Demon of the Well

New PWADs Played, FYE 2023, part 3 -- Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

 

Recommendations welcome.

 

September

 

The Mauve Zone by The Royal We

Notes: ZDoom. Strange, surrealistic single map by a new author, referencing paranoia, E1M1, and "a certain TV show" (90s kids are most likely to recognize which one), among other things. Stock textures are used with a great deal of material versatility to create an uncanny blend of both the realistic and the totally abstract, as well as the uncomfortable liminal zone between the two. A vaguely upsetting re-sequence of "Demons on the Prey" completes the uneasy atmosphere. A fairly short map in theory, on skill 4 it can be pretty tough in a minimalist sort of way, coming out of the gate with an injurious booby trap and continuing in that same blithely hostile vein for the rest of the runtime. Immediately establishing a tense tone inspires the player to never let their guard down, yet the map finds ways to slip past it anyway via a cleverly disorienting progression that, while linear never seems to take you in quite the direction it at first seems. Secrets are uncommonly powerful and perhaps more balance-affecting than the norm (finding at least a few of them is key to a smooth skill 4 victory), but if this bothers you I advise you to (at least briefly) get over yourself and search them out anyway, as the author has been bold enough to hide one of the level's most creative and memorable sequences away. Very cool debut.

 

A Silent Hill Map (a.k.a. The Restless Dream) by Thysamithan

Notes: GZDoom. As of the time I'm writing this, the WAD is temporarily/indefinitely unavailable for download, due to a DMCA strike from Konami (presumably due to using pieces of soundtrack directly from the games), who are evidently getting ready to molest the franchise's corpse once again in near future. Anyway, the map is a linear crawl which recreates and mingles the timeless opening sequences from both of the first two Silent Hill games, before moving into an original Otherworld-style labyrinth and then finishing in.......well, let's just say it ends up somewhere unexpected, though longtime trawlers of the Doom abyss may find it oddly familiar as well. The assets and their usage are on point, the references successfully land, and the map certainly has an atmosphere, though the action is less convincing. The path is liberally peopled by a somewhat mismatched selection of baddies straight from Realm 667, and the very linear and very corridor-focused, abstract maze nature of most of the design reads as far less lively / far more repetitive in a Doom context (where you are indubitably the baddest monster around) than in a Silent Hill context. Nevertheless, big fans of SH will probably want to take the tour at least once, just to ooh and ahh and maybe occasionally eep! at the sights and references.

 

Tectonic Rift by thelamp

Notes: One small but deceptively complex map designed to explore/experiment with highly claustrophobic gameplay. Set in a tiny station nestled in a sinkhole, which gave me the impression of being some kind of stint to hold apart plates of earth (or whatever planetoid this is), thus exposing a suspiciously urethral tunnel to the Hell realm. Oh, that UAC. Eclectic, material-style texturing uses a wide variety of stock assets in a number of interesting ways, ultimately looking very grimy, dirty, and grim despite the wide variety of colors and materials used. The map wastes little time in getting straight to the action, and is very violent right out of the gate, almost disarmingly so, which makes a strong impression. Proceedings generally cool off quite a bit in the second half, once you've made it out of the station proper, but there remain some sassy tricks to keep you on your toes. While the environment is designed to be persistently constrictive, the interactive nature of most triggers and deceptively large number of pathing opportunities (for both you and the monsters) make for a level which can be played in several different ways. Quirky, but quite charismatic.

 

Nuclear Bunker by Dr. Zin

Notes: New upload by a mapper most known for their contributions to the Community Chest series. Quite large, the map is set mainly in an underground techbase of steel and concrete, as well as some surrounding areas -- a topside storage/staging warehouse, a mazelike cave system, and a grand river canyon. Originally a product of anno 2007, here the author uses primarily stock textures, with a function-specific custom addition or two, and nicely modulated lighting to quite good effect -- to modern standards, the presentation is immaculately clean and finished with a reserved but effective degree of realistic environmental detail; in its own time, this aesthetic sophistication would have been even more remarkable, though the highly traditional/conventional theme may obscure this somewhat. The level plays out as a fairly slow, atmospheric crawl; there are about 450 monsters (on skill 4), but the size and pacing of proceedings means that these are largely drip-fed over a long period of time, with larger groups and ambushes only beginning to establish a presence in the late going. Finding at least some of the many secrets (which mostly follow consistent in-world conventions) will soon lead to you being a juggernaut, and the SSG, revenants, pain elementals, and the arch-vile are all conspicuous in their absence. Thus, the meat of the experience hangs more on exploring the sprawling complex than on combat. For this to work, a map needs to be immersive, and this one certainly succeeds in that regard, though aspects of its design (such as the cave system) and pacing (RL only appears 3/4ths of the way in, PG is only in a secret right before the last fight) will unavoidably read as markedly old-fashioned or even self-sabotaging to many modern sensibilities. Regardless, a large/long, contemplative adventure is something to be appreciated in this era of faster/smaller/punchier, and it's good to see this author return.

 

Nostalgia by myolden

Notes: RC3. Complete megaWAD of mostly 'short/punchy' maps by another of the year's most prolific mappers (see also: Altars of Madness, various CP contributions). The project's name refers more to aesthetic, narrative trappings, and general mood than to actual design style; stock textures and some familiar supporting elements of yesteryear (dark blue sky, etc.) are used to craft a retelling of the classic Doom II campaign, with map names referring to metal/metal-adjacent songs from the late 80s and 90s, but the fast pace of action, the efficient, compact geometry, and general immediacy of layouts and gameplay represent a decidedly modern perspective. The majority of the maps field under 100 monsters (sometimes well under), and both the brevity of design and a moderate approach to thing balancing make this a generally accessible outing for players of a wide range of skill levels, though later maps are not without some spots of more restrictive balancing and more intense gauntlet-style encounters. Ultimately, it's this more kinetic, action-forward outlook that distinguishes the set from its peers in the year's considerable slate of retro-style projects, perhaps broadening the appeal of and audience for such fare along a slightly different axis than the usual.

 

Acid Reflux by RiviTheWarlock

Notes: RC2. Three medium-sized maps with a mixed sewer/underground facility theme, plus a quick outro. All action, all the time, the set's biggest conversation piece is its altered arsenal; the shotgun is a little faster, the pistol is replaced with a rapidfire assault rifle that fully replaces the chaingun, and wait 'til you run into the minigun that replaces the chaingun proper. The plasma rifle, fully secret, has some interesting bonus properties as well, and despite all of this, once you finally reunite with "Shelly", it still feels like finding an old lover. Maps quickly escalate drastically in terms of bodycount, with m02 and m03 both fielding a few hundred monsters apiece, but seem to go by very quickly, given that most of these are fodder which spring forth en masse in big ambushes, only to be promptly, almost comedically obliterated by your new arsenal. An altered colormap and a selection of CC4 and other custom assets add pizazz to an otherwise stark, utilitarian choice of visual themes. Perhaps not exactly the most elegant thing in the world from a layout and staging standpoint, the mapset is still disarmingly fun to play by virtue of the author's gleefully direct pitting of powerful weapons vs. scads of hapless undead mooks, and a full-thrust sense of pacing. Quick, enjoyable blast from an up-and-coming mapper.

 

Hell Unearthed by LerxstInWonderland

Notes: Six mid-size, stock-textured maps in a traditional Doom II vein, with a shortform thematic arc spanning from UAC techbase to grody, fleshy, ulcerating deep-Hell, by a new author. For a debut release opting to stick to stock assets, conventional themes and settings, and more or less classic gameplay, this is a strong showing in all of the fundamental areas of design -- aesthetics, layout and flow, thing balancing, pacing, encounter design, and so forth. Each map has a distinct and interesting progression scheme appropriate to its setting, such as having to find way into the system of inflow/outflow tunnels in a toxin refinery map, being teased with a key in an enclosed gloomy hallway that collapses out and down into a spiraling, scourging odyssey of survival into deeper and deeper reaches before finally returning to the beginning (and that cursed key) in the second Hell map, etc. Action is likewise conducted with flair throughout, with the earlier tech levels being mined with classic monster-closets to steadily repopulate the recursive layouts and ensure the barrel of your shotgun stays hot, giving way to increasingly diabolical webs of traps with knife-edge balancing of weapons / supplies in the later Hell maps. The entire episode takes about an hour-and-thirty or so to play (probably less if you play with carryovers), and in that span it's always doing something different from what it was 15 minutes ago, while always operating in that classically Doom-y idiom. Very strong debut, I would love to see more by this author in future.

 

Amorphous Euphoria by various authors

Notes: RC2. Nine maps (plus an intro and outro map) from the Doom Universe community, which to my outsider's eye appears to be another offshoot of the ever-splintering DBP group (there is certainly a lot of shared membership here, in any case). While the general format of the episode may outwardly seem to fit that latter group's MO -- i.e. a short/mid-length episode of short/mid-length maps with a specific visual theme and "lite", accessible gameplay -- actually playing it reveals a quite distinct identity. On the matter of theme, stock textures are used almost exclusively (plus a handful of custom splashes, mainly a self-advertisement emblem), but the theme itself is far from "stock", reveling in a mostly bright and colorful, mostly surreal, and mostly warm and inviting netherealm that other players have variously compared to an "LSD simulation" and to the Geocities era of website design; hypersaturate spots of "Doomcute" contrast with periods of total video game-y abstraction for a distinctly Doom-y oneiria that reads as mostly silly and dreamy, as opposed to macabre. The approach to gameplay is much more of a surprise, however, as the authors have shown no reservations about getting weird, with the first map proper being based around the ghost-monster phenomenon (or "holograms" in this case), and the set proceeding through a spell of Tyson-focused play, a couple of void-style maps with more or less conventional action, and a kind of oddly spiteful kiddieland version of a niche challenge map, before finishing with a proper puzzle map, and then a giant and somewhat uncanny automap drawing of an ur-cat. To see the core design of the maps match the weirdness and whimsy of the visual theme was an unexpected (but pleasant) surprise. One to try if you're looking for something a little different, but still more or less accessible to a general  audience.

 

Doombox by DeadmeatZukalick

Notes: RC2. Eight Boom-compatible maps by a new author, each restricted to a 2304 x 2304 grid of playable space. A bit of an odd duck in more ways than one, the mapset is uncharismatic in presentation, being textured almost uniformly in dingy gray stone and similar assets (mostly drawn from CC4) across all 8 maps, with important progression points occasionally highlighted in brighter colors for a jarring contrast that is at once very game-y yet very dreary. No custom music is present, so it's the stock soundtrack all the way. The self-imposed spatial restriction couples with a penchant for very involved, occasionally convoluted progression schema to make for very claustrophobic, physically uncomfortable layouts that are very densely packed (often self-sabotagingly so) with monsters, which are only occasionally mechanic- or gimmick-relevant. As I say, "uncharismatic." Yet for all this, the conceptual design of several of the maps are genuinely clever, occasionally bordering on ingenious, m04's theme of an unstable reality/consciousness, m05's "fuse" gimmick, and m06's radically vertical progression scheme in particular, and this sense of mechanical wit alone is enough to warrant a look -- just take my advice and don't feel compelled to play on skill 4. I'm *sure* you're tough enough and all, but other than the decidedly combat-centric m07, this set puts its best foot forwards (i.e. the sector-dynamics and mechanical trappings of the maps) on lower skill settings.

 

Contaminant Containment Control by Lucius Wooding

Notes: Single, large-ish debut map by a new author, about 20-30 minutes of playtime, depending on your thoroughness. Stock textures. The map's name seems to suggest a techbase or toxin refinery of some sort, and there is indeed a lot of ooze and polished chrome and circuitry and such, but overall theme is much more capricious, including gothic cistern areas, a lurid Hell-chapel, and a little quasi-Egyptian tomb adjunct, as well as an amusingly micro-detailed 'map room' that gives an overhead view of these disparate areas, rendered in tiny, tiny sectors. This capriciousness, both in theme and in flow, is probably the map's most defining characteristic, and one is never quite sure what to expect. The opening room is surprisingly hostile, dropping you into claustrophobic confines with a cyberdemon and other heavies within seconds of mapstart, but once you escape that pace slackens considerably, and while confined moshes reoccur at several other points in the map, by the time you reach them you are likely much more well-armed, and there is a generous supply of powerups (soulspheres, radsuits, etc.) to mitigate most of the assorted hazards. The map is designed to be a non-linear three-key hunt, and works mostly fine in that regard, though actually opening the exit is somewhat convoluted and involves not only collecting keys but hitting a bunch of locked switches scattered all about, the actual effects of which are seldom readily apparent. The many different areas are also largely isolated from one another in a practical sense, and so play more or less the same each time, meaning there is not quite as much potential for variance between playthroughs as one might expect. An entertaining map with a lot of good ideas to build on in future.

 

Azazel's Second Descent by Bloodbath Giraffe

Notes: GZDoom. Beta 1.5. A full set of 32 mostly dense/substantial maps by a single author, ranking alongside Relyctum as another of the longest and most involved playthroughs I've undertaken this year. The author is quick to describe the overriding style as "slaughter-lite", which is perhaps an ambiguous qualifier for a genre term which itself remains somewhat unsettled (and often totally misunderstood and misused, I daresay), which may in turn possibly suggest smooth sailing and broad accessibility, but this is dense, meaty, and generally focus-demanding material from start to finish, spending much of its runtime in choreographed, wave-based arena riots, occasionally delving into more largescale, protracted battles vs. true hordes. A broad palette of influences and more direct references are apparent, most of a decidedly modern cast, particularly Sunlust and its direct antecedents and descendants, though the author's individuality asserts itself in every bloodstained pit and neon-decked portico via commitment to building and designing in a maximalized style -- there really are no "short" maps here, no real "breathers", and while a handful of specific maps are memorable for specific concepts, the focus on big, kinetic battles vs. mobs of creatures is unrelenting. This permament redline approach to pacing is something many will doubtlessly find exhausting, and complicating this is the fact that the WAD was quite visibly birthed while the author was in process of learning the craft, and so different stages of the WAD reflect markedly different levels of sophistication in execution, meaning a total playthrough is a somewhat inconsistent experience, in spite of being so stylistically singleminded. I felt that the "Blood" cluster (maps 16 - 20), which the author evidently scrapped and redid at one point, represents some truly fine material, with an unusual theme, tight scripting, and a variety of interesting map concepts. The "Nukage" cluster (maps 21 - 25) is nearly as good, not as tightly designed but memorable in its more maximalized approach, particularly the lengthy odyssey that is m25. As for other parts of the set, it's hit and miss in varying degrees; earlier episodes and their maps generally read as earlier works, and are more disjointed in flow, which makes the 0 - 60 pacing and protracted map lengths read as more hamfisted or "spammy", to use a popular epithet, while the final episode seems to register all over the board in terms of both inspiration and execution. This inconsistency is easy to chalk up to author inexperience at the time, but on broad scale, even the weakest of the material is competently conceived and quite playable, and the strongest material is something to actually write home about. An impressive debut, warts and all.

 

Full Moon 2 by various authors

Notes: RC1. Compilation of 32 stock-textured Boom-compatible speedmaps, and the successor to 2021's "Time Trilogy" (Tenth Gear, Half Moon, and Full Moon), from a broad palette of authors both brand new and longstanding. Though only a single megaWAD, over its 32-map span this release seems to encapsulate all of the essence of the 96-map run of that trilogy, beginning with totally casual, sip-sized decaf-coffeebreak maps ala Tenth Gear, and ending with a series of spicy little nuggets of microslaughter, while mostly avoiding the untuned, parodical excess that defined much of the original Full Moon. While the release thread does not give much information about the time limit the participants operated under, from the very small size and limited technical articulation of most maps here, it must have been quite restrictive; presumably no other limits were imposed, and the maps vary wildly in tone and style. Bearing this in mind, the great majority of the maps here acquit themselves fairly well -- a few seem like directionless scatterings of rooms, but most have a definite idea or concept behind them, and all are playable, whether classic in style or with a more unconventional lean that a few of the lategame maps ask for. Suitable for players who most enjoy very short and conceptually immediate maps, and for those with a taste for the mystery-flavor/grab-bag character of classic CPs. Maps 12, 21, 25, and 27 were my personal favorites.

 

Mothership Zess by gabirupee

Notes: Debut map with an ominously overscaled, vaguely Nostromo-esque metal spacefreighter setting, by the author of Liquidium, which I had played earlier in the year. Versus that map's claustrophobic and austerely balanced style, this is much looser, taking the form of a short and straightforward slaughter mainly in the 'zone of influence' style. Despite the high number of powerful creatures, which are at their highest concentration in the huge central bay, difficulty is mild (by genre standards) in tone, thanks primarily to plenty of space afforded which allows one to outflank and eventually burn through the hordes without needing to apply any particular strategy (though doing so can of course greatly facilitate proceedings). A tenser final ambush in a darkened core room is handily mitigated by the lightly hidden secret BFG. Functional and enjoyable, if a mite lax in balance in comparison to the author's more recent maps.

 

Bellatrix: Tales of Orionis by franckFRAG

Notes: RC2. Eleven intricate, stock-textured maps ranging in size from small to sprawling, with a generally adventurous bent. Crashed on the mysterious planet Orionis, which you find in ruins and overrun by hellish miscreations, you are left to search for arms, ammo and answers as you trek through fallen villages, floodlands, mountains, caves, and more. The author has created an unusual and compelling atmosphere contrasting the whimsical and the morbid, blending 'Doomcute' vignettes that recall a lost sense of idyll and a generally soft, sleepy ambience with spans of darkness, tension, and demonic imagery for a fresh and subtly rural take on the time-honored (and mordantly comfy) "Hell on Earth" theme. Built for exploration foremost, the layouts are consistently clever, and occasionally outright brilliant, and even the smallest maps in the set are rife with three-dimensional complexity, tantalizing visual foreshadowing, and accommodation for many possible routes and approaches. The focus is more on atmosphere than on constant action, but a 'walking simulator' this most definitely is not, proffering a steady and satisfying stream of traditional run-and-gun action that scales steadily over the playthrough from interesting smallscale gunfights and traps to bigger ambushes and a few real onslaughts in later maps. An eminently well-crafted mapset, expertly blending the dueling joys of combat and exploration in Doom, with a special emphasis on the latter. Quite recommended.

 

Hopscotch by lunchlunch

Notes: RC1. MBF21. Short niche/novelty/puzzle set, in the vein of quirky classics ala Cyberdreams. Has the meticulously clean, filigreed look typical of much of the author's work, even considering the extremely simple and game-y visual presentation. Get from Point A to Point B along a short but perilous track suspended in a mysterious black void, through, around, and occasionally over a series of increasingly complex and absurd obstacles. Most of the 20 short challenges test your agility and ability for platforming, slaloming, pole-running and so forth (these being mostly entry-level by the standards of that particular niche), but mixing things up are a few scenarios that require wits rather than athleticism, particularly where the demons crash your game of 'scotch. The best (and most challenging) of the scenarios require both wits and speed, of course. The pacing and arrangement of the challenges is perhaps a mite uneven, at least in terms of difficulty, but this is a very minor complaint (and perhaps relative degree of difficulty is an unusually subjective matter in a WAD like this). Map 17 made me genuinely lol, not a common experience for me, kids. A short but memorable, and for some possibly educational, experience.

 

Fallen District by Reinchard

Notes: idgames. GZDoom. Huge single map, stock textures, aiming for the style of the "city" stages from the original Doom II. In this case the GZDoom requirement is presumably solely a matter of technical shortcutting, as the level is completely classic/vanilla (or, technically, limit-removing) in style. The massive, towering physical (over)scale of the buildings and outdoor areas make an immediate impression, and decisively distinguishes the map from its id-made inspirations. This imposing scale is present but less pronounced in the interiors, and the map is not without some confined, sinewy halls and tunnels for contrast, which interestingly are often situated at higher elevations. Over 1000 monsters are present (on skill 4), but this fact speaks much more to the map's length and sheer amount of real estate, a great deal of which is optional to visit, rather than to its density or intensity of combat -- most players comfortable with retro-modern mapsets (ala the TWiD series and its spinoffs/descendants) should not find the action alienating or overbearing, provided they can muster the attention span for a map of this length. Moving past the issue of scale, all of the hallmarks of the affected style are present -- non-linearity, verticality, a highly variable mapstart depending on which route you take, bizarre mechanical traps, strange Petersenesque material choices, etc. Some references or general ideas from specific id maps are apparent (I spotted riffs from m13, m15, m16, m17, and m19, and there are probably more which didn't register with me), but these are subtle and are generally totally recontextualized, and I felt that the author was generally successful in evoking the theme and rhythm of Doom II's second episode without relying on specific homage.

 

JumpWAD by Grain of Salt and Ribbiks

Notes: Final version (presumably). Seven expansive, incredibly intricate platforming maps (with a pair of outros) with a dreamlike feel by two of that niche's torchbearers. Platforming or jump-based maps (whether driven by arch-vile attack, a Hexen-style jump key, or other less hardwired/bedrock mechanics) are a small but longstanding tradition; JumpWAD obviously draws from that tradition, but reads as a true total reinvention of Doom as a collectathon x platforming game, built for free exploration, navigation, and puzzling, with no combat to speak of. The attack functionality is replaced with a jump which has an immediately addictive sense of physicality and momentum (it's basically an on-demand vile-jump), and thus endowed the player is turned loose in a series of increasingly complex, whimsically-themed and beautifully rendered stages with a basic goal of collecting enough special gems to activate the exit. Each map features a variety of setpieces, which begin as relatively simple (but clever) navigational puzzles, with each map introducing new mechanics, eventually escalating to true map-spanning, mind-bending mysteries in the final stages (I spent most of two evenings and had to draw on some outside research to fully solve the final map). Yet, in contrast to much of this niche genre's standing traditions, what really sets the design here apart is how little of it is directly prescribed to the player -- all of the maps have many more key gems (and puzzles) than one strictly needs to exit, and to a greater or lesser extent the designs are open and non-linear, allowing you to go where you want when you want, to try something else for a bit if you're stuck on a particular puzzle or maneuver. There is, notably, also no formal fail state (i.e. you never die from missing jumps or other happenings, and indeed it's often beneficial to find ways to fall 'out of' the main thoroughfares of a map). The result is an experience that's relaxing, soothing, and incredibly cozy and inviting, past the initial learning curve of the basic jump and movement physics of course (which, I acknowledge, will likely be more initially alien to some players than to others). A truly unique and imaginative work.

 

Bing Bong Blippo by ZeMystic

Notes: idgames. Nine short/compact techbase-style maps plus an outro, from a member of the Squonker Team. These maps are from an early period in the author's career (as the consistently silly/self-deprecating map titles may hint), and represent a more utilitarian (though still tidy) form of the author's present style, as seen in Vicarious or the aforementioned Squonker sets. In both visual theme and tone the set evokes early-game techbase maps from Doom II, Evilution, and of course, Knee Dead in the Dead, turned to a modern-minimalist design sensibility prioritizing fast, straightforward action vs. fodder staged in chambers and popping out of closets at close range and so forth over the more exploratory aspects of those influences. An early game or "E1" feel is further accentuated by SSG and other heavier weapons featuring only very rarely, found in secrets or placed for limited use in a couple of the final maps. Very immediate and uncomplicated, comfort food for some.

 

Fire on the Mountain by VisionThing

Notes: idgames. Short five-map campaign set in a lost UAC military base precariously situated in some volcanically active mountains, from a newer author. About 20 - 25 minutes of playtime for the whole set, depending on your degree of aggressiveness. Continuous play is suggested, and the set scales fairly well for that, though the player has become decisively overpowered by about the fourth map (pistol-start play seems totally standard/viable as well). Uses an altered colormap and a variety of custom assets (sourced from CC4, Hexen, etc.) for a dark, grungy, and perhaps appropriately soot-encrusted look. To my knowledge, this the author's first multimap set after a series of singles released last year, and the extended runtime has given them the space to build a steadier and ultimately more pronounced arc of action, beginning with simplistic room-clearing vs. zombies and other fodder and finishing with straightforward but kinetically-effective skirmishes against groups of more powerful demons in the final maps. Designs are very straightforward and linear, and typically use a key-and-spoke floorplan, so exploration potential is limited. The author has had some fun embracing the volcanic setting, and so there are more outdoor areas with more interesting topography (narrow rock bridges over lava, hills for climbing, etc.) and a generally larger variety of room/area sizes and designs versus earlier work. Shows continued growth.

 

DBP 50: Emerald City by various authors

Notes: 50th edition of the long-running, popular series -- an impressive display of longevity, any way you slice it. The setting this time is a fallen city which appears to be a few decades into the long process of being reclaimed by nature; an urban Babylon feralizing into a green inferno (whether the demons came first, or the fall, is unclear in this case, but that's part of the intrigue). For this milestone release, there is a sense of the current crop of DBP mappers pulling out the stops to go above and beyond the typical limitations of the series, and the result is their best output since the widely acclaimed DBP 37: Auger; Zenith. The relatively straightforward setting is powered by another of the series's characteristically well-curated asset packs, and rendered in impressive detail by all mappers involved, striking a fine balance between variations on a theme (lots of housing blocks and business districts fallen into verdant ruin) and more novel or slightly surreal scenarios, giving the world a sense of immersive cohesion and a strong sense of atmosphere without sacrificing too much in the way of level variety. The action and pacing, which I am so often skeptical of with this series, is engaging as well, with higher average monster density fostering a grittier, bloodier texture, and fights gaining an extra sense of incidental drama born from the shattered and often jumbled/chaotic geometries which host them. Some of the music selections have an oddly smarmy, ill-fitting quality to them (whereas others are spot-on), but other than this, I have very few notes, other than to wonder if there was initially one more final map planned beyond the already satisfying m15 split (i.e. the line about "something still lurking beyond the portal"). A fine piece of work.

 

NEVER by tei tenga

Notes: v1.0. Six maps plus a barebones outro, featuring a custom dark-electro soundtrack composed by the author and some DeHackED work that makes the bullet-feeding weapons more powerful/versatile, installs some alpha-style lost souls, and turns the cacodemons, as the kids say, into "nightmare fuel." Texture pack is mostly stock, but the set has a very distinct aesthetic, using stark, outscaled spans of concrete, circuitry, unwholesome fluorescents, and other cold/heavy industrial elements along with variously antiseptic and chiaroscuro-style lighting to create an affecting, surreal techno-creepy atmosphere. This sense of unfeeling industrial sterility contrasts with the driving soundtrack and crunchy, fodder-heavy gameplay for a surprisingly visceral experience in the moment-to-moment which sells the minimalist design that tends to dominate between the marquee rooms and sequences. The set scales well in intensity over its six maps, and does not lack for conceptual variety, opening with a cyberdemon-overwatch map and finishing with a dovetailed pairing of a silent puzzle map intended to tool you up for the closing arena/fortress map which follows, with some more exploratory/atmospheric fare between. A debut which veritably oozes character. I certainly hope to see more from this author.

 

[ Untitled ] by Thelokk

Notes: idgames. Eight maps inspired by and exploring concepts of aging, decay, and futility, by the prolific author of The Box of a Thousand Demons and others. Of the eight maps, six are playable 'conventionally' (though I use the term somewhat loosely in this case), and two are small, traversible art exhibits of sorts, an author signature first seen in the aforementioned megaWAD. Stock textures (drawing heavily from the 'manor', 'tenement' and 'cement' subsets), a modified palette which is swathed in gloom and heavily desaturated, and a total absence of BGM create a distinct mood that, to the receptive, may read as variously moribund and nostalgic, further accented by always sideways/niche and occasionally oppressive gameplay. The author's facility for texture/material composition as showcased in Thousand Demons continues to shine and communicate a distinct and thematically varied look through the ancient stock set, proving this to be a skill not reliant on having access to a huge pool of custom resources. Gameplay scenarios, similar to the aforementioned megaWAD, are a scattershot patois of many different challenge-oriented types and tropes, utilized singly and in combination. Many of the purely combat-oriented scenarios, particularly the handful of largescale iterations, continue to show a similar hint of slight kludginess, while platforming elements have become harsh enough to read as potentially abrasive to non-enthusiasts, and puzzle and progression elements have been honed to a fascinating abstraction that communicates that you are "playing art" on both the meta and diegetic levels. As with Demons, I found some maps more compelling than others, but all are interesting, and the best of them represent a further sharpening of an already quite distinct mapping voice. I was most taken with the evasion-based puzzling of the first half of m06, and with the entirety of m05, the dark-drowned "The House is Empty Now", which accomplishes the very rare feat of staging fights that are engaging mechanically while also seeming to suggest a thematic symbolism. If you are interested in something genuinely different (and perhaps not overburdened with rigid conceptions about what is and is not 'proper design'), give this author a shot.

 

October

 

Never Come Back by wxndxx

Notes: idgames. Single map by a new author, relating the trials and tribulations of a most ill-fated Doomsailor in his quest to escape from a mysterious & sinister island after his freighter runs aground nearby. The map has a classic but attractive visual style (think late 2000s or so) and a strong sense of location, blending a loosely 'realistic' setting/premise with more stylized or surreal elements and very well-chosen BGM, giving the impression of a strange dream (or perhaps "nightmare" might be more appropriate?) that uncannily unfolds into quite the perilous and unexpected adventure. This sense of adventure manages to persist across its several distinctly different segments, which feature activities as diverse as very light, contemplative climbing puzzles (when you're first starting out), tight/constricted gauntlet-style battles, and an instance of slaughter later on, among others. All the more impressive is that the map is, perhaps somewhat deceptively, really not all that big or long, but gives the feeling of having undertaken quite the journey before the end, which is perhaps due in part to how challenging it can be. Played on skill 4 (which the author advises most first-time players not do, for the record), it's quite bruising, combining an initially razor-thin thing balance with big, frantic, almost immediately lethal fights that seem to recall certain challenge classics of yesteryear, contrasted with more modern segments involving pressured platforming and more conceptual or gimmicky fight designs, ala the nasty little BK setup or later "undersea" battle. On the technical side, some of the tuning/timing is perhaps slightly jank (mainly in the aforementioned undersea battle), and there are a couple of HOMs which are not hard to spot, but overall presentation and execution are both convincing, and the blend of wonder, adventure, and very legitimate danger puts me in mind of early work by Death-Destiny, among others. There've been a fair few impressive debuts this year, but this is easily one of my favorites so far.

 

Hellhole by Thinkmeats

Notes: v1.0. GZDoom. Single map that "goes places", about 20-30 minutes of playtime. Has the feel of an old-fashioned "kitchen sink" partial conversion map, with rough and jaggy but quite colorful/communicative, loosely representational visuals, and with many changes and tweaks to the still mostly intact base game formula. Most of these feature a goofy (but more or less endearing) absurdist slant, which will become apparent very early on, when you meet the first munchkin-vile. A heavily scripted but mostly linear path takes you from aboard your scout ship and then rather whip-snap suddenly into a dimensional rift hovering in a volcano's caldera, and beyond. Proceedings reach full conceptual force at about the halfway mark, when you encounter the map's party piece in a particularly zany scripted reveal, a handheld Black Hole cannon that allows you to fire a projectile which spawns a highly magnetizing mini-singularity, both vexing and damaging enemies and allowing you to impel yourself to all manner of previously unreachable perches. The map's telegraphy of this mechanic is limited, but the scheme of progression remains straightforward (if anything, I'd be interested to see something done with the concept in a more involved layout), and the manic energy the map communicates in both tone and pace maintains until the bizarre (and perhaps slightly over-HP'd) boss encounter. While quite rough in execution in many ways, this is a map which positively jitters in place with the joy of modding the game, and should feel like a warm blanket for those who fondly remember weird old ZDoom maps.

 

DBP 51: Deadly Ritual by various authors

Notes: v1.4. While more typical in format for this series's established patterns versus the preceding milestone entry (i.e. it's a disparate collection of one-off maps incidentally united by the relatively narrow focus of the custom asset pack, as opposed to the more narrative and 'realistic' character of DBP 50), this is also an above-average entry for the series. The theme centers on mesoamerican temples and jungles, with a subtle but unusual and attractive teal-tinged colormap, which may remind different players variously of the superlative Avactor or the original Epic, or perhaps, for those older among you, Brotherhood of Ruin. About half of the maps are by series founder 40oz; these are, as expected, aesthetically very clean and polished and show an intuitive use of the asset pack, and also as expected, all have an immediate action-forward focus and play like they only support skill 2. This popular comfort-food style is interleaved with maps by seven other participants, including rarer entrants and some series first-timers, and each of these mappers brings a distinctly different level design sensibility and interpretation of the asset pack, from compact, 3D puzzlebox layouts to old-fashioned early '00s abstraction to sprawling and non-linear key-hunts, and more. The disarmingly epic conclusion, by emergent series star BiZ, is quite the capper. It's this pronounced variety in scope and style which allows the mapset to leave a more lasting impression than many other series entries.

 

Existential Dread by Cyberdemon531

Notes: idgames. Six maps with something of a marked 'retro' vibe, rendered with an eclectic and colorful mix of stock textures and assets borrowed from iconic classics of yore (Memento Mori series, Requiem, etc.). A well-chosen vintage soundtrack completes the aesthetic. With the exception of the comparatively expansive m05, which is set in a winding river canyon flowing with a peculiar golden ooze, the maps are mostly quite compact, and have a deceptively complex and heavily interlocking design, with odd height differences, scads of windows, tons of shifting walls, and other small moving parts. Secrets are surprisingly crafty as well, including some quite involved chains that wend through the constricted spaces in interesting ways. In contrast to many other recent entries in the 'retro' idiom, the action is almost comedically bloody and gives no real sense of disciplined or affected restraint, the smallish chambers of the assorted dungeons and outposts regularly ending up carpeted in corpses, fueled by rapidfire sequences of teleportation ambushes and the many small closets peppering the layouts, which makes for an exciting (but still approachable) and quickly addicting pace that sets the episode apart from many of its more laconic peers. A simple but quite cool gimmick for the final leg of the last map sends the set off on a satisfying note, as well. Lots of fun, this short set captures the 'in res' feel of actually playing those hoary old classics in a more visceral and, to my mind, more authentic way than the more openly nostalgic and heavily idealized approach the general subgenre often favors.

 

10 AM Break by Decay

Notes: idgames. Very short set of five small maps originally built for 2021's Bourgeois MegaWAD, a hybrid set designed for both Deathmatch and single play. Uses the gameplay modifications from that set, which generally make the early half of the weapons roster significantly more powerful. Function over form, the levels have a plain, oldschool look with only minimal detail/adornment, but each map has a markedly different texture/color scheme to provide visual variety. The enhanced power of the player's arsenal plus the very compact, 'together' slant of the layouts and small monstercounts mean that maps end almost as quickly as they begin, though there is an eye towards skilled/routed play as evidenced by the very precise ammo counts (on skill 4), which require that no one weapon dominates the spotlight, and may make for a deceptively tricky time for players unaccustomed to this style of design / resource management (though I imagine this element of friction probably disappears in a continuous playthrough). The level of heat coming at you also escalates quite drastically between the first map and the last, which can be interesting contrast within something that takes fifteen minutes, if that, to play casually.

 

Wretched Flesh by HALFCOOL

Notes: Six rather meaty (in more ways than one) and rather "Boom-y" Boom-compatible maps forming a campaign of goodly length, four hours or more depending on playstyle. Stock textures. Minor changes are made to the bullet-using weapons and other game elements, but the overall feel of the game is barely altered. Balances well for both continuous and rifle-starts (I played some maps one way, some the other). The author adopts a realistic / representational style that, excepting a certain running chain of gag secrets, is very no-nonsense in slant, with a spread of traditional settings -- cities, warehouses, military bases, and the like, all infested by the titular Flesh. There's a lot of chunky "Doomcute" detailing and construction present, but the setting and tone are anything but cute, forming a classically gritty, Doom-y narrative of survival and vengeance in a demon-conquered world. Action is the mapset's bread and butter; level designs are mostly linear, and make excellent use of their more or less realistic settings to stage a wide variety of fights that scale rapidly in intensity, violence, and bodycount as the game progresses. Behind the scenes are a welter of voodoo-doll scripts and other Boom effects that allow the erstwhile arenas to shift and change and for additional monsters to be introduced on cue (and often in colorful ways), adding a cinematic flair to proceedings and alternatively allowing battles to shift tempo mid-encounter, or for one space to accommodate several different fights at different stages of progression. If you love scrappy, bloody combat that hovers just this side of chaos, don't pass this one up.

 

Intergalactic Xenology Trilogy by Dreadopp and Lord_Z

Notes: Compilation release collecting the first two episodes of this popular miniseries set in the Ancient Aliens universe, along with a brand new third episode. The series is most known for its pleasant, witty, and slightly light-hearted tone, blending the alternatively smooth/spacey and bright neon lightshow look of the AA texture resource with soothing BGM selections, some conceptually playful and quite memorable level concepts, and relatively relaxed action that takes a backseat to the offbeat narrative and settings. The new third episode is set mostly in "the future" (granted, a rather vague framing given the series's overall setting), and shows some of the most elaborate and fleshed out layouts and progression schemes the authors have yet cooked up, as well as slightly spicier action that occasionally punctuates its relaxed stroll with larger scuffles, often involving sudden Keystone Kops outbursts by big mobs of skeletons. There is, perhaps, nothing quite as memorable here as E2's level where Xenologyguy is shrunk down and cavorts about inside the body of a cacodemon, but the overall quality and sophistication of design, and of the series's narrative/cinematic trappings, continues to grow with each episode, and the cliffhanger ending suggests there may well be further forays in future.

 

Bunker by NoC0ncentrate51

Notes: idgames. GZDoom. The author's debut map, the setup here is intriguing: you're awoken in the middle of the night by a warning siren, and immediately retreat to a small fallout bunker behind your tiny shack. When you emerge, the world has undergone a drastic change. Apart from the interesting framing device, the map remains fairly unpredictable throughout: at first it seems to be an outdoor Hell-gulch map, but the setting shifts again each time you find the bunker, concluding with an initially mum revisiting of the original Entryway, which is eventually blown out and shattered into a more surreal, meandering, deconstructed version of itself (perhaps inspired in some way by The Thing You can't Defeat, a PWAD from earlier in the year which has been very popular). Visuals and combat are both simple but functional, with no real complications or missteps of balance; progression is entirely straightforward -- literally -- and abstracted from its diegetic trappings, the level is essentially a single long corridor with a few monsters littering your path. Some technical roughness remains, including one point early on where you can squeeze through a fairly obvious gap in some rocks you're not meant to, and walk entirely out of and away from the map. Ultimately a very simple level, the interesting frame narrative and the more surreal 'bunker' sequences which serve as transitions between the map's phases make it much more memorable than it would otherwise be.

 

Malevolence E1 by Cheesewheel

Notes: Nine Boom-compatible maps by the author of CPD, Uprising, and others. Stop a maniacal super-AI from assimilating the entire planet through a heaping helping of good old-fashioned ultraviolence. Marries the adventurous, campaign-style pacing of Uprising to a host of modified or new weapons and enemies for a distinctive feel. Many enemies are now faster, and have more complicated or dodge-pressuring attacks vs. their classic counterparts, but many also have slightly reduced HP, which coupled with the augmentation to rate of fire, power, or both for most of the player's arsenal makes for fast and visceral action which emphasizes speed and aggression and plays off delightfully against the author's penchant for blending classic run-and-gun gameplay with big scrappy arena brawls in a variety of stylized settings both more or less realistic and more outré. The use of the Boom format allows for more nifty environmental effects and some extra narrative nuance versus the author's previous work, ala a high-octane moving train level, a working terraforming facility, a nightmarish abduction by the antagonistic AI, and others. Very balanced and nuanced release, should suit a variety of tastes -- here's looking forward to the next episode.

 

Overboard by mouldy

Notes: idgames. Six-map, island-hopping campaign by the author of Going Down, written like a road movie, except there's no road, because you are at sea. Small yet very densely-constructed, location-based maps, featuring tacky cruise ships, submarines, and an assortment of small islands as settings. The simple and somewhat tongue-in-cheek premise belies the conceptual richness and inventiveness on display, with each map having a distinctly different identity and slant to its gameplay, as well as plenty of memorable quirks of setting. The uniting factor is a thrumming, manic energy that infuses the action from the very first ambush outside of your cabin to the final gunshot of the game, with elaborate scripting and unpredictably transforming/unfolding layouts combining to escalate even initially small fights into raucous, unpredictable, multi-stage riots that more often than not boil over and consume the entire playspace of each map, contributing to a decidely arcade-y (and quickly addictive) feel to the game. Also included is a novel "New Game +" mode (in mapslots 08 - 13), which features retooled thing placements and a few other minor changes for each map, which not only make each more challenging but in some cases also drastically alter the way the map is played, most pronounced in the Submarine and Siege levels. Witty, well-crafted, and nothing but fun.

 

Gorehounds of Doom by various authors

Notes: RC2. Eighteen maps by a variety of authors, using a texture resource which combines primarily stock assets with some high-detail flesh/blood/gore additions and flourishes. The intention of the project is to convey a "horror" theme; how to go about this was left largely to author discretion, and so a wide range of concepts and gameplay styles are present -- initially quiet and ambulatory pieces that build tension, largescale slaughter outings, a cyberdemon chase scene, a pair of blurred-reality observations, a concept map that forbids you from making a noise without a roof over your head, "kaizo"-style remakes of maps from the Doom II IWAD, and even essentially conventional maps simply painted in the project's custom assets, to name a few. As a truly open community project, the mapset hosts efforts of a wide range of experience, with many of its authors making their public debut with entries that read as ambitious early-career maps alongside pieces by well-established, prolific mappers. The RC status of the project is very pronounced in this version, with significant bugs in several maps (most notably m16, which appears to be broken in some ports) and some repeating music tracks, etc. Given the motley authorship, the level of sophistication as regards layout, architecture, pacing, tuning and so forth varies markedly, but in spite of this unevenness interest is maintained through the interplay and contrast of concept-based maps with more traditional Doom action, as well as through the unifying horror theme, with nearly all of the maps featuring memorable sequences or gimmicks designed to spook and unsettle.

 

Occula by Bemused and Tourniquet

Notes: RC1. Four maps (three main + an unlisted outro) in what could be described as a morbid wasteland theme, combining a decidedly sinister modified colormap/color scheme based on bloody reds, sooty blacks, and rusty browns with the intensely pressuring full-slaughter stylings of Bemused and the elaborate, vertically-inclined dungeonscapes of Tourniquet -- Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together (TM). As a short campaign of sorts, the set is quite well-composed and thoroughly explores the many complimentary contrasts of the authors' styles, particularly in the third map, with a surprisingly smooth balance struck between moments where you'll be quietly pondering the intricate layouts in search of the many ingeniously hidden secret areas, and those where you'll be fighting like a rabid animal, a hair's breadth away from death at every turn, once you find what's actually in them. Also included are a trio of more experimental bonus maps of sorts: the first a totally minimalist yet very striking use of the red/black assets to create an abstract set of void-bound arenas that play chaotically in spite of their highly symmetrical construction; the second a comically violent but conceptually simple rat-run where literally a moment's hesitation spells instant death; and the third, a dementedly-paced and unrepentantly ugly "BFG poop" map, ala TimeofDeath, with special preface by Junji Ito. Intelligent, brutal, and atmospheric mapset.

 

The Magenta Spire by thelamp

Notes: RC21. Fifteen maps arranged in two episodes, set concurrently with the story of the original Doom, but taking place in a far more remote (and much weirder) backwater of the galaxy. As the name implies, the mapset features a wild and woolly visual style which thematically ties demonic influence with bright, vibrant colours -- magenta, purple, mauve, yellow, etc. -- for a Colour Out of Space flair, married to an endless array of strikingly strange, deceptively complex geometries that contrast claustrophobia with dwarfing scale. A number of modifications to many of the enemies have been made to give them a stranger and more aggressive character as well: imps have stronger fireballs and are capable of an unsettling 'moonwalk' behavior, revenant projectiles richochet vertically, hell knights are weaker but produce much more volume of fire, arch-viles can unpredictably resurrect themselves (yes, you read that right), etc. From what might initially seem a rather chaotic artistic tableau, however, a lot of really astute, well-paced and thoroughly satisfying level design emerges; the balance changes give the action a slightly more urgent tone that doesn't stray too far from the visceral immediacy of Doom's core formula, and the maps transition organically and often unpredictably from atmospheric exploration to intense battles and back again consistently throughout the campaign, which steadily builds momentum to some really strange and suitably climactic material in the game's final stages. Sure to become a cult classic.