Geometry Dash
Geometry Dash is a series of music platforming video games developed by Swedish developer Robert Topala, also known as RobTop. The first game, known simply as "Geometry Dash", was released on August 13, 2013, on iOS and Android, and a Steam version was released on December 22, 2014. In "Geometry Dash", players control the movement of an icon and navigate along music-based levels, while avoiding obstacles such as spikes that instantly destroy the icon on impact. "Geometry Dash" currently consists of 21 official levels. It is well known for its extensive level creation system, where players can  create their own custom courses, share them online, and play courses designed by other players. More than 79 million custom levels have been created. In addition to the official levels, certain user-created levels have been featured in in-game content, such as map packs, gauntlets, the hall of fame, daily non-demon level, weekly demon, and the search bar. In-game currency, such as stars, secret coins, user coins (verified only), mana orbs, or diamonds can be obtained from chests, or official levels (in which secret coins can only be obtained) and user-created levels (in which user coins  can only be obtained). In addition to the original game, 3 other spin-off games in the series have been made: "Geometry Dash Meltdown", "Geometry Dash World", and "Geometry Dash SubZero." Gameplay. Depending on the platform the game is played on, "Geometry Dash" can be played with a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, or controller. The player manipulates the movement of their icon through input in the form of pressing or holding, with the objective of completing a level by reaching its end. Notably, if the player crashes into an obstacle, the level restarts from the beginning, an exception being in practice  mode, where the user may place checkpoints to survey or practice a level without officially completing it. The timing and rhythm of the in-game music are key parts of the game, often in relation to each other. In the game, the player's icon takes the form of one of seven different vehicles, each of which behave differently with each interaction. Player movement is further complicated by portals, which allow the player to change between vehicles, reverse the direction of gravity, change the size of their vehicle, mirror the direction of their movement, change the speed of their vehicle , or teleport. Furthermore, pads and orbs can be used to move the player in certain directions or change gravity. There are 21 official levels in the full version of "Geometry Dash", 18 of which are unlocked upon installation. Each level grants rewards upon completion and contains 3 secret coins, which are required to unlock the three locked levels. For official levels, the levels steadily progress in difficulty, which is categorized into 6 levels: easy, normal, hard, harder, insane, and demon (which has an additional counter). Players can earn achievements that unlock rewards, such as icons or colors. Players may also  utilize three shops which use an in-game currency to acquire icons or colors. The full version of the game also features the ability to upload and download user-created levels. The player must complete their level with all user-placed coins in normal mode in order before it can be uploaded, a process known as verification. Changes after the verification will render the level unverified again. Some custom levels have a difficulty determined by Topala. The creator of a given level, its players, and the game's moderators can influence this decision. User-generated levels, there are 12 difficulties : five which are also used in the official levels, an N/A difficulty, an auto difficulty for levels which do not require input for completion, and five variations of the demon difficulty: easy, medium, hard, insane, and extreme demon. In certain approved user-generated levels, each difficulty rewards a certain number of stars upon completion. Development. According to Topala, the game began as a project that could have moved in any direction. He made the remarks, "it simply started as a template with a cube that could crash and jump" and "there really was no detailed plan". He previously developed  it for the computer, but later altered his plan and made attempts to make it a mobile game. Topala was inspired by "The Impossible Game" and he took about four months to create the game and take it to the App Store and Google Play Store. In the beta version, the game was called "Geometry Jump", but was later changed to "Geometry Dash". The game is developed on the Cocos2d game engine. Upon its release, "Geometry Dash" had just seven levels, which are now currently free to play on the game's free version, alongside six other levels released in  later updates in the full version. It soon gained serious popularity around the world, especially Canada, where it achieved the title as the most popular paid iPhone app in June 2014. There are four free versions of the game, one being "Geometry Dash Lite" which currently (as of Lite's update 2.2) includes the first 13 levels from the full version. On 14 August 2021, Topala released a sneak peek video of 2.2, the first major update since 2017, on his YouTube channel. The release date has yet to be announced. Reception. The game has opened to generally positive reviews  from critics. "Softpedia" complimented the game's style and challenge that it brings up, saying, "While it can get a bit frustrating sometimes, you can always complete the stages using the practice mode and then jump into the many different user-generated levels." "148Apps" gave the game a positive review, stating, "Geometry Dash provides all of the challenge expected from an "impossible" game while also making it more accessible to newcomers." "Geometry Dash" has also been listed by the reviewer Chris Morris on the website "Common Sense Media" as a child-friendly video game that parents could let their children  play on, stating that the game was a "good way to handle frustration", and that "families can also talk about rhythm and the joy of dancing in time with music." On the App Store, "Geometry Dash" was ranked 2nd for the app's "Top 10 Paid iPad Games" and 7th for "Top 10 Paid iPhone Games" in 2018. Other editions. For "Geometry Dash World", "Gamezebo" praised the game's captivation and decent gameplay styles, though the reviewer noted that it was not the "most interesting looking game out there". Gerson Noboa from "AndroidGuys" praised the "Geometry Dash" spin-off, stating  that, "Geometry Dash World is a worthy addition to your game arsenal. Thanks to tightly connected graphical and sound elements, the game provides an awesome, integrated experience that is rarely seen in Play Store games". Spin-offs. Section::::"Geometry Dash Lite". "Geometry Dash Lite" is a free version of the game with advertisements and gameplay restrictions. Geometry Dash Lite has 13 levels, but lacks the ability to create and play custom user-generated levels. It also has a much more limited selection of character customization options, missing many of the icons and colors that can be used in the full game . Section::::"Geometry Dash Meltdown". On December 16, 2015, Topala announced a spin-off game titled "Geometry Dash Meltdown", which was released on December 19, 2015, for iOS and Android. As of update 1.0, it includes 3 levels, featuring the songs of F-777. The game showcased new icons from version 2.1 and features in levels added in version 2.0 of the original game. Section::::"Geometry Dash World". On December 21, 2016, Robert Topala announced a second spin-off game titled "Geometry Dash World", saying that it would come out on the same day. Currently (as of update 1.0) it includes 2 worlds with  5 levels in each world, new 2.1 icons, a shop, a new vault, daily quests, levels & rewards, and secret chests made to showcase some of the new 2.1 features that were included in the update of the full version. Section::::"Geometry Dash SubZero". On December 12, 2017, Robert Topala announced a third spin-off game titled "Geometry Dash SubZero", which was released on December 21, 2017. It consists of three levels. It is currently the latest stand-alone game released in the series, and the first to offer some features of the main game's unreleased (as of January 2022) update  2.2, including features from the update such as new icons and camera control triggers.