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 sawblade, a wall, or a ceiling. 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 (or two when in dual mode) 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, make the icon smaller, 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 main 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 the official levels (also obtained by completing map packs), and the four platformer levels (three of which are initially locked) require the previous to be completed. The Challenge is also official but it is not considered a main level. 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 colors.^[3] Players may also use five shops that use orbs or diamonds to acquire different icons and colors.

The full version of the game features the ability to upload and download user-created levels.^[4] The creator must verify their level by completing it with all user coins in normal mode before it can be uploaded. Changes made after verification will render the level unverified again.^[3] Some custom levels have a specific difficulty determined by Robtop, which are known as rated levels. The creator of a level, its players, and the game's moderators can also influence this decision. User-created levels can be categorized into twelve difficulty ratings. The auto difficulty is reserved for 'auto' levels which either do not require input for completion or the player needs to hold the jump button. In rated levels, each difficulty rewards a certain number of stars/moons upon completion.

In update 2.2, the platformer mode was released along with four official 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, allowing the player to respawn from them instead of having to start from the beginning. Platformer levels award the player with moons instead of the usual stars in normal levels.

Pre-Geometry Dash edit

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 edit

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 edit

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]

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]

Geometry Dash Lite edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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]

• Official website