enjoyable experience with some unique architecture even if the overal texturing is a litlle repetittive

Very good.

I found this too dark, samey, weird and 1997ish.

Medium sized average map with simple architecture with some very original designs and combat situations. Layout is good and twisted. Gameplay is good and fastpaced. Nice for a quick play.

So I played this with the software renderer and a lowish resolution (800x600). It is a well crafted level. And I absolutely loved the visuals. Yes it's quite dark and in many places pitch black, but it feels controlled (except for a couple spots where there were things that looked like lights, but no light coming out of them) and not just something that happened because the author forgot about ambient light level. The darkness and the visuals in general have a certain atmosphere to it, a vibe that I never, ever get from modern levels that attempt to fake global illumination by putting a little light everywhere. It's a vibe I very much enjoy.

Layout is interesting enough, gameplay is ok, though the map could be a little bit longer. Recommended if you're like me and are looking for old but well crafted levels which have that unique atmosphere...

The anonca maps are my cup of tea. They're clean, and have a creative abstract use of space and lighting. Wish there was an anonca2 =P

The title of this entry is misspelled. The readme says "The shambling", not "The shamblin".

Comments on the level:

I played this almost immediately after "The Cobalt Palace"--it was actually a replay, as the aforementioned level left me wanting a bit more '97 architectural weirdness.

When this level is good at that, it's really good. The starting area makes for a very good first impression, with some really cool angular designs that also appear elsewhere. Many other parts of the level are much plainer, however, and the dark lighting and the color scheme (which could use a bit more contrast here and there) don't really make up for.

Gameplay is pretty unremarkable. There are a few missteps in terms of monster placement (the ogre at the start which is below the player; the weird underwater shambler finale) and no real standout encounter that I can remember.

Despite its flaws, this map is worth checking out if you have a taste for abstract architecture. There are definitely a few ideas I plan to "borrow" for future maps.

Very weird. Genuinely interesting, despite feeling so arbitrary, but poor workmanship knocks off a point or two. I enjoyed the underwater finale, strange through it was. I do believe I will go on to play the other Anonca Base map.

The combat in this map wasn't particularly challenging and the secrets, at least the 4/7 secrets that I found, weren't very cleverly or interestingly designed most of the time.

The strong point of this map is exploration. As mentioned in the previous reviews, the architecture is interesting, and certain details, such as elevator designs were very cool and unique, with their fullbright colors shining bright in the surrounding darkness. So exploring the interesting environment alone made the map enjoyable enough of an experience and helped me keep a lookout for secrets while I was enjoying the scenery.

Liked the map. I always think that due to the water physics in quake, it should be more explored, even if it is weird and non beliveble.

I think the darkness in the map was intentional. The high quantity of secrets induces the player to explore, since the combat isn't so challenging. Liked the symbol 9 appearing thoughout the map.

The swimming shamblers were a neat idea. And if you know the quake engine well, you can kill them with an axe no problem.

I love the map's weird atmosphere. Different areas are done in different architectural styles, but the whole thing feels cohesive, probably because the map is almost all blue and dark.

freakin excellent map for 97, definitely one for the old school map collection. the gameplay is on point, the ammo is decently tight, all weapons are present and the puzzle is challenging. very satisfied with this map and really good brushwork, especially for 97, and especially for mixing in base enemies which is a pet peeve of mine.

the only cons would be some vore fights were too easy, and you're rewarded with green armor right away but don't have to do much of anything to earn it. otherwise excellent map.

my custom hud: https://i.imgur.com/sGAcQDk.jpg