Doom Travelogues 05: Everything Old is Still Old

E1M1: Hangar

At first glance it appears to be nothing more than a cavernous take on E1M1. Problem is, all that extra space is largely empty, with no enemy encounters heavier than a light skirmish, and the rooms themselves aren’t detailed enough to be impressive on their own. Claussen does throw a few teleporter ambushes at you that you might not be expecting, and you do have to put a little bit of effort in if you want either of the armors, but otherwise there’s very little to worry about. The most interesting part of the level by far is the means by which you gain access to the exit chamber. Let’s just say you won’t be using the door. Oh, and there’s also a little surprise for you when you leave, but nothing so severe that you won’t be able to handle it.

E1M2: Nuclear Plant

In contrast to the spaciousness of the previous level, E1M2 is a condensed version of the original, with Claussen seemingly trimming the fat wherever he can. You won’t really be feeling the pinch, though, as you’re still fighting the familiar E1 cadre in all its squishiness. This is a better experience than the empty expanses of E1M1, though it adheres to the progression if id’s Nuclear Plant perhaps a little too slavishly. The southwestern area of the map has undergone the most change, with the tech maze being truncated to the point where it can no longer accurately be called a maze. Not a problem for me, though, since I’ve never much cared for mazes anyway. The green armor trap in the starting chamber is another alteration that I very much appreciated.

E1M3: Toxin Refinery

Claussen finally starts tinkering with the formula a bit more, and the results are quite pleasing. His version of the Toxin Refinery forces players through familiar environments, but in ways they certainly won’t be accustomed to. The secret yellow key area (now housing the blue key) has become its own wing, and the former east and west wings are now conjoined. The secret exit is now the standard exit, and a few powerful pick-ups are placed tantalizingly out of reach in the starting area. The blackout room is still around, but has been repositioned to take you by surprise once more. You can actually skip a lot of this level if you don’t care about percentages or secrets, but of course you’ll want to stick around to figure out where the new secret exit is.

E1M4: Command Control

While structurally very similar to the original, the rooms here are more often than not reimaginings rather than straight architectural recreations, so you can at times fool yourself into thinking you’re playing something entirely new. There are a few new touches here and there, but nothing terribly memorable. The most noteworthy change is the circular central chamber, which now must be unlocked via blue key card. For your trouble you’ll get to face a torrent of imps. Claussen seems to have an obsession with curved hallways, and this is perhaps the first map where this leaning begins to stick out. In particular, the long “S” hallway to the north seems bizarre and out of place. Not a bad level overall, but certainly not the strongest of the bunch.

E1M5: Phobos Lab

Something of a return to form after E1M4, Revisited’s Phobos Lab is a proper remix of one of my favorite E1 levels. The progression here has been totally revised despite the level looking mostly the same. Rather than jumping across, you start by taking a trip down the nukage channel in the first room, which leads to a switch that opens up the level proper. The main challenge is accessing the yellow key card, which is protected by a switch puzzle, albeit not a very difficult one. Claussen works in some welcome additions, like an outdoor fracas, without trampling the identity of the underlying level. It’s also a bit more challenging than previous outings, with a few places where you can be sandwiched if you aren’t careful. All in all, it’s a satisfying fusion.

E1M6: Central Processing

Central Processing is graced with perhaps the most hectic opener to this point, tasking you with prying a shotgun away from a sergeant and downing a demon before a group of hungry hungry imp-os close in on you from the rear. Not rocket science, sure, but more taxing than previous levels. From there the level proceeds much like you’d expect, though you’ll often be entering rooms from angles you wouldn’t expect based on past experience. The biggest change here is that the exit has been relocated, and thus what was formerly an arena for the final battle is now just a room. I’ll admit that I was hoping for a few more surprises than were actually delivered, but it’s a solid level with only one conspicuously long and conspicuously boring curved hallway.

E1M7: Computer Station

E1M7 strikes a good balance of old and new, with architecture you’ll most certainly remember intermingled with attractive new locales. Gameplay is spicy but not too spicy, featuring a mad dash for the chaingun at the beginning and several multi-pronged imp assaults. There are crumbling walls and floors throughout the level, a nice touch, though regrettably this is the only level with such details. From the outset most of the level is already open for exploration. The challenge comes in figuring out how to access the first key, after which the rest explains itself. Along with E1M5, this is probably the most successful level in terms of giving an old level new life. The only blemish is yet another ugly and baffling “S” corridor in the southern area of the map.

E1M8: Phobos Anomaly

The finale opens up with a clever twist on the familiar. Instead of overlooking a demon horde, the player is in the midst of them, and must punch a hole through in order to survive. It’s a simple change, but it works so well that it ends up feeling like it should have been that way to begin with. After that, you’ll fight a few waves of teleporting hellspawn (imps followed by spectres) before reaching the famous pentagram arena. The fight is a bit more interesting this time, with two waves of five Barons teleporting in at the points. There aren’t enough rockets to kill all of them, unfortunately, so at some point you’ll have to resort to small arms fire. After that, you can go outside and mop up some more imps or just skip it and head straight for the teleporter staircase.

E1M9: Military Base

Another simple yet ingenious alteration at the beginning: this time you’re the one in the cage, and the imps are on the outside firing in. You’ll need to quickly grab your shotgun and hit the switch to get out, lest you be molested by fireballs. The construction of the level hasn’t changed much, although the rooms may look different. The map is essentially a wheel, with rooms that branch out from the center and are connected to each other by hallways. The player’s job is simply to circle the map collecting keys and unlocking doors until they find the red key card, at which point they can return to the center and exit the level. Nothing mind-blowing here in terms of level design or enemy encounters, but it’s short and attractive enough that I enjoyed it all the same.