Fava Beans

Wow, that was awesome! Now I see why this one gets mentioned frequently when talking about great classic wads.
Firstly, I like how most of the maps are on the shorter side. Second, I really dig the feel of the maps. I like a good tech base, and these are some great tech base maps. Third, one thing that really struck me is how you're able to really get a feel for the place. This is mostly done through the liberal use of windows, lot's and lot's of big windows. It gives each map a sense of scale and establishment. You can follow your own progress through the map. It's so cool!
I was having so much fun, I started slowing down and just looking at stuff. Good thing too, as most of the secrets are well signposted and are easy to spot if you're paying attention. Love it!

Sean Birkel and Ben Gates know how to make John Romero style tech bases and they aren't afraid to spruce it up with their sometimes questionable design choices. This is a rock solid E1 replacement as of today, but in 1995, it must've been amazing given how it was listed as the number one best wad of 1995. The subtle E1 references sprinkled across the maps are cool and memorable. My favorite level is: E1M4: ''Triton Lunar Base''. The map has a straightforward and an interconnected design to it. I't also reveals the first cacodemons and lost souls of the wad deep in blood, which I always thought was pretty badass. Fava Beans has always been one of my favorites!

Very nice episode replacement, incredible lighting and architecture and general Romero worship - I especially loved the more blatant homages to Episode 1... sure, it's way too easy and could've benefitted with the occasional cyberdemon in an outside area, and the last level needed a few dozen more barons, but otherwise, very nice...

while it does a good job replicating episode 1 aesthetically, the levels are riddled with questionable design choices. doors that dont need to be there, a million secrets often crammed onto the back end of a level resulting in useless items unless youre not pistol starting, and just a bit too easy. for an author who claims his work is top notch and the best of the best, you shot your arrow pretty far from the bullseye my friend.

Another one I haven't played for years and years and just revisited: Fava Beans is a solid E1 replacement and a good one if you want a chilled out, mostly really easy WAD. The level design is a cut above considering the historical context of this set, and it nails the E1 feel. Heavier monsters are introduced much earlier, but the difficulty rarely gets above casual.

E1M8 is anticlimactic and feels like a letdown after the consistency of the preceding maps, but aside from that I recommend it for an easygoing old school Doom fix. That said, it could have been harder in places. There have been better E1 replacements since, but Fava Beans is still worth a look.

Best: E1M4, E1M5, E1M7

Really enjoyed this WAD. Simple and straight forward with small maps and low enemy counts, but a great place to start for a new doomer. I had so much fun playing and particularly enjoyed E1M5, E1M6 and E1M7, these were really fun, nice tempo and I continue dropping back to play these again and again. It was really enjoyable to push the pace on these and see how fast I could finish.

Basically, enjoyed the calm encounters and nice simple aesthetics. If it is useful I have uploaded my playthrough to my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSh0vj-6E2chQqx744Ajl2w

Really like this wad, I played it because of a thread about skill progression an I loved it, the levels are great for the era and the use of vanilla texture is beautiful. It's impressive that this .wad was made at that year. 

I don't really have anything positive to say about Fava Beans. All of the maps are easy with at times odd progression, why is the blue key in E1M7 tucked away in a small corridor? If you like Knee Deep In The Dead style wads and want to play something historically notable then go right ahead. Otherwise you can find much better wads.

This seems to be a very popular E1 replacement PWAD which preserves the same style. On some parts it feels like a homage, on other aspects it's got a bit of inconsistent gameplay, not up to Romero's design quality. The difficulty is overall easy, though some of the middle maps are quite fun to play.

This E1 replacement successfully captures the spirit of the original but not much more. Level design is arguably a cut above, with maps constantly looping in on themselves in creative ways and secret hallways allowing you to get the jump on some enemies in a couple spots. The combat is similar to the IWAD, which is to say it's easy even for a new player and anemic for everyone else. The final and secret levels are especially barren and can be completed in under a minute. There is a small spike in difficulty in maps 5-7 just to make sure you're paying attention. 

Fava Beans is worth a play for its historical significance and intuitive level design, but the combat leaves a lot to be desired. Still, for something that can be completed in under 30 minutes it's worth downloading.

A relaxing episode 1 replacement. Solid in it's simplicity.

These levels perfectly fit the episode 1 narrative, and have some unique level design choices. Also, b e a n s.

A pretty fun mapset with very good lighting and architecture for 1994, oozing E1 atmosphere. The fights can get a little intense at times but you shouldn't have any problems if you're playing continuous. Later maps can have some obscure progression but things will be easier if you find the map powerups. The final level is disappointing (only two barons? We've ALREADY fought a pair on a previous level!) but overall, Fava Beans is worth checking out.

My all time favorite episode 1 replacement wad that keeps the theme & difficulty the same as the original KDITD but with a tiny dash of Episode 2(Lost Souls, Cacodemons & Barons appear in the 2nd half but are rarely used). The only thing that prevents me from giving this a full 5 stars is that E1M8 is too anticlimactic & easier than OG E1M8 but even then this mapset is still worth playing...or replaying on my end ;)

-Philnemba 4.5/5

Super easy, super fun, super enjoyable!

I used only my shotgun and still always had > 80 shells. E1M7 was the best of the episode. Some of the rooms felt like they were literally copied from the IWAD, though. E1M6's automap secret appears, like, thrice.

Honestly it's pretty damn good, but the author seems a little too up himself..

Edit 5 years later: I seem too up myself for leaving this comment, how ironic