9th of March 2025

Gut Feelin' | Single/Multi | Author: Aymeric "MRCK" Nocus | Download

The Review: MRCK is a map-making machine that just won't stop running. Gut Feelin' is another city map from the guy, but there's a catch; it ditches Duke3D's stock textures in favor of a set by Necrobitz. This looks like a familiar set, having appeared here and there over the years. The theme is of (European) urban decay, with buildings that look like they're moments from being demolished. They're noticeably more realistic than the stock textures and hence might stand out in an unwelcome way if placed next to them, but here the map relies almost solely on these, avoiding the issue entirely. MRCK makes great use of the textures, giving his city a run-down vibe while also keeping his tendency to resort to neon colors at bay. Occasionally the results are fittingly, should I say, Lynchian (RIP). There are also several eye-catching details scattered around, including a spiral staircase, a photo booth, a piece of modern art in the middle of an obliterated neighborhood and a few others.
Gameplay-wise the map is enjoyable for roughly half of its duration, but there are several annoyances along the way such as Battlelords that you aren't really equipped to kill until later and thus have to avoid at first (remember sprites are rectangles, so even the invisible bits provide cover). I enjoyed a certain bit in the first half where you need to enter a house via its chimney, fetch a key for a movie theater, then navigate through the theater to finally enter a small graveyard.
After this the map takes a nosedive typical of the author. The map ends with two large open areas filled with numerous sentries, Commanders and Battlelords coming or firing at you from a distance. The first area was already enough, so by the time I made it to the final area and was greeted by another bullet hell, I called it quits and didn't resume my playthrough until a week later. Here you really have to squint to see that tiny pixel firing a barrage of rockets at you from a mile away with perfect accuracy.

Conclusion: Gut Feelin' is refreshing city map in that it utilizes (and does so well) a new set of textures that seem a perfect fit for MRCK's style; you can tell he's having fun playing around with them. Design overall remains appealing throughout with good details here and there while a slightly surreal, slightly threatening atmosphere surrounds the player. While fun for a good while (the map took me 30 minutes and I found just one secret out of ten), you'll spend too much of the second half running from enemies while dodging bullets, rockets, laser blasts and explosions, which gets exhausting and tedious rather fast.

Rating: 91