Beautifully designed, grand white palace themed level with simple, yet enjoyable gameplay.
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Developer: id Software
Released:1996
Backsteingotik
Challenging and varied, BSTEIN offers some entertaining and well paced combat scenarios while keeping players on edge. Progression between areas flows smoothly and secrets are engaging to hunt for. All of this is rounded off with an excellent design and a brickwork visual style unqiue to the wind tunnels theme.
Bad Dark Cistern
Offers a good combination of deathmatch levels where the layouts are left mostly intact but flow seamlessly from one area onto the next, while treated to a consistent theme and design to create an enjoyable, classic Quake experience with the occasional twist in gameplay.
Bastion of the Underworld
Large, action packed fortress level which takes place both inside and out. Design is nice, makes use of a lot of curved structures and pretty well lit throughout. Another enjoyable map, while the new enemies may become a nuisance.
Beyond Belief Part 1: The Unholy Alliance
Easy, yet sometimes challenging gameplay with a good design with great ideas.
Castle of the Dark Ages
Castle of the Dark ages is a large and atmospheric level which both looks great and has fairly well paced gameplay.
Centurion
While I have no problems with the decision toward linear gameplay, the poor offerings with the combat really brings this one down, suffering from being too easy and one sided and not making use of the benefits to large environments.
Ceremonial Circles
Enjoyable, balanced and action packed level with a consistent and solid design throughout.
Conflagrant Rodent
Good experience all round despite some spikes in difficulty, and visually pleasing with good construct and texturing.
Day of the Lords
Largely scaled, fairly well detailed and lit level with some great design throughout. Some rather enjoyable gameplay, however the ammo supplies are rather lacking.
Dorghael Arhlannen
A relatively simple, short level with a new boss to fight at the end, taking place in a consistently designed white crypt.
Egyptian Myth
Very well designed map with a good balance of enemies to keep the map action packed.
Explore or Die
The emphasis on exploration due to the lack of ammo and health available in the open provides a twist with gameplay and encourages careful progression onwards to avoid being damaged too much, especially by the Grunts. An enjoyable experience within a visually pleasing industrial environment and excellent use of textures.
Forwards Compatible
The non-linear, interconnected layout offers a decent degree of choice and replayability, despite leaning on the easy side being dominent with weak Grunts and Enforcers. Each area is varied appropriately throughout offering distinctive locations, but does suffer from too much darkness across the level
Honey
Two excellent maps, each presenting a different style of play and design traits in each. One is experimental through the use of locks via explosives and its nature of progression and layout, while the other is closer to that of a classic Quake experience, offering several challenging fights. Both look great and are enjoyable to play.
House of Spikes
Standard gameplay which is fun and balanced, with a fairly consistent and solid design.
In Ovo
Both maps can be quite tough because of limited health and ammunition, forcing careful progression through each area. Design does vary in quality from good geometry to poor texturing, but does show effort has been put into creating something decent and only improves overtime.
Lair of the Dragon Ogre
Short and sweet with some simple yet enjoyable gameplay, and solid design throughout.
Moldy Tower
Slower paced gameplay with a great atmosphere, further enhanced from the new sound effects and other neat elements, such as the working cogs. Design is good, consistent and works very well throughout.
Monastry
Simple classic from ’97, nothing too special with an average design and easy gameplay, but good fun for several minutes.
Penile Devastation
Consistent and solid, metallic and runic design with some decent gameplay which gradually gets more action packed.
Perssp1
Fun, short and solid little map. Gameplay is rather tight however, but the design looks nice and stays consistent and for the most part, tidy.
Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties (But They Do Carry Shotguns)
Possibly one of the most enjoyable Base maps I’ve played since Subterranean Siege. Exploring the level with the combination of underwater locations adds a nice touch to gameplay. The level feels unlinear and the level design is crafted well evident from the brilliant texturing.
Red 777
Red 777 is an action packed, challenging Quoth level, within an excellent looking fortress using an appealing brown and red colour scheme.
Red Slammer
Plenty of replay value to be had here, whether it’s through difficulty levels or ‘carnage mode’. Balanced, fast paced gameplay, lots of enemy variation and an overall good looking level.
Round the U-Bend
Design is the strongest side of this conversion, showcasing an attention to detail from curved geometry, good lighting and careful texturing. Combat is moderate in difficulty yet quick to throw tougher opponents early on for tension.
Rubicon
Although the design is mostly on the average side due to plain texturing, the gameplay works as it is with a neat flow yet can be a little tough due to the large groups of Grunts lurking around the base, becoming the more dangerous threat.
Rubicon 2
The three level pack offers some quality entertainment and great looking visuals all round, coming across as more consistent, detailed and lively than the first instalment in the series. Each map has a feel of its own despite the similar theme and provides new features and enemies fairly well to create a fresh experience.
Ruined Nation
Actioned packed, yet very challenging expierence depending on the skill. Great design and decent usage of the textures throughout an atmospheric level.
Skinny Norris
The large variety in enemy types used and styles of combat ensure the map is fresh right the way through, including some replay value from the choice of two paths halfway in the map. The level consistently uses its unusual style and definitely looks good.
Subterranean Siege
Challenging and enjoyable, with excellent high quality design throughout.
The Altar of Storms
If excellent is too common of a phrase to describe this release, then I’m running out of good words to use. The Altar of Storms is a visually refreshing treat while offering a good amount of action, fun boss fights and neat little effects throughout.
The Anomaly
The illusions and mind games with your perception is an interesting twist in style. The rest of the level has a solid mix between open and tight gameplay, using a variety of enemies and moderate difficult.
The Anomaly 2: Water
The theme of disorientation and the interconnectivity works well to provide interesting visuals and provides a good layout for hunting down the five switches and to create confusion.
The Last Game
Despite having a difficult time and getting frustrated in places, I did feel a sense of accomplishment in the end after beating this. While I wouldn’t personally recommend this map to just anyone, those looking for a challenge and have a lot of patience should give this release a spin.
The Living End
Although the map has some brilliant design, the gameplay falls rather short by being mostly too easy and really misses out on taking advantage of the atmosphere it creates.
The Marcher Fortress
An excellent and well paced level taking place inside the grand and towering fortress, offering an experience that is focused heavily on tough action which only increases during the journey’s course to reach the bell tower peak.
The Middle Evil
Great medieval level design, with an enjoyable yet challenging new twist on gameplay.
The Slaughterhouse
Although dating back to 1997, the map is still a solid experience including interactivity with the machines, some nice design with a consistent choice of textures and colour theme.
Travail – A Quake Journey
This is deffinitely a high quality mission pack that is worth checking out, while the first episode remains the best, while the rest of the pack has its ups and downs. Flow between some of the levels are sometimes inconsistent, but the overall pack has great design and some enjoyable, challenging gameplay throughout.