31st of December 2019

Dark Gate | Single | Author: Aaron Barber | Download

The Review: Dark Gate is another classic that for some reason never made it to this site; I did play it a few times over the years but was never that impressed. Anyway, upon my latest playthrough it seems my appreciation of the map has grown a bit, as I'm less into intricate detailing and more into impressive, large structures these days. This map has plenty of screenshot-worthy locations, including the now almost-iconic castle area near the start. Between these are several individual areas that fit the description of the word "empty" pretty well, but the map gets the big, important things right. Moreover, lighting is good throughout, particularly the map's use of "3d lighting" whereby adjacent surfaces have different shade values, conveying an effective and realistic impression with little work. Dark Gate's premise, dealing with portals and dimensions, serves to put together several seemingly disjoint themes, including a city street and an infernal cavern. Basically every new area is a pleasant surprise in being different from the area before, but the map never feels like it's an incoherent mishmash of themes loosely stitched together. Monsters come in moderate numbers, but they're well placed, often attacking you from the sides rather than the front, while the map is generously spacious to never put you in an unfair position.
All in all, it's a shame it took so many years to have Dark Gate featured on this site, and if for some reason you never gave the map a try, now is a high time to correct that mistake.

Rating: 88