The pressure never lets up, but you're practically force-fed shells what with all the shotguns that will be laying around. It's also a pretty big step up in difficulty since you're immediately exposed to a bunch of monsters, including demons and specters, in the opening room. It's a little disorienting and a little creepy and the free-roaming enemies making noises give you that taste of being hunted.ДЄ very cool level from Romero that has it all when it comes to sniffing secrets, including an optional key. The most distinct aspect of this level, to me, is the optional blinking tech maze that dominates the southwestern section. and because it allows Romero to control when you find the shotgun, which gets thrown out when the first thing you fight is a shotgun zombie. I'm assuming that's because this level's more open nature leaves the player more exposed to hitscan attacks and monsters just plain sneaking up on you. No truly outstanding combat, but I imagine that any one of these places is going to trip up a new player.ДЄ more substantial level that interestingly eschews shotgun guys except for the secret outdoor area with the chaingun. All of the rooms are both distinct and pretty cool, my favorite being the tech pillar tower to the west. It's also more threatening than some MAP01s that I've seen due to its abundant shotgun guys. 'Hangar' is basically linear to the uninitiated, but the armor room and more importantly the secrets offer another layer of mild adventure. Romero opens things up with this little teaser. All of this drip-fed experimentation leaves replays still feeling fresh due to the careful pacing, rather than having all of the raw elements available early on. The third episode finally removes the player from the techbase cradle, and in Hell, all bets are off with elements like teleporter confusion and a level that is virtually identical to E3M1 up until you step onto its original exit. Hall and Petersen continue with the same techbase vibe so you're still somewhat grounded but get to throw new monsters and new hazards as well as challenges that must be accomplished through mechanical exploitation, like infighting. John Romero takes you in, shows you how Doom plays, and then takes you on a wild ride through blinking lights, secret passages, and monster closets before sending you via teleporter to the next stage. Perhaps that's what I like about this mapset the best - its attempts to defy expectations with every level while simultaneously avoiding the aura of sheer contempt for the player that often comes with the territory (though some players will always fly into a frothing rage at things like crushers, which I find bemusing at worst).

Doom nuclear plant secrets