Two big releases from Tronyn
in one day, and I have been eagerly awaiting
them both. Coven Of Ebony is the first that
I played, and I was blown away! You get to trek
through six levels, one being the start map
and end levels with three mammoth levels in
between.
The design is very well done, using unique textures
from the Quake mission packs. Although sometimes
it did look a little bland and plain, it certainly
didn't look amateur and was always fairly pleasing
to the eye. The first level (after the start
map) was in a church, with some nice detailing.
The second took place in caverns with a mix
of building interior and bookshelves built into
the rock. The third level was more like some
of the original Quake levels, with water included
with a dark medieval building. Then it was on
to the last small level which was in a small
church area.
The levels were all quite unique and atmospheric,
and did very well to match the enemies in the
wizard style which is not often seen in custom
Quake levels, let alone pulled off this successfully.
I was never lost, and although the levels are
quite linear, the layout crossed over itself
and you find yourself returning to previous
areas to open new doors.
However, the main strength
of Coven Of Ebony was not level design at all
- it was the gameplay. As I walked through the
first doors to meet the first enemies it was
tough straight away. A whole gang of them ran
towards me and my only hope was that they would
take each other out before they got to me. From
then on it got even harder as new enemies were
introduced. There is a new Hell Knight (of course
the old one is still there with a new skin -
which I made) who takes three times as many
hits and is more deadly. The Knights take a
bit more before going down, while there is also
a new very annoying guy who runs at you swinging
an axe. The problem is he's too quick! I was
actually quite relieved at the end of the first
level when the first Shambler popped up for
the end-of-level battle (also skinned by me,
aswell as the Ogre skin).
It wasn't until the second level that a couple
of new deadly enemies found me. They were strange
looking beasts wearing cloaks and would either
spit like a Scrag or heave great fireballs at
you which bounce around hunting you down until
they either hit the target or get intercepted
by a wall. But they are more deadly than the
Vores, as these balls are much quicker. Fortunately
this nasty enemy wasn't used much, and whenever
it was just lob a few rockets around the corner
and run like hell.
Overall, Coven Of Ebony was
definitely worth the wait. The levels look good
and the wizard style is pulled of wonderfully.
Gameplay was top notch, very challenging and
with all the new monsters a quite refreshing
change from the usual Quake baddies.
