Editing Death Moon

{{Stub}}
{{IB-Level
 |image      = DeathMoon.png
 |id         = 8660411
 |creator    = Caustic (publisher) and [[FunnyGame]]
 |created    = [[Update 1.9]]
 |difficulty = {{EasyDemon}}
 |stars      = 10
 |diamonds   = 12 
 |length     = 2m 39s (XL)
 |objects    = 39,831
 |copytype   = Non-copyable
 |downloads  = 67.05M
 |likes      = 2.32M
 |rating     = Featured
 |artist     = [https://soundholick.newgrounds.com/ SoundHolicK]
 |music      = [https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/685746 Death Moon]
 |musicid    = 685746
 |previous   = [[iSpyWithMyLittleEye]]
 |next       = [[Assembly line]]<br>(Cyborg Gauntlet)
}}
'''Death Moon''' is a [[Update 1.9|1.9]] Easy Demon level by [[FunnyGame]], published by Caustic on 22 June 2015. Known for being a hell-themed level with impressive visuals for its time, it is one of the most influential levels in [[Geometry Dash]], and it is ranked #1 on Geometry Dash Today's list of 'The Top 100 Greatest Geometry Dash Levels Of All Time',<ref name="GDToday">https://x.com/today_gd/status/1730369486828806618</ref> receiving praise for its music, gameplay, intricate art, and innovative effects. It is currently the ninth most-liked Demon in the game.

It is the fifth and final level of the [[Gauntlets|Cursed Gauntlet]], after [[iSpyWithMyLittleEye]].

==Description==
Death Moon begins with an easy cube section that contains speed changes, alternating between triple speed and half speed. The music here has a tense feel, making the level seem intense. The cube then switches directions via a mirror portal and goes auto. Then, the player transitions into a moderately difficult ship sequence with mildly tight spaces that can stump some beginners. The ship sequence later transitions into an easier mini-ship part with red flashing blocks and fake blocks in the background.

The mini-cube part that follows includes some mild memorisation and tricks, although it remains relatively straightforward. The mini-cube then switches into a dual-cube part, which requires memorisation. After that is a relatively easy wave part, although the flashing blocks and spikes could stump the player, followed by two difficult mini-wave sections, the latter with spike slopes with hitboxes that can stump a lot of players. There is a regular wave section in between. Then, the player enters a nearly auto mini-cube section, leading to the pre-drop of the song, where they transition to a ship sequence and a brief ball section. The chorus begins during the triple-speed UFO segment, which is quite challenging due to its somewhat tight spaces. The UFO also changes size once.

Then there is a moderately challenging triple-speed wave part featuring sawblades and diamond shapes, which can be mastered with enough practice. After this, the music becomes calm again, and the player encounters two normal-speed cube parts and two ball parts with easy timings, followed by a mini-cube section that requires only one long-hold click, then a UFO part with easy timings. The player then enters auto mode and transitions to an auto-ship, where the second pre-drop of the song begins. As the pre-drop progresses, the player enters a moderately challenging half-speed dual wave section, which then transitions into a wave.

Then the second drop occurs, and the player switches to a moderately difficult triple-speed ship part that constantly changes size in the section. The ship section then transitions into a triple-speed wave segment with rapid-switching background artwork. After the wave, the player goes into an auto-ship section, and in the end, the player has to fly through an easy two-block space without spikes below or above. Finally, the level ends at half-speed, showing the level's name in Han characters, '死月'.

==Gameplay==
{{VC|6e4xBmAyBjg}}

==Reception==
Death Moon is considered one of the most influential levels in Geometry Dash, and is frequently cited as the greatest level ever made.<ref name="GDToday" /><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxthzbrgeY</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3ZfYKc2us</ref> 

Death Moon's gameplay has received praise for its enjoyability and integration with its art. Many parts of the level feature hazards that serve both gameplay and decorative purposes. Some sections received minor criticism for using a sloped hazard with an unapparent right-triangle hitbox, causing deaths without visual collision. However, that issue could be somewhat excused by the lack of hitbox viewing at the time.

Death Moon was lauded for its decoration, music sync, and innovative effects. The level made notable use of the blending mode, which causes decorations to become invisible when black, on the limited four main colour channels of the time, to achieve two- or four-frame animations. Other novel techniques included the usage of 3D line objects for [[Wikipedia:Line art|line art]], music sync achieved with effects rather than solely gameplay, and various background objects patterned into pseudo-satanic iconography.

==Trivia==
===General===
*Death Moon achieved unique strobing effects by alternating the four colour channels available at the time between black with blending (rendering the corresponding decoration invisible) and other colours.
*The ending shows the characters 死月 (Pinyin: ''sǐ yuè''; Hepburn: ''Shigetsu''), which is the song's official Chinese title.
**The characters translate to Death Moon in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
*The number of objects in Death Moon surpassed the maximum number in the 1.9 level editor. To achieve this, FunnyGame utilised a glitch to add more objects using the Copy and Paste functions (separately).
*Death Moon features only one orb, a pink orb at the cube section around the middle.
*The song used in the level was initially released in 2005, as a track featured in the Korean rhythm game ''O2Jam''. The song has since also been featured in ''O2Jam Online'' and [[Wikipedia:Pump It Up (video game series)|''Pump It Up'']].
**Previous versions of the song were deleted from Newgrounds due to copyright infringement. The original composer of the song, SHK (SoundHolicK), later uploaded an official release to Newgrounds featuring a more bass-heavy mix, which was used for the level.
**The song has since received two follow-ups, those being 'Death Moon 2' and 'Festival of Death Moon'.
**The song bears similarities to Necrofantasia from [[Wikipedia:Touhou 7|''Touhou 7'']].
*On 29 April 2020, Death Moon temporarily became a free Demon with a message stating that Caustic had lost everything on his account.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl2Vq0SQTyQ</ref> It was quickly reverted, but it temporarily caused the level to become an Extreme Demon.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BeoS9qvVyU</ref>
*Death Moon formerly had a [[Update 2.1|2.1]] update, which was reverted when the level was restored from its hack.
**The 2.1 version of the level had a Demon Face at the end, accompanied by the text 'Demon Head by knobbelboy' and 'Death Moon'.
*Since Death Moon is in a Gauntlet and was the Weekly Demon, it was possible to get this level's rewards three times.
*Death Moon is in more rated [[Lists]] than any other level in the game. As of July 2026, it is in a total of 18 Lists, worth a combined total of 1,040 diamonds.
*Death Moon is one of four Gauntlet levels created before Update 2.0. The other three levels are [[Scarlet Surge]] and [[Kappaclysm]] in the Chaos Gauntlet, as well as [[Fire Aura]] in the Lava Gauntlet.
**Since the Cursed Gauntlet was released in [[Update 2.2]], this makes Death Moon the first Gauntlet level to have been released three major updates before its Gauntlet.
*The name of the achievement for collecting 5,000 moons, 'Death Moon', is most likely a direct reference to this level.

===Remakes===
*Reanimation, a level by Terron, appears to be a spin-off level created in Update 2.0, which the community has widely accepted to be 'Death Moon V2' or a sequel to Death Moon. It is exemplified by how details in the level seem to originate from Death Moon, and how the characters 死月 (translating to Death Moon) are shown in the mini-UFO part.
*There is an Extreme Demon remake of Death Moon called Pandemonium, created by Terron and Yakimaru and verified by Knoeppel.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewvGLBX4ee4</ref>

===Errors===
*At 4%, it is possible to jump over one of the floating blades instead of the required one and not crash.
*In the last section, where there are successive game-mode portals, the player can change the gravity of their ball and end up finishing the level upside down.
*At the mini-wave part, the slopes' hitboxes are inverted and invisible, making them significantly larger than their physical appearance.

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Gauntlet levels]]