Memories
released on Sep 30, 2023
A mod for Doom II: Hell on Earth
Memories is a map of medium length, about 15-20 minutes, with a strong emphasis on atmosphere.
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Memories is a very understated map. it doesn't pull ambushes as much as most Doom WADs i've played until now. even its biggest combat arena holds back. a swarm of hell knights, pinkies and some hitscanners try to put up a fight, but there's not a single baron of hell in sight. after dealing with those enemies, you can find two barons tucked away in a faraway corner on that wide open area; almost harmless.
the industrial tone this map takes is greatly appreciated, and it leaves a lot of space for abstract semiplaces where you can belong. the trash heap is almost as uniform as the grainy brown and gray walls textured so matter of factly that they feel vanilla. a nonzero number of walls is adorned with beveled bricks (which reminds me of the beginning of FFVII's Temple of the Ancients' dungeon) that makes the structures look monumental. the textures representing rusted machinery rest upon every possible nook. finally, the Resident Evil 1 save theme completes the atmosphere and grounds the area into a serene and dreamlike whole.
Doomguy can be everywhere, but this place is especially appropriate for him. the spacious areas around the map makes me think this factoryplace houses only stray demons that happened upon it. most of the light sources come from intruding natural light that bounces throughout the transitional rooms that offer you a ceiling with short bursts of demons to kill.
the ending stood out to me. after the longest combat setpiece of the map, you climb a short flight of stairs to reach an open air alcove above the place where you fought not a minute ago. it's a big area that is mostly empty. near the stairs there's a set of moving pylons that spawn a lone group of archviles who don't even get a fresh group of demons to revive. they're guarding the very BFG that's gonna get rid of them.
after that short fight. you're basically done. there's a lone baron trapped behind a weapons cache you can only get to via a secret, and a short drop for the final key. i expected a fakeout ending with a final fight against some high tier monsters, but there was nothing. you open the last door to a narrow corridor overlooking trash mountains. the end sees you traversing through the map's skybox.
Memories is not afraid to hold itself back until it convinces you that you don't really need an entire demon army to fight. this is personal.
the industrial tone this map takes is greatly appreciated, and it leaves a lot of space for abstract semiplaces where you can belong. the trash heap is almost as uniform as the grainy brown and gray walls textured so matter of factly that they feel vanilla. a nonzero number of walls is adorned with beveled bricks (which reminds me of the beginning of FFVII's Temple of the Ancients' dungeon) that makes the structures look monumental. the textures representing rusted machinery rest upon every possible nook. finally, the Resident Evil 1 save theme completes the atmosphere and grounds the area into a serene and dreamlike whole.
Doomguy can be everywhere, but this place is especially appropriate for him. the spacious areas around the map makes me think this factoryplace houses only stray demons that happened upon it. most of the light sources come from intruding natural light that bounces throughout the transitional rooms that offer you a ceiling with short bursts of demons to kill.
the ending stood out to me. after the longest combat setpiece of the map, you climb a short flight of stairs to reach an open air alcove above the place where you fought not a minute ago. it's a big area that is mostly empty. near the stairs there's a set of moving pylons that spawn a lone group of archviles who don't even get a fresh group of demons to revive. they're guarding the very BFG that's gonna get rid of them.
after that short fight. you're basically done. there's a lone baron trapped behind a weapons cache you can only get to via a secret, and a short drop for the final key. i expected a fakeout ending with a final fight against some high tier monsters, but there was nothing. you open the last door to a narrow corridor overlooking trash mountains. the end sees you traversing through the map's skybox.
Memories is not afraid to hold itself back until it convinces you that you don't really need an entire demon army to fight. this is personal.