review of the OG maps here
besides the quality of life features and the great port, the Ludicrous Edition of Rise of the Triad includes an all new 23 level campaign for the game, made by some people at NewBlood and even an OG dev (i think, not that sure); it's called The Hunt Continues.
in many ways, it mirrors the original Dark War campaign with the same bosses at the same points and similar themes in each episode, but the maps here are somehow even wackier than the original ones. some are pretty difficult, others are just a little gimmicky (like David Szymansky's wide open foggy level) but most end up touching on the things that made the original special for me. sometimes they are too combat-focused but not always. even many of the boss levels are mostly based on exploration or trap-filled obstacle courses.
since some of the mappers here worked on the 2013 ROTT reboot (such as Indefatigable's Leon Zawada), they touch upon an odd homage to both the original game and the reboot's more linear progression. i usually get fatigued while playing those old school FPS expansions, but since ROTT's formula is so unique and followed upon creatively here, it wasn't a problem at all! the port's new features, like the ability to place different regular textures on the same wall, are used to create a denser atmosphere that makes the levels feel more alive. the halls you traverse, while still claustrophobic, now provide a wider sense of space. this campaign is almost a reimagining of the original because of these constant nods and rethreads, but since it's shorter, it can work like a different but still familiar revisit for old fans.
The Hunt Continues was a great time. it even made me pumped enough to want to make some of my own levels for the revamped level editor. i'm always impressed that the old school FPS community has reached a point where only a few games are left inaccessible and even some less remembered titles get this 5-star treatment. even the titles that don't get official remasters or ports still get great fan-made ones. besides that, we still get some all new games with fresh ideas and interpretations! i could gush about the state of the genre all day.... i hope that's eventually the case for some other genres.
besides the quality of life features and the great port, the Ludicrous Edition of Rise of the Triad includes an all new 23 level campaign for the game, made by some people at NewBlood and even an OG dev (i think, not that sure); it's called The Hunt Continues.
in many ways, it mirrors the original Dark War campaign with the same bosses at the same points and similar themes in each episode, but the maps here are somehow even wackier than the original ones. some are pretty difficult, others are just a little gimmicky (like David Szymansky's wide open foggy level) but most end up touching on the things that made the original special for me. sometimes they are too combat-focused but not always. even many of the boss levels are mostly based on exploration or trap-filled obstacle courses.
since some of the mappers here worked on the 2013 ROTT reboot (such as Indefatigable's Leon Zawada), they touch upon an odd homage to both the original game and the reboot's more linear progression. i usually get fatigued while playing those old school FPS expansions, but since ROTT's formula is so unique and followed upon creatively here, it wasn't a problem at all! the port's new features, like the ability to place different regular textures on the same wall, are used to create a denser atmosphere that makes the levels feel more alive. the halls you traverse, while still claustrophobic, now provide a wider sense of space. this campaign is almost a reimagining of the original because of these constant nods and rethreads, but since it's shorter, it can work like a different but still familiar revisit for old fans.
The Hunt Continues was a great time. it even made me pumped enough to want to make some of my own levels for the revamped level editor. i'm always impressed that the old school FPS community has reached a point where only a few games are left inaccessible and even some less remembered titles get this 5-star treatment. even the titles that don't get official remasters or ports still get great fan-made ones. besides that, we still get some all new games with fresh ideas and interpretations! i could gush about the state of the genre all day.... i hope that's eventually the case for some other genres.