8K | WATERFALL by [cherry] team

Thanks to @VernamGD for providing me with a copy of the level in advance!
Also, good luck to @LordVadercraft who is verifying this.

The last time I remember playing this level was for preview 1, which was years ago. A lot has happened since then, but thankfully things are on good terms now and I can still show this level and future projects to come out of the RU side of the community, which I'm actually pretty happy to do since I really like their ongoing projects.

This level is probably one of cherry team's best finished projects, and it holds up really well to the standard set in the first preview, as brief as it was. Though some parts do feel like they don't fit together, and some sync issues had to be fixed in editing. I really like the dual part with the skull but didn't put it as a thumbnail because I know everyone else will to click bait the hell out of it lol!!

As for gameplay, I can't really comment on that since I'm not skilled enough to play it but it seems fun enough. Not much to say there. It's definitely very fun to watch.

Bli's part is simultaneously the best and worst part in the level. On one hand, it's incredibly well bade, low objects, and has incredible design and flow. On the other hand though... It doesn't fit at all with the rest of the level. It seems more like an extract from a solo level rather than something made for waterfall and it feels a little jarring mixed in with everything at this point.

Rating: 8/10

[TheIndispensableOpposition]

this game has become indistinguishable with art. Props to the gd community, and props to cherryteam for pushing the boundaries of the editor so fucking far

[TheAayanGD]

Knowing robtop, this is definetly atleast feature worthy

[Bigbroplays]

This level is beautiful, the deco and gameplay fit the song so well

[Miruuuuuh]

1:32 my only complain is this INSANELY GOOD ART for the end screen that they remove just to put their logo in the corner with a black screen. Listen, their logo in black and white on the previous end screen would look so much better.

[novm]

everything before the drop hits is probably my favorite segment of any level ever, the song choice and the atmosphere created with this insane deco is just perfect, i literally have goosebumps

[MuhIbnuAbbas.]

The transition before the endscreen is 🤯🔥

[MKJ]

Guys, everyone is complaining Bli's part doesn't fit the rest of the level. But imo this part is like flashback what happened to this city. After that part, level comes back to present and shows debris of city. I just love this level.

[tundrr_]

I can't thank you enough for using the original song and not some modified version

[teqnify]

Bli’s part kind of feels like some sort of flashback or PTSD episode in context. Idk, i think it fits

[axolotlpals]

The part where the giant skull appears is so neat! I love the clean brief zooming in-out animations.

[SCatalan_]

This is by far, my favorite level in Geometry Dash, and here the backstory as to why:

When I saw the first trailer by fnm04, 2 years ago, what caught my eye (or ear) first was the song. The song is named NНΞЙ (meaning Hoarfrost) by Russian producer ΔXIUS LIИK and Russian singer ножевые ранения (meaning “stab/knife wounds”). Cherry Team itself is also Russian, so the song choice makes sense.

The song's lyrics are a haunting portrayal of despair and entrapment. The singer, emotionally numb, describes a world of frozen hearts and a desperate longing for warmth, or fire. They feel suffocated, unable to reach the light, haunted by loneliness–a raw glimpse into human suffering, demonstrating empathy for their isolation and desperate search for solace in a seemingly cold world.

I already knew this song, and when I first heard it on the level, my eyes went completely wide open. You all should’ve seen my face during the first watch. I already saw the theme of snow and ice from the very beginning, even though the beginning was the only part with more than just colors for decoration.

At first, I thought they were going to just make another quick and lazy level like Firework, but boy was I wrong. I’ve loved watching the level grow, seeing creators like Culuc, Bli, CynixX, and more building the level. And when I saw the “Finale” video by QwidziT (9 months ago), I’ve been seeing a new theme pop up:

A frozen city. That already is beautiful, and a fitting theme for the name of the song, meaning “hoarfrost”. During my watch, I saw very subtle effects, and while subtle, they tell a story in my opinion. And once I saw the finished level (this video), I was awestruck. Let me walk you through my thought process.

The moment the level began, the first thing I saw was the text “Enter at your own risk”. Which took me a bit off guard, but I knew it meant something good was coming up. After many glitch effects and build-up through a frozen cave, we are greeted with a TV screen that shows a beautiful view of a frozen city, and the singer begins her verse. The singer’s voice is beautiful, and the view is incredible, but once you have grabbed your popcorn to appreciate it, it glitches again, and grows dark, indicating a silent “but”. We are taken to a scene of a city frozen over, destroyed, tilted, and corrupted. To remind us that this is not real, there is another effect with 1 subtle detail: the red dot, and a white arrow, indicating it’s a recording being sped forward. And we are now greeted with a symbol, the eye. Our new environment shows ice, destroyed buildings, and blood, but most importantly, the eye. The eye appears as we pass it as the player, surrounded by circular spinning patterns, blinks once, and disappears a second before the patterns follow suit. Now, I will never know what the eye truly represents, but my best guess is corruption, and power. I think it represents the greed of hierarchy, how strong you feel after seeing the view at the top of the mountain, but I also think it represents weakness, showing how those stuck in snow see a flame, only for that flame to cause more suffering, due to human instinct of making oneself suffer after seeing something you need, but don’t have. All of this is supported by the TV screen shown earlier, indicating this scene is a “was”, and it’s merely a reflection of our cruel world. The eye soon appears again quickly, but this time, it comes right at the screen and can actually scare you. This entire part groups up with glitches, red color changes, and blurriness, indicating a lost, corrupted world. And, right before the drop, all we are left with is a void that has ripped our skulls apart (the logo art before the drop).

During the entire drop, we see the same effects, but amplified. Glitches, red colorations, blurriness, and destruction. But right before Bli’s part, we see another destroyed skull, which I think again, represents a void that has ripped our skulls apart. Bli’s part is much different from the other parts, and shows much more chaos that is both very cool to watch, but quite sad and fitting to the story.

For the rest of the drop, it’s very similar, with a few more easter eggs and hidden stuff that I won’t spoil.

And then, there is the end art (not the cherry team logo). It appears to be that same TV screen from the beginning of the singer’s verse. It shows a woman, taking a unique pose, while trapped in ice. The scenery is the same destroyed, frozen, gray world. The frame of the TV itself has many unique additions, such as a red+white color scheme, X’s on the eye symbol, and more symbols and art that I can’t really understand.

But besides that, I can confidently say that "Waterfall" is a masterpiece that transcends the typical Geometry Dash experience. The combination of mesmerizing and underrated music and visuals demonstrates allows such a work of art to explore the complexities of the human condition, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart as my favorite GD level ever.

(I just wanna say, all of this is only guessed based on my visual experience of the level, and the song itself. If there is lore or context I’m missing here, I would definitely appreciate the knowledge. I want to know more about the level.)

[TheErrorPlayer]

Cool level! Also this video was uploaded on my birthday. N o i c e

[zhenfermon.]

I like how every parts are replaced or improved but Bli's part still the same 🔥

[Deutscher_MannST]

Absolutely incredible. Even looks fun at the drop (though predrop looks like a chore to get through)

[littlestar]

1:05 The shattering dual😮
This level is insane!

[magicman]

hands down the best cherryteam level so far, atmosphere is executed perfectly and song representation is top notch. absolute peak

[justapvzCactus]

1:12 guys is this skull a clubstep monster or no

[Yoshistar]

Cherry Team just keeps getting better and better. Absolutely insane level one of my favourite extreme demons.

[a.ogrady]

the art right before the drop is ridiculous this should be mythic rated

[KLightning]

Looked awesome. Was incredible. The funny part is that I didn’t even notice I was on 480p the whole time.