ADOFAI - 10-EX
ADOFAI 10-EX: For When Normal Difficulty Is For Cowards
Okay so I have a problem. I'm one of those challenge players - you know, the kind who imposes stupid restrictions on themselves just to make things harder. Blindfolded runs, one-hand only, playing with a dance pad, whatever. So when I saw "10-EX" I was like... okay, this is probably just another hard level. But it's in the title, so maybe it's something special?
I use it as a warm-up before playing other rhythm games. Which is probably a bad idea because this thing will destroy your confidence before you even start playing whatever game you actually wanted to play.
So the A1 angle here is "Tone: The Comrade-in-Arms". That "we've all been there" voice. And yeah, we've all been there - staring at a level that looks absolutely impossible, wondering what kind of masochist created it, and then spending the next three hours trying to beat it anyway.
But here's the thing about 10-EX: it's not just hard. It's... intelligently hard? Like, the creator clearly thought about how to make something challenging without it feeling cheap. The patterns are complex but readable (once you understand them), the timing is tight but fair, and the difficulty progression actually makes sense.
My goal with this was to create my first functional community level from start to finish. Which is ironic because playing this made me realize how far I have to go before I could make something even half this good.
10-EX Made Me Experience These Classic ADOFAI Moments:
The zooming out segment that makes you realize the entire track is a tiny part of a massive shape.
Tracks that mimic instrument sounds with their shape—a zigzag for a synth, a curve for a bass drop.
The disorienting beauty of a track that rotates *and* moves sideways at the same time.
The "twirling double helix" pattern that looks gorgeous but murders your sense of direction.
Tracks that are beautiful screensavers when paused, and instruments of torture when played.
That last one is especially true. If you pause this level at certain points, it looks like abstract art. Gorgeous geometric patterns, nice color gradients, really pleasing composition. Then you unpause and it immediately tries to kill you.
It's got that documentary narrator vibe - like you could imagine someone doing a voiceover about "the history of ADOFAI difficulty creep" while showing clips of this level. "And here we see the 10-EX level, a prime example of post-2022 community mapping trends, featuring..."
Questions that popped into my head:
- How does the timing/accuracy system work in ADOFAI?
- How does multiplayer/local co-op work (if available)?
- What are the minimum system requirements for ADOFAI?
- How does the difficulty rating system work (1-12+ stars)?
That last one is funny because 10-EX is clearly beyond the normal rating system. Like, if normal levels go to 12, this is a 15 at least. Maybe 20. Who knows?
The patterns here are next-level. There's one section where the track does this thing where it zooms out while rotating, and you realize you're actually on a tiny part of a massive fractal pattern. It's disorienting in the best way possible.
And the way it mimics the music with the track shape? Brilliant. There's a synth part where the track literally zigs and zags in time with the arpeggio. A bass drop that's just a massive curve downward. It's not just rhythmically accurate, it's visually musical.
But it's hard. Like, really hard. The kind of hard that makes you question your life choices. The kind of hard that has you taking deep breaths between attempts, whispering "you can do this" to yourself like a crazy person.
If you're a challenge player looking for the next thing to conquer, this is it. If you're a normal person who values their sanity, maybe stick to the official levels.
Personally, I'm going back in. Wish me luck. I'll probably need it.
