Dark Covenant

for 1996, this mapset looks and plays fantastic. visually, it's great; it's not memento mori 2 or dystopia 3, but it's still very visually appealing. i feel that what sets this apart from those two is the sheer scale of some of the architecture. there's towering skyscrapers, mansions, an entire spacestation - this must've been breathtaking back in '96. as a result, the levels can get quite big.

gameplay is exciting, fast-paced, and provides loads of enemies for you to kill. it's quite challenging for 1996 as well, so it holds up in that regard. there's next to nothing in terms of exploration or puzzles-solving - this is all combat. however, while the combat is great fun, it does get stale. there's not a whole lot to mix up the style of combat on display, and the maps can be quite long, so if you play too much in one sitting it's gonna become a bit of a drag. despite that, it's fun as hell if you just wanna sit down and shoot everything you see for a little while

i've heard people call this a hidden gem of the mid 90s, and honestly, it's really hard not to agree. even if it can get a bit stale after a while, it's still great to just sit down, play a level or two, and move onto other things before playing some more a few days later

I'm not really a reviewer so I'll be brief. Dark Covenant is an underrated classic, perhaps best known for inspiring Erik Alm of Scythe fame to map. No really, check out MAP07 if you doubt me. 25 years later, it still holds up in my opinion - sure, it's raw but manages to keep your attention for the entirety of your journey, which is a rare quality not found in many wads, let alone wads of the past millennium. An oft-overlooked gem, recommended!

Starts out just like any other myhouse.wad, you know, sector furniture, some beds, some kind of sector bedsheets and some toilets, obvious, the most silliest start i may say, but then grows into a mastodon of gigantic, atmospheric and challenging semi-reallistic maps.

Maps are, seriously big, and there are constant fire, especially from hitscanners from everywhere.
The maps are soo big, that, even when the layout and gameplay are kinda linear, there is soo much space to explore that the maps doesn't feel linears at all.

The sights are gorgeous, breathtaking, and thats something really awesome for a wad from 1996.

The challenge is right out there, centered mostly on hitscanning barrages on every room with meat blockers, cannon fodder and heavy hitter.

The details are really good for the time it was made. A highway broken above us, computers, skycrappers, depth of earth, and a heavily guarded portal from hell are just some of the locales we visit.

And the final launch base with the gigantic ship waiting to depart.

Thats is just amazing!

why not 5 stars if i liked it soo much?

Well, the final map, even when its sheer wonderfull, its anti-climatic, making the player feel that the mapset is incomplete.

Aside from that, this is just 90's sillyness with some refined and reallistic details.

Pretty much what i want from Doom ;)

Thank you, Keith Phipps.

This little mapsets its just awesome!

Metallica (midis) and ruined city landscapes in a long twelve map adventure. Classic.

** Dark Covenant Review **

- Played all 12 levels on Ultra Violence

Pros:

- LOADS of Ammo, Health, Armor, and everything else you need to succeed.

- Great monster placement.

- 90's themed and well done with that!

- Smooth maps. Nothing fancy, yet nothing bland. Map rooms ran seamlessly together. I didn't encounter any bugs or HOM whatsoever. Bravo on that!

Cons:

- I love Metallica, but, UGHHHH!! Enough already! LOL!!! At least do the actual songs instead of the "elevator music" tracks.

- This game could have used more puzzles. This made the Maps quite a bit linear. 

- Very few secrets. I would have liked to have seen more. The secrets didn't exactly slap you in the face, but if you pull up the Auto Map, you shouldn't have too much difficulty.

- Chaingunners galore!!!

- ANY final boss would have great. Just seems anti-climatic without one...or two or three...

All and all, I must say Dark Covenant is not the worst game I've played nor was it the best. I admit I had a bit of fun with this. 

I liked Map 3 the best. I don't recall the name of it, but it takes place "Downtown." None of the rest of the maps are as good as this one.

If you are looking for 90's style maps with emphasis on combat, rather than puzzle solving, then this WAD is for you. I would recommend HMP (nothing easier) or UV to appreciate the game.

Definitely some nostalgia there. Thanks!

Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

Not great but the combat is fast and straitforward.

Excellent, no nonsense wad. At 12 levels this is an ideal length, something to get one's teeth into but which doesn't outstay its welcome, as most megawads do. I wish more wads would just keep things moving along like this one - straightforward blasting action, going from A to B to C without being waylaid by pointless, timewasting puzzles and gimmicks at regular intervals. Despite its essential simplicity, in no way is it boring: the combat is involving and the architecture and scenery are well crafted. Probably needs to be played on UV difficulty to be a decent challenge for anyone but a novice.