Alrighty, this ought to be interesting!
For this,my first everplaythrough ofHeretic, I will be playing onThou Art ASmite Master(TAASM), using ZDoom (shock and awe!) and aiming for 100% kills and secrets. Additionally, I will be following @Horus's advice and loading up the Raven Midi Pack as well.
All that said, to the wad!
E1M1:The Docks- 100% / 100%
As to be expected from an E1M1,The Docksis a very simple, straightforward map, incredibly easy even to a completeHereticnovice. To an armchair analyst like myself, however, the experience of playing it is deceptively dense with new information.
This map tellsthe player a great deal aboutHeretic's new features, its differences from Doom,as well aswhat to expect going forward.
The first thing I noticed was the music, which I immediatelyrecognized fromAlien Vendetta's MAP19. As a complete music ignoramus, I cannot comment on the technicalities,suffice to say it gives off a very different vibe when compared to most of Doom's tracks. It feels, heavier, somehow, less upbeat, more serious. I'm not sure if this trend will continue going forward, but it certainly sets some tonal expectations.
The second thing that stood out to me was the visuals. The opening shot is a telling one indeed, centered on a large door to the outside world, bordered on both sides by glum shadow. This establishes that the outdoors is not an exotic, secretive thing as in Doom's E1, but rather something mundane. I can't say I'm a fan of the palette on display here, it is rather drab and pedestrian compared with the relatively colourful palette of the original Doom.
The textures themselves are quite nice, though, simple in their abstraction but representative enough of their real-world counterparts. They do however seem a little low-fi when compared with Doom's striking selection, and a tad generic as well. Actually, the whole visual style feels a little generic, lacking the flair of its elder brother. It is not at all unpleasant, though, and reads well. I'd describe it as pleasing and competent.
The part of the game that stood out most as substandard was the soundscape. There is something, muffled about it, for lack of a better term. It comes off as indistinct, lacking the crisp clarity that makes Doom's soundscape so good. Everything from the pickup sounds to the monsters' groaning and growling suffers from this, similarly toFreedoomactually.
Another thingHereticshares with FD is robust, distinct spritework in contrast to weak sound effects. Visually, each enemy I encountered was distinct and relatively easy to read, though perhaps a little unoriginal in terms of design.
The weapons, by contrast, are great, very visually distinct so far and enjoyable to use. TheGauntlets in particular are a joy to use, vastly superior in my opinion to Doom's Chainsaw. The Wand also feels more powerful than the anemic Pistol, and the Crossbow is an immensely satisfying replacement to the SG, with great animations and projectile sprites.I approve of this emphasis of projectile over hitscan weapons so far, since it helps to keep the combat distinct from Doom.
From a mechanical perspective, the new enemies are fine enough in isolation, but decidedly underwhelming compared with their Doom counterparts. The Gargoyle seems like a pretty worthless foe, with little potential for challenge and a great deal for annoyance. The Golem is basically a slower, less bulky Pinky, easy to avoid, though rather tanky for its low threat level. The Undead Warrior is a bit more interesting in theory, though its projectiles are hilariously slow and the its audio feedback is terribly muted and indistinct, even compared with the rest of its compatriots.
Still, the base mechanics of the engine are enough to make the combat enjoyable enough, and the satisfying weapons seem to make up somewhat for the mediocre opposition.
The above does not encompass everythingHeretichas to offer from a mechanical perspective, however. The addition of an inventory, along with some fairly advanced movement and mapping features, should make for some interesting gameplay down the line. This post is getting a little long, however, so I will save that topic for another day.
Right, now about the map itself.
In terms of layout, this map shows both its age and position in the set, though not in a bad way. There is a certain innocent simplicity to the layout, which bares a strong resemblance to some of Petersen's works.
The secrets were pretty good, easy enough to find but satisfying nevertheless. Resource balancing was quite generous, though I doubt this will last. I found the progression to be clear and easy to understand, mostly due to the small size of the map. I hope this trend continues.
Overall, my impression ofHereticis solid so far, lacking when compared with its big brother but worthy enough in its own right. I hope that the game proves itself to be more than off-brand fantasy Doom, but even if it doesn't, off-brand fantasy Doom is still Doom, and that's good enough for me.
T'has been a while since I've written a mega-post like this. I promise my future write-ups will be more... manageable, most because I will inevitably run out of things to ramble about at length. Until then, Heretics.
