Geometry Dash is a video games developed by Sweden-based developerRobert Topala. The main game, simply known as Geometry Dash, is a rhythm-based platforming game which currently has 21 official levels and a level creation system with more than 60 million online levels made by players. Each of the official levels feature unique background music. Other features include showcases of user-generated content including custom levels, a daily and weekly selection of those levels, online leaderboards, customizable player icons and multiple game modes.
Gameplay
Geometry Dash uses a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse or controller to control different vehicles that react when a player uses the jump function by either pressing on the screen on touchscreen devices, pressing the spacebar or up arrow on a keyboard, left-clicking with the mouse, or pressing A on the controller. The player can hold down jump to constantly interact with certain vehicles. Users cannot control the speed at which the icon is moving. The timing and rhythm of the in-game music are key parts of the game, often in relation to each other. The objective of the game is to complete a level by reaching its end. If the player crashes into an obstacle, they will have to start over from the beginning. The player-character can take up to seven separate forms, which behave differently with each interaction. The vehicle the character takes is changed by seven portals, each of which is a different color. The behavior of these modes can be changed further, such as reversing the game view or adding a second player-character. There are 21 official levels in the full version of Geometry Dash, 18 of which are unlocked from the start. Each level grants rewards upon completion and contain 3 secret coins, which are used to unlock the three locked levels. Levels are classified by difficulty, and each difficulty gives a certain number of stars. Players can play the levels in almost any order. Players can also earn achievements which may be exchanged for rewards. Players may also utilize a shop, where they can spend an in-game currency called "mana orbs", collected through completing levels. Each game in the series has a practice mode that can be used for any level which allows the player to restart at manually or automatically placed checkpoints instead of the very beginning. A level cannot be officially completed on practice mode, though completion can lead to certain rewards. The game also features the ability to upload and download user-created levels, however this is not possible in Geometry Dash Lite or the spin-off games. The player must complete their level with all coins in normal mode in order to ensure that it is possible to beat before it can be uploaded. Changes after the verification will render it unverified. The difficulty setting is determined by Topala. The creator of a given level, its players, and the game's moderators can influence this decision.
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. 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 includes the first 13 levels from the full version.
Soundtrack
The Geometry Dash soundtrack is by several music artists, including ForeverBound, DJVI, Waterflame, DJ-Nate, F-777, Dex Arson, and Morgan David King. In addition to the official songs, usage of most songs on the Newgroundsmusic portal is also available. Since it is common for users to abuse the portal to upload songs not made by them to use in Geometry Dash, Topala implemented a manual approval system to prevent this, where he would choose what artists' works are allowed to be used in-game.
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 second for the app's Top 10 Paid iPad Games and seventh 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
Geometry Dash Meltdown
On 16 December 2015, Topala announced a spin-off game titled Geometry Dash Meltdown, which was released on 19 December 2015 for iOS and Android. Currently it includes 3 levels with new icons from version 2.1 made to showcase the 2.0 features to those who do not own the full version.
Geometry Dash World
On 21 December 2016, Topala announced a second spin-off game titled Geometry Dash World, saying that it would come out on the same day. Currently 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.
Geometry Dash SubZero
On 12 December 2017, Topala announced a third spin-off game titled Geometry Dash SubZero, which was released on 21 December 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 update 2.2, including features from the update such as new icons and camera control triggers.
