DM-Gretsch by Drummer

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Reviewed by foultzy.

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Fight it out in the Aztec temple of Gretsch.

Gameplay 24/30

At first it didn't really click with me, though after playing it some more and understanding how it all worked, I discovered the fun under the design and I had a fun time with it. There's odder design choices and familiar ones. There's even a green pool of hazardous liquid that you have to walk alongside (as in Deck16). It's weird if you think about it, yet very comprehensible and enjoyable and that's what really matters. I was thoroughly impressed with the gameplay techniques and the floorplan as well.

The bots know how to run the map and they can make a nasty opposition on the upper levels. Though they tend to bunch up in certain spots and don't pursue the double damage, I had a good time with them. It's a great, fun map, with perhaps a few minor oversights. The biggest involves the partially open gates coming down from the ceiling, which have large enough gaps between the bars to translocate (in some cases, jump) inbetween and camp there. Still, a few little flaws won't bring it down much.

Performance 23/30 (Hardware)

Unfortunately, not up to the expectations of most HOLP maps, and it'd drop at points into the low 80's without any firefights and the lower 60's during one. Of course, that's still smooth on mine, though older systems might not play it as well as most maps from the HOLP packs themselves.

Eye Candy 19/25

It's certainly HOLP-style, though it makes nice use of it. It kind of reminds me of the original Unreal's single-player levels in the way it looks, with the ancient look modernized with common HOLP visual traits like intense sunlight streaming in from open parts of the ceiling. Some will think the bloom is a little strong, though I still think it's a good use of post-processing, which most maps styled in this manner tend to shy away from.

It's nice-looking, even with a slight fantasy edge to it given the decorative objects dotted around the map. It mixes up the visuals in certain spots though the wall textures are fairly repetitive especially which always tends to itch at a guy like me. The colors are consistent throughout though I would've experimented with some more colored lighting, again, to break up the repetition.

The Details 13/15

All here technically--I think he really could've made a much deeper backstory for it though (which it still hardly has one at all), especially with the flexible thematic material.

Final Score 79/100

A pretty nice map with a successful unconventional style. It's got some rather noticeable flaws, though they really don't truly keep it from being the fun map that it is.