Fans of [Kona] will
rejoice at this offering. Originally created
to be part of the sequel to Rapture, Nightmare
Orchards is a fantastic map with plenty of fast
action. Architecture, which is one of [Kona]'s
strong points, is very well done with buildings
that flash back fond memories of Satyr and Ancient
Rigby. This makes sense because the map is set
to follow those two maps.
Nightmare Orchard begins with the player wading
through water into this medieval style structure/complex.
Immediately you encounter the Quake2 baddies
with Enforcers, Guards, and Light Guards being
the most prominent at the beginning. You will
notice immediately that this level is not your
standard Quake2 level. This was accomplished
with textures used from Diakatana, Hexen2, and
Rune. I simply love the way this map looks but
I must admit that the Quake2 characters don't
exactly mesh well with the level. The map has
such a gloomy atmosphere to it and the metallic
look of the Quake2 monsters seemed to contrast
with each other. This mainly goes for the bigger
monsters you encounter later in the map like
the Gunners, Medics, and Gladiators. Enforcers,
Guards, and Parasites seemed to work pretty
well.
As with most [Kona] maps, there are plenty
of baddies for you to extinguish. Probably the
thing I enjoyed most about Nightmare Orchards
was their placement. You will be battling it
out in every direction. Most of the map has
an upper level perfect for the Strogg troops
to turn you into a pile of gibs. Thankfully,
ammunition is readily available through out
the map but health can tend to be sparse. Weapons
featured are the shotgun, machine gun, grenade
launcher, hyperblaster, and the railgun. More
than enough firepower for what lies before you.
As mentioned earlier, you will see plenty of
areas at the beginning of the level that you
will want to gain access to. Not to worry, the
map twists and wraps around itself taking you
back to areas you have already encountered.
Another call sign of [Kona]'s work.
Overall, Nightmare Orchards is another classic
map from a great author. Though I would have
preferred to see the Quake minions in this style
of a map rather than the Strogg but their placement
and the action that pursues more than compensates
for this. Recommended.
