A mod for Doom
SIGIL II is the unofficial sixth episode for 1993’s DOOM. SIGIL II requires the registered version of DOOM to run.
Reviews View More
The first one was better. Still good though, happy 30th, Doom.
Not quite as cool as Sigil 1, but am looking forward to Romero's Doom 2 WAD
I played a month or two ago before I realized I could put a review here. Without over analyzing it this is my experience. The first one was fun, this one I didn't enjoy myself. It reminded me of when I played the last expansion of Wolfenstein 3D I finished it it just felt like a drag. Also I played all the games mentioned in the review back to back.
Bigger, more ambitious, but ultimately not better than it's predecessor.
In Sigil II's attempt to one-up the previous episode, it introduced more frustration with the excessive enemy counts, cyberdemon spam, and odd monster placement.
I can appreciate the added difficulty, but not when it often feels cheap and overly punishing.
This episode also pushed the roster of demons to it's limit. Never before have I so sorely missed the presence of DOOM II's new monsters.
But it's still DOOM. So it's still fucking awesome.
In Sigil II's attempt to one-up the previous episode, it introduced more frustration with the excessive enemy counts, cyberdemon spam, and odd monster placement.
I can appreciate the added difficulty, but not when it often feels cheap and overly punishing.
This episode also pushed the roster of demons to it's limit. Never before have I so sorely missed the presence of DOOM II's new monsters.
But it's still DOOM. So it's still fucking awesome.
On one hand I gotta say I'm impressed by Romero's dedication to making maps for Doom 1. The first Doom has a very particular balance to its weapons and monsters and Romero's very good at playing with that balance and making cool levels with it.
On the other hand: holy shit dude we gotta get John on Doom 2 so he can start putting Hell Knights in levels as "big imps" instead of Hell Barons. You fight SO many hell barons in this thing.
On the other hand: holy shit dude we gotta get John on Doom 2 so he can start putting Hell Knights in levels as "big imps" instead of Hell Barons. You fight SO many hell barons in this thing.
DOOMATHON entry #2.5/20
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
I had heard about the first episode of Sigil all the way back when it released, but I hadn't heard so much as a whisper about its sequel - I just so happened to see it when I checked the list of add-ons in the 2019 source port, and ended up being one of the first people on this site to log it without even intending to.
Despite the lack of fanfare, Sigil 2 is a worthy successor that expands upon its predecessor's ideas and pushes the design philosophies of the original Doom to their absolute limits. There are more environmental puzzles (searching for cracks in the wall where eye switches could be hidden became second nature not even halfway through this episode), more lava floors, more massive environments, and more absurd enemy swarms. Moreso than any of the six episodes I'd played up to this point in the marathon, this feels like a series of puzzle boxes that's trying to kill you, and I can't recommend it enough if that sounds like your idea of a good time. This design philosophy leads to the natural endpoint of a horrendous final battle with two cyberdemons AND a spider mastermind, but it's so in the spirit of classic Doom that I can't be too upset about it.
I personally hope that this is the end for Sigil - I can't really envision the design elements that make it a unique chapter in the franchise being pushed any further without breaking. It's a delicate balancing act that this episode already shouldn't have been able to nail, so I just might be eating my words in 2027.
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
I had heard about the first episode of Sigil all the way back when it released, but I hadn't heard so much as a whisper about its sequel - I just so happened to see it when I checked the list of add-ons in the 2019 source port, and ended up being one of the first people on this site to log it without even intending to.
Despite the lack of fanfare, Sigil 2 is a worthy successor that expands upon its predecessor's ideas and pushes the design philosophies of the original Doom to their absolute limits. There are more environmental puzzles (searching for cracks in the wall where eye switches could be hidden became second nature not even halfway through this episode), more lava floors, more massive environments, and more absurd enemy swarms. Moreso than any of the six episodes I'd played up to this point in the marathon, this feels like a series of puzzle boxes that's trying to kill you, and I can't recommend it enough if that sounds like your idea of a good time. This design philosophy leads to the natural endpoint of a horrendous final battle with two cyberdemons AND a spider mastermind, but it's so in the spirit of classic Doom that I can't be too upset about it.
I personally hope that this is the end for Sigil - I can't really envision the design elements that make it a unique chapter in the franchise being pushed any further without breaking. It's a delicate balancing act that this episode already shouldn't have been able to nail, so I just might be eating my words in 2027.