- Community projects like Plutonia Revisited are an important, and perhaps integral part of keeping the Doom community alive
In mid 2010, Joshy of Doomworld launched the Plutonia Revisited project, and formulated the following goals:
"What I propose is a community project, welcome to any mappers, to aim for 32 vanilla maps for Plutonia within 6 months (the original Plutonia was made within 6 months so this would be a good challenge) Basically the aim is to make a map that resembles (or your interpretation of) Plutonia in terms of gameplay and looks. You can make more than one map, but will consider in allowing more authors to have a chance of putting in a map. The minimal map standard must be as good as Plutonia, it doesn't have to be complex though."
With that, the bar was set high to create yet another tribute to the legendary Casali half of Final Doom. Several members of the community quickly signed up, and even though the project took about 6 months longer to create than anticipated, the end product was a large, dense 32 map megawad for everyone to enjoy.
Quickly at the heels of our Plutonia 2 review, we decided to tackle this beast in cooperative mode. Here are our thoughts;
MAP01 - Stonewall
[Johnsen]
The entry map follows the tradition of Plutonia and Plutonia 2's first map, granting us a brown affair with bricks and pools of mud. This brownie is a spectacle of fireballs and rattling chaingunners, and true to form gives us a fierce welcome. As several other good Plutonia clones before it also utilized open space, clever traps and a touch of invading jungle textures, so does this one. I particularly liked the curving of the hallways, and the crossing wooden ceiling beams, as well as the tasty placement of the final yellow key on its tempting pillar, playfully near the start of the map. There is a notably cool berserk and blue armor secret, accessed through a nifty switch sequence. The gameplay picks up speed as soon as the super shotgun is accessed in a mud soaked outdoor area, and it's a tense and fast pace for the duration. The ambushes are well timed, and the pace is frantic, with far off arachnotrons and roaming revenants being the main source of danger, aside from the waves of chaingunners of course. I'm not sure what I think of the blue key garden, with its quick fix teleporter to get you back up, and the water seems strangly misplaced in a map focused on mud. That said, I think the map would have benefited visually from going with water instead of mud all through, since some blue would create a much needed contrast. The map borderlines at being a bit visually dull because of its
strict color use, and it has a few weird detailing spots, like the odd ceiling rails in the storage room. Overall, this is a good way to start things however.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
I like that you can roam both inside and outside this structure. The wooden beams are nice and the skylight gives air and variation. The green vines are mostly on the front of the building, and perhaps it gets a little too brown on the inside. There are beautiful color contrasts in the blue key area, and it would perhaps have been a better choice to use the blue water instead of the brown mud throughout the map. The ammo is tight in the start, but it gets better especially after you pick up the super shotgun. All the chaingunners force you to proceed carefully if you want to survive. We had a good cooperation around the blue key ambush and managed to stay alive here in spite of several revenants and arch-viles.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP02 - Temple of Cetza
[Johnsen]
This is a deceivingly complex map that owes most of its sense of confusion to a low light level and some interconnected areas. It's borderline too dark in some parts, and thus a bit drab. Illuminating some of the waterfalls to have them stand out from the otherwise brown scenery, would not be a bad idea. Neither would "stay open" doors, which the lack of became a slight annoyance even in a map of such a limited size. The map is short on ammo, and wants you to punch your way through, and it hands two berserks to further such an effect on multiplayer. The drawback with those kind of gameplay decisions is always that it only works once; if you die - no more berserk, and still not enough ammo. The traps are well set, and plentiful. Such constant "on your toes" triggering of lowering walls or monsters teleporting in is one of the strong points of the map, one could for instance note the pesky ambush flanking from three sides as one jump from the yellow key alcove - or the mancubi and revenants popping from the woodwork as you attempt to exit the map. This is not a very pretty creation, but it has a few cool touches, like the curved stairway with the hidden switch that lowers the tempting pillar soulsphere. It's quite harmless and within the comfortable boundaries of common stock design.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This is a small map, but with a good variation between the different rooms and sections. I will seldom award 5 points for a layout with such teleporter shortcuts, but it functions well in a small map like this. There is a tiny glimpse of the exit area from the start, and since the author shows that he's capable of making a nice front with varying heights in the start area, I only wish he had done some more of the same good stuff with the southwestern front that leads towards the exit. Having a visual contact with the exit is always interesting as it gives some direction and anticipation, so it's unfortunate that this map has been finished off without utilizing more like this nice line of sight. The traps function very well here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP03 - Escape from Ghost Town
[Johnsen]
At the third map we get the first entry that crosses from "inspired" to downright regurgitating an old design; and like a meal going back up, it's made less delicate in the process. Plutonia Map10 is a pretty cool map, and as such the author didn't pick a bad source of inspiration. Sadly, his tribute or recreation lack most of the qualities of the Casali level. Given the Cyberdemon who rules the courtyard on multiplayer, one should have been rewarded heavier firepower earlier on - the plasma comes way too late. This is a symptom of the map in general. It overloads on monsters, and do not put forth a fair amount of stuff to throw back at them. Redistributing the existing ammo would fix some of these issues. The chocolate colored revenant box-shaped tower in the courtyard is just a pain in the ass, ugly and derived of fun. The exit area with the fleshy hell textures sits quite mundane because of lacking contrasts. To make matters worse, it's possible to get stuck if you die after the bars raise behind you in the blue key area. We managed to avoid this thanks to much bravery and some good fortune from my coop partner, who somehow survived the ordeal - much thanks to a glaring bug with two mancubi and two arch-viles overlapping each other in a permanent frozen state. "Escape from Ghost Town" is a good example to showcase if one want to point out how not to make a tribute or recreation of another map.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
This map certainly lands in the tribute category. We had serious problems here because of a difficult combination of chaingunners and a cyber, and we also discovered a major design blunder. There were some bars in the area around the Spider Master-mind that closed behind me and wouldn't open before I had flipped a series of switches. In addition to the Spider, there were several ambushes there, and if I had died before reaching the last switch, we wouldn't have been able to proceed and complete the level. Ironically, I survived this area because of another design error since some of the monsters were stuck and couldn't harm me. This is a typical example of making a trap without having coop play in mind. Such traps must always be possible to reopen from the outside, one could even have them automatically open again after 30 seconds.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP04 - Emerald Pools
[Johnsen]
A short, violent map that draws some inspiration from Plutonia Map16 - "The Omen" at least as far as the texture theme goes, with the great looking grey mountains and the contrasting green waste. It's a tiny map, and feels more like a quick slap in the face than a full blown fight. The fights are tricky and superbly violent but never ridiculously unfair, and even the lethal bridge area with the rocket launcher is quite survivable if one apply a bit of balls and tactics. The draining of the main toxic lake in order to access a teleporter is a creative highlight. It's a simple map in a nice suit, and feels much like the best entries of Scythe in terms of gameplay and replayability. I appreciate the switch behind the exit that allow you to backtrack the map to scout for ammo and secrets.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
The draining slime has a dramatic and transforming effect in this nicely detailed mountain area, and together with a multiplayer Cyberdemon placed in a challenging position, this prevents the map from being to short and cheap. The layout is almost too simple and linear, but the gameplay is hard and tough.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP05 - That flooded place
[Johnsen]
The fifth map might be best remembered for its corridor based fights, and a few nicely timed ambushes. The gameplay is hard, unforgiving and fast paced all through, and the key pickups all reward you with some deadly attacks. A few of the details become a bit gameplay intrusive, like the dead bodies or the passable, hanging wines, but at least it supplies enough wriggle space throughout the packed corridors. One could argue the map might have been better if it was less linear, allowing one to pick up the keys as one see fit instead of forcing you through the given path of yellow, blue and red. I have issues with some of the doors that seemingly disappear into the sky texture - such design flaws are peculiar in mapping of the modern day and age. There's plenty to look at in this map, but it never reaches any grand heights, or leave too much personality behind, but there is some tasty detailing below the exit ledge with some hanging vines and some striking red walls that is worth a glance before you leave the place.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
Since it is already possible to go in a full circle in this map, it would have been interesting if you actually could chose the order you want to pick up the keys. If this unused option had been exploited, it would perhaps have given this map some more replay value and given the player the task to find the best path. The author didn't seem to worry about his illogical doors which seem to disappear into the sky, which is a shame, because as soon as you have noticed this, it becomes very annoying. I died in the yellow key ambush and several times later because I got stuck on some dead hanging bodies.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP06 - Stony Halls
[Johnsen]
I felt the extra coop only Cyberdemon was an unneeded addition here; the map is already sprawling with monsters, and offer plenty of pesky situations including far off revenants and mancubi on ledges, protected by lesser monsters - as well as an abundance of roaming chaingunners. It takes a while before you get to the super shotgun unless you make a run for it, and the single shotgun action early on means you're forced to be less aggressive. The design is mediocre at best, and varies between brown indoor areas and some sparse and bland outdoor areas. Everything is brick, vines and brown, with a few grassy patches and some water in between. The secrets are equally bland as they are simply "press lift" triggers, seemingly thrown in without much creative thought. Overall the map seems a bit hasty, and could have been a tad slicker with a bit of polish. The gameplay is borderline frustrating at times. There is a very handy "monster block line" on the floor before the stairway inside the yellow door area, a helpful addition that lets you evacuate and deal with the arch-vile trap.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This is a map with an advanced and intricate layout. The vines are probably a bit overused here, and some more texture variation between the different sections in this level could have been refreshing. It feels more or less like the same texture combination is used throughout the hole map. The secrets feel also too similar, so I get the feeling that this level could have needed some more creativity before it was declared as finished
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP07 - Caughtisle
[Johnsen]
I suspect this is one of the few times in recent memory that I played a Map07 that felt like the author enjoyed working with this map slot. As tradition has it, we get an arena styled creation, but instead of simply cloning the original setting of Plutonia or its unofficial sequel, this one goes for an oceanic fortress. The map is probably more towards the slaughter map genre than any of the previous installments in the megawad, but it works surprisingly well. There are two pedestalled Cyberdemons inside the fortress, greeting you with their backs as you spawn. We pulled a successful coop stunt here, where one player distracted them while the other pumped cells. The hardest part is paying attention to the outside arch-viles that can fry you good if you happen to give them free sight. I feel the two extra multi only Cyberdemons roaming outside coulda been nixed. That aside, I rather enjoyed this fast paced piece, and it has just enough architectural merit to look okay. The oceanic setting does a lot of the work in that respect, as the detailing is sparse, and fortunately do not obstruct the close quarter combats. I enjoyed the sudden teleport ambush upon picking up the yellow key, and it's a nice way to pack a final punch. This is a decently playable and classic looking Map07.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This level does the traditional Map07 formula, but adds another difficulty level with having four Cyberdemons and several arch-viles on top. The sea sector and the yellow key jump are probably the only two ideas which bring something new and refreshing into this old concept and provide the map with its unique characteristics. Since the sea sector has monster placements it also underlines the name of the map as you really are surrounded and under constant attack.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP08 - Rules of Death
[Johnsen]
Atrocious. I've not been this pissed off at a map in a long time, so the author must forgive me for such blunt honesty. I take issue from the very start here, where you have to illogically cross a certain unmarked area in order to lower a doorway to the connecting room. There is no reason why this door should seal you in when you cross it in the first place, and it just becomes an annoying factor when you scout around for ammo. The author opted to make his entire gameplay here based on far off chaingunners and arachnotrons, cramped revenant encounters, low ammo and a hideously over-populated hell knight trap later on. I'm not getting to that one just yet, though. The section with the raising and lowering pillars you get to after leaving the first yard, seems to struggle with its gameplay and architecture. It's simply a dark pit with a stock invisible bridge and tons of annoying crossfire, much like the countless similar rooms and sections that have plagued user made maps through the years with this gimmick. If you bother to play on, you'll get to a cacodemon clustered section with an arch-vile spawning in the back, forcing you to spend what little ammo you have left on revived cacos, before you can grab the yellow key and then a plasma rifle in a large, drab outdoor area. The part after the yellow door is the best one architecturally, we actually get a decent staircase type bridge with a moat on each side, followed by the nice looking - but gameplay stopping hell knight trap. Of course, the author didn't intend us to fire a shot and clog the entire map. No, he intended us to look in our crystal ball, then run past all the sleeping hell knights, jump into the pool next to the Cyberdemon and find a secret pathway leading to the BFG, where we naturally would then backtrack to clean up the mess in an ordered manner. But of course, why didn't we think of that. Thus, after respawning 100 times each to peck down one and one hell knight pistol only (and having to collect the damned yellow key over and over again to unlock the not so very stay open door) I can say with uttermost confidence that I never want to see this map again.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
[Hunsager]
Unfortunately, I have to be a little harsh on the scores with this one. This is a typical example of a map that would have benefited hugely from more multiplayer testing. The gameplay just falls apart behind the yellow door in the trap room with the overwhelming hell knight army. This is not coop friendly at all as it gives you only one chance to run for the BFG. Such an idea works fine on singleplayer or if you have played the map before, but since we didn't know what to do here, we even flipped the switch which releases the arch-vile and the Cyberdemon and we quickly died and then had to fight the tireless horde of hell knights. We don't have the opportunity of using save-games in multiplayer so a trap that releases a magnitude of monsters like this and prevents us from having access to the required weapon or ammo just kills the joy and experience completely. The trap is excessively exaggerated and it would perhaps have been for the better if the entire southwestern section behind the yellow key door was just deleted. It could instead have been an interesting idea to build something west of the room with the invisible bridge and also to have used the vertical dimension here for something sensible. I feel that this is the most iconic part of the map which also has some unused potential. For now there is just some pain elementals and a few shotgun guys on some pillars and the only point to jump off the invisible bridge is to reach for some shotgun ammo. Something more worth remembering should have been done here, and you could also have situated the yellow key higher so that it was completely visible from the bridge.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
MAP09 - Ruined Kingdom
[Johnsen]
The ninth map plays obvious tribute to Plutonias eight; "Realm". It's a rather linear level, with some backtracking required. It's also neatly textured, well scaled and well measured in terms of ammo and opposition on singleplayer - less so on multi. We found the map to be overloaded and borderline frustrating at times, the great red key hall being the low point. The extra Spider Master-mind and the nearby Cyberdemon that roams there on multi, didn't add much fun and complicated an already tricky area. The map overloads a bit on the arch-vile use in general, and since the secrets dump much needed ammo at you, they become a key to successfully enjoy the map. I really liked the construct of the room overlooked by the blue key, and how flipping a switch totally transformed it into a nasty mancubus festering pit. The final spawn wave at the exit construct is another cool touch to the gameplay. It does feel like a map consisting of bits of various Plutonia maps, and not like an original piece, which to me becomes more of a drawback than a quality. Given the overloaded gameplay and the need to find secrets in order to get through it in one piece, I cannot reward the map as much as I'd like to.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
A map with decent decoration and details, but the double set of lifts and the exit plateau become too similar to the original Plutonia Map08. Some coop shortcuts and a stay open blue door would have been appreciated here. The trap before the blue key is nice, but there's perhaps too many arch-viles in this map.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP10 - Bloodbath
[Johnsen]
This map is a tiny, petite beauty. Slick and short does it, much thanks to the excellent use of the texture theme and good use of vertical space. There are some neat little secrets here, which will make life quite a bit easier - first and foremost the invulnerability you can snag by entering a teleporter behind a bloodfall, a piece of trickery we didn't figure out until after getting our asses kicked. The spawn ambushes and the general monster placement are slick but harsh here, and multiplayer will grant you a Spider Master-mind on top. The red key trap gave me my one death, and I'd say the amount of hellspawn could have been trimmed slightly at that spot given the limited room for navigation; then again it might be a good place to use that forgotten invulnerability. I really liked the chaingunner pillar trap upon yellow key pickup, and the wonderful aesthetics of the blood-flowing exit garden with the surrounding rock formations.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
This lands in the category of compact and fun maps. It's full of chaingunners and cacodemons and heavy hitters such as revenants and hell knights with a few barons on top. If you want to survive all the ambushes throughout this brutal map, the invulnerability is a very valuable item. This secret is very cool to discover, but maybe too hard since we didn't find it before we killed all the monsters. The item is hardly noticeable, so if it had been more visible we would perhaps have tracked it down and applied it when we really needed it, instead of bumping into it after the storm.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP11 - Will you be my NME
[Johnsen]
Ah, now we're talking. This could have been a Casali map, and not only that, I think it would have been one of their best. The main theme here is a beautiful blend consisting of the best grey and green brick texture from Plutonia, green acid lakes, brown bricks and some tasty highlighted green tiles. The scale is grand, with large hallways, wide corridors and majestic outdoor areas - alternating between a subterranean feel and an otherworldly outdoor environment. Texture wise it seems to draw some inspiration from Plutonia 2's Map11, but as an experience this map is far superior, and does not dive into the maze territory of that one. It seems quite confusing at first, partly because of the lack of varied textures, but once you realize there is a few alternate areas fleshing out the actual path to the keys, it's not that hard to navigate. It looks bigger than it is before you know your way around. The gameplay is pretty tight on the ammo and health supply, and I would not have minded a slightly more varied monster stock. It relies heavily on arch-viles, chaingunners and the occasional Spider Master-mind. I quite liked the touch with the arch-viles that spawned only to scatter throughout the map. There's plenty to look at as you make your way through this moody piece, and the light detailing is pulled off skillfully and furthers the dark and damp atmosphere. All in all, this is one of the "must play" entries of the megawad.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
Here comes a map which texture-wise is highly inspired by Plutonia 2 Map11. Luckily it is a bit smaller and it doesn't exaggerate the maze concept, and the spiders ensure that the gameplay do not become too similar. There could perhaps have been some more texture variation between the different sections, especially since both the red and the yellow key areas feel like they are based on the same idea with a similar expression and architecture. The key ambushes are difficult and caused some deaths, and we were also low on ammo during this map, but it improved a little towards the end.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP12 - Velocity
[Johnsen]
The same guy who did Plutonia 2's "Speed" clone returns to churn out another for this slot. It's perhaps slightly better than his previous installment, but not by a lot. It's a similar construct, but has a few redeeming qualities like the cool placement of the Spider Master-mind, and a few creative traps which unfortunately get ruined by overloading them with monsters. I liked the jump to get to the supercharge, and appreciated the well placed invisibility. The theme gives a lot for free as well as it follows the combination of wood and blood as first put together by the Casalis in Plutonia Map12. The double Cyberdemon crossfire section involving a pillar run, is a good example of how one do not make good gameplay. To make matters worse, the scene is cluttered by cacodemons and pain elementals. There is a superbly unfair arch-vile trap with the BFG, I got instantly fried twice when teleporting in. I prefer a shot at surviving when I enter a trap, when it's left to the random luck of distracted monsters, it fails to come off as clever. Blasting through the simplistic outdoor mountain area with your BFG is a cheap thrill, and possibly the gameplay highlight of this lacking tribute. There are far too many chaingunners, revenants and arch-viles in this place to make it enjoyable. I hope two downgraded "Speed" clones from the hand of the same author is enough.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
I initially felt that this map was too similar to Map15 in Plutonia 2, but after we realized that it is in fact made by the same author it all made sense. The main inspiration is of course "Speed" from Plutonia and the wood theme and the two teleporting arch-viles are taken directly from this level. This map can't get many points because it is just a tribute that doesn't do anything new, however I do feel it's a bit more successful than the author's contribution in Plutonia 2. The outdoor section to the east is quite the nightmarish slaughter, and I only survived it thanks to the supercharge.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP13 - Slaughter Zone
[Johnsen]
The first thing to go here should have been that misplaced Cyberdemon. There is no reason to cram a Cyberdemon in a small ledge-based map like this. Another flaw here is the fact that you can get totally swarmed at the player starts if you die after the blue key pickup. A monster impassible line would have made this more tolerable. Granting a chaingun at your feet as you spawn would not have been a bad idea either. Basically, if you make a small, compact ledge map with hurt floor sectors, don't be a dick with the monster placement. This map is a dick with the monster placement. It's a nice enough map visually though, with a solid sense of texturing and scale. The plasma is way too vital to sit in a secret here, and should have been readily available. The most annoying monsters would be the far up cacodemons that you won't get to kill in a proper manner before late into the run. Thumbs up for supplying lots of biosuits though.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
It feels like we are in lack of some vital weapons here. There is no chaingun or BFG, and the plasma is in a secret and comes too late. The Cyberdemon becomes too difficult on the narrow ledge, and there should have been a "monster cannot cross this line" to prevent it from standing in the start area and killing us with rockets every time we spawn. The last ambush with the arch-viles is a total overkill, and this is just an unfortunate example of how you should never swarm the spawn starts but instead protect it with monster block lines. Apart from this, the map looks decent, and really didn't deserve to be ruined by a gameplay like this.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP14 - Undertaker
[Johnsen]
It took about ten seconds from the spawning until I figured we were in for a stinker here. You're instantly swarmed by revenants, demons and imps in a confined space. On singleplayer, you survive this by fleeing the first section and paying them back with rockets. On multiplayer, the arch-viles and the increased number of revenants make it a certain death, at the very least if you come unprepared. I really, really dislike when an author wants to macho up by swarming you down instantly like this; if you get your kicks out of killing the player in a ridiculous manner like this, you're not in it to entertain anyone but yourself. The silliness goes on all through the map, with the obvious lows being the box shaped Cyberdemon garden you have to traverse in order to teleport from one side of the map to the other. It looks just as bad as it plays, so at least good architecture didn't go to waste here. The trench with the teleporters in the middle of the map fills up with way too much stuff as well, and the fact you have to teleport from one side to the other speaks volumes of the planning that went into this. It might just be the dumbest map in the set, and it has more in common with a turd than just the color scheme.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
[Hunsager]
From the chaotic start and until the exit, this map continues pumping out monsters even though it's a ridiculously short ride. There is no BFG, and we were short of ammo so maybe we should have kept that Cyberdemon alive until the second wave of monsters. Anyway, the Cyberdemon arena feels very disjointed here and there isn't much to look at between these brown walls. This small map can't be rewarded many points on the layout simply because of the lack of ideas behind it. It's also difficult to see any Plutonia inspiration here at all.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
MAP15 - Helix
[Johnsen]
Typically Map15's are large, and this is no exception. This huge, sprawling adventure of a map seems to refuse to give up all its secrets, regardless of how much you search for them. It's obvious that this thing came from the hands of a skilled mapper, as some of the visuals are downright striking. I could go on to list the incredible, ominous tower with the spiraling staircase leading to the top - and the superbly cool, huge pillars that attach to it, or the impeccable, moody light effects in the blue door area - or the memorable and intricate transformation of the red key section. This map feels much like a surreal dream, one that never quite ends and just sends you from one location to the next; you might not remember all the in-between stuff, but the main attractions stick to the mind, and the totality of it is saturating and overwhelming. I wish the gameplay had been as adventurous as the design here but unfortunately it goes the route of overloading, probably to keep up with the miscalculated idea that Plutonias gameplay was close to that of Hell Revealed. Some of the traps here are just ridiculous. When a map is this complex and lengthy, and becomes so unforgiving with the gameplay on top, all while having not one stay open door, it becomes a huge pain in the ass, and simply a test of patience to complete. I'd go as far as to say its near unplayable given that the layout force you to run around to pick up every weapon and every key with not one coop shortcut, every time you die. And you'll die a lot. This is one cookie best served with -nomonsters, just to gawk at the light detailing or the tower of darkness, or the rock carved eye candy surrounding the exit. If you want to get the BFG here, good luck. We found it once, but I have no recollection of how, and probably won't find it again. At first glance this map deserves a much better rating than I ended up giving it, but the layout just suffers in multiplayer mode, and the gameplay is a test, not a treat.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
This is a special map with striking views and creative architecture. The area to the northwest with the Cyberdemon and the small castle with the red key is great, and the big helix looks fantastic. The most brilliant thing is that you can jump in two directions from the tower. However, since the most beautiful view of this construction is from the northern bridge looking southwards towards the helix, wouldn't it have been more interesting if the player approached from this point before starting to ascend instead of just being teleported in at the bottom? That would require some rearranging, but such a nice view gives so much anticipation and builds up the excitement. The greatest downfall with this map is probably that it is too big for its own good, and the path is complicated further by a few teleporters, and I found the red switch with the red bars to be too difficult to spot and an unnecessary prolongation. The following jump through the cross-shaped wall just doesn't feel interesting enough, but hey, after the epic jump from the big helix, everything will probably feel anti-climatic. The secrets can best be described as being very hard to find, and even with two players going at it we only discovered one of the eight secrets (and it's not even the first time we've played this map). This is truly a shame since there is so much creativity involved in these secrets. It seems like this megawad has the habit of putting the BFG in a secret, something which probably should have been avoided in a map of such considerable size. A coop shortcut with weapon supply would have benefited this map greatly. In the end we became tired of running around to pick up all the weapons repeatedly after deaths (luckily the blood didn't hurt which could have led to a complete halt and caused us going on a strike for several days). This map is not easily forgettable, but we became exhausted and needed a long break after completing it. The small inspiration from "Neurosphere" is very well integrated in this map and fits perfectly in the new environment.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP31 - Cyberdemon Vertigo
[Johnsen]
Aesthetically this is far from a masterpiece, but it manages to salvage itself somewhat by cool usage of vines and jungle textures to break with the otherwise square and simplistic design. I really like the hanging vines attached to the far up wooden beams. The route system is fairly simplistic and a bit on the cheap side with all the teleporting going on in such a confined space. The gameplay is alright for what it's trying to do though, and action-packed enough to keep you on your toes. I survived with no deaths here, with some luck. The ammo seems well measured, or perhaps even slightly on the tight side since we exited with no ammo left. A quick and decently fun secret map.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This map is too small and has too much teleporting going on. The switch in the room to the west should have been repeatable, because you will risk being stuck here the second time you visit the room. The gameplay is based on battling Cyberdemons so in that respect it emulates Plutonia Map31. It's so small that it is difficult to award it with many points.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP32 - Have @ It
[Johnsen]
I've played this map twice in total, and both times I somehow survived with no respawns on the first try out, which is as much a testament to my fortunate approach as the maps forgiving nature - as long as you take it slow and apply your brain. This is quite possibly the best Plutonia Map32 clone I've played and quite superior to the one found in Plutonia 2, and a lot better than most slaughter styled maps that obviously just pile on monsters with no thought. The author took care to design the fights to be fun here, and you have just enough wriggle space to find some safe spots where you can work from; much thanks to a few well planned monster block lines. The map also manages to stray away from caging half its monsters in inaccessible areas, where you just pump ammo and move on; another thing that often plagues these kind of maps. A few of the perched spots let you ignite insane infights, another strategic element that is part of any good slaughter map. I spent a lot of time in the BFG tower, overlooking the onslaught. We clocked 1387 monsters here because of the heavy arch-vile revival. The blue door should have obviously been "stay open", as it's a bit of a pain in the ass. Naturally these kind of maps do require a little breather afterwards, as they are quite exhausting. This is an excellent tribute map for what it tries to accomplish, and it doesn't look horrific either, naturally without reaching anything close to pretty. Where "Go 2 It" had ledges, this map has connecting caves, and it makes for a distinctly different gameplay than the original.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
This is another map in the "Go 2 It" category. We started with about 800 monsters and ended up with 1300, which is quite insane. What this map does right is that there are actually some block monster lines, meaning that despite the huge monster count, you have the possibility of finding a safe spot and not being totally swarmed. The layout is OK, but the extensions to the north from the original Map01 hallways could perhaps have been better integrated, and especially the area behind the blue bars feels too separated from the rest.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP16 - Gambit
[Johnsen]
This is a cool one. I really like the seamless blend of the wooden constructs, water, platforms and bridges and the multiple cave areas. It's a small, compact map that interconnects well - I appreciate small stuff like letting you jump from the red key pickup back to the start area to save time. The gameplay is tight and neat too, perhaps with the slightest overkill of revenants guarding the yellow key. The BFG trap has a cool setup, and it's just forgiving enough if you wield the weapon well. Multiplayer has a Cyberdemon too, but he's a friendly infight instigator more than anything. For some reason I love the plasma cave, it seems totally natural because of the slightly curved walls, and the added vine textures. This is a slick map and it maintains the spirit of what most people think of as "Plutonia" quite well. You'll need to create a decent infight in the start room if you go from scratch, and rely quite a bit on the single shotgun for the first parts of the map, but it's not as bad as it looks. There is also a good amount of rockets and two berserks available for your enjoyment.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
I enjoy this level because of its diversity from the brown indoor rooms, the open areas with the wooden ledges and the cave areas. Even the small water tunnels do much to add variation and depth here, and you suddenly realize that there is even something interesting to explore if you jump from the ledges.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP17 - The Unholy Crypt
[Johnsen]
This was so good I had to complete it once from scratch as well, just for kicks. What a beautiful, colorful brick and "zimmer" extravaganza. Visual highlights for me include the placement of the BFG on the acidic alter (albeit the ceiling height above it transcends logic when compared to the rest of the room), as well as the plasma garden, with the neat ceiling beams and the perfect use of textures and decoration. There really is not one ugly spot in this map, it all flows together great. The monster placement is near perfect, with the main flaw being the somewhat questionable monster block line in the red key garden, no doubt to make this spot easier to deal with, but it looks a bit forced and makes a simple infight and some patience the default tool. There are some really neat secrets here, involving the supercharge as well as the BFG. A few of the monsters that spawn in are impeccably timed. If this map was the average Doom map, we'd all be spoiled. To up it another peg visually, I do think there's room for even more light detailing difference - there's certainly well enough utilization of sectors here to allow for it. There is a really neat "shoot switch" secret, barely visible in an outside decorative area - don't miss it, and get yourself some cells. I found the final Cyberdemon showdown to be a cool one, and the placement of the exit area in the midst of a hallway you pass several times, to be quite neat.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 15/18
[Hunsager]
This map was a nice surprise, and it managed to give me a totally new experience as it stands out as a hell map with a lot of green colors. This is the first time the green colors actually become frightful to me, in a Doom map. After growing up with a level like "Toxic Touch" in Alien Vendetta I have always looked at the green "sfall" and "nukage" textures first and foremost as something very beautiful. But this map completely transforms these textures for me and turns them frightful and dangerous, and the small green room with the marble cacodemon face staring at me stands out as something ominous and threatening as well. Even though something more could have been done with the light variation, the details here are superb and this must be one of the most successful and inventive hell maps I have played recently. The secrets are very cool and difficult, and since several of the monsters that we encountered had their backs turned towards us, we had time to carefully plan our attack and think out a coop strategy. The last ambush with the red key became too overwhelming for us given our approach though.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 15/18
MAP18 - Phantom Silence
[Johnsen]
Had it not been for the gameplay issues, this would have easily been among the very best of the set. Well I suppose it still is, despite. The use of orange lava and brown cliffs cascading into the melted depths is a delight to behold. The first portion of this map fully utilizes the kind of coolness only Doom can capture with its large scale and vertical space. The warm texture blend occasionally gives room for some hellish slabs of green marble to further the atmosphere. I loved the abstract hell touches with the floating, square marble construct with dead bodies attached to it - an excellent, creepy piece of detailing. The map is not too harsh with the ledge running despite the first impression, which is good given the constant bombardment. The author chose to go hardcore on the gameplay, and I think it's the maps main downfall. Far off chaingunners and ascending pain elementals, distant revenants and plenty of positioned mancubi make this utter hell. Add to it some extremely pesky traps, like the Spider Master-mind showdown in a confined space, where you're forced to circle it in order to create infights with an angry revenant horde, or the secluded Cyberdemon guarding blue key - well armed with a row of mancubi on each side. Worse even is the harsh spawn wave after you dare to pick up the red key, I believe that was my first certain point of death. Since you get plenty of rockets, a few rewarding secrets and even a plasma to toy around with, all this is fair enough however. The main issue I have comes in the last part of the map, where the final yellow key hunt ensues in the depths of a starkly different, grey stone cave. I'm a bit torn of what to think of this part; it looks good, but doesn't fit with the tone of the rest of the map - almost like the author spliced two entirely different creations. The gameplay takes a nosedive in this part too, since several armies of arch-viles mock you before teleporting to different spots of the remaining map. There's too many of them, and you would need a really planned attack or simply luck to survive this. A pity, since it really affects the overall score of the map. The best valley scenes in this map are a colorful orgy not soon forgotten, and if you're only gonna play a few maps in Plutonia Revisited, make this one of them. On singleplayer, I exited with over fifty rockets here, so there is indeed more than a slight overload. Perhaps more cells instead would have been better for the last part. I'd have put a BFG here somewhere, too - it seems to only be available on the easier skill-settings, which makes no sense.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
Another moody hell map from the same author as the previous map. The abyss and lava and the tiny ledges and vertical space make sure that this becomes a dramatic experience. The last green part is beautiful and becomes ingeniously connected to the rest of the map when you reach the exit and find yourself back in the canyon again. The small details and marble goat faces provide the right hell setting.The goat face constructs which just hangs in the air gives a surrealistic feeling. The Cyberdemon arena could perhaps have been omitted as there already is another arena later on with a Spider Master-mind. The arch-viles in the end screw up the gameplay as well. Something else could have been done there, but this part is perhaps designed specifically for its arch-viles. A chaingun on multiplayer should definitely have been provided. Despite an unrealistic and illogical transition between a 360 degree panorama view into the empty sky from the spider Master-minds arena towards the mountain cave, there is no doubt that this just has to get six points for its aesthetics because of a very well created atmosphere.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP19 - Venom
[Johnsen]
Following the solid theme of the former map, this feels even more like a bonafide mess in contrast. This huge, beastly base map looks like a stray Team TNT creation from the late 1990's, with an obvious "Cyberdemons-in-cramped-space-to-make-stuff-hard-fetish". I feel maps like these are often the result when the author have too much time on his hands, too few ideas and a lack of imagination yet a cunning ability to keep going despite. There's too many different themes meshed in here to make sense of it, with no areas that stick out as memorable or not annoying. The switch hunt here could give an average Eternal Doom map the run for it, but completely lack the same sense of adventure to keep you invested. Alright; the cave areas are decently atmospheric - I'll give it that. Teleporters that suddenly throw you back to the start of the map for no good reason is enough for me to want to delete the map and then undelete it and delete it again.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
There are several maps listed as inspiration here, and it does feel like it consists of various sections but fails to lean on one solid underlying concept, perhaps apart from the idea that this map is just going to be a very tough challenge. A combination of teleporters and hurt floor is something which must be used with an utmost care, but after playing this I just have to conclude that this was certainly not the case here, rather exactly the opposite. When you even add maze like corridors and a confusing switch hunt there is just too much troublesome and problematic ideas going on at the same time and the result is that the path is everything but intuitive and too difficult to figure out. The main reason is of course the high number of eighteen teleporters. 18! And for no obvious reason, some of them will just bring you back to the start which means that you have to cross a large area of hurt floor again and again. My advice would have been to strictly redo the entire route and consequently remove every teleporter that transports the player horizontally around. A teleporter which brings the player vertically from a blood trench and up on a ledge is acceptable though. The lesson is simple: Please; don't combine mazes, hurt floor, switch hunts and teleporters.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 8/18
MAP20 - Sinister Daybreak
[Johnsen]
The megawad recovers brilliantly from the former letdown with this entry. What a dark licorice delight. This looks like a map straight from the hands of a Casali, or perhaps Gusta. It might lend itself too much to the original Plutonia Map15, if one wants to peck at the creativity aspect - but it's so well pulled off here I won't be complaining. The secrets are creative, superbly rewarding and very cool - but be sure to look for them if you want to have any shot at surviving this beast from scratch. The gameplay is definitely hardcore as one stacked area with high end monsters is followed by another. Not to mention some absolutely deadly rows of chaingunners. The hidden arch-vile revival of those chaingunners didn't do it for me, I was never keen on that trick - stay dead when I kill you please. We got our asses kicked good here, and died multiple times. There are a bunch of teleporters scattered around, something which usually detracts from the design for me, but in this case it's a needed tool to keep the flow of the map, and suits with the expectations of the design.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
A wonderful map, but it's borderline drawing to much inspiration from the original Plutonia Map15. It's debatable if it has managed to integrate the familiar parts together with the sections that use other textures, but the overall atmosphere here is great because the new areas are so good looking, and luckily this map becomes more varied than the original as a consequence. The secrets are also cool, and the height variation and multiple ledges is very good stuff. It's a difficult map to beat because of all the chaingunners and arch-viles.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP21 - Asmodeus Circle
[Johnsen]
Doom II Map11 is one of Romeros best maps, so to take on a tribute to it is a really tall order. The Casalis did it somewhat successfully in Plutonia. When reading the development thread, it became obvious that the author struggled with VPO's and bugs here, and had to cut back on the detailing. Constructing a map where you can peak across vast areas and into other parts, is risky business in 1.9 mapping. The idea behind a map constructed around a circular shape is a good one, but it's not pulled off very great here. There is too many gameplay intrusive elements at the indoor parts, with torches and other stuff constantly interfering with your movement. The red door should obviously have been "stay open", and there are simply too many waves of pain elementals clustering things up. If you die at the wrong time in this map, you get swarmed at the start and have to basically pistol whip hordes of monsters in a boring repetitive manner. Despite there only being one key here, the map is a bit bitchy to navigate, and rather confusing. All in all, this is sadly a failed attempt at pulling off a tribute to one of the most legendary maps ever.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This becomes too small and unoriginal to earn many points for the layout, and some of the decoration become nothing but annoying obstacles where you easily get stuck on some of the torches or dead hanging bodies. The coolest part with "Slayer" is in my opinion when you reach one of the vantage points which allows you to take a look down at the rest of the structure, but disappointingly I don't see this being accomplished here. After all, it is difficult to make a successful and creative tribute to a map which in turn is a tribute to, in my opinion, one of the best Doom maps ever made. The original maps are probably too good to be exceeded here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
MAP22 - Suicide Mission
[Johnsen]
We get yet another answer to a Casali map, and yet again it's not on par with the original. The design is rather clean and nice, but functionality and playability suffer. The acid floor parts become a superbly annoying element if you die after spending the last biosuit. I wonder why on earth the teleporter that takes you from the plasma and the super shotgun lands you at the very start of the map - very annoying. That being said, I did appreciate that both these powerful weapons were available in close proximity of the spawns. There is a hidden switch in the hallway with the two-sided snake skin textures that is way too hard to locate. In order to get to the rocket launcher after respawning, you have to run through more slime, and you're so battered trying to restore yourself after a spawn, that there is hardly anything left when you reach the next battle; an obvious case where a map was not planned well for resumed playing after death. From scratch with savegames and on singleplayer, I'm sure it's more tolerable, but that's not good enough. There is a few peculiar design choices too, like the super thin cave ceilings in the garden leading to the red key. This is not a horrible map from an aesthetic point of view, but sadly it falters in every other department, and I have to punish the layout and gameplay scores as a consequence.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
Since there are long distances with hurt floor here, some of this map should have been confined from the start in order to direct you better. If there were some red bars in the slime to block of the northwester section, a lot of time and frustration would have been avoided. The large start and exit areas cause the map to seem bigger than it really is.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP23 - Necrogenesis
[Johnsen]
First and foremost, this map should not have gone out of its way to hide the BFG as well as it did; this weapon is completely vital to avoid pulling your hair out in the yellow key trap - a part that overloads on revenants and arch-viles anyway. The far off Cyberdemons are dangerous, and very unpredictable here, and I tend to think they add more annoyance than excitement from their chosen positions. The abundance of teleporters and ledges makes it a very confusing map to navigate, and it feels deceivingly large despite being tiny in reality. There is a pretty cool jump secret near the blue key, involving a ledge with a supercharge and a backpack. The megasphere secret is another sweet and rewarding snack, if you can find it. I'm very appreciative of the close location of the weapons at the start, and the stay open doors, since dying a lot is highly likely here. The map does feel like a large subterranean cave, and I do like some of the visual aspects. I would probably have gone with a more contrasting hurt floor however, either lava or acid; there's a bit too much brown going on. The cascading mud falls should at the very least have been highlighted, since now they are hardly noticeable. Too messy and confusing and too heavily loaded would pretty much sum it up for me.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This map has many great things going on. I love the variation between the big open hall and the ledges and smaller rooms and caves. The rock textures and the vines are nice details. Unfortunately, there are too many teleporters and flying Cyberdemon rockets which destroy the fun. These teleporter shortcuts are very confusing if you don't realize that they will bring you back to the start. The BFG should definitely not have been a secret here, and placing Cyberdemons in cages far off is not a good idea.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP24 - Terra Incognita
[Johnsen]
As much as I have a weak spot for anything resembling "The Living End", I cannot endorse the gameplay going on here. Simply put this is a gameplay disaster, an although the competition is close I'd say the worst spot comes around the blue key area with the ridiculous arch-vile cage. The place is generally flooded with annoying pain elementals that float around and screw things up for you as well. When two players completely fail to enjoy any part of a map because of a gameplay on steroids that tries to do what it obviously can't handle, it's a good sign something missed the mark. The visuals are not bad though, and the vertical space and nostalgic texture use is spot on. It looks sufficiently different from "Post Mortem" or "Anti-Christ" as well, so it's a real pity it can't mimic the gameplay of the latter to a better extent. I won't go on about the annoying details here, and just file this under "that's too bad, could have been good if any restraint was shown".
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 8/18
[Hunsager]
I really like vertical maps, but I will be a little harsh on the scores with this map since I think it aims far too high. I don't think it manages at all to establish itself as a member in the exclusive club together with "The Living End" or any of the most famous follow ups. There must be a combination of both grandeur and elegance in these maps to succeed. "The Living End" is a journey set inside a single large hall, but has variation from the open to the smaller closed compartments while the steep, narrow stairs and the rising ledge bring you closer and closer to the final goal. "Anti-Christ" in Plutonia is the map which in my opinion best manages to take this concept to a higher level with all its interesting windows and openings. "Post Mortem" banalises and overuses the cages and balconies by enlarging them and overpopulating them with monsters, and is a map worth remembering only for its insane challenge. This map doesn't bring anything new to the scene, but has for some reasons spread the combat over three rather disconnected large halls and the inspiration from "The Final Frontier" becomes too obvious for me. The map isn't inventive enough and it's architecturally just too simplistic, which is probably a danger when you are creating grand hall maps for 1.9. But creating a large hall with the sole focus being a big monster cage which looks like it is ripped straight from an average Hell Revealed map is not the way to go at all. The secrets are cool though, but several of them are too hard to find, and the gameplay is by far the worst aspect of this map.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 7/18
MAP25 - Wicked Garden
[Johnsen]
Brick buildings carved into the mountainsides of a sprawling outdoor scenery, blood colored water cascading down the hillsides and a time-gate(?) transporting you to an identical, overgrown version of an already visited are. Sounds cool? Well, it is. Xaser Acheron masterfully whipped up another visual goodie here, and it's a completely immersive piece with his trademark excellent lighting and moody detailing. The light differences could perhaps have been alternated further in the outdoor areas, as these tend to be the most bland parts of the map despite good craftsmanship. The indoor detailing and lighting is overall extremely nice. The part I liked the least would probably be the cramped chainsaw building where you'll also collect the yellow key. It felt sort of tossed in without a really good idea present, basically to prolong the maps duration a bit. That aside, almost every part of the map have some quality to it. I really like how the barbed wire fence texture is used alongside the stony hills. Some of the imps situated in the rocky canyons can be a bit pesky to kill. The visual highlight for me is the red key area, and no less the part leading up to it, and naturally the overgrown version of the same spot. There is some really sexy architecture going on there. The teleporting arch-vile fight was a nice touch to make the latter spot even more memorable. The gameplay is fairly hectic and good, a few of the tree sprites become a bit intrusive, and some of the far off revenants are pesky to deal with. The berserk bonus helped a lot since you otherwise have to rely on the shotgun for some duration of the map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
Apart from the blocky blood area around the chainsaw and the yellow key, this map is simply true Doom art. I love how the cacodemon attack is orchestrated with some of them coming from above and through the roof, and this is a wonderful example of how monster-placement and architecture can play together in harmony. The rock texture and the buildings flow nicely together, and the blood falls are beautiful. The time gate idea where you return to the same room only to see it totally overgrown, does so much to the atmosphere that it leaves me with no other option than giving 6 points for the aesthetics, even though more could have been done with the light variation in some areas.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP26 - Poison Ivy III
[Johnsen]
Lets go with the cool parts first. This map looks quite sweet, and it has a very neat layout that allows you to chose what key to go for. This offers up a ton of different ways to handle the map. There is a good and varied texture usage that never clashes badly. The large, circular pit with the megasphere in the center offered a fierce but fair fight that was quite enjoyable. However, the start of the map is way too harsh. I somehow survived by pure luck, hiding behind a switch with 7% left and pecking off the monsters from there. Thankfully I could collect a megasphere shortly after. My main gripe is the insane overload of monsters for such a small map, and the fact that the BFG is almost mockingly placed at the very end. The red key section completely overloads on arch-viles, certainly one or two would have been plenty there. It turned into a complete "run, fire, die, respawn" type of thing pretty quick. This tiny, violent map took us 28 minutes to complete. It held promise but self sabotaged by cramming in way too many monsters. The Casalis understood that you have to give the player a fair shot, something that is utterly ignored here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
There is a nice garden / jungle theme in this map. It feels like the gameplay is a bit to heavy on the arch-viles and waits to long before granting you the BFG, but again, that is probably my main gripe with the gameplay in the megawad as a whole. A short level, but too heavily populated, I like the path to the exit which leads you all around the map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP27 - Planned Overload
[Johnsen]
Another tiny map, this time with good use of vertical space to enhance the feel of size. It looks a b it similar to the Dwango designs of old, aimed at deathmatch. There are plenty of ho-hum design choices here, like the lift system leading to and from the yellow key area (which in itself is a really neat looking spot though, with a cool and deadly revenant trap). One should definitely get the BFG before trying to collect the keys, and it's easily and memorably fetched by wall-running a fence across an acid floor. There is a strange unofficial secret in this map at the closed off exterior sector, supplying several goodies. I assume this is intended as an arch-vile jump, since we found no other way of getting to it. There is an unfortunate bug here if you die before you can unlock some bars after triggering the blue key trap. This ended the map for us once in the past, but we were aware this time. Overall it's a quite fun and relatively violent map that doesn't go completely overboard with the gameplay, despite its ominous title.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
A rater small map stacked with enemies. The vertical use in the first room is great, and I like the skyroofs, openings and windows. Disappointingly, it's possible to get stuck if you die inside the room with the blue key before you flip the switch, so that is a non coop friendly situation which should have been avoided. It feels like the map could have been a little longer, and that the outside of the building could have been utilized more.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP28 - Dance with the Devil
[Johnsen]
Though I suspect some would call this map bland because of the consistent and not very varied texturing, I find it pretty slick. There is a great sense of scale and monster friendly architecture, and a certain flow in the gameplay that seems to indicate a good understanding from the authors side. We were taken back a bit by the intimidating Cyberdemon placed directly in front of the spawn starts. You don't want to mess with that guy at first, rather distract him for as long as possible and complete the chaingunner heavy building in the back to get a plasma. He's useful to keep around until you're ready to move on in the map, by then he should have taken enough damage to be dealt with comfortably. We easily ended him on cooperative because of our accumulated ammo. The map goes into a great flow from there on, with plenty of rockets, shotgun ammo and cells laying around. From scratch you'd want to collect a rocket launcher and the nearby BFG located next to the exit door as soon as possible. The map allows you to chase the keys in the order you see fit, and thus generates replay value simply by being so nonlinear. Some areas seem almost too symmetrical, and the constant brown texturing accompanied by rock textures and blood floors, do become a bit repetitive and confusing. It's indeed one of those maps where you keep running in circles for a while before figuring out where to go, but I'll forgive it on the note that everything looks and feels pretty solid. I like the way the author proper illuminated the lava floor in the yellow key section by blasting the light level, too often authors don't seem to get how much stuff like this improves a setting. The first Cyberdemon in the map should have been replaced by something else, I don't feel he add a lot to the map and stands in contrast with the yellow key guardian who is perfectly placed to create a good, tactical battle.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
There is a simple but effective layout in this map. Each of the sections are distinct and have decent details. The rock area is cool, and there is a good flow in the map and a lot of nice visual symmetry. You can chose in which order you want to pick up the blue or yellow keys.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP29 - Atlatl
[Johnsen]
This is an impressive baphomet. As anticipated Map29 is a beast of grand proportions. Unlike Plutonia and its unofficial sequel, we do not get a city map this time though, the style here could best be described as purely abstract grand scale "Doom". This large vine overgrown construct and its giant cave system have plenty of visuals to offer, and lots of creative touches. I find the gameplay to be quite superb until the atrocity committed in the yellow key room. Why the author suddenly had the need to throw us into a more or less one way ticket trap, I don't know. To make matters worse, said trap will close off the map if you die, and naturally we did. Despite the grand scale of the map, it's actually much smaller on the automap than what it feels like when running around - much thanks to the large, open areas and the use of vertical space. You have to travel way too far to get hold of a super shotgun, and the layout is highly confusing. It's not void of small errors; one secret for instance leave you with a supercharge and a megasphere stuck on top of each other. The blue key placement is superbly cool, and this area also holds a very neat ambush styled wave of monsters. The large cave area is somewhat of a miss because the author forgot to light his candles. If you boost the light-level there, you'll see that plenty of work went into making some scenery in the cave, but when you run around in the dark you only try to get out of it as soon as possible, and it's annoying to navigate. The map also commits a bit of a sin by cloaking a switch among purely decorative switches, and unless we're talking about an intentional secret, this is not a good move. Switch textures should not be used for decoration at all. There is a nice, creative secret involving a computer area map if you drop into the right spot after picking up the blue key. I'll certainly remember this map for a while as it does generate a very peculiar, desolate feel.With some improvements it could have been a classic since it has a touch of greatness to it.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
A map with many interesting and pleasing visual details, but it's perhaps a little too confusing and interconnected for its own good. It is very easy to get lost here, and it is difficult to figure out how you can get from one area to another. There is a room with several switches where you will be stuck if you don't survive all the arch-viles and accompanying monsters, and this unnecessary coop unfriendliness prevented us from completing the level. What a pity for such a beautiful map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP30 - In the eye of the Beholder
[Johnsen]
This is a quick and relatively painless Map30 with a mandatory Icon of Sin fight to close things off. The new Icon graphic is most memorable, and further empowered by the cool lead-up through the megawad, hinted by the subtle textures. The map is divided into three separate parts, and the first two serve as a pretty plain lead-up. I wasn't too impressed by any of the parts architecturally, and the cacodemon swarm in the 2nd part just seemed somewhat superfluous and had us run out of ammo. Remember to grab a chainsaw and a berserk pack if you go at this from scratch (located by following the ledge from the very first building until you reach the back of it). The gimmick with the instantly gibbing dark void next to one of the early pathways has been used before in Plutonia 2 Map30 by mr. Velden and seemed too much of a rehash to me. I'm happy about the ease of which we disposed the Icon itself. Thumbs up for not making it an intricate ledge-switch-timer-crap-your-pants combo.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
Apart from a tiresome ring of cacodemons in the first part, this was an OK Icon of Sin map, and the green marble cacodemon faces suddenly make sense as soon as the devilish final boss appears. It's as we have followed the traces of this beast all the way through the megawad, and finally it's time to silence it. Many Icon of Sin-battles get too difficult to figure out because of intricate sequences of switches and lifts, so this felt almost to good to be true as a finale in such a tough megawad.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
Johnsens' Summary and total score:
Hunsagers' Summary and total score:
[Hunsager]
I like that you can roam both inside and outside this structure. The wooden beams are nice and the skylight gives air and variation. The green vines are mostly on the front of the building, and perhaps it gets a little too brown on the inside. There are beautiful color contrasts in the blue key area, and it would perhaps have been a better choice to use the blue water instead of the brown mud throughout the map. The ammo is tight in the start, but it gets better especially after you pick up the super shotgun. All the chaingunners force you to proceed carefully if you want to survive. We had a good cooperation around the blue key ambush and managed to stay alive here in spite of several revenants and arch-viles.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP02 - Temple of Cetza
[Johnsen]
This is a deceivingly complex map that owes most of its sense of confusion to a low light level and some interconnected areas. It's borderline too dark in some parts, and thus a bit drab. Illuminating some of the waterfalls to have them stand out from the otherwise brown scenery, would not be a bad idea. Neither would "stay open" doors, which the lack of became a slight annoyance even in a map of such a limited size. The map is short on ammo, and wants you to punch your way through, and it hands two berserks to further such an effect on multiplayer. The drawback with those kind of gameplay decisions is always that it only works once; if you die - no more berserk, and still not enough ammo. The traps are well set, and plentiful. Such constant "on your toes" triggering of lowering walls or monsters teleporting in is one of the strong points of the map, one could for instance note the pesky ambush flanking from three sides as one jump from the yellow key alcove - or the mancubi and revenants popping from the woodwork as you attempt to exit the map. This is not a very pretty creation, but it has a few cool touches, like the curved stairway with the hidden switch that lowers the tempting pillar soulsphere. It's quite harmless and within the comfortable boundaries of common stock design.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This is a small map, but with a good variation between the different rooms and sections. I will seldom award 5 points for a layout with such teleporter shortcuts, but it functions well in a small map like this. There is a tiny glimpse of the exit area from the start, and since the author shows that he's capable of making a nice front with varying heights in the start area, I only wish he had done some more of the same good stuff with the southwestern front that leads towards the exit. Having a visual contact with the exit is always interesting as it gives some direction and anticipation, so it's unfortunate that this map has been finished off without utilizing more like this nice line of sight. The traps function very well here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP03 - Escape from Ghost Town
[Johnsen]
At the third map we get the first entry that crosses from "inspired" to downright regurgitating an old design; and like a meal going back up, it's made less delicate in the process. Plutonia Map10 is a pretty cool map, and as such the author didn't pick a bad source of inspiration. Sadly, his tribute or recreation lack most of the qualities of the Casali level. Given the Cyberdemon who rules the courtyard on multiplayer, one should have been rewarded heavier firepower earlier on - the plasma comes way too late. This is a symptom of the map in general. It overloads on monsters, and do not put forth a fair amount of stuff to throw back at them. Redistributing the existing ammo would fix some of these issues. The chocolate colored revenant box-shaped tower in the courtyard is just a pain in the ass, ugly and derived of fun. The exit area with the fleshy hell textures sits quite mundane because of lacking contrasts. To make matters worse, it's possible to get stuck if you die after the bars raise behind you in the blue key area. We managed to avoid this thanks to much bravery and some good fortune from my coop partner, who somehow survived the ordeal - much thanks to a glaring bug with two mancubi and two arch-viles overlapping each other in a permanent frozen state. "Escape from Ghost Town" is a good example to showcase if one want to point out how not to make a tribute or recreation of another map.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
This map certainly lands in the tribute category. We had serious problems here because of a difficult combination of chaingunners and a cyber, and we also discovered a major design blunder. There were some bars in the area around the Spider Master-mind that closed behind me and wouldn't open before I had flipped a series of switches. In addition to the Spider, there were several ambushes there, and if I had died before reaching the last switch, we wouldn't have been able to proceed and complete the level. Ironically, I survived this area because of another design error since some of the monsters were stuck and couldn't harm me. This is a typical example of making a trap without having coop play in mind. Such traps must always be possible to reopen from the outside, one could even have them automatically open again after 30 seconds.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP04 - Emerald Pools
[Johnsen]
A short, violent map that draws some inspiration from Plutonia Map16 - "The Omen" at least as far as the texture theme goes, with the great looking grey mountains and the contrasting green waste. It's a tiny map, and feels more like a quick slap in the face than a full blown fight. The fights are tricky and superbly violent but never ridiculously unfair, and even the lethal bridge area with the rocket launcher is quite survivable if one apply a bit of balls and tactics. The draining of the main toxic lake in order to access a teleporter is a creative highlight. It's a simple map in a nice suit, and feels much like the best entries of Scythe in terms of gameplay and replayability. I appreciate the switch behind the exit that allow you to backtrack the map to scout for ammo and secrets.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
The draining slime has a dramatic and transforming effect in this nicely detailed mountain area, and together with a multiplayer Cyberdemon placed in a challenging position, this prevents the map from being to short and cheap. The layout is almost too simple and linear, but the gameplay is hard and tough.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP05 - That flooded place
[Johnsen]
The fifth map might be best remembered for its corridor based fights, and a few nicely timed ambushes. The gameplay is hard, unforgiving and fast paced all through, and the key pickups all reward you with some deadly attacks. A few of the details become a bit gameplay intrusive, like the dead bodies or the passable, hanging wines, but at least it supplies enough wriggle space throughout the packed corridors. One could argue the map might have been better if it was less linear, allowing one to pick up the keys as one see fit instead of forcing you through the given path of yellow, blue and red. I have issues with some of the doors that seemingly disappear into the sky texture - such design flaws are peculiar in mapping of the modern day and age. There's plenty to look at in this map, but it never reaches any grand heights, or leave too much personality behind, but there is some tasty detailing below the exit ledge with some hanging vines and some striking red walls that is worth a glance before you leave the place.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
Since it is already possible to go in a full circle in this map, it would have been interesting if you actually could chose the order you want to pick up the keys. If this unused option had been exploited, it would perhaps have given this map some more replay value and given the player the task to find the best path. The author didn't seem to worry about his illogical doors which seem to disappear into the sky, which is a shame, because as soon as you have noticed this, it becomes very annoying. I died in the yellow key ambush and several times later because I got stuck on some dead hanging bodies.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP06 - Stony Halls
[Johnsen]
I felt the extra coop only Cyberdemon was an unneeded addition here; the map is already sprawling with monsters, and offer plenty of pesky situations including far off revenants and mancubi on ledges, protected by lesser monsters - as well as an abundance of roaming chaingunners. It takes a while before you get to the super shotgun unless you make a run for it, and the single shotgun action early on means you're forced to be less aggressive. The design is mediocre at best, and varies between brown indoor areas and some sparse and bland outdoor areas. Everything is brick, vines and brown, with a few grassy patches and some water in between. The secrets are equally bland as they are simply "press lift" triggers, seemingly thrown in without much creative thought. Overall the map seems a bit hasty, and could have been a tad slicker with a bit of polish. The gameplay is borderline frustrating at times. There is a very handy "monster block line" on the floor before the stairway inside the yellow door area, a helpful addition that lets you evacuate and deal with the arch-vile trap.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This is a map with an advanced and intricate layout. The vines are probably a bit overused here, and some more texture variation between the different sections in this level could have been refreshing. It feels more or less like the same texture combination is used throughout the hole map. The secrets feel also too similar, so I get the feeling that this level could have needed some more creativity before it was declared as finished
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP07 - Caughtisle
[Johnsen]
I suspect this is one of the few times in recent memory that I played a Map07 that felt like the author enjoyed working with this map slot. As tradition has it, we get an arena styled creation, but instead of simply cloning the original setting of Plutonia or its unofficial sequel, this one goes for an oceanic fortress. The map is probably more towards the slaughter map genre than any of the previous installments in the megawad, but it works surprisingly well. There are two pedestalled Cyberdemons inside the fortress, greeting you with their backs as you spawn. We pulled a successful coop stunt here, where one player distracted them while the other pumped cells. The hardest part is paying attention to the outside arch-viles that can fry you good if you happen to give them free sight. I feel the two extra multi only Cyberdemons roaming outside coulda been nixed. That aside, I rather enjoyed this fast paced piece, and it has just enough architectural merit to look okay. The oceanic setting does a lot of the work in that respect, as the detailing is sparse, and fortunately do not obstruct the close quarter combats. I enjoyed the sudden teleport ambush upon picking up the yellow key, and it's a nice way to pack a final punch. This is a decently playable and classic looking Map07.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
This level does the traditional Map07 formula, but adds another difficulty level with having four Cyberdemons and several arch-viles on top. The sea sector and the yellow key jump are probably the only two ideas which bring something new and refreshing into this old concept and provide the map with its unique characteristics. Since the sea sector has monster placements it also underlines the name of the map as you really are surrounded and under constant attack.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP08 - Rules of Death
[Johnsen]
Atrocious. I've not been this pissed off at a map in a long time, so the author must forgive me for such blunt honesty. I take issue from the very start here, where you have to illogically cross a certain unmarked area in order to lower a doorway to the connecting room. There is no reason why this door should seal you in when you cross it in the first place, and it just becomes an annoying factor when you scout around for ammo. The author opted to make his entire gameplay here based on far off chaingunners and arachnotrons, cramped revenant encounters, low ammo and a hideously over-populated hell knight trap later on. I'm not getting to that one just yet, though. The section with the raising and lowering pillars you get to after leaving the first yard, seems to struggle with its gameplay and architecture. It's simply a dark pit with a stock invisible bridge and tons of annoying crossfire, much like the countless similar rooms and sections that have plagued user made maps through the years with this gimmick. If you bother to play on, you'll get to a cacodemon clustered section with an arch-vile spawning in the back, forcing you to spend what little ammo you have left on revived cacos, before you can grab the yellow key and then a plasma rifle in a large, drab outdoor area. The part after the yellow door is the best one architecturally, we actually get a decent staircase type bridge with a moat on each side, followed by the nice looking - but gameplay stopping hell knight trap. Of course, the author didn't intend us to fire a shot and clog the entire map. No, he intended us to look in our crystal ball, then run past all the sleeping hell knights, jump into the pool next to the Cyberdemon and find a secret pathway leading to the BFG, where we naturally would then backtrack to clean up the mess in an ordered manner. But of course, why didn't we think of that. Thus, after respawning 100 times each to peck down one and one hell knight pistol only (and having to collect the damned yellow key over and over again to unlock the not so very stay open door) I can say with uttermost confidence that I never want to see this map again.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
[Hunsager]
Unfortunately, I have to be a little harsh on the scores with this one. This is a typical example of a map that would have benefited hugely from more multiplayer testing. The gameplay just falls apart behind the yellow door in the trap room with the overwhelming hell knight army. This is not coop friendly at all as it gives you only one chance to run for the BFG. Such an idea works fine on singleplayer or if you have played the map before, but since we didn't know what to do here, we even flipped the switch which releases the arch-vile and the Cyberdemon and we quickly died and then had to fight the tireless horde of hell knights. We don't have the opportunity of using save-games in multiplayer so a trap that releases a magnitude of monsters like this and prevents us from having access to the required weapon or ammo just kills the joy and experience completely. The trap is excessively exaggerated and it would perhaps have been for the better if the entire southwestern section behind the yellow key door was just deleted. It could instead have been an interesting idea to build something west of the room with the invisible bridge and also to have used the vertical dimension here for something sensible. I feel that this is the most iconic part of the map which also has some unused potential. For now there is just some pain elementals and a few shotgun guys on some pillars and the only point to jump off the invisible bridge is to reach for some shotgun ammo. Something more worth remembering should have been done here, and you could also have situated the yellow key higher so that it was completely visible from the bridge.
MAP09 - Ruined Kingdom
[Johnsen]
The ninth map plays obvious tribute to Plutonias eight; "Realm". It's a rather linear level, with some backtracking required. It's also neatly textured, well scaled and well measured in terms of ammo and opposition on singleplayer - less so on multi. We found the map to be overloaded and borderline frustrating at times, the great red key hall being the low point. The extra Spider Master-mind and the nearby Cyberdemon that roams there on multi, didn't add much fun and complicated an already tricky area. The map overloads a bit on the arch-vile use in general, and since the secrets dump much needed ammo at you, they become a key to successfully enjoy the map. I really liked the construct of the room overlooked by the blue key, and how flipping a switch totally transformed it into a nasty mancubus festering pit. The final spawn wave at the exit construct is another cool touch to the gameplay. It does feel like a map consisting of bits of various Plutonia maps, and not like an original piece, which to me becomes more of a drawback than a quality. Given the overloaded gameplay and the need to find secrets in order to get through it in one piece, I cannot reward the map as much as I'd like to.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
A map with decent decoration and details, but the double set of lifts and the exit plateau become too similar to the original Plutonia Map08. Some coop shortcuts and a stay open blue door would have been appreciated here. The trap before the blue key is nice, but there's perhaps too many arch-viles in this map.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP10 - Bloodbath
[Johnsen]
This map is a tiny, petite beauty. Slick and short does it, much thanks to the excellent use of the texture theme and good use of vertical space. There are some neat little secrets here, which will make life quite a bit easier - first and foremost the invulnerability you can snag by entering a teleporter behind a bloodfall, a piece of trickery we didn't figure out until after getting our asses kicked. The spawn ambushes and the general monster placement are slick but harsh here, and multiplayer will grant you a Spider Master-mind on top. The red key trap gave me my one death, and I'd say the amount of hellspawn could have been trimmed slightly at that spot given the limited room for navigation; then again it might be a good place to use that forgotten invulnerability. I really liked the chaingunner pillar trap upon yellow key pickup, and the wonderful aesthetics of the blood-flowing exit garden with the surrounding rock formations.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
This lands in the category of compact and fun maps. It's full of chaingunners and cacodemons and heavy hitters such as revenants and hell knights with a few barons on top. If you want to survive all the ambushes throughout this brutal map, the invulnerability is a very valuable item. This secret is very cool to discover, but maybe too hard since we didn't find it before we killed all the monsters. The item is hardly noticeable, so if it had been more visible we would perhaps have tracked it down and applied it when we really needed it, instead of bumping into it after the storm.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP11 - Will you be my NME
[Johnsen]
Ah, now we're talking. This could have been a Casali map, and not only that, I think it would have been one of their best. The main theme here is a beautiful blend consisting of the best grey and green brick texture from Plutonia, green acid lakes, brown bricks and some tasty highlighted green tiles. The scale is grand, with large hallways, wide corridors and majestic outdoor areas - alternating between a subterranean feel and an otherworldly outdoor environment. Texture wise it seems to draw some inspiration from Plutonia 2's Map11, but as an experience this map is far superior, and does not dive into the maze territory of that one. It seems quite confusing at first, partly because of the lack of varied textures, but once you realize there is a few alternate areas fleshing out the actual path to the keys, it's not that hard to navigate. It looks bigger than it is before you know your way around. The gameplay is pretty tight on the ammo and health supply, and I would not have minded a slightly more varied monster stock. It relies heavily on arch-viles, chaingunners and the occasional Spider Master-mind. I quite liked the touch with the arch-viles that spawned only to scatter throughout the map. There's plenty to look at as you make your way through this moody piece, and the light detailing is pulled off skillfully and furthers the dark and damp atmosphere. All in all, this is one of the "must play" entries of the megawad.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
Here comes a map which texture-wise is highly inspired by Plutonia 2 Map11. Luckily it is a bit smaller and it doesn't exaggerate the maze concept, and the spiders ensure that the gameplay do not become too similar. There could perhaps have been some more texture variation between the different sections, especially since both the red and the yellow key areas feel like they are based on the same idea with a similar expression and architecture. The key ambushes are difficult and caused some deaths, and we were also low on ammo during this map, but it improved a little towards the end.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
MAP12 - Velocity
[Johnsen]
The same guy who did Plutonia 2's "Speed" clone returns to churn out another for this slot. It's perhaps slightly better than his previous installment, but not by a lot. It's a similar construct, but has a few redeeming qualities like the cool placement of the Spider Master-mind, and a few creative traps which unfortunately get ruined by overloading them with monsters. I liked the jump to get to the supercharge, and appreciated the well placed invisibility. The theme gives a lot for free as well as it follows the combination of wood and blood as first put together by the Casalis in Plutonia Map12. The double Cyberdemon crossfire section involving a pillar run, is a good example of how one do not make good gameplay. To make matters worse, the scene is cluttered by cacodemons and pain elementals. There is a superbly unfair arch-vile trap with the BFG, I got instantly fried twice when teleporting in. I prefer a shot at surviving when I enter a trap, when it's left to the random luck of distracted monsters, it fails to come off as clever. Blasting through the simplistic outdoor mountain area with your BFG is a cheap thrill, and possibly the gameplay highlight of this lacking tribute. There are far too many chaingunners, revenants and arch-viles in this place to make it enjoyable. I hope two downgraded "Speed" clones from the hand of the same author is enough.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
I initially felt that this map was too similar to Map15 in Plutonia 2, but after we realized that it is in fact made by the same author it all made sense. The main inspiration is of course "Speed" from Plutonia and the wood theme and the two teleporting arch-viles are taken directly from this level. This map can't get many points because it is just a tribute that doesn't do anything new, however I do feel it's a bit more successful than the author's contribution in Plutonia 2. The outdoor section to the east is quite the nightmarish slaughter, and I only survived it thanks to the supercharge.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP13 - Slaughter Zone
[Johnsen]
The first thing to go here should have been that misplaced Cyberdemon. There is no reason to cram a Cyberdemon in a small ledge-based map like this. Another flaw here is the fact that you can get totally swarmed at the player starts if you die after the blue key pickup. A monster impassible line would have made this more tolerable. Granting a chaingun at your feet as you spawn would not have been a bad idea either. Basically, if you make a small, compact ledge map with hurt floor sectors, don't be a dick with the monster placement. This map is a dick with the monster placement. It's a nice enough map visually though, with a solid sense of texturing and scale. The plasma is way too vital to sit in a secret here, and should have been readily available. The most annoying monsters would be the far up cacodemons that you won't get to kill in a proper manner before late into the run. Thumbs up for supplying lots of biosuits though.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
It feels like we are in lack of some vital weapons here. There is no chaingun or BFG, and the plasma is in a secret and comes too late. The Cyberdemon becomes too difficult on the narrow ledge, and there should have been a "monster cannot cross this line" to prevent it from standing in the start area and killing us with rockets every time we spawn. The last ambush with the arch-viles is a total overkill, and this is just an unfortunate example of how you should never swarm the spawn starts but instead protect it with monster block lines. Apart from this, the map looks decent, and really didn't deserve to be ruined by a gameplay like this.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP14 - Undertaker
[Johnsen]
It took about ten seconds from the spawning until I figured we were in for a stinker here. You're instantly swarmed by revenants, demons and imps in a confined space. On singleplayer, you survive this by fleeing the first section and paying them back with rockets. On multiplayer, the arch-viles and the increased number of revenants make it a certain death, at the very least if you come unprepared. I really, really dislike when an author wants to macho up by swarming you down instantly like this; if you get your kicks out of killing the player in a ridiculous manner like this, you're not in it to entertain anyone but yourself. The silliness goes on all through the map, with the obvious lows being the box shaped Cyberdemon garden you have to traverse in order to teleport from one side of the map to the other. It looks just as bad as it plays, so at least good architecture didn't go to waste here. The trench with the teleporters in the middle of the map fills up with way too much stuff as well, and the fact you have to teleport from one side to the other speaks volumes of the planning that went into this. It might just be the dumbest map in the set, and it has more in common with a turd than just the color scheme.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
[Hunsager]
From the chaotic start and until the exit, this map continues pumping out monsters even though it's a ridiculously short ride. There is no BFG, and we were short of ammo so maybe we should have kept that Cyberdemon alive until the second wave of monsters. Anyway, the Cyberdemon arena feels very disjointed here and there isn't much to look at between these brown walls. This small map can't be rewarded many points on the layout simply because of the lack of ideas behind it. It's also difficult to see any Plutonia inspiration here at all.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 6/18
MAP15 - Helix
[Johnsen]
Typically Map15's are large, and this is no exception. This huge, sprawling adventure of a map seems to refuse to give up all its secrets, regardless of how much you search for them. It's obvious that this thing came from the hands of a skilled mapper, as some of the visuals are downright striking. I could go on to list the incredible, ominous tower with the spiraling staircase leading to the top - and the superbly cool, huge pillars that attach to it, or the impeccable, moody light effects in the blue door area - or the memorable and intricate transformation of the red key section. This map feels much like a surreal dream, one that never quite ends and just sends you from one location to the next; you might not remember all the in-between stuff, but the main attractions stick to the mind, and the totality of it is saturating and overwhelming. I wish the gameplay had been as adventurous as the design here but unfortunately it goes the route of overloading, probably to keep up with the miscalculated idea that Plutonias gameplay was close to that of Hell Revealed. Some of the traps here are just ridiculous. When a map is this complex and lengthy, and becomes so unforgiving with the gameplay on top, all while having not one stay open door, it becomes a huge pain in the ass, and simply a test of patience to complete. I'd go as far as to say its near unplayable given that the layout force you to run around to pick up every weapon and every key with not one coop shortcut, every time you die. And you'll die a lot. This is one cookie best served with -nomonsters, just to gawk at the light detailing or the tower of darkness, or the rock carved eye candy surrounding the exit. If you want to get the BFG here, good luck. We found it once, but I have no recollection of how, and probably won't find it again. At first glance this map deserves a much better rating than I ended up giving it, but the layout just suffers in multiplayer mode, and the gameplay is a test, not a treat.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
This is a special map with striking views and creative architecture. The area to the northwest with the Cyberdemon and the small castle with the red key is great, and the big helix looks fantastic. The most brilliant thing is that you can jump in two directions from the tower. However, since the most beautiful view of this construction is from the northern bridge looking southwards towards the helix, wouldn't it have been more interesting if the player approached from this point before starting to ascend instead of just being teleported in at the bottom? That would require some rearranging, but such a nice view gives so much anticipation and builds up the excitement. The greatest downfall with this map is probably that it is too big for its own good, and the path is complicated further by a few teleporters, and I found the red switch with the red bars to be too difficult to spot and an unnecessary prolongation. The following jump through the cross-shaped wall just doesn't feel interesting enough, but hey, after the epic jump from the big helix, everything will probably feel anti-climatic. The secrets can best be described as being very hard to find, and even with two players going at it we only discovered one of the eight secrets (and it's not even the first time we've played this map). This is truly a shame since there is so much creativity involved in these secrets. It seems like this megawad has the habit of putting the BFG in a secret, something which probably should have been avoided in a map of such considerable size. A coop shortcut with weapon supply would have benefited this map greatly. In the end we became tired of running around to pick up all the weapons repeatedly after deaths (luckily the blood didn't hurt which could have led to a complete halt and caused us going on a strike for several days). This map is not easily forgettable, but we became exhausted and needed a long break after completing it. The small inspiration from "Neurosphere" is very well integrated in this map and fits perfectly in the new environment.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP31 - Cyberdemon Vertigo
[Johnsen]
Aesthetically this is far from a masterpiece, but it manages to salvage itself somewhat by cool usage of vines and jungle textures to break with the otherwise square and simplistic design. I really like the hanging vines attached to the far up wooden beams. The route system is fairly simplistic and a bit on the cheap side with all the teleporting going on in such a confined space. The gameplay is alright for what it's trying to do though, and action-packed enough to keep you on your toes. I survived with no deaths here, with some luck. The ammo seems well measured, or perhaps even slightly on the tight side since we exited with no ammo left. A quick and decently fun secret map.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This map is too small and has too much teleporting going on. The switch in the room to the west should have been repeatable, because you will risk being stuck here the second time you visit the room. The gameplay is based on battling Cyberdemons so in that respect it emulates Plutonia Map31. It's so small that it is difficult to award it with many points.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP32 - Have @ It
[Johnsen]
I've played this map twice in total, and both times I somehow survived with no respawns on the first try out, which is as much a testament to my fortunate approach as the maps forgiving nature - as long as you take it slow and apply your brain. This is quite possibly the best Plutonia Map32 clone I've played and quite superior to the one found in Plutonia 2, and a lot better than most slaughter styled maps that obviously just pile on monsters with no thought. The author took care to design the fights to be fun here, and you have just enough wriggle space to find some safe spots where you can work from; much thanks to a few well planned monster block lines. The map also manages to stray away from caging half its monsters in inaccessible areas, where you just pump ammo and move on; another thing that often plagues these kind of maps. A few of the perched spots let you ignite insane infights, another strategic element that is part of any good slaughter map. I spent a lot of time in the BFG tower, overlooking the onslaught. We clocked 1387 monsters here because of the heavy arch-vile revival. The blue door should have obviously been "stay open", as it's a bit of a pain in the ass. Naturally these kind of maps do require a little breather afterwards, as they are quite exhausting. This is an excellent tribute map for what it tries to accomplish, and it doesn't look horrific either, naturally without reaching anything close to pretty. Where "Go 2 It" had ledges, this map has connecting caves, and it makes for a distinctly different gameplay than the original.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
This is another map in the "Go 2 It" category. We started with about 800 monsters and ended up with 1300, which is quite insane. What this map does right is that there are actually some block monster lines, meaning that despite the huge monster count, you have the possibility of finding a safe spot and not being totally swarmed. The layout is OK, but the extensions to the north from the original Map01 hallways could perhaps have been better integrated, and especially the area behind the blue bars feels too separated from the rest.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP16 - Gambit
[Johnsen]
This is a cool one. I really like the seamless blend of the wooden constructs, water, platforms and bridges and the multiple cave areas. It's a small, compact map that interconnects well - I appreciate small stuff like letting you jump from the red key pickup back to the start area to save time. The gameplay is tight and neat too, perhaps with the slightest overkill of revenants guarding the yellow key. The BFG trap has a cool setup, and it's just forgiving enough if you wield the weapon well. Multiplayer has a Cyberdemon too, but he's a friendly infight instigator more than anything. For some reason I love the plasma cave, it seems totally natural because of the slightly curved walls, and the added vine textures. This is a slick map and it maintains the spirit of what most people think of as "Plutonia" quite well. You'll need to create a decent infight in the start room if you go from scratch, and rely quite a bit on the single shotgun for the first parts of the map, but it's not as bad as it looks. There is also a good amount of rockets and two berserks available for your enjoyment.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
I enjoy this level because of its diversity from the brown indoor rooms, the open areas with the wooden ledges and the cave areas. Even the small water tunnels do much to add variation and depth here, and you suddenly realize that there is even something interesting to explore if you jump from the ledges.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP17 - The Unholy Crypt
[Johnsen]
This was so good I had to complete it once from scratch as well, just for kicks. What a beautiful, colorful brick and "zimmer" extravaganza. Visual highlights for me include the placement of the BFG on the acidic alter (albeit the ceiling height above it transcends logic when compared to the rest of the room), as well as the plasma garden, with the neat ceiling beams and the perfect use of textures and decoration. There really is not one ugly spot in this map, it all flows together great. The monster placement is near perfect, with the main flaw being the somewhat questionable monster block line in the red key garden, no doubt to make this spot easier to deal with, but it looks a bit forced and makes a simple infight and some patience the default tool. There are some really neat secrets here, involving the supercharge as well as the BFG. A few of the monsters that spawn in are impeccably timed. If this map was the average Doom map, we'd all be spoiled. To up it another peg visually, I do think there's room for even more light detailing difference - there's certainly well enough utilization of sectors here to allow for it. There is a really neat "shoot switch" secret, barely visible in an outside decorative area - don't miss it, and get yourself some cells. I found the final Cyberdemon showdown to be a cool one, and the placement of the exit area in the midst of a hallway you pass several times, to be quite neat.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 15/18
[Hunsager]
This map was a nice surprise, and it managed to give me a totally new experience as it stands out as a hell map with a lot of green colors. This is the first time the green colors actually become frightful to me, in a Doom map. After growing up with a level like "Toxic Touch" in Alien Vendetta I have always looked at the green "sfall" and "nukage" textures first and foremost as something very beautiful. But this map completely transforms these textures for me and turns them frightful and dangerous, and the small green room with the marble cacodemon face staring at me stands out as something ominous and threatening as well. Even though something more could have been done with the light variation, the details here are superb and this must be one of the most successful and inventive hell maps I have played recently. The secrets are very cool and difficult, and since several of the monsters that we encountered had their backs turned towards us, we had time to carefully plan our attack and think out a coop strategy. The last ambush with the red key became too overwhelming for us given our approach though.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 15/18
MAP18 - Phantom Silence
[Johnsen]
Had it not been for the gameplay issues, this would have easily been among the very best of the set. Well I suppose it still is, despite. The use of orange lava and brown cliffs cascading into the melted depths is a delight to behold. The first portion of this map fully utilizes the kind of coolness only Doom can capture with its large scale and vertical space. The warm texture blend occasionally gives room for some hellish slabs of green marble to further the atmosphere. I loved the abstract hell touches with the floating, square marble construct with dead bodies attached to it - an excellent, creepy piece of detailing. The map is not too harsh with the ledge running despite the first impression, which is good given the constant bombardment. The author chose to go hardcore on the gameplay, and I think it's the maps main downfall. Far off chaingunners and ascending pain elementals, distant revenants and plenty of positioned mancubi make this utter hell. Add to it some extremely pesky traps, like the Spider Master-mind showdown in a confined space, where you're forced to circle it in order to create infights with an angry revenant horde, or the secluded Cyberdemon guarding blue key - well armed with a row of mancubi on each side. Worse even is the harsh spawn wave after you dare to pick up the red key, I believe that was my first certain point of death. Since you get plenty of rockets, a few rewarding secrets and even a plasma to toy around with, all this is fair enough however. The main issue I have comes in the last part of the map, where the final yellow key hunt ensues in the depths of a starkly different, grey stone cave. I'm a bit torn of what to think of this part; it looks good, but doesn't fit with the tone of the rest of the map - almost like the author spliced two entirely different creations. The gameplay takes a nosedive in this part too, since several armies of arch-viles mock you before teleporting to different spots of the remaining map. There's too many of them, and you would need a really planned attack or simply luck to survive this. A pity, since it really affects the overall score of the map. The best valley scenes in this map are a colorful orgy not soon forgotten, and if you're only gonna play a few maps in Plutonia Revisited, make this one of them. On singleplayer, I exited with over fifty rockets here, so there is indeed more than a slight overload. Perhaps more cells instead would have been better for the last part. I'd have put a BFG here somewhere, too - it seems to only be available on the easier skill-settings, which makes no sense.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
Another moody hell map from the same author as the previous map. The abyss and lava and the tiny ledges and vertical space make sure that this becomes a dramatic experience. The last green part is beautiful and becomes ingeniously connected to the rest of the map when you reach the exit and find yourself back in the canyon again. The small details and marble goat faces provide the right hell setting.The goat face constructs which just hangs in the air gives a surrealistic feeling. The Cyberdemon arena could perhaps have been omitted as there already is another arena later on with a Spider Master-mind. The arch-viles in the end screw up the gameplay as well. Something else could have been done there, but this part is perhaps designed specifically for its arch-viles. A chaingun on multiplayer should definitely have been provided. Despite an unrealistic and illogical transition between a 360 degree panorama view into the empty sky from the spider Master-minds arena towards the mountain cave, there is no doubt that this just has to get six points for its aesthetics because of a very well created atmosphere.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP19 - Venom
[Johnsen]
Following the solid theme of the former map, this feels even more like a bonafide mess in contrast. This huge, beastly base map looks like a stray Team TNT creation from the late 1990's, with an obvious "Cyberdemons-in-cramped-space-to-make-stuff-hard-fetish". I feel maps like these are often the result when the author have too much time on his hands, too few ideas and a lack of imagination yet a cunning ability to keep going despite. There's too many different themes meshed in here to make sense of it, with no areas that stick out as memorable or not annoying. The switch hunt here could give an average Eternal Doom map the run for it, but completely lack the same sense of adventure to keep you invested. Alright; the cave areas are decently atmospheric - I'll give it that. Teleporters that suddenly throw you back to the start of the map for no good reason is enough for me to want to delete the map and then undelete it and delete it again.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
There are several maps listed as inspiration here, and it does feel like it consists of various sections but fails to lean on one solid underlying concept, perhaps apart from the idea that this map is just going to be a very tough challenge. A combination of teleporters and hurt floor is something which must be used with an utmost care, but after playing this I just have to conclude that this was certainly not the case here, rather exactly the opposite. When you even add maze like corridors and a confusing switch hunt there is just too much troublesome and problematic ideas going on at the same time and the result is that the path is everything but intuitive and too difficult to figure out. The main reason is of course the high number of eighteen teleporters. 18! And for no obvious reason, some of them will just bring you back to the start which means that you have to cross a large area of hurt floor again and again. My advice would have been to strictly redo the entire route and consequently remove every teleporter that transports the player horizontally around. A teleporter which brings the player vertically from a blood trench and up on a ledge is acceptable though. The lesson is simple: Please; don't combine mazes, hurt floor, switch hunts and teleporters.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 8/18
MAP20 - Sinister Daybreak
[Johnsen]
The megawad recovers brilliantly from the former letdown with this entry. What a dark licorice delight. This looks like a map straight from the hands of a Casali, or perhaps Gusta. It might lend itself too much to the original Plutonia Map15, if one wants to peck at the creativity aspect - but it's so well pulled off here I won't be complaining. The secrets are creative, superbly rewarding and very cool - but be sure to look for them if you want to have any shot at surviving this beast from scratch. The gameplay is definitely hardcore as one stacked area with high end monsters is followed by another. Not to mention some absolutely deadly rows of chaingunners. The hidden arch-vile revival of those chaingunners didn't do it for me, I was never keen on that trick - stay dead when I kill you please. We got our asses kicked good here, and died multiple times. There are a bunch of teleporters scattered around, something which usually detracts from the design for me, but in this case it's a needed tool to keep the flow of the map, and suits with the expectations of the design.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
A wonderful map, but it's borderline drawing to much inspiration from the original Plutonia Map15. It's debatable if it has managed to integrate the familiar parts together with the sections that use other textures, but the overall atmosphere here is great because the new areas are so good looking, and luckily this map becomes more varied than the original as a consequence. The secrets are also cool, and the height variation and multiple ledges is very good stuff. It's a difficult map to beat because of all the chaingunners and arch-viles.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP21 - Asmodeus Circle
[Johnsen]
Doom II Map11 is one of Romeros best maps, so to take on a tribute to it is a really tall order. The Casalis did it somewhat successfully in Plutonia. When reading the development thread, it became obvious that the author struggled with VPO's and bugs here, and had to cut back on the detailing. Constructing a map where you can peak across vast areas and into other parts, is risky business in 1.9 mapping. The idea behind a map constructed around a circular shape is a good one, but it's not pulled off very great here. There is too many gameplay intrusive elements at the indoor parts, with torches and other stuff constantly interfering with your movement. The red door should obviously have been "stay open", and there are simply too many waves of pain elementals clustering things up. If you die at the wrong time in this map, you get swarmed at the start and have to basically pistol whip hordes of monsters in a boring repetitive manner. Despite there only being one key here, the map is a bit bitchy to navigate, and rather confusing. All in all, this is sadly a failed attempt at pulling off a tribute to one of the most legendary maps ever.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This becomes too small and unoriginal to earn many points for the layout, and some of the decoration become nothing but annoying obstacles where you easily get stuck on some of the torches or dead hanging bodies. The coolest part with "Slayer" is in my opinion when you reach one of the vantage points which allows you to take a look down at the rest of the structure, but disappointingly I don't see this being accomplished here. After all, it is difficult to make a successful and creative tribute to a map which in turn is a tribute to, in my opinion, one of the best Doom maps ever made. The original maps are probably too good to be exceeded here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
MAP22 - Suicide Mission
[Johnsen]
We get yet another answer to a Casali map, and yet again it's not on par with the original. The design is rather clean and nice, but functionality and playability suffer. The acid floor parts become a superbly annoying element if you die after spending the last biosuit. I wonder why on earth the teleporter that takes you from the plasma and the super shotgun lands you at the very start of the map - very annoying. That being said, I did appreciate that both these powerful weapons were available in close proximity of the spawns. There is a hidden switch in the hallway with the two-sided snake skin textures that is way too hard to locate. In order to get to the rocket launcher after respawning, you have to run through more slime, and you're so battered trying to restore yourself after a spawn, that there is hardly anything left when you reach the next battle; an obvious case where a map was not planned well for resumed playing after death. From scratch with savegames and on singleplayer, I'm sure it's more tolerable, but that's not good enough. There is a few peculiar design choices too, like the super thin cave ceilings in the garden leading to the red key. This is not a horrible map from an aesthetic point of view, but sadly it falters in every other department, and I have to punish the layout and gameplay scores as a consequence.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
Since there are long distances with hurt floor here, some of this map should have been confined from the start in order to direct you better. If there were some red bars in the slime to block of the northwester section, a lot of time and frustration would have been avoided. The large start and exit areas cause the map to seem bigger than it really is.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
MAP23 - Necrogenesis
[Johnsen]
First and foremost, this map should not have gone out of its way to hide the BFG as well as it did; this weapon is completely vital to avoid pulling your hair out in the yellow key trap - a part that overloads on revenants and arch-viles anyway. The far off Cyberdemons are dangerous, and very unpredictable here, and I tend to think they add more annoyance than excitement from their chosen positions. The abundance of teleporters and ledges makes it a very confusing map to navigate, and it feels deceivingly large despite being tiny in reality. There is a pretty cool jump secret near the blue key, involving a ledge with a supercharge and a backpack. The megasphere secret is another sweet and rewarding snack, if you can find it. I'm very appreciative of the close location of the weapons at the start, and the stay open doors, since dying a lot is highly likely here. The map does feel like a large subterranean cave, and I do like some of the visual aspects. I would probably have gone with a more contrasting hurt floor however, either lava or acid; there's a bit too much brown going on. The cascading mud falls should at the very least have been highlighted, since now they are hardly noticeable. Too messy and confusing and too heavily loaded would pretty much sum it up for me.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 10/18
[Hunsager]
This map has many great things going on. I love the variation between the big open hall and the ledges and smaller rooms and caves. The rock textures and the vines are nice details. Unfortunately, there are too many teleporters and flying Cyberdemon rockets which destroy the fun. These teleporter shortcuts are very confusing if you don't realize that they will bring you back to the start. The BFG should definitely not have been a secret here, and placing Cyberdemons in cages far off is not a good idea.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP24 - Terra Incognita
[Johnsen]
As much as I have a weak spot for anything resembling "The Living End", I cannot endorse the gameplay going on here. Simply put this is a gameplay disaster, an although the competition is close I'd say the worst spot comes around the blue key area with the ridiculous arch-vile cage. The place is generally flooded with annoying pain elementals that float around and screw things up for you as well. When two players completely fail to enjoy any part of a map because of a gameplay on steroids that tries to do what it obviously can't handle, it's a good sign something missed the mark. The visuals are not bad though, and the vertical space and nostalgic texture use is spot on. It looks sufficiently different from "Post Mortem" or "Anti-Christ" as well, so it's a real pity it can't mimic the gameplay of the latter to a better extent. I won't go on about the annoying details here, and just file this under "that's too bad, could have been good if any restraint was shown".
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 8/18
[Hunsager]
I really like vertical maps, but I will be a little harsh on the scores with this map since I think it aims far too high. I don't think it manages at all to establish itself as a member in the exclusive club together with "The Living End" or any of the most famous follow ups. There must be a combination of both grandeur and elegance in these maps to succeed. "The Living End" is a journey set inside a single large hall, but has variation from the open to the smaller closed compartments while the steep, narrow stairs and the rising ledge bring you closer and closer to the final goal. "Anti-Christ" in Plutonia is the map which in my opinion best manages to take this concept to a higher level with all its interesting windows and openings. "Post Mortem" banalises and overuses the cages and balconies by enlarging them and overpopulating them with monsters, and is a map worth remembering only for its insane challenge. This map doesn't bring anything new to the scene, but has for some reasons spread the combat over three rather disconnected large halls and the inspiration from "The Final Frontier" becomes too obvious for me. The map isn't inventive enough and it's architecturally just too simplistic, which is probably a danger when you are creating grand hall maps for 1.9. But creating a large hall with the sole focus being a big monster cage which looks like it is ripped straight from an average Hell Revealed map is not the way to go at all. The secrets are cool though, but several of them are too hard to find, and the gameplay is by far the worst aspect of this map.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 2/6 - Gameplay: 1/6 - Score: 7/18
MAP25 - Wicked Garden
[Johnsen]
Brick buildings carved into the mountainsides of a sprawling outdoor scenery, blood colored water cascading down the hillsides and a time-gate(?) transporting you to an identical, overgrown version of an already visited are. Sounds cool? Well, it is. Xaser Acheron masterfully whipped up another visual goodie here, and it's a completely immersive piece with his trademark excellent lighting and moody detailing. The light differences could perhaps have been alternated further in the outdoor areas, as these tend to be the most bland parts of the map despite good craftsmanship. The indoor detailing and lighting is overall extremely nice. The part I liked the least would probably be the cramped chainsaw building where you'll also collect the yellow key. It felt sort of tossed in without a really good idea present, basically to prolong the maps duration a bit. That aside, almost every part of the map have some quality to it. I really like how the barbed wire fence texture is used alongside the stony hills. Some of the imps situated in the rocky canyons can be a bit pesky to kill. The visual highlight for me is the red key area, and no less the part leading up to it, and naturally the overgrown version of the same spot. There is some really sexy architecture going on there. The teleporting arch-vile fight was a nice touch to make the latter spot even more memorable. The gameplay is fairly hectic and good, a few of the tree sprites become a bit intrusive, and some of the far off revenants are pesky to deal with. The berserk bonus helped a lot since you otherwise have to rely on the shotgun for some duration of the map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 13/18
[Hunsager]
Apart from the blocky blood area around the chainsaw and the yellow key, this map is simply true Doom art. I love how the cacodemon attack is orchestrated with some of them coming from above and through the roof, and this is a wonderful example of how monster-placement and architecture can play together in harmony. The rock texture and the buildings flow nicely together, and the blood falls are beautiful. The time gate idea where you return to the same room only to see it totally overgrown, does so much to the atmosphere that it leaves me with no other option than giving 6 points for the aesthetics, even though more could have been done with the light variation in some areas.
Aesthetics: 6/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP26 - Poison Ivy III
[Johnsen]
Lets go with the cool parts first. This map looks quite sweet, and it has a very neat layout that allows you to chose what key to go for. This offers up a ton of different ways to handle the map. There is a good and varied texture usage that never clashes badly. The large, circular pit with the megasphere in the center offered a fierce but fair fight that was quite enjoyable. However, the start of the map is way too harsh. I somehow survived by pure luck, hiding behind a switch with 7% left and pecking off the monsters from there. Thankfully I could collect a megasphere shortly after. My main gripe is the insane overload of monsters for such a small map, and the fact that the BFG is almost mockingly placed at the very end. The red key section completely overloads on arch-viles, certainly one or two would have been plenty there. It turned into a complete "run, fire, die, respawn" type of thing pretty quick. This tiny, violent map took us 28 minutes to complete. It held promise but self sabotaged by cramming in way too many monsters. The Casalis understood that you have to give the player a fair shot, something that is utterly ignored here.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
There is a nice garden / jungle theme in this map. It feels like the gameplay is a bit to heavy on the arch-viles and waits to long before granting you the BFG, but again, that is probably my main gripe with the gameplay in the megawad as a whole. A short level, but too heavily populated, I like the path to the exit which leads you all around the map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 2/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP27 - Planned Overload
[Johnsen]
Another tiny map, this time with good use of vertical space to enhance the feel of size. It looks a b it similar to the Dwango designs of old, aimed at deathmatch. There are plenty of ho-hum design choices here, like the lift system leading to and from the yellow key area (which in itself is a really neat looking spot though, with a cool and deadly revenant trap). One should definitely get the BFG before trying to collect the keys, and it's easily and memorably fetched by wall-running a fence across an acid floor. There is a strange unofficial secret in this map at the closed off exterior sector, supplying several goodies. I assume this is intended as an arch-vile jump, since we found no other way of getting to it. There is an unfortunate bug here if you die before you can unlock some bars after triggering the blue key trap. This ended the map for us once in the past, but we were aware this time. Overall it's a quite fun and relatively violent map that doesn't go completely overboard with the gameplay, despite its ominous title.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
[Hunsager]
A rater small map stacked with enemies. The vertical use in the first room is great, and I like the skyroofs, openings and windows. Disappointingly, it's possible to get stuck if you die inside the room with the blue key before you flip the switch, so that is a non coop friendly situation which should have been avoided. It feels like the map could have been a little longer, and that the outside of the building could have been utilized more.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
MAP28 - Dance with the Devil
[Johnsen]
Though I suspect some would call this map bland because of the consistent and not very varied texturing, I find it pretty slick. There is a great sense of scale and monster friendly architecture, and a certain flow in the gameplay that seems to indicate a good understanding from the authors side. We were taken back a bit by the intimidating Cyberdemon placed directly in front of the spawn starts. You don't want to mess with that guy at first, rather distract him for as long as possible and complete the chaingunner heavy building in the back to get a plasma. He's useful to keep around until you're ready to move on in the map, by then he should have taken enough damage to be dealt with comfortably. We easily ended him on cooperative because of our accumulated ammo. The map goes into a great flow from there on, with plenty of rockets, shotgun ammo and cells laying around. From scratch you'd want to collect a rocket launcher and the nearby BFG located next to the exit door as soon as possible. The map allows you to chase the keys in the order you see fit, and thus generates replay value simply by being so nonlinear. Some areas seem almost too symmetrical, and the constant brown texturing accompanied by rock textures and blood floors, do become a bit repetitive and confusing. It's indeed one of those maps where you keep running in circles for a while before figuring out where to go, but I'll forgive it on the note that everything looks and feels pretty solid. I like the way the author proper illuminated the lava floor in the yellow key section by blasting the light level, too often authors don't seem to get how much stuff like this improves a setting. The first Cyberdemon in the map should have been replaced by something else, I don't feel he add a lot to the map and stands in contrast with the yellow key guardian who is perfectly placed to create a good, tactical battle.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 5/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
[Hunsager]
There is a simple but effective layout in this map. Each of the sections are distinct and have decent details. The rock area is cool, and there is a good flow in the map and a lot of nice visual symmetry. You can chose in which order you want to pick up the blue or yellow keys.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 5/6 - Score: 14/18
MAP29 - Atlatl
[Johnsen]
This is an impressive baphomet. As anticipated Map29 is a beast of grand proportions. Unlike Plutonia and its unofficial sequel, we do not get a city map this time though, the style here could best be described as purely abstract grand scale "Doom". This large vine overgrown construct and its giant cave system have plenty of visuals to offer, and lots of creative touches. I find the gameplay to be quite superb until the atrocity committed in the yellow key room. Why the author suddenly had the need to throw us into a more or less one way ticket trap, I don't know. To make matters worse, said trap will close off the map if you die, and naturally we did. Despite the grand scale of the map, it's actually much smaller on the automap than what it feels like when running around - much thanks to the large, open areas and the use of vertical space. You have to travel way too far to get hold of a super shotgun, and the layout is highly confusing. It's not void of small errors; one secret for instance leave you with a supercharge and a megasphere stuck on top of each other. The blue key placement is superbly cool, and this area also holds a very neat ambush styled wave of monsters. The large cave area is somewhat of a miss because the author forgot to light his candles. If you boost the light-level there, you'll see that plenty of work went into making some scenery in the cave, but when you run around in the dark you only try to get out of it as soon as possible, and it's annoying to navigate. The map also commits a bit of a sin by cloaking a switch among purely decorative switches, and unless we're talking about an intentional secret, this is not a good move. Switch textures should not be used for decoration at all. There is a nice, creative secret involving a computer area map if you drop into the right spot after picking up the blue key. I'll certainly remember this map for a while as it does generate a very peculiar, desolate feel.With some improvements it could have been a classic since it has a touch of greatness to it.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
[Hunsager]
A map with many interesting and pleasing visual details, but it's perhaps a little too confusing and interconnected for its own good. It is very easy to get lost here, and it is difficult to figure out how you can get from one area to another. There is a room with several switches where you will be stuck if you don't survive all the arch-viles and accompanying monsters, and this unnecessary coop unfriendliness prevented us from completing the level. What a pity for such a beautiful map.
Aesthetics: 5/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 11/18
MAP30 - In the eye of the Beholder
[Johnsen]
This is a quick and relatively painless Map30 with a mandatory Icon of Sin fight to close things off. The new Icon graphic is most memorable, and further empowered by the cool lead-up through the megawad, hinted by the subtle textures. The map is divided into three separate parts, and the first two serve as a pretty plain lead-up. I wasn't too impressed by any of the parts architecturally, and the cacodemon swarm in the 2nd part just seemed somewhat superfluous and had us run out of ammo. Remember to grab a chainsaw and a berserk pack if you go at this from scratch (located by following the ledge from the very first building until you reach the back of it). The gimmick with the instantly gibbing dark void next to one of the early pathways has been used before in Plutonia 2 Map30 by mr. Velden and seemed too much of a rehash to me. I'm happy about the ease of which we disposed the Icon itself. Thumbs up for not making it an intricate ledge-switch-timer-crap-your-pants combo.
Aesthetics: 3/6 - Layout: 3/6 - Gameplay: 3/6 - Score: 9/18
[Hunsager]
Apart from a tiresome ring of cacodemons in the first part, this was an OK Icon of Sin map, and the green marble cacodemon faces suddenly make sense as soon as the devilish final boss appears. It's as we have followed the traces of this beast all the way through the megawad, and finally it's time to silence it. Many Icon of Sin-battles get too difficult to figure out because of intricate sequences of switches and lifts, so this felt almost to good to be true as a finale in such a tough megawad.
Aesthetics: 4/6 - Layout: 4/6 - Gameplay: 4/6 - Score: 12/18
Johnsens' Summary and total score:
Community projects like Plutonia Revisited are an important, and perhaps integral part of keeping the Doom community alive. A growing library of megawads owe their existence to this tradition, and lots of quality maps have seen the light of day in this fashion. Thematically this megawad will automatically draw comparisons to the solidified classic Plutonia 2, although it seems the initiative takers were keen on dodging that bullet by refusing to name it "Plutonia 3".
In a plain score competition Plutonia 2 wins hands down for me, but it is hardly fair to compare a project that took eight years to complete to something that was done by a bunch of authors in no more than a year. For the time it took to make it, I'd say Plutonia Revisited is a quality piece of work. As expected it's really uneven, no doubt because the talent of the participants vary greatly. Part of the fun with community styled projects comes from just this great variation in execution and style.
On the other hand, one of the things that solidified Plutonia as such a milestone, was the consistency - the unique feel and sole touch of two authors making all the maps. They varied their themes, but stylistically it fit very well together and each map had its own personality within the confined frames of the product. With that in mind I'm not sure a Plutonia tribute was a good choice for a community styled project, and since Plutonia 2 already set the bar quite high as far as sequels go, perhaps even less so.
There seems to have been a slight lack of criteria as far as gameplay direction goes too, since the maps vary from quite true to the original Plutonia in difficulty, to just full on Hell Revealed "good luck surviving this" type of scenes. There is a few real gameplay stinkers in here, which I feel could have been relatively easily avoided. I'm sure the people who orchestrated this project had their hands full with quality control and feedback however, and I'm quick to say they all deserve much kudos for putting together such a solid product. It's not easy to go for consistency when there is a ton of people participating, each with their individual opinion of what goes.
The creations from Tatsuya "Tatsurd-cacocao Ito, Xaser Acheron and evocalvin shine the most for me. I'm especially impressed by the quality output of the first mentioned, as I was not aware he also made maps, I know him basically as a high level player with a vast output ratio on Youtube. What a nice surprise. Xaser of course, deserves little elaboration as he has already solidified himself as one of the top notch mappers in the community, and you get an idea why when looking at his maps here. Evocalvin might be the show-stealer all in all for me, and firmly puts his mark on the product through his Map17 and Map18 entries.
I've played this megawad loosely once several years ago, and with this latest revisit, I'm unsure if I'll play it again - but I'd definitely recommend it as a mandatory playthrough for the uninitiated. It's well worth it, if not only to catch the best and most memorable maps.
My score: 3.76
Aesthetics: 4.03 - Layout: 3.78 - Gameplay: 3.46
(Awarded points: 129 / 121 / 111 = 361)
Aesthetics: 4.03 - Layout: 3.78 - Gameplay: 3.46
(Awarded points: 129 / 121 / 111 = 361)
As the name says, this megawad is a revisit of the original Plutonia. Every Doom map has some sort of inspiration, may it be from another Doom level, another game or from a real location. However, a revisit seems to be something more than just inspiration. It means coming back to a place where you have been before, or to imitate an original style or feeling. This can be done in different ways by just using specific Plutonia texture resources and constructing something completely new, but also by copying scenery, rooms, details, situations, gameplay, and even specific layout and larger parts of maps.
When a map in the set directly presuppose specific ones from the original, and some even from Plutonia 2 we can say the map qualifies as belonging to the category of the tribute maps. Such maps are always in danger of being nothing but a cheap ripoff. The honest idea of this megawad is of course to make tributes to the originals, but if a map doesn't add anything to the old concept, I will in most cases not be able to award it with many points for the layout. Some copying and mimicking of old layouts and concepts is perhaps OK, and it's always debatable how far such a revisit can go, but in my opinion, a tribute map must be really clever and use creativity and invention to justify its existence.
This doesn't mean that the layout in itself necessarily is bad just for copying, but as long as people will have their first impression from the original map in mind, the follow up needs to do something more, or do it in a different and surprising way to be interesting enough. This is done to a varying extent in Plutonia Revisited. Map03 and Map21 are examples where I think the tribute goes a little too far, but Map31 and Map15 succeed better in doing something new, while still having some distinct inspiration.
I haven't awarded Map31 with many points because of its small size, but it managed to captivate the same gameplay concept as "Cyberden", yet put it into a completely different design. Map15 has direct inspiration from "Neurospehere" (which also is a tribute map) but the map overflows with ideas and creativity and stands solidly on its own (much more than in the case of "Neurosphere" itself actually!). So these two examples are good ones of successful revisits, since they manage to come up with a new environment.
Above all, the aspect that will be best remembered for me in this megwad is actually none of the maps but the distinct use of the cacodemon faced marble walls and the last boss tying into them. I feel that this is the signature of the megawad, and it's another example of how a small, new addition can make a noticeable difference even though it's not a revolutionary concept.
The gameplay is the greatest downfall. I can understand the effort of making it challenging since Plutonia was tougher than Doom II, but too often the BFG is hidden in a secret, and in many instances there is a plain overuse of the arch-viles. It's not forbidden to supply a chaingun now and again either, something which could very well have been done in multiplayer - almost as a rule. I sometimes had the feeling that many of these maps were never created with multiplayer gameplay in mind at all.
Several of the maps are large and borderline drain the player, and this is also something which must be taken into consideration when tuning the gameplay. The reason for this can very well be a side effect of community styled projects where you get few maps per author, thus resulting in larger creations. Playing complex maps successively is an exhausting effort, and it may have caused me to afford less points than if I were to play them individually instead of in the context of a megawad.
This project was completed within a year, which is rather fast for a community project, and especially for a full blown 32 maps megawad. This shows that the concept of a community project can be quite effective, and it's also something that contributes to keeping the Doom community alive. I believe that making vanilla styled maps is a good challenge for new mappers as well.
There are several quality maps in this set, and even though I have been complaining of some maps being too lengthy and too harsh on the monster count, this is also a megawad with many good Doom moments and a lot of material for those of us who love the traditional classic Doom gameplay.
When a map in the set directly presuppose specific ones from the original, and some even from Plutonia 2 we can say the map qualifies as belonging to the category of the tribute maps. Such maps are always in danger of being nothing but a cheap ripoff. The honest idea of this megawad is of course to make tributes to the originals, but if a map doesn't add anything to the old concept, I will in most cases not be able to award it with many points for the layout. Some copying and mimicking of old layouts and concepts is perhaps OK, and it's always debatable how far such a revisit can go, but in my opinion, a tribute map must be really clever and use creativity and invention to justify its existence.
This doesn't mean that the layout in itself necessarily is bad just for copying, but as long as people will have their first impression from the original map in mind, the follow up needs to do something more, or do it in a different and surprising way to be interesting enough. This is done to a varying extent in Plutonia Revisited. Map03 and Map21 are examples where I think the tribute goes a little too far, but Map31 and Map15 succeed better in doing something new, while still having some distinct inspiration.
I haven't awarded Map31 with many points because of its small size, but it managed to captivate the same gameplay concept as "Cyberden", yet put it into a completely different design. Map15 has direct inspiration from "Neurospehere" (which also is a tribute map) but the map overflows with ideas and creativity and stands solidly on its own (much more than in the case of "Neurosphere" itself actually!). So these two examples are good ones of successful revisits, since they manage to come up with a new environment.
Above all, the aspect that will be best remembered for me in this megwad is actually none of the maps but the distinct use of the cacodemon faced marble walls and the last boss tying into them. I feel that this is the signature of the megawad, and it's another example of how a small, new addition can make a noticeable difference even though it's not a revolutionary concept.
The gameplay is the greatest downfall. I can understand the effort of making it challenging since Plutonia was tougher than Doom II, but too often the BFG is hidden in a secret, and in many instances there is a plain overuse of the arch-viles. It's not forbidden to supply a chaingun now and again either, something which could very well have been done in multiplayer - almost as a rule. I sometimes had the feeling that many of these maps were never created with multiplayer gameplay in mind at all.
Several of the maps are large and borderline drain the player, and this is also something which must be taken into consideration when tuning the gameplay. The reason for this can very well be a side effect of community styled projects where you get few maps per author, thus resulting in larger creations. Playing complex maps successively is an exhausting effort, and it may have caused me to afford less points than if I were to play them individually instead of in the context of a megawad.
This project was completed within a year, which is rather fast for a community project, and especially for a full blown 32 maps megawad. This shows that the concept of a community project can be quite effective, and it's also something that contributes to keeping the Doom community alive. I believe that making vanilla styled maps is a good challenge for new mappers as well.
There are several quality maps in this set, and even though I have been complaining of some maps being too lengthy and too harsh on the monster count, this is also a megawad with many good Doom moments and a lot of material for those of us who love the traditional classic Doom gameplay.
My score: 3.80
Aesthetics: 4.34 - Layout: 3.65 - Gameplay: 3.40
(Awarded points: 139 / 117 / 109 = 365)
COMBINED SCORE: 3.78
Aesthetics: 4.10 - Layout: 3.71 - Gameplay: 3.43
