Suspended in Dusk

To the above reviewer, this came out in 2005. Espi died in 2009. It's been considered a brilliant classic since its release. You do the math.

This is a pretty good set of maps by Espi, and perhaps his most famous work. The maps play well and have lots of new textures. The atmosphere is often "dark", accompanied by the most ambient-ish tracks from doom 1. The levels are good and, fortunately, it ends right when it starts getting boring. Good thing Espi only made 4 levels, because each level has pretty much the same theme, and I can't be bothered to play 32 levels that feel all the same. 4/5

nicely detailed and good gameplay (like the custom textures) but its kinda cramped. :/

Cool. 5/5

To the reviewer 2 posts up: This wad was Espi's best work, and has gained a popularity based on that. To your credit, though, it has gotten much more exposure since his death, leading to more people rating it.

To the guy 3 reviews above: Boring??? Boring to you maybe, a person who lacks reasonable intelligence or artistic appreciation. To the rest of us, this wad is godlike.

Voi nenä, this wins. :D -Hobo

Thank you very much. 5/5

This is expertly designed, and if you can overlook the time-consuming and flow-breaking effects of the complex areas, you won't be disappointed. But it's short, and we're dumped back to Hell On Earth just as things really start to pick up (but not before seeing some of the best mid-texture construction conceived). All the same, great work Espi. A wonderful addition to the list of legendary WADs. Rating: 4/5 -- Entropy

excellent review above, regarding the 4 levels. A five star wad with the exception of having to run around a little too much, in map 3, because I didn't blow the exploding barrels, but otherwise , 4.5

Ressurrects an authentic retro feel while still being up to standard today. My only complaint is it was so short. *****

Godlike mapping. 5/5

Awesome wad!!!

Difference, ladies and gentlemen. Sometimes you just want a break from hundred-monster kill-a-thons and for that, you can't do much better than SID. My sole complaint is a certain "sterility" in the design. There's only so much that can be done with sheer architecture -- let alone with Vanilla limitations -- and gorgeous as they are, lots of rooms definitely could've done with more actor-based decoration to complement the architecture. -Lioyd

Well, what can I say. I really expected something more from the top rated wad on Doomworld. The levels are confusing as fuck, simply put. It's a very linear mapset, but it tries to feel non-linear, so it winds up winding around in circles, leaving the player simply lost. Impressive architecture and new textures, all very nice, but it simply isn't fun, and is, in fact, actually boring and more like work rather than a game. Sorry Espi, 3/5. R.I.P.

By far the best vanilla wad ever created, don't miss out on this one. However, I ran around for quite a while in circles looking for the missed keycard which was in some obscure corridor I had passed earlier. :p Probably my fault and not the mappers though. 5/5 RIP Espi

Utterly beautiful and the fact that it's a plain vanilla WAD makes it even more impressive.

If all Doom wads looked as beautiful and played as fantastically as Suspended in Dusk, we would have all died of pleasure overload a long time ago. The only bad thing about this wad is that there are only four levels, meaning the awesomeness is over far too soon. Here's hoping Espi eventually gets inspired to make a sequel; Suspended at Night, perhaps? This would get 10/5 if possible, but alas I'll have to settle for 5/5.

Looks great but plays a bit dull - 3/5

One of the best wads to date. 5/5 - Netherstorm R.I.P Espi! Have fun in the afterlife!

as exciting as wearing underpants

I usually don't like large tech bases you can get lost in, but this one rocked. Not too mazey, and pretty as all get out. Mapper kicks butt. 5/5 GreazyShorts

The best part of this WAD is the new textures. They are a great resource for any DOOM modder. The levels themselves are visually fantastic. However, most of the areas just seem like filler as you pass through the 100th STARGR*-textured room. The levels are pointlessly huge. There isn't a single memorable fight in it. People need to put as much effort into gameplay as they do into aesthetics. 3/5

Thanks for the ride Espi. RIP man.

Nice work Epsi, I like the different textures, pistol, SSG and chaingun sounds. This one will also be added to my collection. You've got a good title there for these (Suspended in Dusk) but a nice titlepic and a [deh] file for the map names would finish this off nicely. 4/5 stars. -Zane