Zobros, “Nine Circles” in Geometry Dash (2015)
Geometry Dash is a popular side-scrolling video game that enables users to generate their own custom levels. In 2015, influential Finnish user Zobros created a level called “Nine Circles,” which features a song of the same title by the musician NIGHTkilla. The Geometry Dash fandom wiki page for Nine Circles explains:
“Nine Circles (commonly abbreviated to NC) is a 1.9/2.0 solo Hard Demon level created, verified and published by Zobros. Nine Circles is the second most downloaded and liked level not featured in a map pack or gauntlet and one of the most iconic levels in Geometry Dash, receiving acclaim for its gameplay, design, effects and difficulty. Nine Circles and its design inspired many other users to create levels using similar visual effects, gameplay, and structuring, referred to as Nine Circles levels.
“Nine Circles is Zobros’ first original level. It utilises 1.9 design and effects, particularly prevalent in its now-iconic strobing wave section. Nine Circles is considered one of the most influential levels in Geometry Dash. Sometime after its upload, the creator mkComic released Fairydust, a pink-themed version of Nine Circles, agreed as the likely level that started the Nine Circles trend. Numerous creators have since made Nine Circles levels, the most popular of which include Sonic Wave, Poltergeist and Jawbreaker. Like the original level, these levels generally have intense dubstep songs and game-modes in the typical order of cube, ship, ball, cube, wave and cube.”
On Reddit fans have debated whether “Nine Circles” is a hell level or if the name refers simply to the song, but the Geometry Dash fan page reports the following: “The name of the achievement for clearing 90 Demon levels in Normal Mode, ‘9 Circles of Hell’, is likely a direct reference to both this level and Dante Alighieri’s Inferno from which the concept of ‘The 9 Circles of Hell’ originates.” —”Nine Circles” on Geometry Dash Fan Fandom
Sighting Citation:
“Zobros, “Nine Circles” in Geometry Dash (2015).” Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Elizabeth Coggeshall and Arielle Saiber, eds. October 23, 2025. https://www.dantetoday.org/sightings/zobros-nine-circles-in-geometry-dash-2015/.Related Sighting
“Dante’s Casino,” Rainbow Six Vegas video game