noisebloom reviews... PLUTONIA

[noisebloom]

Confession time: All these years, I have never soloed Plutonia. It's been on my "to-play" list for a long time, but besides online cooperative play, I've never really experienced this WAD front-to-back by myself. I decided it was finally time I play this classic megawad, so I did so, and here are my map-by-map thoughts.

 

Disclaimer: I'm a pretty middle-of-the-road Doom player in terms of skill. This run was UV, Continuous, and I didn't go for 100% kills. I'd be interested in trying this again with pistol starts!

 

Maps 1 - 11 - Earth

Spoiler

MAP01 – Congo:

 

Love this level because it’s so damn mean in a creative way we haven’t experienced before Plutonia. Archvile/chaingunner trap is evil. As the most difficult first map of the IWADs (though E4M1 is a contender), Congo is not for those with a weak stomach, but it sets the stage for the WAD brilliantly. Rating: A

 

MAP02 – Well of Souls:

 

This follow-up to Congo doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor. The draining water at the start is cool, and the skull switch hallway is anxiety-inducing. I kind of enjoy the “troll-y” invisible bridge, though the fight in that area isn’t really enjoyable due to such restricted movement. I find everything else in the level mediocre, especially the huge room with the little staircase at the end, which feels ugly and pointless. Not one of my favorites. Rating: C-

 

MAP03 – Aztec:

 

Love this map’s design. It’s basically a better version of Congo, in my opinion. Actually not too hard when you figure out how to navigate the traps, but the bridge trap in the end is terrifying. Rating: A

 

MAP04 – Caged:

 

I thought I was going to hate this one due to the entire center of the map confining you to bridges, but the other areas of the map make up for it, and this odd little map is pretty fun and original. It’s actually a bit easier than Aztec, the biggest challenge being the Barons of Hell that make an appearance halfway through. Rating: B

 

MAP05 – Ghosttown:

 

The rattling chaingunners in the windows set the stage for a level that begins it’s malevolence with a nasty Baron of Hell trap that you can’t easily escape. The map creates challenges out of wide open areas effectively – a real winner. Oh, and the trap at the end with the staircase is... genius and disturbing. Rating: A

 

MAP06 – Baron’s Lair:

 

This one should be more fun than it is. It kind of plays like a much more tedious version of Caged: The main courtyard area is essentially a “peaceful” zone, and any ambushes here are easily mitigated by a plethora of ammo. The highlight of the map should be the Cyberdemon battle, but when you “unleash the beast”, it can’t hit you due to your superior vantage point. Probably the worst map of Plutonia thus far. Rating: D+

 

MAP07 – Caughtyard:

 

The Dead Simple replacement in Plutonia is pretty hardcore. Once you get into it, it’s not quite as hard as it looks, but Caughtyard indiscriminately punishes mistakes and has some surprises up its sleeves. Rating: A-

 

MAP08 – Realm:

 

A level with some mean elevator stuff. Starts out quite easy, but each encounter gets progressively more evil and challenging, and the final encounter is almost unfair if you don’t have enough ammo or health. I gotta appreciate Realm for how far it’s willing to go, but I don’t like how much foresight is needed for the final encounter. Rating: C

 

MAP09 – Abbatoire:

 

Hot take: Abbatoire is not that hard... until the end, that is. Sure, this map really never lets up and sends preposterous numbers of monsters at you, but you usually have ample space or areas to back out of. The end, though... The end is more hellish and difficult than anything any Id-created IWAD has thrown at us previously, a masochist ring that laughs at the cakewalk that is Circle of Death (aka ‘O’ of Destruction). Honestly, this is a fantastic map and an exercise in cruelty.

Me: “I’ve barely died during this Plutonia run!”

Abbatoire: “Hold my beer.”

 

Rating: A

 

MAP10 – Onslaught:

 

The tepid beginning of Onslaught fooled me into thinking this was some sort of respite from the pain of the previous map. Boy, was I wrong. This one is even more painful, from the Chaingunner balcony section to a literal “onslaught” (hehe) of teleporting Revenants. Despite looking like an open map, there isn’t a ton of room to navigate all the monsters that spawn in at various times. I expected the Archvile traps to be evil, but I found them pretty easy, at least compared to the sadistic Baron trap towards the end. Not a bad map, and difficult at that. Rating: B

 

MAP11 – Hunted:

 

One of the most infamous Plutonia maps, Hunted plops you in the center of a maze filled with Archviles. To be honest, this is only super hard if you don’t know how to deal with Archviles.

 

First rule of Archviles: Get behind cover before the Viles trigger their blast.

Second rule of Archviles: Stun them with your SSG.

Third rule of Archviles: Never tackle more than one at a time, unless you have a deathwish.

 

The other unlisted rule of Archviles is to take them out before they can resurrect anything, but Hunted doesn’t have any other monsters, so the worst part about Archviles isn’t really present in this map. I find the difficulty of the map being traversing the maze, which generally has me accidentally revisiting the same corners again and again and again.

 

The map gives you a BFG before you exit “for your trouble”, which is well worth it. The map also features two exit teleporters, both which genuinely exit the level, but one that will completely mess you up before you do – Lovely.

 

Overall, I respect the gimmick here, but this map is not all that exciting. Rating: C

 

Maps 12 - 20 - Hell + Secret Levels (31,32)

Spoiler

MAP12 – Speed:

 

The spawn area of Speed seems to be a reference to E3M1, but the rest of the level comes off as a sort of Bloodfalls: Part 2. This map has a lot of enemies, but most of them can be dispatched of fairly easily if you’re careful and learn where the retreat spots are. Most of the traps here are fiendishly well-done, especially the Archviles that teleport between “coves”. The Cyberdemon encounter is a joke, unfortunately. My favorite part about Speed is its creative use of space, forcing you to traverse between vertical spaces much like Industrial Zone from Doom II. Speed isn’t perfect, but it’s still one of my favorite maps thus far, to be honest, and one that confirms the notion that I generally prefer Milo’s maps over Dario’s. Rating: A-

 

MAP13 – Crypt:

 

When playing on Continuous, the previous map doesn’t leave you with much ammo, and the ambushes in this level are pretty nasty, though easy to avoid if you know what’s coming. Besides the ambushes, there’s not a ton going on in this level, and it almost seems like it could belong in Doom II’s mapset. Clearing out the final room is an extreme exercise in patience, which I didn’t have, so I just launched myself onto the exit teleporter when it appeared to exit the level. A pretty mediocre level by Plutonia’s standards. Rating: C

 

MAP14 – Genesis:

 

It seems to be a fairly common opinion that Genesis is an “easier” Plutonia map, but I may have died on this one more than any other prior. There are a lot of enemies sniping you from afar in this one, and I struggled to take them out while trying to work with the very little space I had to move around in. I feel like the map is actually pretty well designed as far as layout, but it rubs me the wrong way. Genesis is very claustrophobic, and it’s definitely one of my least favorite maps from Plutonia. Rating: C-

 

MAP15 – Twilight:

 

Twilight’s intensity recalls the ending of Abbatoire, except that intensity is present from the get-go and never really lets up. I like to think of this as Caged’s big brother, and it’s a well-designed map that demands quick-thinking at every turn. If you don’t know where the secrets are, Twilight is incredibly difficult, and the chaingunner RNG won’t do you any favors. If you do know where the secrets are, get them, because you’ll be left with a ton of health and ammo for the secret levels. Love the cruelty of this map, and the interesting strategies you need to use to mitigate said cruelty. Rating: A+

 

MAP31 – Cyberden (Secret):

 

I like the concept of this map: Four imprisoned Cyberdemons must be freed and destroyed to complete the level. The problem is the incredibly boring execution of this map. To free each Cyberdemon, you need to find a corresponding switch, and the areas that these switches are in are kind of boring, generic rooms for the most part, most of which can’t even muster up a challenge with the fantastic enemy variety Doom II introduced. The most difficult room is probably the Archvile trap, and that’s because they teleport behind fake walls, and there’s no easy way to tell where they are, quite possibly the most BS thing in Plutonia thus far. The Cyberdemon themselves are easy to tackle given the amount of space you have and the yellow key pillar you can use for cover. The Revenant fight at the end promises to be intense, but again, you have ample room, so circle-strafing to avoid their fireballs is easy. This secret map is basically squandered potential. Rating: C+

 

MAP32 – Go 2 It (Secret):

 

The most notorious Plutonia map, this tongue-in-cheek slaughtermap spinoff of Entryway is a treat. Truth be told, you can cheese most of the level by utilizing infighting, and you can easily avoid all the enemies in the final area, but it’s still a clever, fun map, and one of the better secret ones, at that. It gets the blood pumping, for sure. Rating: A

 

MAP16 – The Omen:

 

Ugh. The Omen is the epitome of bad level design, and this is a surprise coming from Milo. The biggest issue is that it’s very segmented; it has no organic flow to speak of. The blue key trap is extremely obvious, so it’s easy to escape the ambush and clear out the spawned enemies from a relatively safe vantage point. I kind of like the yellow key trap, though; there’s something poetic about facing an Archvile head-to-head. The hitscan room is an absolute pain due to all the RNG... Everything else is kind of a tired retread. Thanks Plutonia, I hate it. Rating: F

 

MAP17 – Compound:

 

Dear Doom WAD designers,

 

No one likes starting a map in a pit of nukage.

 

I’ll give Compound a pass on this since you get a radsuit about ten seconds in. I actually enjoy this map quite a bit: the layout is nice, there are some fun, strategic fights here, and there are plenty of health and ammo pickups to be found. Honestly, this is probably the easiest map we’ve seen since Crypt. Rating: B

 

MAP18 – Neurosphere:

 

This Inmost Dens homage is frantic, intense, and extremely fun. Were it not for all the ammo and health scattered around this map, Neurosphere would be positively diabolical, but instead, it’s just a well-balanced Plutonia map that is to the point and very fun to play. Rating: A-

 

MAP19 – NME:

 

If the last three maps were some sort of relief from Plutonia’s cruelty (debatable), NME is back to 100% full Plutonia. Honestly, the hordes of teleporting monsters in cramped quarters theme is annoying and frankly BS. You have to be extra careful to not blow yourself up if you're using rockets here. This map feels a little bit like a mess to me, and I’m not a fan. Rating: C-

 

MAP20 – The Death Domain:

 

I’m not usually one to complain about the look of a Doom map, but man, this one is ugly. The beginning is also BS, with a wide open area with chaingunners, arachnotrons, and revenants, but extremely limited cover. Spoiler Alert: It’s the chaingunners that will get you, and they just keep coming. Other than that, this map features some cringe moments a la Tricks And Traps, and the secrets make no sense. Nothing about this map feels organic, and I’m at this point I’m begging for something refreshing. Rating: D

 

Maps 21 - 30 - Devil's Hive

Spoiler

MAP21 – Slayer:

 

Alright – this one is a true homage to O’ Of Destruction, and it’s a good one. While Plutonia sufficiently battle-hardened me for Slayer, it still kept me on my toes. Much like “O”, there’s a great balance here between having mobility and feeling like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Two of the Archviles were in tricky places, forcing me to get into the right position to snipe them from afar before they resurrected the whole map. The Pain Elementals are a pain (as they usually are), but I still kinda love it. Great map. Rating: B+

 

MAP22 – Impossible Misson:

 

For the first few minutes of this map, I was ready to laugh at the possibly-not-so-apt title of this map – boy was I wrong. This map is tough as nails, often giving you plenty of room to make the appropriate tactical decisions, but subsequently taunting you for failing to execute. I want to love it more than I actually do (it’s not a bad map), but certain parts of it are so difficult it’s damn dispiriting. This is Plutonia, folks. Rating: C+

 

MAP23 – Tombstone:

 

Tombstone is large, claustrophobic, and frankly, kind of scary. It’s a well-constructed map with plenty of munitions, most which you will exhaust fighting off ambush after ambush (the double Archvile trap is the maniacal centerpiece). I rarely found this map too unfair, but it’s quite challenging, and overall it’s a great, rewarding level. Rating: A

 

MAP24 – The Final Frontier:

 

Don’t have much to say about this spinoff of The Living End, except that it’s short, intense, and a ton of fun. One of the best Plutonia maps, and I’ll leave it at that. Rating: A+

 

MAP25 – Temple of Darkness:

 

While it’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination, Temple of Darkness slightly reprieves you from the brutality of the last two maps, save for an extremely evil Baron trap and an appropriately chaotic finale. The staircase section is exceedingly frustrating, but the rest of the map isn’t really too offensive and can be quite fun at times. Not bad. Rating: B-

 

MAP26 – Bunker:

 

I’m of the opinion that Bunker kind of sucks. It’s a huge, maze-like map that is clumsily cobbled together, and each action setpiece is pretty far from the other. Wading through the water canal to kill the occasional cacodemon every 100 ft is the low point of the map. There are quite a few Plutonia-esque traps here, but they feel cheap and unsatisfying. Man, was I happy to be done with Bunker. Rating: D

 

MAP27 – Anti-Christ:

 

Anti-Christ is really the companion piece to The Final Frontier, and in my humble opinion, it’s even better. Devilishly evil but filled to the brim with ammo and health to aid you (not to mention an invuln), this map is thrilling, challenging, and well-designed. I’d like to think Romero’s Perfect Hatred took after this one. Anti-Christ is fantastic and might be my favorite map. Rating: A+

 

MAP28 – Sewers:

 

Sewers is gorgeous, has excellently designed encounters, and is honestly a lot of fun to play. However, it’s filled to the brim with supplies (I stared at all the med-kits I was leaving behind longingly), and most of map lets you breath and explore, unencumbered. Honestly, there’s not really anything objectively bad here, except for the fact that it’s far too easy to be a Plutonia map, and it would be better off in another WAD. It would probably fit in well with Doom II, to be honest. Rating: B

 

MAP29 – Odyssey of Noises:

 

Time to put to rest the question that was on my mind from the get-go: Is Odyssey of Noises the definitive city map from commercial Doom? Maybe. Although large, I found this map a lot less frustrating than Downtown or Industrial Zone, though the latter is a much more clever level. Plenty of ammo and medkits make the risk of death unlikely if you’re not going for 100% kills (the Cyberdemon only really guards the red key). I expected this map to be more BS than it is; it’s a fair, fun adventure through a city, and I really enjoyed it. I just wish the final encounter of the level were more of a challenge. Rating: B+

 

MAP30 – The Gateway of Hell

 

The grand finale of Plutonia is another Icon of Sin fight, and while I’m not a fan of fighting the Icon, this battle is much better done than Doom II’s and far less annoying. It’s manic, brutal, and a fine ending to a great WAD. Rating: B

 

Final Thoughts:

 

The biggest problem with Plutonia is that for the uninitiated (aka those who have only played the other commercial Doom WADs), the beginning is absolutely brutal: many would probably appreciate a gentler ramp. However, once you get acclimated to the level of difficulty, it’s generally an exciting, well-designed adventure. Sure, there are some clunkers here and there, but I think it’s much more consistent than TNT: Evilution or even Doom II. I rarely got bored here, though I did space out my play sessions quite a bit.

 

People like to complain about the WAD’s aesthetic, and to be honest, those who want pretty maps should steer clear of Plutonia, which above all favors many shades of brown for its texturing.

 

At the end of the day, I love Plutonia. It’s up there with with Knee Deep and Sigil for me, with some of the best gaming of any commercial Doom WAD.

 

Favorite Map: Map 27 - Anti-Christ

Least Favorite Map: Map 16 – The Omen

Overall Rating: B+

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by noisebloom

[ImproversGaming]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you had a great time, which is the point. You have given each map a review and rating and they seem reasonable to me. Plutonia has a special place in my Doom heart so I know where you are coming from. If you want a bit more of a background on it I highly recommend the nostalgia playthrough by Darion Casali, one half of the brothers that made them.

For me Go 2 It is one of my all time favourite WADs. Don’t overthink the pistol start option, to each their own. If you enjoy Plutonia so much that you would like to run through again, with a slightly different flavour, then pistol starting is an option - otherwise dust off a new WAD and go to it!

 

 

[xScavengerWolfx]

Sounds like you enjoyed it. I still stay i like plutonia better over TNT because plutonia is more of a game of "how fast can i kill monsters before i get nailed" and plutonia has inspired me to do a wad called Hidden Congo Facility (map 02 is still being worked on at this time) and i made it because i didn't really see many solo plutonia wads (as far as i know the time of writing this comment) being made so i decided to do it. If your looking to do a one off review your more then welcome to play it and let me know what you think.

 

The last time i updated it was 08/26/22.