Bongo bongo bongo, I don't want to leave the Congo [part 1]

After what feels like forever I have finally finished my second mapset. I have tried work on the issues I made in my first.

This is a three map mapset for plutonia, it was made for BOOM format.
Every map was designed for pistol start.
I put an extra challenge at the end of each map for continues play (these are not required of you don't want to do them throw yourself into the heavens.)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldr7h2ai3761fpq/Congo Bongo Part 1b.wad?dl=0

Map 01: The Devils Symmetry - I wanted to make a map that would be enjoyable to play that was the exact same cut down the middle. I tried this concept before but this is a big step up in my opinion.
Map 02: Boxed In - This is a tyson focused boxed themed map, this is a tribute to E2M2 but be warned its a very gimmicky map. There are guns in the map, but know it is completely doable never firing a shot.
Map 03: Rancid Hole(boss map) - This map is a step up in challenge from the other maps. Monsters put a lot of pressure on the player.

Screenshots:

Story: I was under the impression that plutonia takes place on another planet so..

Credits:
Intro and intermission music is from Hell 2 Pay
Map 01 music is from MIDIS BY JIMMY i'm sorry but i don't remember the name of the exact midi
Map 02 music is from Going Down
Map 03 music is from alien vendetta

Soulbruiser made by WH-Wilou84

Play testers:
loveless
Spectre01

Seeing how long it took me to make this, hopefully in a year I will be back with part 2.

this looks very authentic, good job!

I like the hanging demon face panels in the first screenshot. Overall, the screenshots look good. Keep it up!

Updated the ending to map03, it bothered me that people could download it on the internet.

I thought the ending boss fight was a bit shit so I made some changes to make it less shit.

I added a new enemy that makes a small appearance, He is more prevalent in part 2.

But I thought he would make the end fight more enjoyable so that's why he is utilized so little in this release.

Pretty neat levelset. :)
 

Map 01 : Cool opener, I was expecting a slower curve but you're getting right into business with traps everywhere.
Making symmetric maps is usually a bad idea, but the map's fine thanks to the quality of the gameplay scenarios.
 

Map 02 : Tyson and jumps, heh. Not my cup of tea but the idea is well executed. I managed to reach the outdoor area with the 3 Viles, but the jump sequence to reach the blue armor was too much for me. I'll retry with saves.
 

Map 03 : Easily the best of the 3, this is a large affair with plenty of devious ambushes. Very nice work. Still a fair bit of symmetry, just like map 01, but I'm sure you'll lose this habit with experience.
 

The area pictured on your 5th screenshot is damn hard, heh, health comes at a premium and these Chaingunners on the left along with the Arachnotron are a real pain, not to mention all the random Imp fireballs everywhere. I'm sure I've missed a lot of helpful secrets :)

Also, thanks for including the Soulbruiser. :)
I should upload this guy to the /idgames archive while I'm here.

Good luck for part 2 !

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Map01: This will probably be the last time I'll try the symmetrical map gimmick. I know people usually frown upon symmetrical maps and for good reason.

But I really liked the challenge of having fun and interesting gameplay with a symmetrical map. To me it was a learning experience on how to make more enjoyable and dynamic monster fights.

Map02: This map is probably the most divisive in the set. I love E2M2 of doom and I think of it as a tyson themed box map, so I wanted to stretch the idea as far as i could with the concept. It's something i really enjoyed making but i totally understand people not liking it.

Map03: Of course took the most time and effort to make. I wanted every fight to feel unique, which lead me to hit a lot of mapping blocks when making it.

There are some symmetrical fights in it, but i thought it was so few I didn't think it was an issue. I think symmetry everyone once and awhile but you're right I probably could have worked on it in some areas in the map.

Also, thanks for creating the Soulbruiser.

He's a great midboss monster and much less annoying than Afrits.

Surely took my sweet time with this one, though after finally being able to give it a proper playthrough I'd like to say a couple things about this set since it surely deserves some attention. I'm a plutonia nut, so themes and motifs like these are pretty much a mousetrap for me.

01 - Indeed the global symmetry gimmick works largely against it, overall it plays alright though, with some solid encounter design and engaging gameplay overall, so it's a somewhat flawed but also generally endearing opener.

02 - Definitely not my cup of tea in any way whatsoever, very gimmicky, very harsh, the visuals were also largely a miss tbf, felt tastelessly and garishly "avantgarde", even jokemappey at times; basically, the whole map leaves that impression in the end, many things about it feel mockingly absurd and non-serious. I'm sorry if it all sounds offensive since I'm not really here to bash, but this map really is this mapset's black sheep in more ways than one, and unfortunately it's not really a good thing.

03 - The real star of the show, this one is big, complex and quite inventive in its approaches to exquisite torture. I find it very amusing how plutonia-themed (in terms of aesthetics at least) mapsets tend to deviate from their progenitor and into the realm of all-out hardcore in a number of different ways, first it's c-shock and its hordes, then skepland and its surgical (read - Mengele-grade) monster placement and carefully calculated ammo/health distribution - and now this map. I must admit that while it suffers a bit from 02's influence (lots and lots of platforming, then lots of platforming, then lots and lots of platforming for some more, and overall all those poles kinda divert from thematic consistency and architectural cohesion) - it largely excels at establishing varied and creative combat setups, some of them genuinely cruel and quirky (like the very beginning), some quite imposing and intimidating, but all of them different and generally interesting to both witness and overcome, even though the whole thing is still somewhat rough around the edges.

There's a rough gem lying at this map's core, sometimes it's a bit crude, at other times a bit absurd, nevertheless it's got lots of charm and charisma, and it also demonstrates some sheer talent that probably needs to be honed and refined a little bit, yet you've got great potential, I guess soon enough you'll be able to produce some truly stellar stuff devoid of most "buts" like the ones above.

I'll definitely be on the lookout for more maps from you. One small (?) thing though - I'd really appreciate it if the platforming becomes less accentuated next time, but my voice in that regard mostly goes unheard, hehe...

Thanks for making these maps, looking forward to playing more one day!