Digital Descent

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WARNING: This level contains intense flashes and bright lights. If you have epilepsy or any other eye conditions, watching a video of this level is strictly advised against. Safety first!

“	Revolution is not always made by the ones who rule... This time the digital era is going down. Verified by Combined.	”
―Viprin

Digital Descent is a 2.1 Extreme Demon mega-collaboration level hosted and published by Viprin and verified by Combined. The level is the second instalment of the Technology Trilogy, preceded by Artificial Ascent and succeeded by Cybernetic Crescent. The level features 18 creators, many from the Artificial Ascent team and a few new additions.

Gameplay[]

0-3% (Codex): Like in Artificial Ascent, Codex built the first part. The level starts with a simple normal-speed cube section that later changes into half-speed, with many orbs scattered around. This part is not difficult as most trap orbs are X-marked, and the timings are not too harsh.
4-7% (Kips): Kips' part consists of a tricky normal-speed ball segment with many moving platforms and obstacles that require good timing. This part has his signature cartoon-like block design, with blocks moving from the borders to the middle. There are no traps, and only a few orbs are required to hit throughout the section.
8-11% (nasgubb): As the screen turns white, nasgubb's part appears. Notably harder than the previous two parts, this part is a half-speed mini-ship sequence, with many tight spaces and gravity portals to get through skillfully. The part is also significantly darker than the previous two, although the many glowing objects help the player navigate through.
12-16% (Terron): Terron's part begins with a half-speed spider segment, where the player needs to pass through a tight section full of pillars with small gaps. Then, it leads to a double-speed mixed dual section, potentially referencing his part in Artificial Ascent. A ship/wave dual will take the player to a cube portal, and the part ends with the player passing along a platform with Terron's name and then a red orb, which brings the player to the next part of the level.
17-23% (AbstractDark): The music hits the drop as the player enters AbstractDark's part. This part starts with a futuristic blue-styled quadruple-speed spider section. The player is required to hit multiple orbs to make it through. His part then slows down to double speed and changes colour to red as the player enters a UFO segment featuring a few gravity changes, and then a short wave appears where the player must manoeuvre through large spinning hazards. The speed increases by triple partway through the wave, and then the wave briefly becomes a ship before entering the next part.
23-30% (Samifying): Samifying's part includes multiple rapid game-mode changes. It begins with a swift quadruple-speed ball section that leads to a cube with a row of trap orbs. The player then becomes a ship, required to fly through a circular path. Then, this leads to a short but tight straight-flying segment. After a mini-cube jump, the player gets transported to a brief UFO and a tight mini-wave segment. The part ends with a short ball and cube, and the text 'Samy Out' and 'GL!'
31-37% (Manix648): Manix's part starts as a triple-speed wave dual segment with multiple size changes and safe platforms that the player can land. The wave ends with both waves hitting a dash orb, which brings them to a double-speed spider part, where the player must teleport on and off slanted blocks. The player is presented with a tight triple-speed flying section with multiple gravity changes and the decorations switching colours from white to black numerous times. One final red orb the player must hit as a mini-cube leads to the next part.
38-42% (Viprin): Viprin's part begins with a short but tight double-speed mini-UFO segment, which leads to a slightly longer ball section with difficult timings. After the ball is a half and shortly afterwards normal-speed wave section in which the player needs to spam, and then, as a triple-speed mini-wave, avoid a few spikes using D-blocks. After this, there is a short double-speed mini-ship section. Next is a half-speed mini-robot, where the player needs to jump into two gravity portals on the ceiling and floor to avoid spikes. His part ends with a cube section and a red pad, leading into TheDevon's part.
43-49% (TheDevon): TheDevon's part starts with the player thrown into a long and confusing cube section riddled with fake orbs and speed changes of which they should be aware. After the cube, the player comes to a very tight wave section with dash orbs, size portals and invisible gravity portals to help the player through angled pathways. The part ends with the wave becoming a cube at normal speed, preparing for the next part. If the player dies at the beginning of his part, his name will turn backwards and read 'noveDehT'. He does this for his other mega-collaboration parts, including Acid Rush, Cosmic Calamity and SubSonic.
50-56% (Etzer): This part is filled with different game mode changes and very Etzer-like background effects. It begins with a quadruple-speed mini-ship sequence with a single green orb to get to a quick mini-wave segment and then an equally short robot and spider segment. Another robot jump takes the player to a straight-fly, which leads to a wave section that transitions into another UFO segment with an additional two orbs. Then, a triple and later quadruple-speed manoeuvre flying segment and a brief double-speed wave segment finish the part.
57-62% (loogiah): loogiah's part starts with a quadruple-speed UFO with multiple gravity changes and some moving objects. It leads to a triple-speed ship sequence with tight spaces, more gravity changes, speed changes and even more moving gameplay. The second half of the part consists of a triple-speed cube dual section where the player must hit a pair of reverse dash orbs followed by a brief but tight wave section. The part is designed similarly to -Grindfury- by Hinds and Loogiah himself.
63-68% (LazerBlitz): LazerBlitz's part, designed in his typical style, starts with a quadruple-speed ship sequence. The player must pass through two tight pillars with gravity portals inside. It then leads into a cube with a pink orb timing and some gameplay that requires a small amount of memorisation, and then a dash orb leads to a ball section with difficult timings that slowly speed up. The part ends with a semi-auto cube section, where the player only has to hit a few orbs.
69-75% (G4lvatron): Right after this semi-auto section comes G4lvatron's part, which contains a quadruple-speed straight-fly sequence followed by a green orb and a reverse dash orb that the player must hit to reach the spider right afterwards. This tight triple-speed spider segment is followed by a short normal-speed ship sequence and a quadruple-speed UFO segment with a couple of orbs and gravity portals mixed in with regular jumps. Finally, a wave section, starting at triple-speed and normal size and ending at normal speed and mini, with gameplay involving both types of dash orbs, appears and takes the player into the next section of the level.
76-81% (KrmaL): KrmaL's part starts with an awkward transition into a quadruple-speed mini-wave segment via a dash orb. This mini-wave is very tight and requires some well-timed clicks. It transitions into a regular wave segment. The player must hit two custom orbs to deactivate the two gravity portals located in the narrow passageway ahead. The player must then go through a brief wave spam segment, which leads to a mini-cube section. His part ends after the mini-cube segment is completed.
82-85% (Vlacc): Vlacc's part is coloured to the brim with orange/pink and consists entirely of a tight half-speed ship sequence, with a few gravity- and size changes along the way. Throughout the whole part, static and moving hazardous sawblades will appear as threats, and the player must skillfully avoid them by taking more awkward routes than ones visible at first sight.
86-88% (Serponge): 'SERP' can be seen in the background, indicating his part, and the whole theme revolves around the inner workings of a factory falling apart. His part first consists of a half-speed UFO section that begins with the player having to time orbs while obstructions block the player's vision occasionally. After this, the player must navigate through moving pillars lined with spikes with dots flashing in and out of existence everywhere.
89-93% (Hinds): Hinds' part consists of a long normal-speed cube section with a lot of timing involved. The part contains numerous orbs that must be precisely timed and some fake lining to mess with the player. While it has a lot of 2.1 decoration, it retains a very 1.9 feel, as many of Hinds' levels do.
94-100% (Rustam): Rustam's part starts with a double-speed cube section where the player has to hit some orbs with timing to reach multiple platforms placed throughout the segment. Then, it leads to a short half-speed mini-wave spam segment. Next is a double-speed ball segment with some more timings. Then, a UFO segment with some gravity changes and art resembling skeleton arms sticking out of the ground and ceiling likewise. A final normal-speed mini-cube section then emerges and contains a few more orb timings becoming big. The player must hit two more green orbs before being presented with the last triple spike. Then, the level ends with an end logo built by Terron.

Bugs[]

At 87%, due to faulty hitboxes, the player can jump through a big sawblade at the top of the screen while their UFO is upside down and then continue to briefly slide on the top of the screen and skip the following two orbs.

Trivia[]

The level is free to copy.
The level contains 153,302 objects.
The level is 2m 17s in length.
The level was initially placed at #1 on the Demonlist on 12 September 2017, above Erebus (#2).
- This addition pushed Artificial Ascent out of the Top 5, Sakupen Hell out of the Top 10 and Temple of Destiny into the Legacy List.
  - Digital Descent moved from #2 to #6 on 17 September 2017. This change pushed Artificial Ascent back into the Top 5; however, it was pushed back out of the Top 5 again by the same level as both Digital Descent and Artificial Ascent swapped positions as a reverted change on 22 September 2017.
- Digital Descent stayed at the Top 1 in just four days before it swapped positions with Erebus on 16 September 2017.
It is currently #24 on the HRR Mobile Demonlist, above Bausha Vortex (#25) and below Factory Realm X (#23).
The level was nominated for Best Demon Megacollab in the Geometry Dash 2.1 Awards.
The level was ranked #35 in GDToday's 100 Greatest Levels of All Time list.
After verifying the level, Combined claimed that Digital Descent was his hardest Demon yet, meaning it is even harder than its predecessor Artificial Ascent.^{[citation needed]} It still sits above it to this day. However, it was moved below the latter in the Demonlist because part of the gameplay was inconsistently easy. But after the buffdate, it was moved above Artificial Ascent.
In the old verification video, Combined used the icons of Hinds, one of the creators, to dedicate the level to his friend.
There were three parts remade from the original version planned for release. Codex's part changed to a more Artificial Ascent-like style in which he also had a part. Kips' changed from a more cartoon-like cube section to a technological look to better fit the level's theme, and nasgubb's part changed from a robot segment to a ship sequence for unknown reasons.
- Etzer's part also had a minor change in the beginning by changing the mini-UFO segment to a mini-ship sequence to make it a bit harder.
Viprin himself stated on Twitter that the level (aside from TheDevon's and Etzer's parts) was to be buffed.^{[citation needed]} This came off a request by Combined, who wanted the level's inconsistent difficulty reduced and asked for the level to be buffed. The buffdate was verified by Combined on 26 September 2017.
Digital Descent is the first former #1 Demon level Epic rated, the second being Bloodlust, and has a Creo song, the second being Zodiac.
This level has received mixed reviews from its victors, especially low-hertz victors. While many victors praised the level's decoration, they criticised the gameplay for being considered some of the worst in any ExtremeDemon, on par with levels like Paroxysm and Demonicat.
- However, some victors praised both aspects, fitting as one of the best Extreme Demon levels in the game.
XyGhost was the first to beat Digital Descent on mobile on 10 May 2021 after more than 50,000 attempts.^[1]
The level is a part of Bloodbath's short-term name, with DD for Digital Descent followed by Deception Dive.
Digital Descent is the 27th former Top 1 in the game's history.
The placement of Bitcrusher on 30 November 2022 pushed Digital Descent into the Legacy List of the Demonlist.