Plut's random Doom texts [MM2 MAP27 review]

[Plut]

Memento Mori II is my favorite megawad of the 90-s, and its maps 27, 28, 29 are some of my favorite Doom maps of all time. Each one of them has a totally unique style and atmosphere, inventive geometry and satisfying challenging combat. I'm tired of holding these thoughts in my head, so I'd like to express them here.

 

MAP27 - The Silos
 

Spoiler

What distinguishes this map the most is how it's largely made up of huge minimalistic spaces with angular outlines. This makes the level feel utterly lonely and desolate, like an unfinished base long abandoned by humans due to Hell infestation. I love this feeling (which also brings to my mind memories of watching Evangelion and getting depressed), and the wonderful music track by Mark Klem ("Shadows of the Dead") greatly amplifies it. You're given all the major weapons except the BFG right away, and there are lots of thick enemies which are really fun to blast with the rocket launcher.

 

First, you go right from the start, into a cave to retrieve some rockets guarded by 4 revenants and a mancubus, then it's left to explore the main area of the map: a convoluted techbase surrounded by big open spaces with rising platforms that connect different towers. The layout is very non-linear, everything is organically connected together and there is no singular clear progression for this map. You go around the map from place to place, searching for new keys, items and switches in hopes of getting out of this maze. The key you're most likely to find first is the blue one, but here comes the biggest issue I have with this map: you really need to know what you're getting yourself into if you're playing saveless. If you take the lift down to the blue key area without the invulnerability (which is located in the white room with cacodemons and red hellish panels), you're liable to never get out of there alive. You'll get swarmed by a pack of high-tier monsters, one of which is an archvile, so taking the invuln right before that fight is absolutely essential.

 

Another area of interest is the central hall of the base populated by a revenant, pain elementals and lost souls. That one is dangerous because you might get swarmed by lost souls if you let the PE situation get out of control, so you need to shut them down *fast*. Also, right here is located the entrance to, probably, my favorite area of the map: the BFG and red key zone. It's a tight maze populated by dangerous high-tier monsters (including 2 archviles), which might shut down your operation real quick if you don't know what you're doing, and the presence here is near horrifying for me. Here you are rewarded with the sweet BFG (my favorite weapon along with the SSG), however you are unlikely to really need it at this point. I love the steep spiraling staircase leading to the red key.

 

Another place I love is the isolated secret area (where you can teleport after you use the crushers on the cyberdemon in the big computer room), which is a spiraling ascent along a white cliff, the only big "natural" area of the map with lots of cacodemons and revenants to rocket. There isn't much in the way of climax on this level: open the red door, kill 2 hell nights, a lone archvile and press the exit switch in a tower guarded by one imp. Grade: 8.5 / 10.

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Plut