MiniShoey 🤍 @ShoeyMini

apologies for the late review hazel been quite busy for the past week

[REVIEW 158] Honeycomb Force by HazelSZL (147224983, @hazel_szl) Honeycomb Force is a Hexagon Force spinoff level that's played in 2 player. The level is quite input dense for its whole runtime with basically no breaks. Something that I appreciate about this level is that in the gameplay you can tell some effort was made to ensure each player of the dual represents one of the vocal tracks despite it being very difficult to tell due to the cluttered song. I'm a big fan of the designs in this level, mainly through how alive it feels. This is achieved through constant pulsing, rotating objects, and fading objects, all of which are pre 2.0 methods. The dark air deco also helps in ensuring the background pulses don't feel too violent whilst still maintaining their intensity. My only real problems with this level are the lack of references to the name in the designs. Some more honeycombs would be nice and maybe a slightly higher focus on the yellow side of the colour wheel particularly in the first half. I'm unsure how I feel about shaking up the style to be closer to modern during the "black and yellow" sections. While it does show a nice contrast with the rest of the level, I think it would've been a more opportune time to actually implement blacks and yellows in the design style the rest of the level uses. Overall it's a solid level that's well put together. Most of my issues come back to how this level connects to the title which isn't really something many people care about I think. I can see this getting featured though I admittedly didn't check the NONG replacement so I don't have any idea if that could influence rating. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/Rafy4Mkf3EA Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

@SkechyGD i imagine you misheard and they said krill yourself

@kkrowsongg cant even be mad at that spider dash orb 😭

@JettJamez wait this is a cool site

[REVIEW 156] Master Reality by FileExplorerExe (146119098) Master Reality is an entry into the Duality creator contest focused on the player switching between a sub world (the factory setting) and a whole bunch of other smaller worlds. I like the idea and how it's executed as the switch occurs pretty much every time an orchestral hit plays in the song outside of the ending, which works as it's when all of the worlds collide. I think my main gripe with this level is that I don't really like how the progression works. At a base level I believe FileExplorerExe has got the right idea where it explores the world for the first half and then have things begin breaking down in second, but I think this could be communicated better beyond tacked on alarm sound effects. I would've loved to see either the worlds in the first half begin bleeding into the sub world or have the subworld bleed into the new subworlds that continue to be introduced into the second half. I think I would prefer either of these approaches as it would reduce the jarring switchup at 2:26. I also think this would give the level a much better chance at placing in the Duality Gauntlet (this review was written before the results were revealed) since as it stands the level for the most part feels like a combination of different levels that don't really interact with each other outside of the broad idea. The actual visual elements of the level are pretty good but ultimately isn't anything that massively stands out from other things I've seen though I think it's worth noting the fun shapes and colours of the two parts at 1:04 and 1:42 Overall the level is good but I do really wish the concept was better implemented in the level because as it stands the level feels very "megacollaby" (forgive the terrible term). I personally think this level should be Epic rated as the suggestions I've made intend to move the level from a good to incredible level. It wouldn't surprise me if Rob ends up giving this Legendary. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/zvxyOSt0EJ0 Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

@yaypancake very likely as theyre already dl banned

@kkrowsongg im so sorry :(

@1wulz 119465173 Please its so awesome youtu.be/G6qa0jTWTxI

@LazzVEVO Layout And Rendition Points

Finally got around to doing the PigStep patch I was meant to do like 2 years ago. Unfortunately this does mean the ball now has 2 brand new fucked up clicks to account for a skip so I'm sorry :(

[REVIEW 155] court by R3XX3R (139346474) court is a simple but very atmospheric level by R3XX3R that relies heavily on the song to convey the helpless feeling this level has. Playing this level makes me feel like that whatever is coming is inevitable it's quite daunting. The progression is everything about this level. On first play, I was skeptical about how quickly vertical progression occurs and that's what the review was mainly going to be about but on further inspection it just works so well. I think this review will be more focused on what this level feels to me. The technical aspects of the level are fine and I think everything that has been placed has been done with great intention. The level starts in what feels like a nightmare. The player feels lost with the surrounding darkness but they must go on despite the ground feeling unsafe. Suddenly transitioning this into grass for a moment makes the player feel safe as if they woke up from said nightmare however the level slowly decays as if the nightmare was prophecy. The first sign is the decoration of the arrow, a clock that moves quickly and skips time is the first seed planted in your mind on the disaster about to come. This is then followed by the glitchy trees and the increased scaling of the world, things feel off. Then an escape of a moon texture coming into frame that the player eventually jumps to as the ground that was once safe falls away from the level. At this point the player has reached the point of no return where they continuously ascend as the song swells and feels more dire. To have this all end in space where although the player has escaped the world they once lived in, it truly isn't any safer up here with spikes now presenting themselves in the level for the first time. Everything feels and is foreign. That's when the level cuts out. I think you could argue that the level is trying to communicate the kind of hurt one can find themselves in when they try to escape the problems that are ahead of them. Disaster may be inevitable but how you deal with it says a lot about the final outcome. I might be thinking too deeply into this level but it really did have a profound impact on me. Overall the level is crazy good and is exactly what I'd expect from a veteran creator like R3XX3R. I haven't been keeping too in touch with the creating scene this year because of burn out but from what I've seen it's for sure my favourite of the year so far. I think this level should've gotten an Epic but I personally would want this to be Legendary. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/Btyj9c6IHas Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

[REVIEW 154] they still watch by CrazeyGD (121930361, @CrazeyGD) they still watch by CrazeyGD is a ambient horror level with a strong presence of eyes hence the name. The level serves its purpose decently well as a feeling of uneasiness exists throughout the whole level. I like how most of the level is static as it allows the imagery in the structures to stand out. I'm not big on the "louder" movements like the structures and sawblades in the ufo part and the background effect at 0:49 as it makes me feel almost too aware of the level. It's hard to describe but essentially it feels the subtlety of the first half is lost in the second. I also would've liked the gameplay to consist entirely of "free" gamemodes like ship and wave as the ball makes me feel too grounded with the level, making it feel somewhat comfortable. Overall it's a fine level but I think some smaller tweaks could sell the atmosphere better. I think due to the simplicity of the level and it's length the star rate was warranted. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/MDVtZd52YmE Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

[REVIEW 153] RageMadness by ZestWagon (96318254) RageMadness by ZestWagon is visually a memory level for the most part but plays pretty much like a click sync level. The designs are very much 1.9 inspired but is unmistakably ZestWagon. This is a level I've known about for years at this point and came across it again recently to see that it still remains unrated so I hope this gives it a bit of a boost. I know rainbow levels are a pretty tired design idea but I absolutely adore how it's done in this level. ZestWagon has always been a big fan of incorporating negative space in their levels and in the case of RageMadness it makes the colours really pop out, most notably at 0:47. I also like how the gameplay is for the most part click sync as it allows for the difficulty to remain relatively low and for said difficulty to be more focused on the mechanics of the level and less so on the memory (though memory still remains a primary component). I think in future it could be interesting to see some more dynamic designs in their levels. You can sort of see this being demonstrated in the ending of this level at 1:14 and in some of their older works like Redemption but I would like to see this further iterated on as the pulsing objects they typically use can run out of use cases quickly especially in this style. Overall this is still a really well put together level that doesn't really have any glaring flaws. I think the gameplay is enjoyable and is a good entry point in memory gameplay. I would like to see this level get featured one day. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/A6h5TBle1As Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

[REVIEW 152] dRIFTINGG by Kanthorne (125269054) dRIFTINGG by Kanthorne is a classic design level that does a lot right so I'll cut right to the chase. The structuring in combination with the air deco is what makes this level stand out. Every structure exists in such a way that perfectly frames the level and keeps the eyes on where the player needs to be looking. This is then supplemented with incredible air deco and structure connectors that just ties everything together whilst also not obstructing the players view. This obstruction avoidance is particularly important as it would seem this level is quite gameplay focused. Despite the structure shapes being simple with their most complex just being rectangles overlapping one another, the variance in designs within the larger structures does enough to keep the level from feeling stale. Despite the compliments, I do think the block designs could have a little more flare to them. I think a good place to start would be looking at how Nasgubb handles them in Apollo 11 and seeing what they do to make a generally motionless level interesting. Overall dRIFTINGG is a nice well put together level. There isn't really much more to comment about just that the block designs could be touched up a little and that the framing is great. I can see this getting featured. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/uOCkIKi2mAQ?si… Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey

@GMDSepiuhh 🙂

@audieovisual you wont believe where i was at yesterday

@AlvaroPaws W GOAT

[REVIEW 151] salowe vision by hexitine (143421499) salowe vision by hexitine is an art design extreme that is set in a deserted wasteland that is filled with structures towering above the player. Everything about this level feels eerie especially in the first 2 or so minutes. I absolutely adore the detailing in the structures where what feels like plant life taking over is naturally blended into the structures. The way they are formed too feels spiritual (particularly in the beginning) and I find that and the glow effects contribute significantly to the eerie atmosphere. Normally I wouldn't really get behind this kind of gameplay with the representation of the drums being incredibly inconsistent but I think it sort of works in this levels favour making the whole experience feel extra precarious. My only critique of the structures I have is that the level feels a little two dimensional with them only being present on the player layer and I think adding a couple to the background wouldn't hurt. I'm not sure how I feel about the glow usage in the intense sections of the level as they feel too player centered. For a level that heavily relies on the environment to tell the story, having deeper integration with the player takes me out of the "you're not meant to be here" vibe. I'm also not a big fan of the blobs that completely cover the screen throughout the level as they feel quite disconnected from the level and take away the impact the drums have at 2:37. I also don't like the inclusion of the monsters at 2:47 as I think the level would be better if the player was in total isolation (this is really nitpicky I will admit). Overall this is still a really solid attempt at an unconventional level style and I could argue it's controversies within the community contribute to the frustrating nature of crossing a wasteland but this is a stretch. hexitine is certainly capable of making more slowburner progressive levels and am looking forward to seeing more. Personally I think this level deserves an Epic rating. Higher quality showcase: youtu.be/ngSEaUn1Wk8 Level Requests and more: linktr.ee/shoeyreviews Occasional level request streams: twitch.tv/minishoey