Marduk

Screenshots

The name Marduk doesn't give you all too much of a clue about Patrik Höglund's level does it. But once you get started it won't be long before you realise you're playing a wad which is far above average.

Whereas most levels would graciously handout the Shotty as your first weapon, this is not the case in Marduk. Grab the Rocket Launcher and kick some arse baby. Lucky you have it too because most of the time you'll only find the toughest of Doom's monsters. Which means... arachnotrons, mancubi, hell knights and revenants are in force. Scared??

The uniqueness of the monster placement makes the level feel somewhere inbetween the non-stop action of Doom and the slowness of Quake. Seems to work quite well in the end. You may not run out of ammo but there are a lot of chances to get the monsters fighting eachother... and we all know that you should never do something when someone else can do it for you :-)

Patrik has created an extremely effective industrial base theme, with excellent texture use, but even better lighting. You wouldn't call it pseudo-source lighting but it still looks great. The result of all this effort is definitely a very atmospheric level.

As noted, the gameplay is slightly different to the 'rooms full of imps' we know and love. But, that's not to say there aren't a few surprises that will keep you guessing and on your toes. You'll have to see for yourself though.

What are you waiting for, "Get the blue skull key and escape." If you can keep up with it...

Rating 9/10

Reviewed by Chief