Gameplay: Modified Quake,
Single Player, 3 map pack
This
package started as a "straight id"
metal installment, then became impregnated
with Abyss of Pandemonium textures, reskinned
and tweaked monsters, and a huge number of
sexy ambient sounds. The result can only be
described as terrifying.
Architecture
Complex, twisty and diabolic
Each map returns time and again to the same
areas at different levels, and each has its
own particular style. Escape Bastille has
cages suspended over insta-death lava by heavy
metal beams; Forsaken has impressive outdoor
areas and The Dismal Burning its rather plump
Quake symbol and monstrous arenas.
The construction is a leap from the relatively
flat two-level style Kona has been known for;
the maps squirm up and down enough to prevent
this suspicion. This is helped by the intricate
stone and metal brushwork - rivetted grey-brown
metal beams acting as a frame to bind everything
together, illuminated cruelly by yellowed
lights, demonic sky or lava.
Also helping is the way most areas are made
unique; rooflines and wall sections lunge
and meet at all sorts of angles and heights,
breaking up the overall ceiling height. I
was particularly delighted to enter a single
story room in the first map only to find it
was the top floor of the chamber I started
in. Brilliant.
Texturing, as noted, is a mixture of straight
and modified id, AOP and a few other textures.
This provides the unpleasant world of the
Necrobrood with a unique ambience. And speaking
of ambience...
QuakeC
Noisyland
There are a huge number of ambient sounds
in this mod, and all of them are just great,
veering from evil industrial borboryghmi to
several flavours of wind, including a splendid
"damned souls" one and a truly splendid
dripping. If the original Quake had been more
"heavy metal", these should've been
there. The only thing is that sometimes they
seem to be somewhat sourceless.
But along with the ear candy come altered
beasts: The grunt, enforcer, ogre, knights
and shambler are all blessed with modified
AI - they jump, for one thing, and their attacks
are much deadlier (especially the shambler's!)
Nailgun ogres make a welcome appearance too.
The monsters are mostly reskinned in armour
that looks much like a diabolic version of
the player's.
There is a slight problem with the monsters
"pausing" a beat when they teleport
or spawn in, making them easier targets, though.
Strangely enough, armours are reskinned and
renoised (with a sound from Hexen II) as well.
Actually, they look quite nice... and tempting
:)
There was, when I last played, a strange
event. A scrag's severed head kept floating
around the floor, orbiting me and making attacking
noises. Gave me the creeps until I realised
it was harmless. The Head That Wouldn't Die,
oooo!
Gameplay
It's Quake to me, babe
The game starts off quietly enough until you
get the first key. That's when all hell breaks
loose.
As you stumble through the game, monsters
keep steadily teleporting or spawning just
ahead, behind or beside you, which is actually
a good way of keeping the game moving fast,
although you can get tired of hearing teleport
whooshies seemingly every time you pick your
nose. Also, some doors only open from one
side, and woe betide thee if you stay in the
middle of 'em.
The endgame requires you to duck not only
Cthonian fireballs, but also a fair-sized
number of waves, which persist even beyond
Cthon's death. I certainly wasn't expecting
that. Great stuff.
Architecture
Complex, twisty and diabolic
QuakeC
Noisyland
Gameplay
It's Quake to me, babe
