Expansion of Quake
3.73 average rating based on 83 ratings
This review is for the new release on steam that came out this year (sometimes referred to as Quake "Enhanced" which includes these mission packs as well as the addition of I think a new one)
Overall I found this worthwhile. kinda neat how they nailed the aesthetic (the music is great), but a tad bit underwhelming (i completed it in maybe 2.5 hours and on easy it was indeed very very easy) All in all it was a good time in the world of quake which blends industrial motifs with that of haunted castles full of superbeasties! But, it's nothing special (perhaps my fondness of quake is tinged with nostalgia, which is less present in a game like this i haven't played)
Maps were decent but again nothing amazing. They are all well themed though and manage to mix industrial with the dark-fantasy aesthetic fairly well.
I was pleasantly surprised by this mission pack. Compared to the maps from the original Quake, the design here feels less winding, more cinematic, implements neat tricks and interactions which weren't present in the original and that add some refreshing novelty. What I appreciated the most was how these levels maintain that id sprawling design but, somehow, cut down on the backtracking, which pays off as consistent pacing and tension. Probably only once in the entire map pack did I have to do loops through a map, and I was more often than not flying through the levels, finding secrets on the fly, and reacting to cleverly designed tricks and traps. The weapon additions are kind of lame aside from the Laser Cannon, but the weaponized scorpion (such a 90s enemy) and the Gremlin were fun to fight with. The final boss is disappointingly simple, and has none of the clever design that the rest of this map pack shows off. Excited to play Dissolution of Eternity!
Didn't quite get as much out of it as the original but it was an alright expansion. Barely used any of the new weapons (Mjolnir in particular felt pretty useless) but they were generally nice; the new powerups felt like a more significant addition, particularly the Horn of Conjuring that lets you have your own pet demon doggo.The new Gremlin and Centroid enemies were alright; the Spike Mines however were often implemented in a way that felt exceptionally cheap and basically tried to make you feel like an idiot for not quicksaving every 5 seconds. The addition of an actual boss at the end of the game was probably the most significant feeling change, even if it can be obliterated in seconds with the arsenal you're given. The music also felt quite a bit catchier than the often lauded soundtrack of the base game.