"El Dorado" (Insane Demon) by LmAnubis (All Coins) | Geometry Dash

A super classic that I've always wanted to do! One of my weakest skills in this game is half speed gameplay, so I'm usually intimidated by levels like this and tend to put them off (coincidentally this also happened when I was thinking about beating Acropolis ages ago, which is another half speed level with a Waterflame song. Go figure). Anyways, it seems a lot of people only know The Golden these days and not where its inspiration came from. I like that level too, but I do think there are some things that El Dorado does better.
For starters, I think it's so cool when creators can take an iconic real life concept and translate it into the game in their own way. El Dorado is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of El Dorado was said to be rich enough to be able to cover himself in gold dust, and then dive into a sacred lake to wash it off. This level portrays the expedition to discover it. It's such a rewarding experience to trek through the treacherous jungle to finally make it to the land of gold and enjoy your riches, which are all surrounded in a serene blue lake just like the legend says. A really neat way this section expands upon that idea are the streams of water that flow from the sky, indicating they are coming from the heavens. They spill onto magical floating platforms which act as great air decoration, and even get incorporated into the gameplay. The structuring of the city itself is all over the place and a bit disheveled, perfectly apt for the source material. An overgrowth of plants surrounding it remind you that you just uncovered a location lost to time, hidden away in the vast brush of a South American jungle. Speaking of which...
In most cases, I think having the majority of a level look exactly the same would be a bad thing, but here it makes complete sense. When you establish the idea for your level being an interpretation of a vintage story like this, a smart way to do it is to just translate the idea one to one without taking many creative liberties. The idea hadn't been done before, so you're laying the ground work. Especially when you have an environment as compelling as this one, simplicity can be your best friend when aiming for immersion and longevity. The black glow shrouding the blocks in partial darkness makes for lighting that matches the mysterious nature of the song and the unearthing. Intertwining vines droop down everywhere, each one at a different length and shape just like they would be in real life. I like how there isn't much "life" in this jungle like there other wise might be, so the energy can instead be focused on the unforgettable movements of the spike pillars. Even such, it's nice to have some extra details in the form of organisms; spiders pop down just like they would in a cheesy haunted house which add to the fun nostalgic charm, and fit with the other movements (also the little 2.0 monsters, love seeing them in their natural habitat). I can definitely see how people might dislike very sudden moves like the ones here, as in a lot of old 2.0 levels they can make for an unfair experience. But here I feel they make for a very unique and satisfying way to play a level. Since the level establishes them early on and stays consistent, you're accustomed to learning their paths and performing precise timings at their will. You feel awesome squeezing through these tight spaces as they enclose around you, akin to if trees were falling down to block your way. Carefully sliding past each area to reach your treasure was a blast because this level is super consistent once you find a cool click pattern. I can't recommend this enough!
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[@Happy365_]

this level is great, gg!

[@TheZinkYT]

agreed, thanks!