1.9 Demon Review #1 - A Crunchy Duo

Welcome to my new series!

This will be a very occasional thing for me, and only when I really think a level deserves a review, so don’t expect this to have some kind of schedule at all.

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Intro

As a 1.9 boi back in the day, I grew up with levels from that wonderful update. 4 years later (yes 2015 was that long ago holy shit) and a sense of familiarity with those levels has stayed with me. It’s commonly known as

N o s t a l g i a

While I can agree today’s levels are a lot more detailed and overall better, I’m still subconsciously drawn to these old levels, made in an update without any moving objects, triggers, or custom backgrounds. Not even infinite color channels or the humble green orb.

(Actually though the green orb was probably the best gameplay addition in the game’s history, before that we had this crap:

... Yes, we had to deal with that ALL the time)

So, for the purpose of this review, deco from 1.9 will NOT be compared to today’s standards, cuz that’s just straight up uncool.

Also, prepare your butts for some

B i a s

Let’s begin!

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First, the one you for sure but have no idea how the song goes:

Crunchy Apple by TheRealDarnoc

Yes, THE legendary Darnoc. Arguably the most influential creator from the pre-2.0 era. This level, his second 1.9 demon, boasts a unique design that helped define the classic ‘Darnoc style’ even years later.

Short Monologue:

When I first tried this level, I was a complete noob who thought practice mode was lame. (It took me a long time to learn I was wrong tbh -_-) I then gave up at 35%. Fast forward to the other day, when I found it again during one of my occasional nostalgia trips. I’ve always wanted to beat it, so a few practice runs and a couple hours later, and I beat it.

Deco - 8.75/10

In 1.9, gameplay was the main focus due to lack of much variety with deco. Any deco that was there consisted of arrows, air deco, bright colors, and block design. (There were no bg layers back then, just deco blocks.) Darnoc took it a step further with this level. His block design was very detailed for the time, especially at the 65% wave, which is one of the most iconic parts of any level ever. It’s very clean, sight readable and effective, and enhances the level very well.

Gameplay - 9.5/10

Looking at it you can tell Darnoc had a thing for slopes back then. That’s not a bad thing, considering the gameplay is phenomenal. Every part is satisfying, and there aren’t any annoying parts outside of the ending mini wave, though it’s still really easy. The transitions are very solid as well, despite the heavy use of mirror portals. Overall it may seem chaotic, but it’s consistent and enjoyable all the way through.

Music/Sync - 8.25/10

Wobbly Tooth, Crunchy Apple by bossfightofficial

This music is very different than most others. Its strange whistling at the start might seem unfitting, but it actually works really well with the mood of the song. It gives it personality and makes it instantly recognizable to any 1.9 boi. It would’ve been completely ignored if Darnoc hadn’t used it.

Overall - 9.25/10

An expertly crafted relic of its time. It’s extremely fun, and totally deserves its easy demon rating.

Worst Fail: 84%

Le video:

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Now the younger brother that takes you a few seconds to he exists:

Wobbly Teeth by Minesap

Minesap was an famous creator in 1.9 and into 2.0. In late 1.9 he made a slightly harder sequel to Darnoc’s iconic demon.

This one I had not played at all until the other day. (I was probably too intimidated) And I beat it in like 1-2 hours o_o

Sadly, this happened:

I’d never seen this message before, and I was pissed, but no worries! I rebeat it in

two attempts ;)

... seriously.

Deco - 8.25/10

As you can guess, Minesap stays very true to Darnoc’s original style, but he tends to use just one color per part for most of the first half, as it more closely reflects his own style. A bit of a missed opportunity to make the level pop, but it’s executed well anyway.

Gameplay - 9.5/10

This is harder than its predecessor, a medium demon compared to Darnoc’s easy demon. It is a bit more varied, and uses more mirror portals. But it’s easy to practice, not really punishing, and quite easy compared to some of today’s medium demons. Again, no section is much harder than the rest, but I’d say the portal in the mini wave and the last UFO are the most nerve racking parts. If you’re a hard demon grinder that despises easy demons just because they’re called ‘easy’, then this is the alternative for you: Pretty much the same level, just a little harder.

Music/Sync - 7/10

It uses the same song, but a later part of it instead. It has a nice ‘continuation from the original level’ feel, and is really good in the first 45% or so. Then it gets a little bit weird. This kind of chiptune whining sound starts playing that puts you on edge. At first it actually works fine for a while, but the last 30% is when it overpowers the rest of the song. It gets real irritating, though I eventually got used to it after enough listening. The sync in the later parts helps a bit, but man, it’s unpleasant. (Seriously though, syncing gameplay to that music takes some skill.) Thank god it fades out at the end screen.

Other than that annoyance, the music is really catchy and enjoyable, it sucks it’s not used more nowadays.

Overall - 8.5/10

A very fun sequel to an already amazing level. It honestly could be either easy or medium demon, I wouldn’t be bothered.

Worst Fail: 86%

Le video:

Original attempts:

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Thank you for reading through all my rambling and hope you enjoyed!

I will make more in the future to keep the spirit of 1.9 alive! ;)

... I just don’t know when rn lel