MAINANTANCE COMPLEX

yep, this is a huge-as-fuck map alright. you WILL get lost in this one, but thankfully not to the point that it becomes unplayable because thankfully, it fully is playable. it's just very cramped in a lot of spots, especially in the first few levels. what's best about this level is that it does get to be a bit more open later on. the combat isn't all that tough despite being cramped in most spots, and i managed to find all 23 secrets on my go. it was much harder to get 100% kills though, but worth it in the end. i actually think using automap markers for a map like this will help players immensely too.

I shouldn't like levels like these. Basic Doom textures, 90% of the level is cramped dark corridors that lead to cramped dark corridors, ceilings are so low that my Doom marine barely fits in, lots of switches, released in 2003? All this should hint of a not so good-looking map with a dull gameplay. But it wasn't. I enjoyed it. I couldn't stop playing it. I think it's because despite the claustrophic design the flow was good. Enemy fights were tough but fair. Almost all swithces opened something in the near vicinity. And often there was a window where you could see a button which you should reach next. When I got the yellow key (after 40 minutes) the layout of the map lead me straight to the yellow button and door. Same with the blue key – I didn't have to search for the button after I found the key. (Can't remember how it was with the red key but I do remember that I did not feel frustrated at any point.) So clearly some thought went into guiding the player to the right place at the right time. I often get lost in maps that are an order of magnitude more open than this and I have a bad sense of direction but I didn't get lost here. More than once there was a line of candles that lead to the next area. Also the level opened up nicely the more you progressed. You started to see places you visited before: "Wasn't I there just an hour ago? Or was it a different level?". Yes, the map is so enormous that you forget you are still playing the same level. It took me one and a half hour to finish. It has 23 secrets and I only found half of them.

My rating: 3.8/5