A collaboration between two established mappers which has resulted in a stylish and impressive unit. Most notable is the unit's theme: A dark, gothic, medieval look, with strong Norse overtones. Daikatana and Hexen2 textures enhance this look, with grey stone walls, wooden sections, Celtic trim, and gothic details, and the result is a bleak, arcane feel that works very well in Quake. To match the style, the architecture is good throughout - ranging from simple but nicely angled designs, through to impressive castles and medieval halls. This is topped off with good detailing and dramatic lighting, including pseudo-coloured lighting (a clever trick with textures!), and a thunderstorm in the final map.

 

To go along with the strongly themed maps, you get plenty of medieval monsters to bash your way through. Gameplay varies and escalates nicely through the maps - it's all quite challenging, but it starts pretty reasonably in the first map, and gradually builds up to a hectic finale that should satisfy the most hardcore of players. Custom monsters are featured, including the amusing Gremlins, the vicious Axemen, and the downright nasty Barons (from Nehahra), which have been modified with more lethal attacks, and are used as challenging bosses at the end of each map. To keep things fair, ammo supplies are generally plentiful, and the variety in gameplay situations makes this a satisfying unit.

 

 

11/27/01: Rapture

A transcendental experience