? that hasn’t been introduces
@@supernovaaaa16 I mean why is that relevant to this reply
when he said "find out after these messages" in clubstep an ad played lmao
Same
wait the same happened to me
it happenned to me 2 times
same same
Same
I immediately fell in love with the invisible spikes at the start of Electrodynamix after realizing how it synced with the music
I’ve always wondered How Geometry Dash Teaches its Mechanics… Thanks Mr. GD Colon for this incredible holiday gift I have no idea how I can repay you.
oh mY GOD ITS XXCOOLGUYXX IN THE FLESH
The OG GD Colon watcher!
NO WAY ITS XXCOOLGUYXX THE LEGEND
one of the only gd players that get b!tches
It could be a good idea for the Subzero levels to be added to the regular game because they all are well done and can be used to introduce some of the new mechanics like the camera changes and other visual differences.
It'd be cool if all the levels from the different geometry dash apps were included in the PC version, maybe Robtop could make different tabs in the campaign level screen which would contain the levels of each app
@@JaxxMCC You're right. The spinoff levels need to come to pc already
won't happen, robtop said he gets most of his revenue from the free games.
@@havocnineyep
@@havocninethe ads ruin their performance tho, they lag and stutter for the first few minutes of playing
i no joke had an ad right after you said “after these messages”. so well timed.
same
I feel you.
i got that myself, laughed out loud.
same
same
14:19 An ad right after "Find out after these messages" LOL
AI Generated comment: "Great video, GD Colon! I really enjoyed learning about how Geometry Dash teaches its mechanics. The use of checkpoints and practice mode really helps players understand and improve their skills. I also appreciate how the game gradually increases the difficulty to challenge players as they progress through the levels. Keep up the good work!" - ChatGPT
Average NPC in a youtube comment section be like:
nothing is real anymore
What prompt did you ask the bot to get a response where it took input from a recent part of the internet? Last I remember, its database only consisted of web pages from before 2021.
@@tfninjadoom3427 make a youtube comment on gd colon's video titled "How Geometry Dash Teaches its Mechanics"
But then, I had a very good idea. I remembered the mechanics. See, remembering the mechanics gave me a whole new view of the gameplay and I was able to understand things that would become important in future levels.
"But then I had a very good idea. I used F5. See, using F5 gave me a whole new perspective, and I could see this chest I couldn't see before."
But then, I had a very good idea. I used alt F4. See, using alt F4 gave me a whole ne-
I don’t know if I am being biased but I love the gimmicks introduced in his levels; it makes it feel fun and maybe gives you ideas on gimmicks you could make in your level.
more gimmicks = more originality. Instead of having 3 similar parts, I prefer to know that that three gimmicks can be achievable
Imo, gimmicks that are put all-over the place should only be at custom levels, cus the creator of that level has the freedom to do what they wanna do with it based on their likings. For RobTop, I'm not saying that he should have any freedom about his game, but what I mean is, he could've been more considerate to what the base game has been built around for the sake of the principles of the early levels, and also there are other newbies comin in around too, although before they even grasp the latest levels, they must get pass through what's before those.
@@Greeeyt I’ve changed my opinion slightly, and in my opinion, if robtop wants to show off a cool gimmick, it should at least be there twice in the level to make it feel connected and not just a random gimmick for no reason but not too many times to the point where it feels like a game mechanic.
I love how the icon changes to whatever the previous level’s reward was