Artificial Ascent

### Creator(s)

Codex, Manix648, Sanic, Hinds, Zobros, Michigun, Anthrax, ZenthicAlpha, Viprin (host), Loogiah, Wamiq8, Nasgubb, AbstractDark, Etzer, Speed, Serponge, G4lvatron, and Terron

Verifier: Combined

Publisher: Viprin

### Pointercrate Ranking

#89

 Artificial intelligence is about to surpass human possibilities. Who can still keep up? Verified by Combined.
 — Viprin

****Artificial Ascent**** is a 2.0 Extreme Demon mega-collaboration hosted by Viprin and verified by Combined. It is an extremely colorful yet difficult level with numerous difficult timings and tight flying spaces.

## Gameplay

* **0-4% (Codex)**: The level starts off with a half-speed cube section replacing Anubis's part. This is commonly seen as the easiest part of the level, featuring some easy timing-based jumps along with some jump orbs to hit. This part contains mostly gray decorations as well as some yellow decoration in the form of small orbs floating in the sky.
* **5-13% (Manix648)**: Occurring at the drop part, this part is a very tight triple speed mini wave segment, which becomes a large wave (triple speed) and then a mini ship sequence with a few green jump orbs and portals. A short mini cube block maze follows, with Manix's name, and then a ship sequence with a few gravity portals and a dual mini ball segment. Next is another ship sequence comprised of narrow spaces and a mini cube section with blue jump orbs to end his part.
* **13-18% (Sanic)**: It starts off with a double speed ship sequence with a couple of gravity portals in a one-block flying space. It then changes into a mini ball with some spamming and a yellow orb which requires precise timing as there is a spike in front of it. The mini ball transitions into a dual cube section with a single jump and the bottom cube turn into a big ship which requires precise timings to jump for the cube while still maintaining a straight fly. It turns back into a single mini UFO with hard timings. Next is a robot segment with difficult green and blue jump orb timings. Finally, it turns into a regular wave segment with tight spaces enclosed with spikes and then a min- wave, which also has very tight spaces, and then it turns back into a mini cube.
* **19-25% (Hinds)**: This part starts off with a single-speed mini cube section, and then a wave segment which transitions into a triple-speed mini-wave with tight spaces. It then turns into a mini ball with slight timing at the pink orb and some spamming at the blue jump orbs. It turns into a mini cube, which hits a blue orb and becomes upside down mini ship which requires some straight flying and goes through a gravity portal. It will hit a green jump orb and become a mini cube with a slight block maze.
* **25-28% (Zobros)**: Claimed to be the hardest part of the collaboration (while still being the shortest), this part starts off with an asymmetrical dual ship sequence with a yellow jump orb that one of the ships has to hit while maintaining a straight fly on the other ship, making timing more difficult for the player. Both of the ships hit on the surface and splits apart by a yellow orb which makes them go through the portal. After that, a straight fly section is needed for both of the ships and two yellow orbs which each ship has to jump respectively. Next is a UFO segment with slightly hard timings of the blue jump orbs needed to be hit.
* **28-32% (Michigun):**This entire part is noticeably decorated with blue and orange color schemes, thus making it stand out more compared to all of the other parts. It starts with a large block jump where the player must land on an invisible platform on top of a spike, then an elevated jump leading into a string of four blue orbs where you must wait to tap for a small amount. Then are two yellow orbs and a triple spike jump; often seen as the *signature of Michigun*. If the player crashes here at the triple spike, Michigun's signature cube pops up, along with text saying, "Michigun wins."
* **32-36% (Anthrax)**: This part contains a background pulsing in all sorts of different colors and some very detailed block design. The gameplay of this part is completely played as a ship with some moderately difficult flying with orbs to hit and gravity portals to go through. The very end of this part is an auto segment placed as a short break for the player to recompose oneself.
* **36-40% (ZenthicAlpha)**: Unlike the previous part, this one only uses one type of color, that being blue in many different shades. His part begins with a short block maze and a ship section requiring some timing to hit a yellow and green jump orb consecutively. Then comes another, little longer, block maze containing more jump orbs than the first one, and to end the part, a short mini UFO spam segment.
* **40-44% (Viprin):** This part starts with a ball segment. Here, the player must traverse numerous different platforms and a green jump orb which requires timing to allow it to go through a small tunnel. It changes into a mini ball with a yellow bounce pad shooting it up and switches gravity which transitions into a mini wave with some tight spaces. It then switches into a big cube with a jump and a pink orb which requires precise timing due to a half spike underneath it. The cube then hits a normal speed portal and a full triple spike jump is needed to pass the obstacle. It goes on with a simple green jump orb jump and it ends off with a moderately tight ship part section.
* **44-48% (Loogiah):**Starting off with an insane short auto segment, the triple speed ship sequence is begun which features numerous gravity portals with very tight spaces to fly through and a yellow orb leading into a cube with a single jump rapidly entering a wave portal. This wave is very tight and goes well to the melody of the song which can guide the player. Using a similar cube transition as the one before, the player must now perform short UFO spam and right afterward, a short, difficult straight fly segment.
* **49-53% (Wamiq8)**: His part starts off with two spike jumps with some timing required. After this, the player transitions into a mini cube section with two jumps needed to proceed into the next segment. It transits into a mini ball part which requires extreme timing to go through the spikes similar to the last ball part in Necropolis. Lastly, it changes into a mini robot with two jumps with minor timing, and lastly entering a half-speed ship sequence, ending his part.
* **53-58% (Nasgubb)**: The song now slows down as the player is transmitted into the part. This part begins with a half speed ship sequence with high maneuverability required as it also switches to double speed for a moment. Then, a quick double speed cube jump follows which then goes into a half-speed wave segment with very similar game-play to that of the ship sequence, this time designed for the wave. Throughout the part, all decorations change colors in the corresponding order: Blue-Green-Yellow-Red.
* **58-64% (AbstractDark)**: Much like ZenthicAlpha's part, this part utilizes only different shades of blue as its color. The part begins with a mini cube with some very difficult timing involved, both while jumping and hitting orbs. An equally difficult ball comes next with a bunch of orbs of different types to tap. Coming up is a mini UFO with precise timings while also changing size at some points. In the end, a straight flying section appears containing both size and gravity portals appearing to the beat of the song throughout it.
* **64-70% (Etzer)**: This part starts off as a long, tight ship sequence with the player having to maneuver through tons of spikes on the way as well as moving rainbow obstacles possessing a large threat. It then progresses to UFO which quickly transforms into a tricky wave segment with several tight spaces and a ball segment with transparent game-play respectively in the second half of his part. The entire part is mostly black and white and features lots of moving objects with numerous different rainbow decorations along the way. This is said as the most iconic part of the level.
* **70-77% (Speed):** With the song gaining some of the "upbeatness" again, this part is mostly timing based and features lots of jump orbs to hit with purple being the main color choice of the part. It begins with a double speed portal leading into some more jump orbs to hit along with a very short straight fly sequence with gravity portals throughout before going back to cube form again. Then the player will find a cluster of orbs where it is required to remember which ones to hit. A short UFO segment follows with some gravity portals, and then another cube segment where crucial timing is essential. The final moments are played as a narrow wave segment and a mini cube section with a few jumps and some yellow/blue jump orbs before his part ends.
* **77-83% (Serponge)**: This part frequently alternates between cube and robot, comprising of suspended platforms with a bunch of spikes and gears to avoid through the whole part. Timing is essential here as all different types of orbs are placed to mess the player up as hard as possible. The blocks here are decorated with stripes going through them along with a purple/pink/red moving background with similar platform motifs. Two final jumps end his part and lead the robot into the second to last part of the level.
* **83-90% (G4lvatron)**: This part starts with a relatively difficult mini ship straight fly sequence with numerous yellow jump orbs to avoid mid-flight along with four green jump orbs to hit in succession right before transitioning into wave-form with some moderate difficulty to it (in this part, there is an Easter egg... try to find it!), and after that, a relatively easy mini UFO segment (compared to the rest of the level) with some timing to it. Following this is a small cube maze with a single green jump orb to hit guiding the player into another ship sequence that is quite similar to the first one. This entire part also features constellations flying past the screen, both in the foreground and background, giving it space-like feeling.
* **91-100% (Terron)**: The last part of the level, Terron's part features a very active background flashing in different shades of blue and pink all throughout the part. It begins with a normal cube dual which rapidly then becomes a mixed dual switching between all kinds of game modes, one after another. In the middle of the part however, there is a mini straight fly before quickly going back to the intense mixed dual. This continues for a while before a final solo cube section appears with two timing free orb jumps, and then text saying "Combined", "AncientAnubis", "Artificial Ascent" and "GG" before the end of the level.

## Trivia

* Coincidentally, four people: Smokes, Theo, Slypp, and xander556, all beat Artificial Ascent on the same day - January 1, 2018.
* Sunix at one point was tasked to be the verifier, as Combined had issues with his computer. After getting it fixed, Sunix gave the level back to the original verifier as he finds verifying the level as something boring and was busy practicing Sonic Wave.
* If you happen to fail at Michigun's triple spike segment, Michigun's cube icon will appear adding, "Wins" or "King" to Michigun's name.
* Numerous parts were buffed and nerfed. Some of these nerfs were buffs which were just added.
* Zobros, Michigun, and AbstractDark's parts are claimed to be the hardest.
* This level was originally hosted by AncientAnubis but was managed by Viprin later on.
	+ Ironically, AncientAnubis has no part in this mega-collaboration. He was replaced by Codex because he did not want to finish his part. He, however, ended up making half of Zobro's part, due to Zobros leaving it half completed.
* The name is inspired by Bloodbath and Cataclysm. That might not make sense at first, but because BB is short for Bloodbath, and CC is short for Cataclysm, The creators named this level Artificial Ascent to be AA, and also the sequel Digital Descent to be DD.
* At one point, Artificial Ascent has briefly rated a Hard Demon due to several haters rating it an Easy Demon.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1wD7sT1aIk
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9siGtLtSDQQ
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYhPh\_rPdwg