Ultramarine was released back hot on the heels
of Fearcraft (ALK12), but unlike that release,
this one does away with his trademark pyramid-type
layout and instead follows a more intuitive,
map-crawling layout that's more straightforward
than anything. The map-crawling has been done
in excellent form, with twists and turns applied
liberally to create a genuine maze-like effect.
Not that level design is opposed to anything
small and constricting, however. Kona doesn't
usually pull out the "epic spaces"
thing that other authors do, but there are plenty
of areas that receive the "open-area"
treatment and where this happens, there's plenty
of attention to detail. Lots of beams, supports
and overheads, angles, stair-stepped designs,
and other flairs small and large alike that
add to an intricately-designed theme. Over it
all is a unique fusion of medieval and metal
that's been aesthetically coordinated amazingly
well. The new design is a striking one, lots
of unique textures, in a mostly blue color with
a bluish skybox to match. Overall, one of the
most well-made themes Kona has done. If there
were any inconsistencies, I didn't notice.
Gameplay is just as straightforward as the
level design. In short, it's a standard Quakey
treat with a return to a straight-up laced form
in which the monsters are just there to pack
a regular brutal wallop. Skill settings are
not in effect though, and this causes gameplay
to suffer a bit, because it's not as hard as
it could be for more skilled players. Very possible
to make it through without dying once. All the
same, a challenging play loaded with ogres,
Death Knights, scrags, shamblers, vores, and
assorted custom monsters Kona has used before,
like the Axeman, gremlin, and the Baron enemies.
All placed in positions that maximize their
advantages, with a fair number that spawn in
after certain triggers. Shock moments guaranteed,
unless you see them coming of course (not too
hard to do). Minimal sense of progression until
the finale, which is a very nice set-piece,
a standard combat-wave in a space with just
enough room to manuever, that finishes off with
an enemy previously unseen (by me, anyway).
You'll have to play to find out!
With strong standard-Quakey gameplay such as
this, and the excellent visuals and level design,
Ultramarine is a solid release indeed, and among
Kona's best and most-polished. A worthy play
for those who haven't played it yet.
