realm of the green skull - lexus alyus

Filename: rotgs.zip

File size: 674k

Author: Lexus Alyus

Homepage: unknown

Other work: Follow.wad

The construction of this WAD was well done; its architecture is functional not
flashy, but it serves its purpose well. There are no cramped spots in the map;
you can't really get stuck anywhere. There's not a huge amount of detail,
but there's enough for you to be able to suspend your disbelief; it looks
as realistic as you can expect a Doom level to be. The detail was placed
economically, as were the slopes (good use of ZDOOM features there).

The gameplay is superbly tense - this tension is aided by the æsthetics (see
below) and by the industrial music, composed by the designer himself. Around
the start of the map, there are some swanky cutscenes, with modern-cinema-style
camera panning and movement. The map is story based, although the dialogue
within the level is extremely cliched ("You have escaped, but you won't be
so lucky next time" is one of the titular Green Soul's unmemorable utterances.)
Also, the author should check his spelling; "your" is not the same as "you're",
no matter what anyone says. And "thru" is an error which should only be made
in America. The gameplay within the level itself is well done; it's graduated
from being very easy on skill 1 as you'd expect to being a real nail-biting
challenge on UV. (Those bloody stealth imps!) Also, when fighting the six
or so stealth arachnotrons, use the lamp-posts to your strategic advantage.
That's an advanced warning, by the way.



Errors: none.

The æsthetics are well done - it's a very convincing underground station, and a
gloomy place too. The contaminated area with its green fog is quite disturbing,
being so isolated from anywhere else and having a loose archvile too. This is
probably one of the best WADs to use just the Doom2 textures to achieve its
goals - it doesn't look much like somewhere out of the original game.
Damn fine job.

Good thing placement. The map as a whole works better as just a single one -
the ending is very unexpected! (heh) It will be very difficult for the author
to continue on from the end of this, as indeed he has promised to.

verdict