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The screenshots made it look promising, the reviews were mostly 1-3 Stars. I had mixed feelings. So I started up ZDL and ran it. Because ZDL loads the first level instantly, I missed the title screen, Which was actually pretty creepy. The Wad begins in a small room with 3 Fodder. You go into the passage and 6 Barons approach you. I could not find the Red Key so I had to use Give Keys. You kill the Barons and the, "Horror" begins. You see a bunch of dead Demons in the hallway implying that the Exetior in this game isn't a Human or a Demon and is a predator to both. And then everything else from here is from Sonic.exe. You play as 3 different marines getting killed by Exetior. So, what do I think after beating it? I actually kind of had fun. Sonic.exe was never meant to be actually scary, and is basically just there to make fun of. Which is exactly what this is. Just a fun time to laugh at. And I hope there is more mods like this, because Sonic.exe actually kind of works with the Doom engine. 3.5/5...000

First I'm going to go through the original version before I've played this one. I want first to make sure it REALLY is updated. What was the problem of the original version? Map 11 - 100% kills impossible Map 15 - 100% secrets impossible Map 17 - 100% secrets impossible Map 18 - 100% kills impossible Map 20 - 100% kills impossible Map 27 - 100% secrets impossible Map 29 - 100% kills impossible Map 31 - 100% kills and secrets impossible and secret exit inaccessible (initially until you see a trick that isn't that easy to execute). All this is one of the reasons the wad was criticized a lot. This comes alongside some not well designed maps like 16 and especially 25. Some maps were very strictly designed for co-op play and thus resulted in problems. For that, even if I play this wad only for map 14 The Aquaduct, Map 28 City Of The Unavenged, map 23 Showdown, map 21 Twilight Lab, map 26 Between Scattered Corpses and Map 15 Carmacoma - my 6 favourite in it anyways - I still play it as a whole. The maps are perfect for inexperienced players and some of the more skilled and experienced can always find ways to amuse themselves. The wad has really aged badly, but is a real go-to after finishing Final Doom. Not to mention this was the first wad not published by iD Software I ever played. 4/5 is fair, because of the fact there were too many bad maps in it. And a cyberdemon is a must on every map 32. (Personal opinion.) But there are enough maps that rise it to 4/5, including 3 of my top 10 favourite levels excluding iD Doom - 14, 28 and 23.

I don't want to be harsh talking of someone else's hard work, but when something is bad - it's bad. I lost patience around Map 6, but i tried to push through a bit further. Map 9 is where i got completely burnt out by it. I guess i have to give the creator some credit since it is his first megawad, but i think for a starter wad he should have been a bit less ambitious and make 8-10 maps, instead of 32. Possibly then the wad could have been more creative and focused. The very first map leaves a sour tastes, and it shows lack of experience. For UV difficulty, not having at least a few shotgunners and some shotgun ammo is just bad design... have fun dealing with ~50 Imps with just a pistol. Possibly the shotgun was a secret somewhere in that level? Even if it is, It doesn't matter, it's still bad design. You can't make your first must-have weapon, a secret. Take a note from the very first Doom 1 level - if you're playing on UV, the very first enemy you encounter, gives you the shotgun... and the Hangar only has 1/10th of the Imps in the first level in Illuminatus. It was so tedious, i ended up running past everything, and soaking all the damage, hoping to find the exit fast, so i can be done with this chore of a level. At least the second map gives you the shotgun and the super shotgun - good! I'll would have cut out the first map entirely, map 2 would make for a much better starting level. The maps, from what i've seen, are not the biggest, but they feel unnecessarily stretched out. Going out of your way to solve a small puzzle, to get the super shotgun is cool and smart, but having branching corridors that throw you into a room with 10+ Revenants, before you even have the rocket launcher, is the opposite of fun, especially when most of the time these optional Revenant infested areas have no rewards for you after you clear them - you just wasted your time, ammo and health for no reason. They are not rewarding even for exploration purpose, because they don't offer much visually - no cool architecture or intricate blend of textures. Just look at something like Oblivion, which is a 2015 episode replacement wad for Doom 1. It uses mostly, if not only, vanilla textures, yet it is a joy to the eye. I respect all wads that stick to the classic formula, when it comes to visual presentation, because it takes great creativity to make something interesting to look at, by using only vanilla assets. Illiminatus doesn't deliver in that aspect. Well, at least the first 9 maps don't, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Others have already mentioned the switch hunt, and yes, it's bad. It's never a good thing to have switches, which don't have clear purpose. I always loved switches that will trigger a mechanism that is in your line of sight. Having a switch that activates a mystery mechanism somewhere in the map can work too, if it's optional and the level is small and simple to navigate. Having these type of switches and mechanisms in almost every map gets old and tedious very fast. I'm sorry, for not liking this, but it's just how i feel about it. I don't like wads where things just happen for the sake of it. I like wads that do things for a reason. If i step into an optional area filled with monsters, then there better be some reward or cool architecture for me to see in there. If i flip a switch, i want to know what it does, or at the very least be able to figure it out, without having to backtrack or get lost.

Perhaps the best megawad I have played so far. Ancient Aliens is a very distinctive WAD, with its unique tone, custom textures, choice of colors, scenery and meticulous encounter crafting. The overall look of many of its maps is pretty relaxing, (especially as far as Doom is concerned) and that feeling is helped big time by the masterful Stewboy compositions, whose MIDIs often give the journey a mysterious laid-back style or embrace a fun bouncy techno-jazz jive. But don't be lured by the calm looks and sounds, because Skillsaw and his guest mappers know how to turn the heat up and throw you into peculiar and inventive combat scenarios. Map 1 sets the tone for the action perfectly: after the trippy teleporting sequence, you immediately zoom at full speed past a caged cyberdemon, who will constantly hinder your progress and have you frantically look for the way forward. The following brawl with hell knights, revenants and other foes in tight corners does set a tone for the combat to ensue in the first few maps: resources tend to be initially scarce and berserk punching a few skeletons will help you keep your supplies for fights where ammo truly matters. If that doesn't feel like your cup of tea, do not worry: a fair amount of maps do provide ample supplies for when the heat truly gets turned up. Finally, many big enemies in beginning maps are meant to be telefragged (or, in the case of MAP04, the game will eventually spawn a truckload of explosive barrels to kill archviles with little fuss) so the obvious approach is not always the best one. The layout of levels often features traps, but at the very least you can't fault the WAD for lack of variety because it's rare that the same trick gets repeated. Encounters are memorable and my favorite of the bunch include a collapsing staircase where you must fight foes quickly under the eye of an archvile, but you must do it fast because the ledges eventually rise up, bringing you closer and closer to him being able to resurrect the fallen monsters. But each time a ledge rises, new monsters can now get to you so you're never safe no matter what! Additionally, the WAD features two new monsters: the plasma marine and the rotating skull cube. Marines make static noises, are cloaked when not attacking and their plasma shots can be hurtful, but they thankfully need to pause before shooting and are very fragile. The skull cubes pack a wallop, firing a barrage of 3 revenant missiles at any time, which can be homing or not. They would be the worst if they didn't have only about 80 health and exploded upon death, hurting everything in their vicinity. This means that when this enemy appears in tight packs, a single rocket can blow away the whole group. Skillsaw doesn't hog the whole WAD for himself, he offered a few guest spots for other worthy mappers to shine. Joshy from Speed of Doom fame gets two maps, MAP 9 (The Nectar Flow) and MAP28 (Floating Arena). Both are completely different to each other gameplay-wise, but both are fun. The former is a journey through caves of nectar that features the highest monster count in the WAD at the time, but most of them are zombiemen and imps, so happy chaingunning! The latter effort is a slaughterfest that sets the table for the end of your journey. The numbers are high, but the space, ammo and powerups are abundant as well, not making the carnage too mean spirited. Stewboy gets the MAP 31 slot, but this one doesn't work as well; the pacing is too slow and there's a little too emphasis on secret hunting (13 secrets in total!) and the layout even is a little too gray and drab. AD_79's MAP 20 is a strong showing with its tubes full of enemies and the clever archvile hologram trap. Esselfortium's MAP 22 is a scenic ancient castle that is one of the prettiest maps of the set, only upset by MAP24. lupinx-cassman offers a spectacle for the eyes with a sky temple that appears to worship several cultures at once, hence the name. While some of its combat is a little stilted and uncomfortable at times, the looks all make up for it. Tarnsman's MAP 26 is a pretty old stone temple, but the heavy chaingunner usage makes it feel like some weird Plutonia homage. MAP 23 by Pinchy is probably the only guest map I can bring myself to dislike: it's too big, sprawling, confusing, loves to spawn chaingunners that snipe you at great distances and finally, that final fight can go to hell. As for skillsaw's work, the best part about his works is that he's very consistent quality-wise, I can't bring myself to dislike any of his work in this WAD (MAP 32 might be his only map I didn't really like, it felt a bit by the numbers for a secret secret map). Some of the levels have gimmicks attached to them, like MAP 6's sinkhole, which occurs as you're grabbing a shotgun (?). But you better not think of it too hard, or hordes of shotgunners will come to take you away. MAP 18 shows how dangerous the Illuminati are, with the surprise inclusion of an Icon of Sin (in the form of a giant Illuminati pyramid!) that makes incursions in the main courtyard a tricky affair. MAP 19 is a berserk and pistol level that will get you up to speed with punching enemies, your champion contender here will be an archvile you need to punch down so good luck! My favorite Skillsaw maps of the WAD would be Maps 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 16, 25 and 29, aka the last regular map of the set. It's 3 big fights, the final of which is punctuated by the shattering reveal of who's behind everything. Then, they get to watch you do the final fight against seemingly unsurmontable hordes in a big, colorful arena. All in all, Ancient Aliens is a masterpiece. It is surprisingly approachable for being a modern WAD and the difficulty is hard, but often fair. Keep in mind this is still an harder WAD than Plutonia, though. I had a pleasant time on UV with saves and continuous play and if your skills aren't up to the task, lower difficulties will make sure you are not left behind. If you're like me and somehow took this long to finally play this, remedy the problem and play it now. It's one of the all-time greats.

Infuriating monster placement in many maps. Prepare to endure revenants, archviles and pain elementals used in the most enraging, dickish ways possible. The wad is proliferated with dickish traps which will get you killed without foreknowledge. Forget pistol starting some of these maps, revenants and pain elementals in your face at when you have nothing more than a shotgun and a few shells. Some maps are decent, e.g. Map 29, but many are shit to mediocre at best, with maps 6 and 7 being a special kind of standout dickballs shit.

Medium quality WAD, notable mainly for it's hardcore features. I came across it while testing modifications, so I will briefly describe it. Settings and other: * GZDoom. * Passed in combination with Heretical Doom. It goes well. * Difficulty - "magister" (analogous to "Ultra-Violence" from Doom). * Some secrets. * 9 moderately compact levels and few (on average within 150) monsters. * Metal heads and minotaurs, which were relatively rare in the original and especially were mini-bosses, can be found here regularly and not in single quantities. * There will be a sequential fight with two bosses at the end, but both, in comparison with the original Heretic and groups of enemies at normal levels, do not pose much of a danger. * 100% of secrets found. Pros: + E3M5 - Castle of Sorrow. Not a bad level with 148 opponents. At the end, a battle with 6 minotaurs awaits. On the same map, I abandoned testing HeXeReTiC Fantasy earlier - it is hardly passable and the excessive randomness of it became completely clear. + E3M6 - The Unholy Font. "water" map. Contras: ? On the map E3M9 - Forgotten Chapel you can pick up 1 secret only with wings and another one, apparently, is bugged, which is why you cannot pick up a weapon and kill 1 enemy.

memento mori is one of the first great megawads ever released, and while it certainly shows its age 25 years later, it's still worth playing. after a small argument with someone about what qualifies as meeting modern standards with a mention of memento mori being the spark that lit the flame, i decided to give this a replay for the hell of it. i had last played memento mori all the way back in 2016, so my memory of most of the maps had more or less gone down the shitter. other than map09, which i still come back and play every now and then, this honestly felt like playing through the megawad for the first time. now, being from 1995, this megawad shows it age. unmarked doors, odd progression, abstract design, and questionable texturing are all here - of course, that never stops me from playing maps from around this time period. HOWEVER, even if you tend to go for the more modern wads, memento mori is still absolutely worth playing today. despite the 90s-isms, it's still fun to play through; there's very few maps that i would genuinely consider to be bad in it. while a good chunk of the wad is admittedly somewhat average, there's definitely more than a few stand-out maps that shine through even today. being made for co-op players, it very obviously plays better in co-op. however, that doesn't mean singleplayer is off the table; i find it to still be great playing alone. it's also a community project, meaning there's a variety of styles, so you'll never get sick of seeing the same style over and over again. likewise, there's maps of all types, ranging from more exploratory maps such as map21 to intense combat-driven maps like map09; i'd imagine there's something for everyone in here. hell, there's even proto-slaughter in the form of the casali maps. if i could, i'd give this wad three and a half stars; it's not an 8/10 in my mind, but i feel like it deserves better than a 6. i suppose i'll just round up to four stars :)

* Hell Ground Review * Pros - Maps are very visually gorgeous. Architecture is smooth and Gothic themed. Bravo on this! - LOTS of combat. Challenging, yet this WAD is not a slaughterfest. More on this in the “Cons” section. - Music is great, except Map 6. Oriental music just does not go well with this Map. - The best map is the final map, Map 7 – Mystery of Hell. It is HUUUUGE. Set aside your entire afternoon for this map. It has 15 secrets and you will not find them unless you have all day. Cons - Absolutely hated the sound effects. - You’ll get the BFG 9000 before you will get the Plasma Rifle if you fail to find the Plasma Rifle’s secret beforehand – in the previous Map. - Although not a slaughterfest, many enemies appear out of the ground just about every time you utilize the “Use” button. Many combats were close quarters – of course, AFTER the monsters appear from nowhere and/or the ground. - Map 3 (Paranoia) starts you off in a small room with 4 firing Chaingunners that suddenly pop up from the ground, each in a corner. Good luck with that. - Level 4 (Warp of Time) is a nightmare. I have played literally hundreds of WADS and I've never once “IDCLEV’ed” a map. But I did so after completing approx 75% of this map as I had enough of it. - Level 6 is just plain useless. You “free fall” for 30 seconds. Then walk (a virtual) 10 miles. All in all, I just didn’t have fun with Hell Ground for all the reasons in the “Cons” section. I have no idea why so many praised this WAD, let alone what it’s doing in the 2009 Cacowards. I've seen much better work from the author, Alexander "Eternal" S. (aka Deadall). It was the "suddenly appearing" monsters and the horrible sound effects that annoyed me the most, not to mention Maps 4 and 6. Considering the WAD is comprised of only 7 maps, two of these seven maps being useless is a fair chunk of the game. 2 out of 5 stars. ~ Dylux

The only map I've ever released on idgames myself (back when I was "ChekaAgent"), out of 6 I ever finished, and unfortunately, probably the weakest one. It's garbage. Not 1994 tier, but not much better. The idea was good on paper... well, not maybe good, but sorta cool: remake Lab X-18 level from STALKER, BUT using only textures from NOIRPACK. Well, the idea... didn't work out well. It could've been done well by someone who has Torm-level detailing skills, but not by me. The map ended up being a set of bland featureless literally all-grey corridors. If you want to see a poor attempt at remaking a level from a modern in game in Doom, or a level made in entirely out of Noirpack textures, this is it. The music is bad as well. I mean, it fits, and is meant to be creepy, but it's also bad, repetitive and boring. I'm writing this review just because I want to shit on something, and the best place to start is your own work! Still, I'm giving this map 2 stars instead of 1 because I put some effort into it and back then I actually finished and released maps, unlike NOW. -_- PS: I made a stupid typo in the text file when I submitted this wad, "sacry" instead of "scary". I still remember it after almost 5 years...

The visual level design here is mostly similar to Plutonia and its unofficial sequels PL2 and PRCP. But it is by no means a gameplay part, since for example the gameplay in the first maps revolves around ammo shortage with not so much opposition (although it was tight in places, I admit), while the latter maps are somewhat reminiscent of slaughterwads with a bunch of ammunition and opponents. The same applies to the size of the maps - the first ones can be completed in 6-7 minutes, while the last ones takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Although this could be explained by a kind of progress, despite the fact that even MAP12 (the first map in wad) is not a walk in the park. I am not opposed to forced pistol-start (maybe even for), but usually if the levels should be completed in this way, they should be better balanced, as the ability to store things from previous levels is discarded. And again, I repeat as previous speakers - perhaps some arch-viles were even superfluous. This is especially noticeable when you go through the same room several times.

I don't like this WAD that much. Despite the fact it throws you to a different universe outside Doom, it's not well made! The levels are maze-like and it makes you often think "Where the hell am I supposed to go?". Maps 9 and 10 had made me open the WAD in GZDoom Builder and check the route and needed keycards. Map 6 even shows a giant arrow on the automap to show where the exit is! Lots of rooms don't have any furniture or any other stuff, like the author was sick of mapping every room in each level, but sometimes it would be nice to see a notable decoration or an object that identifies a room. Military Base looks very domestic. On the other side, it provides some creativity, like going from one floor to another. You're teleporting to a different area of the map, but you think you're on another floor. The enemies are not that hard to kill. They are different zombies, armed people and civilians. There is a girl holding a zombie's head and it bytes you!?? She is probably out of her mind. Since it's made for regular Doom 2, this WAD goes out of realism since everybody is trying to kill you and only you! These civilians are just hanging around zombies and feel safe. So concerns armed people too! What kind of zombie apocalypse is it?? I can assume that policemen are changed because, when you deal enough damage, they became blue and bloody, like they are walking deads with pistols. But what's wrong with other people? Why they are not being attacked by zombies unless provoked? Also civilians roar like a cyberdemon when they spot you - that's confusing. Blue cops sometimes drop a rifle, but they are not armed with it. Looks like these are layouts from Doom 2, and they are actually sergants from Doom, but with changed sprites. BTW, there are also boxes which you can move by shooting them and block a pass for zombies. Unfortunately, they are almost useless. Sniper rifle acts like a shotgun. Bazooka is weak: it kills 2-3 zombies at best and sometimes can't kill a human. Why not provide less rockets, but make every shot more effective? Also there are no digging animations. I know it was made in 1997, but the overall quality is low. P.S: I wish there would be a decent zombie apocalypse WAD since you can put friendly bots, cutscenes and dialogs in a WAD.

One of my favorite megawads. Unique, humorous, memorably, and featuring lots cutesy sector work, such as toilets, helicopters, chairs, and the such, all of which are entertaining to see. Oh, and let's not forget it also has the best IoS fight ever (props to Gusta's girlfriend for serving as reference). The early levels (from 1 to 7, with the exclusion of the 5th), compared to the rest of the megawad, are very low quality. Not to say they're bad, but they're not levels I'd like to replay when I think of what else KSutra has to offer, or what initially comes to mind when I think of this wad. Gusta and Method were the level makers of this wad, Adolf "Gusta" Vojta making most levels for the wad (23 levels), and three levels in collaboration with Jakub "Method man" Razák, who alone made merely 6 levels. Method's levels are easily the lesser the megawad has to offer, being the most lacking in overall quality, and with gameplay and progression ranging from dull to irritating, and are solely the reason this isn't a 5/5, but a 4/5 for me. As for Gusta's levels, I found his progression with level design was visible, with almost every next level outdoing the previous. They're the most unique, fun, and slaughterful. Gusta and Method boy didn't aim for "pretty visuals, pretty enemy placements, pretty mindblowing mechanics, etc.", they simply aimed for making the levels fun, regardless of what sacrifices. Though they're easier than the usual late-AV or HR level, they're still challenging, and if you're an avid classic lover like me, you'll easily spot the specific inspirations taken from the classic megawads the authors claim to be fans of. And Duke Nukem 3D. What was taken from that is most visible. 4/5, give it a go, but don't be put off by the early, or Method's levels. This is an essential experience to every player who's taken interest in classic Doom community works.

This is my 7th favorite overall Wad of all time (thus far). If you liked Eternal Doom III (the first 12 Maps of it, anyway - it's the only real part of Eternal worth playing), then you'll love this game. Gothic themed, great music. ("He's over here!" LOL!!) Although only 11-ish Maps long, it's quality farrrrr outweighs the quantity. My ONLY complaint is that the game should have ended after Map 09 - The Great Library. There's enough battle once you finally get the Blue Key and reach the Great Library to warrant the ending; there's little need for Map 10 and Map 11 isn't really an actual Map. Fave Map - Map 08 ("Kythraessos") - See if you can locate that Blue Key Card and solve that 6 pillar switch puzzle! Woohooo! A definite must play with definite replay value. Well deserved Cacoward. Loved it! Solid 5 out of 5 Stars

Did I miss something here from the players that gave this wad a 4 (and above) rating? The maps were too short, too linear, very bland and very easy. The music was horrible on most maps. With the exception of the elevators, I absolutely hated the new sounds. Finally, the soldier face was a bit much. I did the first 6 maps in roughly 30 mins. - and that included looking for the secrets (which slapped you in the face at most times). I got to Map 14 before I just gave it up out of sheer boredom. I just couldn't see it getting better. Sorry, IMHO, the play for Operation: BIOWAR just wasn't fun for me, even on UV.

BACK TO SATURN X E1: GET OUT OF MY STATIONS REVIEW: The Good: - Stunning visuals - Great monster placement - Lots of (clever) secrets and they are rewarding - Enough ammo to keep you going - The names of the Maps LOL! - Loads of fun - Awesome music! The Bad: - Not long enough. LOL! I loved it so much, I didn't want it to end! In Short: I've actually played this fantastic WAD at least 6 or 7 times. Why? This is my second favorite WAD of all time, only bested by its successor, BTSX Episode 2: Fountain of Sparks. I remember the very first time I played it a couple of years ago like it was yesterday. How many times can you say that (in a good way) about a game? I remember being completely blown away by the architectural designs at the time. I even remember giggling as I sunk in the ocean on the final Map, only to read something like "To Be Continued..." and thinking, "Awww....it's over." But I admit that, like everyone else, I had loads of fun with this. There is lack of a "customary" final boss (I wasn't certain if this was a "Good" or "Bad" element of the game, hence why it's in neither category above - it really will depend on the player so I kept it neutral). But don't let that deter you! The final "stage" in the last (playable) Map is as memorable as it is wicked, and it'll keep you on your toes just like any other customary boss! Play this WAD if it's the only WAD you ever play. Definite replay value. Well deserved Cacoward. Thanks, Team, for making it! 5 out of 5 stars with me. ~ dylux

I can understand the reasons for some of the very polarized reviews of this wad, but feel that both sides of the argument miss the mark. True, there are plenty of weak points about it. It's very easy - you are more likely to die in an inescapable nukage pit, or from carelessly standing near exploding barrels, than by becoming a victim of any monsters. Far too much health and (especially) armour is provided, and whereas I'm not a fan of currently fashionable 'resource management' approaches to ammo provision, it's still probably too readily available here - it's possible to use the SSG for the majority of the game, even on zombies and the like, without running out of shells for very long. There are other annoyances too, like the baron pit in map 3, which doesn't seem to work properly, or the mind-numbingly tedious and pointless teleport puzzle at the end of map 6. On the plus side, it's fine for an hour or two of quick, unrestrained blasting fun. The environments can be a bit bland, but are generally better than those in many early Doom wads, and are occasionally quite impressive (eg map 11). While the difficulty level is, as mentioned, pretty low, this makes these levels ideal for beginners, if that doesn't sound too patronizing: and for more experienced players, the wad could be an interesting challenge if played with mods like Project Brutality or Project MSX. Played on UV difficulty, GZ Doom.

Infinity is the third chapter of the Serenity Series. Originally released in 1995 as a replacement for episode 1 of Doom. It consists of 8 vanilla compatible maps (no secret map). I played the episode on Ultra Violence using Woof on *vanilla* compatibility setting. The average difficulty is higher than Doom 1, but for the wrong reasons. The maps relies on, such things as mandatory damaging floors (which are recurrent on this series), abundance of sergeants and a lack of armor and health all through it. The previous entry had these issues on some of the maps, with map 2 and 3 being the biggest offenders; so I guess it is characteristic of the Serenity wads. Infinity follows the tradition of the previous entry with the use of copyright music. The episode includes an eclectic mix of tracks by C+C Music Factory, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson among others. The renditions are not bad, and give the wad a nostalgic feeling of early hackers coming up with maps for what was once was an emerging new video game genre The maps are a little basic for todays standards but they are still fun to play. One most approach to this old wads with the mindset that you are exploring an old design. They are not as polished as todays designs, the fun comes out of exploring them as a product from their times. 1. **Switch bored?**: a short romp through a wood base. Good use of shotgunners a couple of fun ambushes. The map is a little low on health and has some mandatory damaging floors which can get you killed depending on the hitscanners fights go. *Switch bored?* has the strange habit of having secrets thrown around on the normal route. 2. **Say jazz to another excess**: a shotgunner heavy map set on a tech installation. The most memorable section being a maze full of elevators which makes you choose between different tunnels. The rocket launcher and the baron of hell are introduced on this level. For being such as a hitscanner level it is certainly missing some armor or medipacks. 3. **Beat it!:** The best level so far. Aesthetically it is all over the place combining tech sections with wood and marble, but from a gameplay perspective it much more forgiving than the last two. The plasma rifle and green armor are finally introduced here. Similarly to the first level it is full of nonsensical secrets which are flagged as you progress. 4. **Everybody frag now:** Combat heavy scenario, simple buy very fun. The BFG is introduced on this level albeit I did not got a chance to use it. There is an interesting section near the start in which you fight enemies inside a waist level maze. 5. **Dungeons of doom:** Sewer kind of level. Very easy and combat oriented, due to the cell ammo you receive. Very nice ambient song. 6. **Who's afraid of red, yellow and blue?:** after the triad of combat heavy maps this one is much slower paced and puzzle oriented. Doomguy explores a very abstract map while trying to find the necessary keys to get out. Did not like this one very much. 7. **Blaze of glory:** an ok level. Not very memorable. 8. **Stargate into infinity:** an arena shootout level. Nice design in which the main arena expands during the fight. It tricks in to believing that the bruiser brothers will be the final boss, nut once they are killed the level opens up for one final section. Is it worth playing Infinity today? It depends. The levels are basic and occasionally difficult for silly reasons, while also being short and charming in their own quirky way. Compared to some other maps from 1994 and 1995 this one is not as polished as Fava Beans or Slaughter Until Death but it is certainly better than something like Serenity. On the other hand, if you compare this to todays maps there are some design decisions which are not expected after almost 30 years of mapping. The (ocasional) lack of health and the mandatory exploration through damaging floors can get on your nerves easily. Compared to some other stuff from the early nineties this gets 4/5 stars, compare with some map sets from today it would be around 3/5.

An E3 replacement from 1994. Map order seems off here, the first two or three levels felt the most difficult to me, the rest were very easy. A fair bit of quirky design here, with a lot of maps containing secrets that are mandatory to progress through the map, though most can be forgiven as they're pretty easy to figure out, some can't really even be considered proper secrets, there are others though that may be a nuisance to people. The maps are mostly quite small, with some medium-sized offerings in the middle, and a larger map in E3M7. In total the WAD took me just over an hour. E3M3, 5 and 8 are probably the best maps here, all decent maps, though I had to noclip in E3M5 after getting stuck in the blue key room due to falling off a raising floor which could not be lowered again. 8 in particular looks pretty cool with its stained-glass windows. 1, 2 and 4 were good enough, but don't stick out in the memory as being particularly special. 6 and 7 are easily the worst maps here, though I can't decide on my absolute least favourite. 6 is a couple dozen of small boxy rooms filled with monsters, connected either by more boxy rooms or narrow corridors and staircases, with no variety except some of them are green and some of them are brown. 7 is ugly as sin, gameplay is a bit of a slog in places, and it's the biggest map in the set so it's not like it's all over in just a couple of minutes. Overall this WAD is decent for the most part, despite some strange design choices. 6 and 7 do drag the quality down though, and unfortunately those are the maps I'm most likely to remember.

Fair share? I'll ignore the fact I keep rage quitting because of map 28. Scythe is taking everything too much to the extreme. I liked the first 20 maps and from then on... Yeah. I played it even once on HMP and still 28 frustrated me. All because of one revenant. I'm not gonna say too much. It was a big dilemma if to give 3 or 4. But I'll give 4. Why won't I give 5: Combat is unfair. Lots of monsters in cramped spaces aren't my thing. If you think it's the difficulty, read my HR and AV reviews. Seems like I can handle difficult stuff. In Scythe I simply don't enjoy it and it simply made me give up on megawads. That, until that infamous @Nine Inch Heels comment came as a slap in the face for me. On HMP it's at least more manageable. Not that much grinding and I can breathe a bit calmer. It sems like short maps aren't my thing either. Also the majority are the player thrown in one arena and fight. That's not how I like playing Doom. Lots of fighting must be done in a forceful way. Like in so many fights, especially map 26, the way to go is "use the BFG well or die." There are 6 other weapons. Let the player use them if they want! Can there be more cover in a few maps? Like I said, everything is taken to the extreme and I'm not a fan of extremism. But still, this won't make me give 3 in the end, because this wad doesn't deserve it. I'm talking on my behalf only. Some maps make me want to just go into another wad and simply go through a maze of corridors, just to take a break from Scythe. These are my two cents and I'd rather be banished from the community forever than playing this ever again! Erik, you had to take some lessons from Yonatan Donner if you wanted to make hard maps. He seems to be the best at that. Oh wait, @Andy_Johnsen actually is better. No matter, just get out of my head!

Done on HMP/continuous/saves. Thematically is interesting, you must grab the red keycard in order to exit each level. Exit rooms are built the same in every map, which is cool. Visually, it has some interesting ideas, like kitchens, ping pong tables, a graveyard with the names of the creators of this wad. Planet maps were the nicer imo. But there are also maps with bland visuals and too many long corridors. Music is cool. Difficulty is mostly easy, some maps like maps 18 and 28 have tricky traps as well as tough monster placement. It really doesn't look hard to replay on UV/pistol-start, though I'll admit there were several maps where I didn't have much fun. Map 24 and its ghost chaingunners can [insert curse]. Also not very convinced of secret placement in general, a lot of "wall-hunting" ones, there were even untaggable or unreachable secrets. Not that the rewards were bad, many BFG/megasphere/berserk ones that were fine. Overall, for a 90s wad, I think there is some good material to see how people used to map before. Between so so/ok/good wad for me, I'll give this 6/10.