ECHELON

In 1998, Sverre Kvernmo was named as one of the best doom mappers. In 2016 he released a megawad which proved he's still one of the best. Echelon is creative, unique and has great architecture and beautiful levels. The atmosphere is unlike anything I've seen before in a Doom wad. The first levels took me off guard because of how short they were, however, Echelon is more about the continuous experience than individual levels (although there are many levels which are great on their own). I've never completed a megawad in one sitting before, but I just could not stop playing. Echelon goes right into my top 5. I wish Sverre Kvernmo would return again to make some more maps.  

Single handily created from the mind of legendary 90s mapper Cranium, Echelon is a megawad that is essentially a retelling of Doom 2 from small tech base/moon maps to small/medium size city maps to neat medium size hellish landscapes. While there are a few dull maps early in the megawad along with a disappointing map 30, I would honestly say most of these maps are fun & worth playing through...especially map 29 which is my favorite :)

 

-Philnemba 4/5  

A bit of a mixed bag initially however the second half is definitely more engaging with more action, especially the last 10 or so levels. Even so it is still fairly sparse action-wise.

Design and atmosphere are above average especially towards the end but nothing that special.

Creative stuff with lots of missed opportunities unfortunately. The maps will go by so quickly though it's worth checking out for the crazy music and the fun new enemies and textures.

Kind of overrated. While some maps are pretty memorable, fun and adequately challenging, such as "Inner Palace", a lot of them feel like dull filler.

Neat visuals and music here and there but the maps fly by quickly and gameplay leaves much to be desired. Alright for a quick playthrough but without the charm of something like Scythe. 2/5

A flawless example of how to convey a message through level design, while still keeping original ideas. Perfectly mixes deeper meaning and fitting aesthetics with simplicity, flow and unique architecture. I would make it mandatory for everyone who'd ever try making maps for Doom. Absolutely doubtless 5*, legendary in every aspect.

Wonderfully original. 'Nuff said.

Most of these maps can be completed in 3-10 minutes, but it doesn't mean this is not worth your time. I found the fast progress refreshing actually. It's something different and you need to be willing to play past the first ten maps which may be finished much faster than you would expect. Stick to it and be rewarded with a continuous storyline that smoothly blends in with the standard Doom II cluster texts. Kudos to Cranium for creating this little gem!

Amazing. The maps are small. There is a lot of immersion with the story (but not too much). Detailing was good. Must try if you feel like going for something small and yet big.

Really nice megawad this. The maps are short and sweet, not too difficult and with a degree of continuity that keeps you hooked. Really like the new textures and monsters too. Perfect for a few hours of casual dooming.

Ugly, boring, repetitive.

Very well done, minimally designed levels with the perfect emphasis on color that as a whole produce a great, story-driven experience.

Sverre makes a megaWAD of mostly small levels, in stark contrast to his Eternal Doom / Plasmaplant stuff. It'll go even faster with carryovers. It's a retelling of Doom II with some liberties taken. His city theme, the more intimate areas having a sort of space-age modularity about them, are my favorite. The balance of some of the later levels - namely MAP24-26 - is pretty tight on UV. Plus, you get to save a dog from a burning building! I dig the Ribbiks / Jimmy soundtrack.

this is crazy. the first few maps show that there might not be a whole lot of good in it. in fact, quite a few of the maps are definitely horrible, the mash of colors and odd thing placement add to that. the last few levels may actually be worth playing though.

A crystal meth crack hallucinogenic mushrooms spawn of 30 mind exploding maps that simply do not compute. I feel mentally ill after noclipping through all of them. Playability - zero. Architecture - what the fuck. Music - I'd rather listen to a person with diarrhea relieving themselves. This WAD deserves no points and may the gods have mercy on its soul.