Backbeat Revenge
Backbeat Revenge is a 2.2 Easy Demon level by Darwin, published on 4 August 2025. It is the 16th Event Level, succeeding Skeletal Shenanigans and preceding Space Invaders. It is known for its flashy, bright effects and heavy use of shaders.
Description
Backbeat Revenge begins with the screen being rotated. The player starts as a cube, navigating by using green and black orbs. The screen slowly rotates back to normal, and the sequence ends with a yellow pad, followed by a slide transition displaying Camellia's and Darwin's names.
The next sequence is relatively simple but very flashy. The player must hit the orbs indicated by jump indicators, then end the section with four pink dash orbs and two extra green ones, with the last one leading to the next sequence, which continues with cube gameplay as the scenery turns green. The player must navigate through various obstacles indicated with jump indicators, later followed by a green dash orb leading to a short wave section with an orange scenery, decorated with gears.
At the end of the wave section, the player becomes a cube again, this time in dual mode. The background then changes to white, before the text 'BACKBEAT REVENGE' appears, following the song's lyrics. Both icons activate a dash orb and take the player to a dual-gameplay section, where the player must focus on the bottom icon while jumping onto platforms marked with evenly spaced jump indicators. The top icon goes static for some time.
- Work in progress; more to be added soon
Gameplay
Controversy
Backbeat Revenge faced heavy backlash due to its seizure-inducing, flashy visuals. At release, Darwin did not provide a seizure warning at the beginning of the level. Many critics reviled the level as unsightreadable, even for those who did not have epilepsy, such as Moderator Incidius:
“Please add an option to reduce flashiness [...] I have a headache now. Thanks~ Incidius
Despite some users protesting that those who were seizure-prone should not play Geometry Dash, Darwin updated the level to include a warning at the beginning. However, the warning was not present on the Event Level copy because it was update-locked.
The backlash left a long-lasting impact, as Darwin included a seizure warning in the description of his showcases for both M A N I A and TERMINA (only the latter has a warning within the level itself), stating he had 'learnt [his] lesson'.
Trivia
- According to Darwin, Backbeat Revenge was built over 670 hours of work. This feat means the level spent less time as the Event Level than it did in the editor.
- Backbeat Revenge was the third of a streak of seven consecutive Mythic Event Levels.
- Backbeat Revenge was nominated for Best Advanced Classic in The Geometry Dash Awards 2025 alongside three other Event Levels. It went on to place second, only behind Skeletal Shenanigans.
- With the release of Blackfire Backfire, Chimera Dragons became the first album to feature in two separate Event Levels (discounting the NoCopyrightSounds x Geometry Dash album).