23castle.zip

After a somewhat rough start on Map 01 (which is I belive is a bit too much in terms of enemy choice and placement for an introduction map), this campaign has a deliciously well-crafted beginning from maps 02 - 04, with the absolute peak being Map 04 in my opinion, featuring a fun, short and excileratingly gimmicky level.

After that point, I believe the quality takes a sharp dive on Map 05, which by the end hurls heaps of barely thought out enemies in hopes of overwhelming the player. Map 06 has a great start and theme, but has a particularly frustrating close quarters section near the end which leaves me with a bitter taste.

Map 07 is a mixed bag for me. In one hand, it has fun beginning and an AMAZING ending, but an incredibly frustrating gimmick which could be a lot of fun, but falls short in my opinion.

In conclusion, while this campaign has a brilliant start and feel, it quickly loses its luster when it gets too happy with monster and trap placement (I'm looking at you, Arch-vile spam!!!), which ends up souring the experience. Regardless, it still looks, feels and plays like a lost DooM expansion pack, and a very good one at that. 

FINAL RATING: 7.1/10
(This rating is the average of all maps scores!)

Favorite Map: MAP04 - Drill Station (MAP02 - Mt. Orion is a really close second!)
Least Favorite Map: MAP05 - Mortar for Martyrs
Most Visually Appealing: MAP02 - Mt. Orion

i love this, this is peak 10/10

It's not terrible, but it is very bland and there's too many tight spaces. It is a 1994 wad so I will judge it by those standards, but there are good '94 wads. Repetitive texture usage makes it hard to navigate and know where to go, gameplay is rather bland as you mostly just use a shotgun for the majority of the map, and occasionally a rocket launcher, however rocket usage is limited due to how small and tight most spaces on the map are, so it's hard to use them without damaging yourself. The soulsphere trap was pretty neat and I liked the secret area with the lowering platforms of enemies, however alot more could have been done to make the map more interesting and varied.

Awesome Eternal Doom influenced mapset that does a great job of combining the creative map design and exploration focused elements of Eternal Doom with modern game play. This WAD is a great alternative/spinoff to Eternal Doom III, lacking the huge levels with archaic progression and confusing level design that some people are put off by in the original. Some levels near the end are pretty big, but aren't super cryptic (save for one map) and feature some cool fights and always manages to stay engaging. Although there are only 11 levels, each one is chock full of fun game play and some really nice looking medieval areas as well, ending with a cool custom boss-fight at the very end. Highly recommended!

I disagree, I think it's very funny. Anyways, here's my review of it from my Dean of Doom thread a while ago:   Oh boy, Combat Shock 2... Considering how unfun the first one was, I was really not expecting much. But wow, this blew me away! This wad steps on the gas and does not let up. The first map reminds me of the first map from Scythe 2's 5th episode both in visuals and vibe. And then the 2nd map. Wow, just wow. I feel like that map made me start loving slaughter maps, everything about it is just perfect. Then of course there was the 5th map: Boiling Point. This one was even more of a wow moment for me, at that point I knew I was playing something really special. The visual aesthetic of this wad is gorgeous, the combat design is totally bonkers and the fights rarely feel tedious like in the original. Everything just clicks. I wasn't excited before, but this kind of action makes me excited for Sunlust.    Grade: A-