Breach

Ultra-detailed "modern" style Doom wads are not my thing. Having said that, when they are made very, very, VERY well, it doesn't really matter what my personal taste is.

Breach by @Viggles is fantastic. Uses vanilla textures, so it still looks like Doom (which is something I appreciate), and the extra-detailing actually serves a purpose, and isn't there just to be there. In other words, this is a looker. I particularly love doom wads where hell sort of "creeps in," which is a bit of a rarity, and this pulls it off as best as humanly possible.

Gameplay-wise it leans towards a sort of survival mindset, with you having to make every bullet (and medkit) count. The map is fairly linear, but full of small gaps and elevators that go back and forth between major areas. A bit tough at times, and the final arch-vile battle can be annoying in your first try, but these are nitpicks.

A technical masterpiece of highly detailed and intricate level design.

This isn't just in aesthetics and depth management, but in gameplay mechanics too, which I found to be free-flowing, paced, and well thought out.

Maps like this show us what can be done... what can be achieved with a 25+ year old game.

Bravo. 5/5.

A fun and good-looking map, not too difficult. The short hell interludes were fantastic and highly added to the atmosphere of the map. It felt slightly too short though, I hoped for some really tough fight at the end. The music was very good though.

all i want to say is that i have never, ever seen vanilla textures used so absolutely extremely well like in this map. extremely detailed, extremely creative. if you're a graphics nut, check this map out.

only 4 stars, because i think it's a little too tough and it has lost souls.

This is a limit-removing tech base map with hell/void/surreal elements. It runs in Crispy Doom, ZDoom, and presumably in modern Boom-compatible ports, but not doom2-plus or Ye Olde Boom/MBF/PrBoom etc. For a map with no new textures, it's astonishingly beautiful, and it's clear every single sidedef has been worked and reworked to utter alignment perfection.

Unfortunately, gameplay isn't so great--it's probably better in ZDoom, where the physics are more predictable and consistent, but in Crispy Doom I was constantly getting stuck on objects and two-sided linedefs, and the cramped spaces afforded to the player exacerbate this. It's of moderate difficulty, and unlike a lot of "detail" maps, doesn't reward a static playstyle--monsters are often revealed behind the player or ammo is denied, forcing the player to rush through the opposition instead of playing it safe. No plasma gun, BFG, or cells are provided, forcing you to choose carefully among the SSG, chaingun, and rocket launcher and switch as the situation requires. I died a number of times due to issues with collision, but otherwise was not greatly challenged.

It's stunning to look at and fun to play through once, but doesn't have much in the way of replay value. That said, you should download it anyway, just to see it.

This one took me by surprise. Absolutely wonderful use of stock Doom 2 resources, great atmosphere / world building, and doesn't overstay its welcome. 5/5.

One of the best single map WADs I've played. As an amateur astronomer I loved the 'BFT' with the mirror segments frame :) Where did the glass go, though :)

what surprises me the most about this one is that it actually isn't that long of a map. it's nicely sized, has decent combat, and good visuals everywhere. nothing really hard either. the most interesting tricks to see are the rising pillars and the bridge that spawns once you shoot at something, as well as a couple of teleporter gimmicks which are silly yet pretty good. still, the design steals the show for this map, and the gameplay is pedestrian enough.

• Excellent music.
• Excellent gameplay.
• Holy Excellent visuals that only use Doom 2 resources.
• Excellent progression.
• Excellent ideas executed excellently.
• Excellent spooky moments.

A masterpiece.