Alien Planet X64-2 | Single/DM | Author: Maarten v. Oostrum | Download 130kt
Description: Unique Xen-type alien planet level from the author of 'Toxicity' & 'Maarten Desert'.
Design: You have played Half-Life right? Then you know what to expect. This is just like Xen but without annoying jump puzzles. Level uses a lot of colored stuff such as textures, lighting, enemies etc. Some indoor locations reminded me of a classic level 'Quest'. Locations - especially outdoor locations - are very rich. There are strange plants, surrealistic sceneries, , strange animals etc.
Textures: Uses a set of original hive textures including space hi-tech textures from E2L4 & E2L9. Many of them has a different palette color such as blue or red so they look more original and they give a nice touch of surrealism.
Gameplay: Gameplay is good overall. There are no annoying issues or anything difficult. Puzzles are quite simple and there are some new innovations (read below). Monster/weapon balance is good and there's a lot of health to keep you alive (perhaps even too much - I had 200 hp all the time but that's mostly because I have played this level four times).
Innovations: This is one of the most original levels I have seen. There are dozens of new innovations from alien plants to clever puzzles. Uses a lot of monster sounds - sound usage is very similar to Red 3. There are some nice action scenes like the one in the beginning - very impressive. You also have to escape from Overlord without guns and then there's one scene borrowed from Unreal where lights go off one by one.
Conclusion: Looks very good, colored & original, has excellent new innovations and gameplay is good and there's some replay value.
Rating: 97
