Geometry Dash

Geometry Dash
Genre(s)	Runner, music, platformer
Developer(s)	Robert Topala
Publisher(s)	RobTop Games
Platform(s)	iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Original release	iOS, Android 13 August 2013 Windows Phone 12 June 2014 Microsoft Windows, macOS 22 December 2014
First release	Geometry Dash 13 August 2013
Latest release	Geometry Dash SubZero 21 December 2017

Geometry Dash is a side-scrolling music platforming game series developed by Robert Topala. The game was released on 13 August 2013 on iOS and Android, and the Windows and macOS versions on 22 December 2014. In Geometry Dash, players control the movement of an icon and navigate music-based levels while avoiding obstacles such as spikes.

Geometry Dash consists of 26 full-length levels made by its developer, RobTopGames; 22 are auto-scrolling, and 4 are 'platformer' levels. It has a level creation system, where players can create their own custom levels, share them online and play levels designed by other players. In-game currency, such as stars, moons, coins, orbs or diamonds, can be obtained from various sources, such as levels, user-created levels or chests.

Three other spin-off games in the series have been made: Geometry Dash Meltdown, Geometry Dash World and Geometry Dash SubZero.

Gameplay

The beginning of 'Electroman Adventures', the thirteenth of 22 levels in the game.

As a single-button game, 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 to reach the end of a level. The level restarts if the player crashes into an obstacle, such as a spike, a wall or a sawblade. There is a 'practice mode' in which a player may place checkpoints to survey or practice a level but is unable to collect coins or gain progress for normal mode. The timing and rhythm of the in-game music are key parts of the game, often relating to each other.^[1]

The player's icon takes the form of one of eight different game modes, each of which behaves differently with each interaction. Player movement is further complicated by portals that allow the player to change between the eight game modes, reverse gravity, change the size of their icon, mirror the direction of their movement, change their speed or teleport. Furthermore, pads and orbs can be used to move the player in varying directions or change gravity.

There are 26 official levels in the full version of Geometry Dash, 20 of which are unlocked upon installation. Three require a specific number of secret coins hidden within all the official levels, and three require a previous level to be completed. Each level grants rewards upon completion.^[1][2] Levels are categorized into seven difficulty ratings: Auto, Easy, Normal, Hard, Harder, Insane and Demon (which also has five sub-categories: Easy Demon, Medium Demon, Hard Demon, Insane Demon and Extreme Demon). Players can earn achievements that unlock rewards, such as icons or colours.^[3] Players may also use several shops that use various types of in-game currency to acquire different icons.

The full version of the game features the ability to upload and download user-created levels.^[4] The creator must complete their level with all user-placed coins in normal mode before it can be uploaded: a process known as verification. Changes made after verification will render the level unverified again.^[3] Some custom levels have a specific difficulty determined by Topala. The creator of a level, its players, and the game's moderators can influence this decision. User-created levels can be categorized into 12 difficulty ratings, including five of the ratings used in official levels. The auto difficulty is reserved for 'auto' levels which do not require input for completion. In approved user-created levels, each difficulty rewards a certain number of stars upon completion.

In update 2.2, the platformer mode was released with four levels, located in a place named "The Tower". These levels differ from the automatic side-scrolling in regular levels and feature components used in platformer games. Unlike traditional levels, platformer levels may have checkpoints to help the player progress, so if they lose they restart from the last checkpoint. Platformer levels award the player with moons instead of the usual stars in normal levels.

Development

Pre-Geometry Dash

Geometry Dash was created by Swedish video game developer Robert Nicholas Christian Topala (born 23 February 1987),^[5] known professionally as RobTop. On 6 June 2010, Topala created his first video game, Bounce Ball Thingy, on Newgrounds, developing it while he was at university studying civil engineering. He later abandoned his course because he became more interested in the video game industry.^[6]

Topala decided to work alone, founding RobTop Games in 2012. The first video game he produced under RobTop Games was Boomlings, a puzzle video game released on 5 November 2012 for mobile devices,^[7][8] Topala continued to produce video games, including Memory Mastermind (2013) and Boomlings MatchUp (2013).^[9][10]

Geometry Dash

The game began as a project that could have moved in any direction, according to Topala. 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'.^[11] 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 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 later changed to Geometry Dash. The game is developed on the Cocos2d game engine.^[12]

Upon its release, Geometry Dash had seven levels free to play on the game's free version, alongside nine other levels released in later updates. It gained popularity around the world, especially in Canada, where it achieved the title of the most popular paid iPhone app in June 2014.^[13] There are four free versions of the game, one being Geometry Dash Lite, which includes the first 16 levels from the full version.^[2]

Update 2.2

On 14 August 2021, Topala released a sneak peek video of version 2.2, the first major update since 2017, on his YouTube channel. The release date had yet to be announced.^[14][15] On 4 September 2022, Topala released the second sneak peek, over a year after the first.^[16] Topala released a third sneak peek on 15 May 2023, which showcased additional platformer mode features and a sound effect library for custom levels.^[17] On 13 August 2023, as part of the game's 10th anniversary, Topala released a 27-minute video in commemoration. At the end of the video, the release date for 2.2 was revealed as October 2023, making it the first update to be released in more than six years.^[18] However, on 22 October 2023, Topala announced via Twitter that the 2.2 release date would be delayed to November due to server and bug issues.^[19] Topala later wrote on 26 November 2023 that the release 'may not be doable in November' since he wanted to release the update simultaneously for all platforms.^[20]

On 20 December 2023, Topala announced the update's release via Twitter with the message "check steam" and a clip from Avengers: Infinity War.^[21][22][23]

Reception

The game received 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'.^[24] 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'.^[25] 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'.^[26] On the App Store, Geometry Dash was the second-best and seventh-best selling iPad and iPhone game in 2018, respectively.^[27]

Spin-offs

Geometry Dash Lite

Geometry Dash Lite is a free version of the game with advertisements and gameplay restrictions. Geometry Dash Lite has 16 levels but lacks the option to create and play custom user-generated levels. It also has a much more limited selection of character customization options, missing many icons and colours used in the full game.^[28][29]

Geometry Dash Meltdown

On 16 December 2015, Topala announced a spin-off game titled Geometry Dash Meltdown,^[30] which was released on 19 December 2015 for iOS and Android.^[31][32] It includes three levels featuring the songs of F-777. The game showcased new icons and features in levels added in version 2.0 of the original game.

Geometry Dash World

On 21 December 2016, Topala announced a second spin-off game titled Geometry Dash World,^[33] saying that it would come out on the same day. It includes two worlds with five levels each, introducing features that came to the original game later in update 2.1.^[34][35] It also features a selection of levels created by other players.

Gamezebo praised the game's captivation and decent gameplay styles. Although, the reviewer noted that it was not the 'most interesting looking game out there'.^[36] Gerson Noboa from AndroidGuys said 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'.^[37]

Geometry Dash SubZero

On 12 December 2017, Topala announced a third spin-off game titled Geometry Dash SubZero,^[38] which was released on 21 December 2017.^[39][40] It consists of three levels. It is the latest stand-alone game released in the series,^[41] introducing features of the main game's current update 2.2.^[42]

References

External links

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