Introduction
Originally built as part of a larger total conversion that never saw the light of day, SEWAGE has Duke dropping into a Canadian sewer system seeking out a route below ground to reach the Parliament Building in Ottawa. Considering how Page’s JAILBIRD ended upon entering the sewers, this level doesn’t feel out of place as a possible follow up.
Review
From the title alone I kept my expectations low going into this because sewer levels in video games are often synonymous with poor quality filler. Taking place in dark and dire locations they often devolve into dull shooting galleries or a slog of tunnel mazes, not exactly the most inspiring location to stage a level. Page however catches me by surprise proving the exact opposite of those very concerns, especially considering it’s a map from ‘97, offering a solid experience that almost has potential to be slotted somewhere during Shrapnel City. SEWAGE is a well lit and varied looking romp throwing some of the water related concepts seen during the base game with a couple of added twists. The most classic example is having to squeeze between the broken teeth of large rotating gears, twice in a row while underwater and an extra third attempt when on dry land, requiring a well timed jump of faith toward the opposite ledge.
Other scenarios involve taking brief swims to reach connecting sections, accessing a door by lowering the water level and flying into a ceiling pipe using the jetpack. There’s very little backtracking involved during progression because the layout consistently pushes you onward, eventually flowing back round to where you’ll need to be later as you’ll never be stuck in one place for too long. Combat is then very frontal and direct, often walking into rooms with stationed guards and very few ambushes attacking your flanks. The only minor hiccup stopping progression might be escaping the room after grabbing a blue key, not being aware that one of the vent walls can be busted through. It was also a shame the jetpack had no further application beyond its one purpose, such as revisiting a prior section where you could always see a possible exit route but unattainable without having the correct gear. I did appreciate the minor joke involving an out-of-order button before acquiring it however, Duke was not amused.
Visuals still hold up well by using a blend of shapely room designs, good lighting setups and playing hard into varied texture schemes, where Page avoids establishing one particular pattern to ensure each location looks and feels different to the last. There’s some creative texture applications dotted around like one instance of pipe walls where high pressure steam bursts out from them, each sprite having been carefully aligned against the exhaust point for a convincing effect. The use of those green metallic textures from Derelict toward the later portions were also utilised well, using a falloff gradient lighting to give this whole section a distinct appeal compared to others I honestly would have enjoyed a whole ship theme created in this style. To further break up the level, cavern sections are introduced as not to be bound too strictly to its location and eventually you’ll make way for the surface streets, not too dissimilar to the finale of JAILBIRD, a breath of fresh air before exploding a building to smithereens.
Conclusion
Page proves as a mapper they could take any simple theme such as prisons or sewers and somehow turn them into these engaging experiences through varied designs and ensuring you’re consistently pacing through the level. I’ve never gotten around to SEWAGE prior to now, but it manages to become a classic example that even sewers can offer an interesting setting with the correct mindset behind its creation.