Hey, Kevin.
I'm at level 15 of Distorted Reality atm and know what you mean.
The thing to me is, even though I don't know for certain, that the type of Distortion used varies, not as often as from stage to stage but the variety of techniques used increases the higher the level as far as I've noticed.
At the first few levels the most commonly applied Distortion should be clipping, the most recognizable type.

The more subtle one's I can't confidently label, as I got no idea what gear/plugin or maybe even computation is used by the game engine, but in my mind I saved them under what is close to the timber and color of the different kinds of Distortion I know and have heard live within my DAW and the plugins I used.
Mostly I felt like around level 10, clipped levels reduced and what I would say sounds like tube saturation became more frequent, along with Valve Saturation and rarely Tape Saturation.
Keep in mind, I named them this way, no Idea if it's right, close or completely off of what is used.🙆‍♂️

Within a certain type of Distortion it appears to me that the frequency landscape and and color is pretty stable, feeling less like processed audio induced with it, but a bit more like a EQ filter with alternative Wet/Dry settings to generate a lesser and one heavier distorted version for a level.

So I basically started memorizing certain characteristics for each type in my mind and recall them to identify the kind of distortion, before evaluating which one is the more distorted one.

Like I said, the used method will be used a couple of time in a row every stage, which causes me to have this nice trap set up for myself where I start a round, recognize the type and pass 5-6 levels within 10 seconds, listening to almost barely longer than 1-2 seconds of each option before correctly answering. 😏
Just up until the point the distortion type is changed while I'm still in the zone and I headbutt straight into a rockwall of continuous fails and lose.😂😂

But if I concentrate and don't rush and compare with the prior level, if that doesn't sound similar in terms of the coloring I try to recall what type it could be and am able to progress further.

TL/DR: Simply said, try to memorize and classify each of the few variations of distortion, like costumes at Halloween. Examined individually per level they seem unique and varied, but If you look at each encounter combined and split similar into groups, you start seeing Ghosts, vampires, spidermans and what not and have it easier to know what characteristics to compare.👻😁

Thanks @Mark Phillip Marphy Horch !

Interesting to note that you've picked up on the distortion types being different as well! I wasn't too sure about this. I just had a suspicion the frequency of the distortion was different. Like say if you pull up the stock overdrive plugin in Logic Pro, you can choose which frequency band is distorted - and if you distort (or technically overdrive lol) 500hz, that would muddy it up rather than add the clarity and brightness that 5khz distorted would do. But it's still all the same distortion effect.

I'll try to pay more attention to see if different ones are being used.

Maybe it's just that the difference is within 1db! Which seems to be my current cutoff! LOL.

I'll keep trying. I guess at the end of the day, if I can't hear a difference after sitting there for 3 minutes with the same 2 options, probably won't really matter for my mixes anyways lol. But the feeling of advancing in those levels is satisfying haha.

I can't tell if I got lucky, but I remember the moment I made that discovery feeling destined🤔😏
I was watching videos in the production course about analog gears and their unique saturating behavior, when soundgym official posted on their blog about the different types of Distortion. With saturation expertise on one ear and distortion expertise read by my other ear, ^^ I had, what we call a Geistesblitz in german, a lucky, coincidentally ingenious idea. Funny enough the first day in my workout routine also was Distorted Reality that day 😁

Hey Kevin, At the higher levels the differences are very subtle... try to focus on the energy that accumulates in the higher frequencies of the more distorted sound!

In this video you can find some good tips.

What sound source are you using? I use the bass drum and tilt my head slightly back so I'm looking at the corner of my ceiling. Tilting my head back slightly has a huge impact on how the sound waves enter your ears. Make sure you're sitting in an equilateral triangle with your speakers. Crank it up fairly loud, but not too loud. Take your time bouncing between the two. Pay attention to the accented notes. Don't rush it. One will hit you in the chest cavity better than the other. That's the one you want. Basically, the one that sounds better. At least, that's how I got to level 99. Hope this helps. 8-)

@J C haha that sounds like quite the specific recipe. Bordering on voodoo! 😅 One thing I don't understand is how you can trust the impact of the kick drum when the two options aren't gain matched. The louder one (and not necessarily more distorted) will clearly have more impact no?

@Beto Ojeda thanks!! That's a long video lol, but it really did help clarify it. I think I can usually hear it when it's harmonic distortion, I think the compression tip really helps, because it's the really subtle stuff that I don't know what to listen to - the way he says it just behaves like subtle compression at that point makes sense. I do remember learning that distortion is clipping, but it's a good reminder here, and the way it works like compression, and adds higher frequency content (:

Also, at 30min of the video, omg the 2 waveforms look identical. That is genuinely silly. 😅 And in real world applications it really wouldn't matter if you could hear that or not - won't make or break a mix! Just like turning up an instrument 0.1 DB probably won't either. Haha. And the distortion he talks about that shows up at 16khz, that's the frequency where my hearing drops off anyways lol.

Alright! High freq content and compression! Thanks again!!

Well! I just beat the level after watching that video!! Unstuck!

Thanks again!! 😄

And passed another level! The higher frequency stuff is a great tip! Now I know what to listen for! (: When I got to the ones where it was subtle, I heard one had brighter presence higher up, but was wondering if it's just a db louder or less compressed, but got it right when I chose the one that sounded brighter! Knowing what's actually going on with the distortion and how it's supposed to affect the sound is definitely a huge help.

@J C Wow level 99! Congrats! That's insane! Interesting technique, I'm on headphones only, so not something I can try. Currently at level 39 and I've pretty much abandoned the game, as just when I think I know what I should be listening for, it all falls apart shortly thereafter

I know that feeling all too well. Stuck at 99 trying to get to 100. It doesn't get any easier the higher you go.

Current on level 21. I mostly use the Folk package because it sounds great. Of course if I hear more obvious artifacts it's a death give away. But if not, I simple listen for the fullness and dynamics of the highest sounds in the mix. An example would be high level hats. They lose their dynamic when clipped. This pretty noticeable because they are just transients. With more sustained sounds they tend to get more full sounding. So first i find the loudest sounds, because they' tend to be the ones taking up the most space in the waveform and therefor also the first sounds to make the clipper start doing it's work. I then think about every instrument individually and what would happen if they got clipped/distorted, and then just listen for that.

Just an update! Now on level 19 of Distorted Reality! So all the advice was hugely helpful! Many thanks!! 😊