Editing Thinking Space

{{IB-Level
 |image      = ThinkingSpace.png
 |id         = 54953085
 |creator    = HidekiX
 |verifier   = Atomic
 |created    = [[Update 2.0]]
 |updated    = [[Update 2.1]]
 |difficulty = [[File:ExtremeDemon.png|x35px]]
 |stars      = 10
 |coins      = 3
 |length     = 1m 39s (Long)
 |objects    = 29,977
 |copytype   = Password (235236)
 |downloads  = 2.1M+
 |likes      = 42.5K+
 |rating     = Star-rated
 |artist     = [https://f-777.newgrounds.com/ F-777]
 |music      = [https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/349494 Wander of Thought]
 |musicid    = 349494
}}
'''Thinking Space''' is a [[Update 2.0|2.0]]/[[Update 2.1|2.1]] Extreme Demon level by HidekiX, verified and published by Atomic on 9 April 2019.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHf2nanWjvE</ref> The level's colour palette consists of only white with different shades of grey, mimicking outer space and stars. Its gameplay utilises many move triggers and mirror-, gravity-, and speed portals. The level's decoration is very eye-catching, making it highly memorable. The level is infamous for being a former impossible level in Update 2.0 and well known for its difficult second half.

An official sequel, [[Thinking Space II]], was verified by [[Zoink]] on 25 May 2025 and placed at #1 on the [[Geometry Dash Demonlist|Demonlist]] on 19 September 2025.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CELNmHwln_c</ref> An alternative version of Thinking Space II, also considered an official sequel, was verified by [[Zeronium]] on 5 February 2026.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJedeB2wHCA</ref>

==History==
The exact initial development of Thinking Space is unknown. However, for the first time, it became known on 23 November 2015, during early Update 2.0, when HidekiX published a video showing the auto version of the level (the non-auto version was verified at the time, likely using cheats).<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx29PBys090</ref> Over time, the video scored a minuscule number of views and comments. As several famous players played the level, it became more well-known. Furthermore, various players tried to beat this level. Some made progress (the highest records were 40%, 41%, 42% and 45%), generally in 2018-2019 (perhaps there were a couple of earlier records). It is also worth noting that on 27 February 2018, the well-known player [[Stormfly]] released a video-cutting passage of Thinking Space.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdISpQAZAz4</ref> Perhaps it was because of this that many players remembered this level.

On 3 January 2019, Atomic achieved 50%.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8qzMAcw78M</ref> Almost two weeks later, on 16 January, he got another record of 69%.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehUzFSBJOE</ref> The next day, on 17 January, he achieved a new best of 73%.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehUzFSBJOE</ref> Four days later, on 21 January, he achieved a start position run of 68-100%, as well as records of 98%, 93%, 96%, 92% and 97% off-camera over the past three days.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THLKrb2N6-k</ref> Three days later, on 24 January, Atomic achieved a new best of 81%.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie-Bj42XSTc</ref> About a week later, on 2 February, he achieved 88% on stream.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRMllT_jXDE</ref>

Nine days later, on 11 February, he got 97% for the first time,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFKRAD8stcU</ref> and about a month later, on 9 March, he crashed at 97% again.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsx6mBIV6I4</ref> After a couple more fails at 96% (on 23 March,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwYTq4Zi09M</ref> and 7 April<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TNkMyWglt4</ref>), Atomic crashed twice at the last spikes at 98% on 9 April.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1xRDTrOpWs</ref> Later that day, Atomic finally managed to verify Thinking Space after 75,594 attempts and uploaded it to his account.

==Description==
*'''0-50%:''' Thinking Space begins with a tight half-speed ship segment requiring straight-flying and diagonal manoeuvres, containing numerous size and gravity changes, and then a dual section. Additionally, the player must remove two walls by collecting a key placed near them. Afterwards is a cube section, which is quite simple (due to the lack of complicated timings). The speed then increases. Here, the player must quickly hit blue orbs between blue pads to constantly change gravity. It is worth noting that all this is moving while the objects in the background flash, switching between white and black, which can be confusing. There are four such parts in total; all are divided by short auto segments, where the speed drops sharply. Also, in this segment, the screen unfolds. Furthermore, the gameplay becomes more challenging: a wave section begins at half speed, with very tight spaces and changes in size and gravity. A couple of moments later, the player encounters some timings—they must hold and release so that the wave hits a portal.
*'''50-68%:''' After a short ship section (the player must hit orbs here; besides that, there are gravity portals and the screen mirrors), the speed increases, and a ball section begins. In an upcoming section of the level, the player's game-mode and speed often change, requiring good timing. Here, the player encounters both tight timings (in sections such as a robot, cube, and ball) and narrow spaces (most notably, a ship part with a narrow diagonal space). There is also a swing-copter segment - a dual ball in which the upper icon uses blue orbs, causing the player to manoeuvre between the obstacles as the lower character, with the help of gravity changes. In this section, the background is well-made. This next part, at 68%, immediately presents the player with unpleasant timings when transitioning from the previously mentioned swing-copter to a short cube section.
*'''68-94%:''' After that, some parts begin that also require maximum precision of timings and good concentration—this is a wave segment with gameplay moving backwards; it is narrow and contains inconsistent spaces with a size change, with some subsequent parts abruptly replacing each other (there are also unpleasant transitions from one segment to another), including also a wave and a ship section with tightness, parts with extremely complex timings (such as short sections involving a cube, robot, and ball, as well as a ship with a large number of orbs), a tough mixed dual (a ship and a cube) and again, somewhat quickly and abruptly replacing other parts (with invisible portals, including teleportation portals), among which the next wave section with very narrow spaces stand out. Thus, almost the entire section of this level mentioned is loaded with unpleasant timings (including a transition between sections) and tightness.
*'''94-100%:''' Finally, the last cube section begins with a large number of orbs and timings, at the end of which the player must jump over the final spikes (near which the words 'Rest in Peace' are written in advance, as if foretelling that the player will die at this moment). After that, the level ends.

==User coins==
*The first coin is located in the first ship sequence, at 17%. To collect it, the player must fly to a specific point on the ceiling and release it at the right time. The coin is located between the spikes.
**However, for a coin to appear there, the player must grab the key by 7% (also located at the ship sequence). It is not very difficult to do—they need to let go, fall onto the key, and take off in time to avoid any spikes.
*The second coin is located in the wave segment at 72%. To collect it, the player must also fly up in time.
**To unlock this coin, the player needs two keys at 38% and 65%. To take the first one, it is necessary to manoeuvre between two saws at the wave section. The second one, located in the swing copter section, is automatically selected (but it only appears there if the player has taken the previous one).
*The third and final coin is located in the final cube section, at 94%. Having jumped a spike, the player will automatically collect it.
**For this coin, the player needs keys. They are at 12%, 23% and 58%. The first one can be collected by flying right through the centre of the space, but since they need another key to open the following passage, the player will have to take off sharply in time and immediately release to collect both keys. The second key is simple—the player must jump at the right time. The player will collect the third one if they change the gravity in the ball segment on time.

If all user coins are collected, the text 'You are the God of Geometry Dash!' will appear at the end of the level.

==Gameplay==
{{VC|350zr8CjF5M}}

==Trivia==
*Thinking Space was rated on 29 March 2020 and placed at #4 on the [[Geometry Dash Demonlist|Demonlist]] on 18 May 2020, above [[Crimson Planet]] and below [[Kenos]].
**This addition pushed BuTiTi III into the Extended List and limitless into the Legacy List.
***This addition also pushed [[Renevant]] out of the Top 5 for a second time after [[Tartarus]].
*Thinking Space was verified on the same day as [[Zodiac]], a few hours after.
*Before the update to the list-percentage requirement of the Demonlist in October 2024, Thinking Space's list-percentage requirement was 76%, making it the highest percentage requirement on the Demonlist at the time.
*In the editor at the cube section (near the floor), there is a line of the numbers 1 and 0 copied several times, which may represent binary code.
*Thinking Space used to be the hardest rated level in the game that contained user coins. It was later dethroned by [[Verdant Landscape]] on 26 December 2021.
*Thinking Space is the hardest star-rated level that was finished being built before the release of Update 2.1.
*Thinking Space had a secret way at 39%, in which the player had to direct their wave above the normal route and into a small passage partially obscured with thorn-like decorations. However, the player must click roughly 55 times per second to pull it off, almost humanly impossible.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSer2dxOMtM</ref> It has since been patched.
**Khasem became the first person to pass through the secret way on 8 January 2021, using a start position.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qh65SO6I4M</ref>
***Atomic commented on Khasem's video and said, 'fixed'.
*There is an official remake of Thinking Space titled Void of Thought. VicTurkey verified it on 23 December 2021.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtcTIK0fK1M</ref>
*There is a [[Update 2.2|2.2]] remake of Thinking Space titled Logical Cavity. RTwoSix verified it on 25 January 2024.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnD-4YaLhlc</ref>
*After Thinking Space was moved from #5 to #8 on 29 June 2020, Crimson Planet went back into the Top 5; as for Thinking Space, the level was moved from #20 to #16 on 30 May 2022, placing it above Crimson Planet, and after Renevant was moved from #34 to #43 on 28 April 2023, Thinking Space returned to its original placement after almost two years since its initial addition.
*The placement of [[The Yangire]] on 29 October 2023 pushed Thinking Space into the Extended List of the Demonlist.
**The placement of Starlight Summit on 25 May 2025 pushed Thinking Space out of the Top 100 of the Demonlist.
***Coincidentally, Thinking Space II was verified the same day.
****The placement of Fracture on 30 April 2026 pushed Thinking Space into the Legacy List of the Demonlist.
*****Atomic, the level's verifier, gave a reaction to this announcement on the Pointercrate Discord Server.<ref>https://x.com/BockXO/status/2049928058061066665</ref>
*****Before falling off the Demonlist, for a brief moment between 29 and 30 April, Thinking Space and its sequel, Thinking Space II, were coincidentally the easiest and hardest levels on the list, which has never happened before.<ref>https://x.com/1nQuadWeTrust/status/2049619025412382872</ref>
{{Togglebox
 |header = Notable fails
 |body   = <nowiki />
*Atomic crashed at 68% and further 892 times and 359 times at 69%. He also crashed twice at 97% and 98% due to its near-impossible gameplay.
}}
{{Togglebox
 |header = Notable completions
 |body   = <nowiki />
*NcaT's completion of Thinking Space was one of the largest difficulty jumps in the game, having previously beaten [[Bloodbath]] as his best achievement.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuyM4U--85M</ref>
**NcaT was also the first victor.
*The lowest amount of attempts spent to complete Thinking Space is 2,492 attempts, achieved by DoSh7t on 1 March 2024.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl9aANhFr5Y</ref>
}}

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Demon List levels]]