Necros is a fairly new mapper
on the Q1SP scene. His first release was a map
that could only be played in modified engine
ports, and suffered from a few problems. I was
never able to play it. His second release, At
The Gates Of Midian, was a large and well themed
metal/medieval map. There were a huge amount
of enemies, but I find the map too difficult
with some of the modified monsters.
This third full Q1SP release from Necros, is
a polished, more professional product that carries
on the gameplay from his previous map but with
much better balance. Using Quake3 textures,
the settings is a huge medieval castle quite
similar to CZG's very popular final map in the
Insomnia pack. All of Necros' fine details are
present such as the thin metal gates. But also
a strong point of the level is the size and
complexity of some areas, which are well connected
together. Connectivity is good, with lots of
overlapping.
The gameplay is the strongest
point. It starts out good, but in the second
half it just keeps getting harder and harder.
There are some new modified monsters, including
two different Shamblers and Hell Knights which
are a good challenge. The dying sequence of
one of the Shamblers is a real visual treat.
There is not alot of ammo, but with some careful
play enough to last throughout. Only once near
the end did I get in trouble with just 200 cells
that I refused to waste on a pack of Scrags,
Ogres and Fiends. In my mad hunt for some nails
or shells, avoiding those after me, I ended
up hitting 1% health before finally disposing
of the group, having stumbled upon a grouping
of several ammo packs. The real battles are
with multiple Shamblers, Hell Knight bosses
and Fiends. It is definitely a satisfying experience.
While the architecture may
not be as finely made as in Czg07c, this has
consistently good design and a good layout.
But the gameplay is fantastic, which will likely
bump this up to one of the best single map releases
of 2002.
