Nightmare Ochards

Author: [Kona] | Rating: 8.75 | Download: nightmare.zip

Fans of [Kona] will rejoice at this offering. Originally created to be part of the sequel to Rapture, Nightmare Orchards is a fantastic map with plenty of fast action. Architecture, which is one of [Kona]’s strong points, is very well done with buildings that flash back fond memories of Satyr and Ancient Rigby. This makes sense because the map is set to follow those two maps.

Nightmare Orchard begins with the player wading through water into this medieval style structure/complex. Immediately you encounter the Quake2 baddies with Enforcers, Guards, and Light Guards being the most prominent at the beginning. You will notice immediately that this level is not your standard Quake2 level. This was accomplished with textures used from Diakatana, Hexen2, and Rune. I simply love the way this map looks but I must admit that the Quake2 characters don’t exactly mesh well with the level. The map has such a gloomy atmosphere to it and the metallic look of the Quake2 monsters seemed to contrast with each other. This mainly goes for the bigger monsters you encounter later in the map like the Gunners, Medics, and Gladiators. Enforcers, Guards, and Parasites seemed to work pretty well.

As with most [Kona] maps, there are plenty of baddies for you to extinguish. Probably the thing I enjoyed most about Nightmare Orchards was their placement. You will be battling it out in every direction. Most of the map has an upper level perfect for the Strogg troops to turn you into a pile of gibs. Thankfully, ammunition is readily available through out the map but health can tend to be sparse. Weapons featured are the shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher, hyperblaster, and the railgun. More than enough firepower for what lies before you.

As mentioned earlier, you will see plenty of areas at the beginning of the level that you will want to gain access to. Not to worry, the map twists and wraps around itself taking you back to areas you have already encountered. Another call sign of [Kona]’s work.

Overall, Nightmare Orchards is another classic map from a great author. Though I would have preferred to see the Quake minions in this style of a map rather than the Strogg but their placement and the action that pursues more than compensates for this. Recommended.

- DorKwolf