no-rest-for-the-doomed

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#64: Return to Phobos (1994)

I think I have like 3 more '94 WADs until I can say I'm done with what I want to play (for the most part). I took 0 notes contrary to what I usually do these days and didn't really screenshot-hunt, I don't think this set is very photogenic.

It's kinda hard to recommend a set when the 2nd map has a game-breaking bug with a lift that never raises to the exit, and I'm sure there's some patch out there but out-of-the-box on /idgames, you have to cheat to finish the level. At least the secret exit is easy to find?

Yeah, this is definitely one of the weaker sets I've had the time of playing from this year thus far. It makes up for it in the latter half (something tells me the author mapped these sequentially) and generally speaking it puts emphasis on exploration and side areas, along with plenty of variety in areas and sort of a natural feeling of getting lost, forcing the usage of the automap that actually makes Doom feel - to me anyway - more sci-fi than it usually does with the IWADs.

The first map sucks, there's some switch puzzle that is absurdly hard to figure out and the 2nd map has that bug like I said but after that it actually does get quite good. Some of these maps must have major areas of content just optionally available because there were a handful of maps where I had just over half the kills upon exiting.

I recall one map mid-episode that had so many distinct-looking areas it almost gave me a bit of whiplash. Not really a bad thing though, just marks it to its time period.

I dunno, play it if you want to mark it off your Cacoward list but otherwise I can't say I'm feeling too hot on this one other than meeting the requisite for being playable.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#63: Serenity (1994)

I don't know why people hate on this, it's genuine fun and goofy as hell with the funny MIDI pack included. Sure, E3M7 is cryptic and there's the usual 90isms in there, but once you get past that this is just good old fashioned '94 fun. I yearn for WADs like this.

Not much else to say. I'll let the pictures do the talking for this one.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#62: Galaxia.wad (1994)

For some reason while I was playing this, I was convinced it was in the E1M8 slot and some true ending I've never seen before would be unlocked after killing all the barons. Indeed, this is probably the closest I'll get to maxing kills on Galaxia. There's a lot of filler-fodder, and it can be tedious at times (and I totally get it if the blank sewer maze is not your jam) but the sheer amount of ambition and content that's jam-packed into 1 level... well, let's just say that's something you'll hardly see nowadays, at least for this difficulty level of play.

The huge WADs of the 90s are kind of a staple - I was told one of my first levels was like a 90s WAD because I had no idea what a properly sized room looked like. I guess this is pretty neat though, there are some new textures and sounds and music to keep things fresh.

I'd say for '94, this is about as good as it would realistically get. I keep getting surprised by these fossils because - surprise surprise - they're actually quite good.

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#61: Slaughter Until Death (1991)

Man, what an awesome episode replacement for '94 standards. We'll get to the Eternity/Serenity/Infinity trilogy soon enough, but I wanted to tackle this E2 replacement because I've never beaten it before and it's actually pretty challenging for its time.

Through some '94 wizardry, the map names DO show up in the intermission screens, and they're all super fun. 'Flying Guts', 'Mutilated Corpses', 'Damned Bastards' - just to name a few.

This is really not an entry-level wad by 2024 standards, but if you've been around the block a few times I think there's a lot to like about this. The custom textures; scarce as they are; really work in making this feel unique and the design is really thorough in making sure there's tons of exploration and challenge in equal amounts. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the secret exit in E2M5, but other than that and maybe 1 progression point in the penultimate map I eventually figured everything out.

My 2 favorite maps in the project have to be E2M6 and E2M7. 'Damned Bastards' may be easy on continuous play, but on pistol start it is a ROUGH scramble for the shotgun, probably made it a bit hard on myself but it's chockful of exploration and baddies to plow through and slowly building the arsenal. 'Dehumanization' revolves around cycling raising floors and switches that pave the path to various keys until you have to find a hidden wall for the exit. The final arena in this map is just 'mow-em-down' action with the chaingun and a bunch of zombies.

I have to commend the boss map as well for actually doing something unique that wouldn't stray too far from id Software's vision. You have to take a lift up to the castle walls to pick up your rockets before a faceoff in a cathedral.

I'm not gonna pretend I got all the kills and secrets here - I was just playing for the sake of playing, and I enjoyed what I played. I'm glad it's off my list now and I can move on to finishing off what I'm interested in for the '94 award winners. Slaughter Until Death is a gem that deserves its flowers - and even to an extent for pioneering a wave of challenge that would last for the community's lifetime.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#60: UAC_DEAD.wad (Doomsday of UAC) (1994)

Now we're talking, '94 awardees!

This is stellar even by today's standards. Seeing toppled-over vehicles, HOMs used to great effect in the final battle, and plenty of other proto-Doomcute/vanilla tricks used to their best in this WAD is incredible. It's no short trot either - about 12 minutes if you're really exploring!

I've obviously beaten this before, but this time I found a new area with some giant (I assume) nuclear power reactors. Ended up missing 1 kill, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it was an imp in the main compound that went astray.

Yeah, you can't go wrong here. This is IMO a must play if you're going to pick ANYTHING from the 1994 Cacoward winners. It's history, through and through.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#59: Crossing Acheron (1994)

I actually don't think I've ever gotten all kills/secrets on Crossing Acheron. I've played this WAD a bunch - newtime player hears about the Cacowards, wants to see what the earliest awarded WAD was and it's right at the top of the '94 page. It's an easy playthrough for pretty much anyone, even on UV. You have to keep in mind this was hot off the initial mainstream Doom craze, and everyone wanted to make a level. This is why Maximum Doom exists and a lot of bad '94 levels exist.

Crossing Acheron is a bit of an exception, maybe? It's not the best '94 caco winner, but it is I suppose rather solid. It's in E1M3 for some reason, I guess the way it was done that way back then was for MIDI/special action luxury, and this is a Hell map so once again, not sure why an E1 MIDI would fit, but I'm not complaining.

This brings together a lot of elements from E3 in a single map and it's nice enough to play through. A lot of moving parts, but not so many that it gets '90s bullshit' levels of confusing. Like I said, it only took me around 6 minutes and change to find pretty much everything that needed to be found. You just need to be willing to explore. I think on HNTR there's 1 baron that can maybe be a problem if you haven't already gotten the plasma gun at that point? Otherwise, smooth sailing.

There's a lot to appreciate it in its simplicity, and I feel like you don't get much of this nowadays. The Doom world moves really fast, and this is a reminder of a simpler time when practically anyone could create their own world to escape to. Not even really IWAD-themed other than as a blueprint - just in its own league.

Truly an unique specimen as one of the earliest lauded works, and it's only 1 map so it's easy coverage for the blog.

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MAX01: 1_on_1.wad

An HOM? Hold on, don't I play quality wads?

Welcome to my playthrough of Maximum Doom. I don't know if this'll even stick, but fuck it. 1_on_1.wad, designed by Rob Sarsorito for Doom 1 on E2M4. Rob doesn't want you to have fun on easier difficulties, not like it matters as this is the 90s and their idea of hard is rather limited. I guess this took him around 25 hours to make according to the .txt, which I simultaneously do and do not believe.

It's actually quite atmospheric at points, a little abstract dare I say with the clashing techbase and neon crimson-and-azure Hell textures. The first disco crusher room is neat like the first time you go through it.

Things are appropriately 90s, progression is fed in breadcrumbs and even then the last kill took me a noclip across the bridge pictured in the 3rd image, HOM and all, for a BFG that... I guess would've been useful for the 2 cyberdemons directly across from each other in a random hallway cordoned off in their own lava-jails? Okay... dodging them was actually pretty hard even with a secret plasma, plenty of ammo, and a rocket launcher. All but 1 kills were obtained without cheating.

Overall? I'm sure there'll be far worse on this journey. Welcome to the beginning of a new thing!

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#58: Arceon (2021)

Download ^^

DMPhobos describes Arceon as a 6-map Boom format set with a focus on interconnected layouts and incidental combat mixed with setpieces. Basically, your BTSXes and whatnot. Indeed, the aire of polished newschool is in the air whilst playing this WAD.

Addtionally, each map has its own color palette, and for all but a map of its runtime, you'll be in various techbases. This is one area I think Arceon excels in - each map, despite being one of the most ubiquitous themes in all of Doom mapping - still feels fresh and polished, with a lot of nice minor detailing and accents that prioritizes a clean layout that won't have you feeling lost.

There were a *few* moments I got turned around in Arceon - you'll be spending around 15-20 minutes per map and most of these are keyhunts that have you backtracking for some kind of end goal or next new area to play around in, and due to DSDA-Doom's nature of having a black background automap, some of the key linedef indicators were a bit hard to spot. Plus my memory isn't the best.

Maybe a bit of my own personal navigation concerns aside, everything is perfectly balanced, scratching that newschool itch you'd find in, as I said earlier, BTSX or Eviternity or the like. This is a very 'by-the-book' set. Actually, one of the maps in the set uses Spider Masterminds as a primary boss enemy multiple times, not unlike BTSX E1's MAP07. So the influence is definitely there, but probably not as markedly so as some would claim.

Things end in a Hell fortress and it's just the right length to really feel good about playing it without any fatigue.

Fantastic set for anyone, I doubt anyone would not want to play this.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#57: Scythe X (2009, incomplete)

Well, I had free time today and the ten maps of Scythe X was just begging to be played, to fill a gap in my recollection of Doom history and a glimpse into what could've been the third entry in the Scythe trilogy.

Erik Alm broke new ground with the speedmap with Scythe 1, a WAD I've covered. He perfected the modern traditions we see today in Scythe 2, a WAD I've also covered. I suppose in this... it's a fusion of both? And also possibly what could've been an even further leap in evolution?

I'll keep this to the point. The first 9 maps of Scythe X are Scythian (go figure) techbase fare, with a few duds that I assume are just out of Alm not having enough time to develop on ideas, and the good maps that are there are just that - E1 maps in a Scythe wad. Sure there's innovations - backtracking and foreshadowing is an essential component here, and good weapon variety is prioritized after around MAP05 or so. Nothing really gets hard but when we look at this in the lens of what was supposed to be a 32-map megaWAD, it makes sense.

The big "holy shit" moment of Scythe X is MAP10: The Encounter. No spoilers here in case anything has caught your eye, but it truly offers a glimpse into the beginning of something truly interesting in what (on its own) was just a standard WAD of its time.

We can puzzle over what a finished Scythe X would've looked like all day - there's clones like Machete by A2Rob or the hopeful-to-be-released soon Rusty Drill community project, and lots of inspirations for sure - but this was the real deal, man! We were so close!

Ah, I suppose that's what makes it so intriguing. Maybe it was better this was for things to end the way they did for Erik Alm.

I'd recommend this for people that think Scythe 1 is too archaic for them but are scared off by the difficulty of the later maps in Scythe 2. You get the best of both worlds.

Peace.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#56: Zone 400 (2021)

Download ^^

Okay, I have an appointment in a bit and I finished this yesterday, I took a lot of notes while playing this and had MEANT TO blog about it yesterday but I got distracted. I'll put it simple - Zone 400 takes the extra 100 linedefs and runs with them.

The ammo-starver maps from Z300 are mostly gone, in its place across most maps is the usage of monster-only teleport lines, causing monsters like Archviles to appear in an ambush only to go to spawn or somewhere else on the map to resurrect all your trophy hunts.

Aesthetically and in terms of layouts, everything here is a lot more realized and to me, felt like a homage to a lot of 90s PWADs and the IWADs themselves, primarily Final Doom (Plutonia in the 1st episode and TNT in the latter 3rd) and Eternal Doom for the 2nd. It's cool seeing Eternal Doom get some love, here it's billed as "haunted house" but you can't fool me with those textures and the shootable stained glass windows. If there's one demerit I can think of with this set it's that this stretch of maps goes on maybe 1 or 2 maps too long, but once you get the maps 21-30 it gets the momentum going again.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I wouldn't really say this is harder than Z300. It has hard maps, sure; but it's consistently difficult and most of the maps' difficulty comes from

A. the monster teleport lines I talked about earlier

B. hordes of low-mid tiers, usually the chaingunners will get you.

It's a fresh approach to combat that I feel suits the restriction well, and in general as I said at the beginning, those extra 100 linedefs just go SO far. The map31 slot is actually something to write home about, the non-400 32 is actually pretty good, and in general you can see the time difference between its predecessor and this one.

Yeah, check this out if you aren't feeling Z300. The maps feel a lot less restricted and it's a quick playthrough.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#55: RUST /// THE INFERNAL MACHINE (2024)

Download ^^

What is it with Doom 1 and creativity that just goes so hand-in-hand? You have Ultimate Doom in Name Only (something I need to finish and blog about), the recent Forsaken Compound, No End In Sight, and many others that really take advantage of the game's limited roster of monsters and weapons as well as the general schematic of the original game and flips it on its head. RUST.WAD... well, this is just beyond insane.

I'm gonna butcher a lot of the story and presentation and why exactly these vanilla mapping tricks work and the complevel and such, but in short - RUST is a very vanilla-trick heavy WAD in the -complevel 1 standard (very rare to see sets for this cl) that takes inspiration from 90s E1 replacements, and in the last 2 maps just goes batshit bonkers.

There's a lot of layers to RUST E1 that are just so cool to me; the puzzles that often take a bit of thinking but aren't Dobu Gabu Maru levels of insane - the classic approach to mapping with wide open spaces and simple custom textures: yet it all feels fresh. There's a lot of mystery with everything - I had to IDCLIP to get to the secret exit in E1M3, where (to my knowledge) you will find some secret goodies and foes in the secret map that hardly appear in the rest of the set.

Indeed, RUST breaks every trope in the book in favor of delivering a true experience. E1M7 gets surreal with a VERY clever time-limit map on E1M8 that I BELIEVE uses the -cl 1 leverage to create something truly unique that I have never seen done to this extent in Doom. And that's for fucking VANILLA.

Yeah, this is most likely gonna win a cacoward. If the end is anything to go off of, Arsinikk has big shoes to fill with the promised follow-up. Stellar stuff here.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#54: Zone 300 (2013)

Download ^^

I'm not sure if Zone 300 is speedmapped, but what is not to be denied is that Pcorf knows his way around a limitation. 300 linedefs, use them wisely.

For those not In The Know, a linedef in doom mapping can be a wall, a stair step, or a edge. It is a line in the layout of a map, and those lines join to become sectors. They can be split into further linedefs with vertices, so naturally a project with the limit of only 300 of these puppies per map will lead to a more smooth-edged, combat-first experience. At least, in the hands of a capable mapper. And Pcorf is the perfect mapper to take these reigns and run with them.

AFAIK, there are no custom textures in the map and I do know for a fact that it runs in Vanilla doom, so everything is within the IWAD thematics sans a few more creative outings. A lot of what makes this WAD fun is seeing all the creative ways Paul incorporates back-tracking, setpieces, and engaging placement with this mapping restriction. You'll often wander the outside of a structure before going into its orthagonally-lined interior after getting a key. There are windows that show you the objective and a clear path forward.

Indeed, the design of Zone 300 is mostly brilliant. There are a few misses on the set, namely the MAP31 that tries to recreate Hunted from Plutonia with a 300 restriction, to middling success. MAP32 is not 300 lines, it's just kinda in there and I would've rather seen an entire WAD match its ideation but it's alright. Some maps have maybe too plain an aesthetic or put all the action into 1 arena with not much beforehand, but then again I'm playing on HNTR so maybe I'm not getting the most fine-tuned experience.

That leads me into the meat and bones of the wad, and I am pleased to report that Pcorf sets you up on a nice linear difficulty curve with no major surprises and nothing that should be too difficult for Doom veterans. Quick bites of action, a couple experiments in ammo starvation or 'fighting for your arsenal' but pretty by-the-book. E3's Hell motif turns things up a bit with more Pain Elementals and Archviles, and maps 28 and 29 are straight-up mean but not overbearingly so.

Favorite maps from each episode:

1-10: MAP05: Skybase 300, MAP09: Nuclear Power Station

11-20: MAP14: The Circle, MAP15: Trouble Town, MAP17: Constriction, MAP20: Death Row

21-30: MAP23: Dungeon of Inferno, MAP25: Hellucination, MAP28: Unholy Demise

Stinkers:

MAP07: Heavyweight, MAP10: Cargo Bay, MAP31: Creepy, MAP26: Valley of Brimstone

The WAD ends with a nice, quick Icon of Sin fight that gives you 300% kills. Just like how I give this 300% approval for a quick wad to blast through. :)

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#53: Forsaken Compound (2024)

Download ^^

So this came out this week and I've been on a Doom 1 kick (I swear I'm playing other stuff behind the scenes, this just caught my eye) and oh boy what a pleasant surprise. ivymagnapinna is a rookie mapper AFAIK and you would not be able to tell it by the way this is constructed, ESPECIALLY for a Doom 1 mapset.

It's an E1 replacement, but it essentially runs the gamut of the base game's 3 episodes in its own take on the Doom 1 formula. Not meant to be taken too seriously story-wise, leaving the interpretations of what any given map means up to the player. Each map feels like a new exercise in any given "mapping muscle" and it follows a fair difficulty curve. Prevalent themes throughout *most* maps include; interesting geometric sector placement, slaughter, and platforming.

Slaughter in Doom 1 is hard to pull off well, and I feel like Ivy (is it ok if I call you that?) has a good grasp on it. The first 2 maps are relatively straightforward - if a little unique, and secrets are vexing. To get the secret exit in E1M3, I had to clip through a wall as I could find no way to open it. Blame my poor short-term memory on that one.

In the secret map however, the real meat of the mapset shows itself. You're trapped with hardly any weapons, the only path through being provided by Mr. Cybie himself in some Doom 1 INFIGHTING SLAUGHTER (which is just crazy to say) and things only get better from there.

E1M4's Dead Man's Station is a great run-n-gunner, followed by a strange "UDINO"-esque map in the form of Excavating Evil. Lots of Doomcute here and interesting atmospheric aesthetics.

My favorite of the set though by far has to be M6's G.R.I.N.D.E.R . It reminds me of some newschool slaughter that gradually unfolds, giving you access to the Doom 1 roster of weapons and more and more monsters to kill until it all culminates in 1 bloody BFG hornet's nest. This was really fun to play though.

From there, things kinda peter out a bit but it's fine, I'd had my fun with the set by then and from what I can gauge out of the Doomworld thread, the WAD author wanted the set to be over with too. E1M7 is pretty standard stuff - if a bit atmospheric - and E1M8 has you facing "More barons than usual", as per the flavor text.

All said, this is a great rookie release and I'm excited for what Ivy can cook up next.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#52: Return to Hadron E2 (2017)

Feel familiar?

Not only am I doing back-to-back E2 replacements, but I'm continuing Cannonball's fine Hadron trilogy. We last saw this in #18 and oh boy was I different then. Hadron E1 is still one of my favorite E1 replacements, but I've still never beaten this until this morning.

If E1 was all about making techbases seem huge and ominous with a newschool flair, E2 revolves around making the most of the weapons you have available and creating a hornet's nest of sorts to buzz around while the action unfolds. The first few maps - let's say M1 to M3, are pretty straightforward, at least on HNTR. Flesh Start and Logistics Complex are simple key hunts that aesthetically do the job and add some fun gimmicks here or there such as only having a chainsaw at the start or enforcing Tyson gameplay for a bit. Comm Center is a bit of a resource starvation experiment, with its caco-swarm being the main threat, BUT E2M4 and beyond is where this set starts to get a little more bonkers and experimental.

M4's Mortuary is a nonlinear dark grungy fight for your life, but it's just a taste of things to come. M5 is pretty laid-back actually, just big. But the secret map and onwards all have at least 1 boss monster.

M9's Descent Into Darkness continues the 'Return to Hadron' trend of slaughtery Doom 1 maps by literally starting you in a narrow downward-moving elevator with a Cyb to kill with the BFG. Hordes come out from the dark, and it's your job to run around like a chicken with its head cut off until the job is done. Things only get wackier from here.

I feel like M6, Aqueduct of Agony also could've been a good secret map slot. It's another Cyberdemon dungeon crawl, this time taking place on hurt-floors. Core Processor, the penultimate map of the set, is probably the one most 'Hadron E1' lovers can get behind, it has all the hallmarks of an epic - high monstercount, huge nonlinearity, and plenty of meat to cut through. Surprisingly, I found this to be one of the easier maps of the set.

The set ends with something not too dissimilar from the secret map, perhaps a bit more slaughtery and newschool but carrying the same thematics.

Hadron E2 is a major step up in quality and shows more experimentation with the Doom 1 engine, Cannonball showing restraint in not just making leviathans of maps for its runtime, and everything is solidly put together.

2 thumbs up.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#51: Solve Et Coagula (2023)

Download ^^

Nicolas Monti is a mapper I've wanted to cover on here before (Erkatanne is one of my fave sets of all time) and this caught my eye during the Cacoward festivities. Plus we're on a Doom 1 kick right now so why not, right?

If you're not familiar with Monti's works, they feel stuck in a vacuum of 90s wads, yet completely alien and downright inhuman in nature. Not even AI could make something this layered and calculated to destroy you. I thought - prior to playing this - that No End in Sight was one of the only hard Doom 1 WADs out there; well, Solve Et Coagula is quite the nail-biter.

It feels as though you're in a stage play set in the Shores of Hell theme, as maps weave upon each other and you're constantly 1 misstep away from falling back down another level to the prior battleground you were in. Secrets are INCREDIBLY cryptic, progression in general is complex. Some maps are linear, others what I'd call "linear-branching" - nonlinear, yes; but all roads lead to Rome at the end of the day. Take for instance, the penultimate map of the set - E2M7.

It has you going across defunct tram rails inches away from a fiery hurtfloor going mad hunting for keys, your sanity waning and health depleted (resource starvation is a major factor in this WAD's difficulty). You feel cramped and claustrophobic - every new area you reach feels like it's been totally and completely overrun, and in this sense I think "Solve Et" captures its influence all too well. I DID have to cheat in this map, I was short on time and couldn't figure out a certain progression point but I was 25 minutes deep, can you blame me?

Regardless, the rest of this set is treat after treat AFTER treat. It is as abrasive as it is familiar - Monti's gift to modern Doom mapping is by treating the medium as true art and doing his own thing. That's why I love when mappers go outside the norm - sets like Reverie, for instance.

There's more I could say - the fact that it sticks to vanilla resources and compat for the entire thing - the lack of new music sans secret map - any of it really, but I'll cap this off with the set's closer. It's a Cyberdemon gauntlet that is one of the biggest head-twisters on this set that really takes it from one set design philosophy and makes it feel complete.

It's a kick in the balls to play this, but you'll be feeling glad by the end. Caco-worthy fo-sho.

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#50: Griefless (2018)

E4M5, courtesy of the Doom Wiki

Well, 50 posts. I had planned something much grander along with a Doomworld reveal of the blog proper, which will still happen mind you - just maybe a bit later on once I do what I set out to do originally. Technically this is 51 if we're factoring in DWANGO5 but hey celebration's a celebration!

I chose this set intentionally because there's not much to talk about that I didn't mention in the Deathless review. You like your "Thy Flesh Consumed"? Have it in this Jimmy style. There you go. It's a ramp up in challenge and has some neat custom assets. Cool stuff with Cyberdemons and fun layouts. Play it.

No, the purpose of this post primarily is just to thank everyone that's been with me thus far - my Discord friends (although I don't share this with you often), NecrumWarrior (my Doom friend) and to good health and prosperity as limited as it may be. This has become a fun outlet for me. So go play some WADs - hell, you don't even need to make them to make an impact, write about them, Join Doomworld, engage in discourse... you get the idea.

When I started No Rest For The DOOMed back in August of last year, I knew I'd hit 50 posts. As long as I had a will to play Doom, the milestone would come. And it did. Maybe not under my terms, but they came and I'm glad I did it. Here's to maybe someday beating Plutonia and playing a certain wad about a certain house.

Cheers, all!

[no-rest-for-the-doomed]

#49: Deathless (2018)

So I had planned to do some special posts for both this slot and #50, but alas I had to do an OS switch to Ubuntu due to random tech reasons and... I'm loving it! Bit of a skill curve, but it's more fun to me than Windows could ever deliver, and I feel more freedom. Most importantly, I can use DSDA-doom. It did take a bit of tweaking but I got it figured out within about an hour or so.

So this is something I actually reviewed on my Backloggd when I did that for WAD reviews, before this blog. But I figured I'd check it out again, I remember it being fun and short and yep I was right. Beat it in a day and it was nice and breezy.

I hate using the Scythe comparison over and over, this is probably the 30th time I've used it but picture Scythe for Doom 1. Actually fuck it, picture Scythe but *better* for Doom 1. I know this is gonna sound weird, but this wad is cute. And I'm not talking Doomcute.

The secret maps are homages to Doom 2, there are all sorts of interesting setups and layouts that still feel really easygoing to newcomers and make the limited roster and arsenal of Doom 1 feel fun to use. There's a good blend of everything, for everyone. Even on HNTR, there's some experimentation with infighting maps, resource starvation, hurtfloor traversal and interesting weapon combinations. No 2 maps are going to provide you the same experience - couple that with the tricky secrets and minimal vanilla-yet-creative texturing, and Deathless is a true hidden gem of Doom WADs.

It may not bust your balls, but it's expertly crafted for something so simple. Jimmy really grew since 'Jenesis' and while he's known more now for MIDI compositions, this set goes to show he has serious mapping chops.

Shoutouts to YOU, James Paddock! Keep on rockin'!