[ti]Hard[/ti]Across The Universe, by Cookie Cyclone (5 stars) [VIDEO]

Alright.

So the main issue with this level lies in it's decoration, and I think that is fairly obvious. The current version of the game is 2.11. This level's decoration looks like it was made in 1.5 with some 2.0 aspects in it. If I were to ignore the version, the decoration is still lacking in every aspect. The block designs...well they're just single layered. Just plain blocks. An empty canvas. Background decoration...none. Foreground decoration...none... The custom objects that fly around the screen are obviously copy-pasted, and in all honesty they didn't look that great to begin with. The obstacles' movement in the first ship section were very sudden, they could've used some easing or have started moving before they appeared on screen to make it smoother. In addition it also made the gameplay harder to sight read. The red fire and BG significantly contrast with the green grass around 58%. Some parts had all white decoration (I think it used player colors). Player colors generally don't really work well, and I'd advise against using it unless you can really use it well. Another problem with block design was that many of them were just that. Blocks. Try to combine blocks to make structures that connect to different places like the ceiling or ground, and overall just try to fill up empty space when you can without overcrowding it. Add layer upon layer of objects to create more complex designs. Also to really help the vibe, add pulsing objects and background pulses to the music, it really helps.

In terms of gameplay. I was actually surprised, because the gameplay in this level was relatively not that bad. Addressing the part around 39% though. Although it wasn't really bad gameplay, some of the falling seemed completely unnecessary. I liked how you used them to transition into other sections, but I think at one point it just plops you into a single pad, and you're sent all the way back. Seems completely pointless. The less auto, the more gameplay. And more gameplay is better. Adding on to that though, there were a lot of things that launched your offscreen and that again, ruins the sight-readability of the level. The last 13% of the level or so was extremely repetitive and boring.

Overall suggestions: more dynamic and changing gameplay (you nailed it in some parts, others not so much, but some parts were all on the same Y-level, which also detracted from visuals). As for decoration, if you can please take time to look at other rated/featured levels and take a look at the decoration. You will see that in contrast, your level looks very outdated. Try to take inspiration from those levels without copying them completely. For a first attempt this was alright. Creating a map in Geometry Dash is multitudes more difficult than in other games, as gameplay can become very complex and decoration millions of time more so. But I believe you have the potential to improve immensely in time to come. The sync was decent, but some parts had clicks that didn't really match up with the song.

Unfortunately for the time being, this level's outdated decoration lands it in the NI section.