Very good for its time, but maybe a bit short.

Hasn't aged well. I guess at the time, the village setting was novel, but it's subsequently been done much better many times, and through modern eyes this is just blocks, blocks everywhere. 2/5

This is very impressive for 1996, and pretty good even today.

Gameplay is interesting and varied, and there is also plenty of visual variety as you move through different sections of the map.

While I agree that it looks somewhat dated and that the town section is rather plain by current standards, there is so much more to this map than “just blocks, blocks everywhere”, to quote the comment above.

3 plus, and definitely recommended.

Village of Dread is a fun map! I did get confused at one part but there is plenty of action and it has a really good flow to it besides that one part. Great for a map from 1996! Watch me play it here: Village of Dread on The Quake Grave

Such a big and complicated map! And design of this level isn't trivial...

I've read that this map was the first of the countless medieval village maps that followed suit and I wouldn't be surprised if it was true, considering its release date. I'm usually not a fan of overly lifelike environments in Quake because a) they clash with the standard Quake aesthetics and b) the engine's limitations make it impossible to even approach a realistic enough result (and the very dated visuals certainly don't help in that matter) but it's still surprisingly fun to play.

Could be the circumstances in which I played but I found this map to be like the 1996 Zendar. Convincing environments, multiple paths that interconnect and fun ideas for gameplay make this a pleasure to dive into! Although I typically save 5 stars for the most notable maps, the release date does propel me to give the a solid rating (I'd say this is more 4.5)