Review of Speed of Doom WAD

Hello there! I'm MeltPain27, and this is Dean of Doom, the show where we give grades to classic and contemporary Doom wads. Why? Because ranking things is fun! Today's episode will be dedicated to Speed of Doom, a megawad released in 2010 by Josh Seeley and Darkwave. who divided the work so evenly between them that they actually alternate. Excluding the secret maps, the odd-numbered slots are all Joshy's, with Darkwave handling the evens. It also features the musical stylings of then-up-and-coming MIDI magicians Stuart Wren and Jimmy Paddock, who contributed over 20 original tracks, which have seen use in many more projects thereafter. Taking inspiration from such classics as Alien Vendetta, Scythe 1 and 2, Hell Revealed, and The Plutonias, Speed of Doom is a classic-style megawatt that its creators originally planned to finish at a clip of one map per week, a process dubbed semi-speed mapping. and the text file. In the end, seven days couldn't contain the two mappers' ambitions, and the finale they ended up producing was much grander than they expected. I, for one, am very glad things turned out the way they did. Speed of Doom is a dynamic, delightful collision of two creative minds. I'm excited to get into this one. So here's how the show works. Every map gets one grade for quality and one for difficulty. On the quality side, the grades go from A to F. Grade A levels are fun, memorable, visually distinctive, creative, and a fair challenge. difficulty grades go from x to e, x for extreme, e for easy, a through d in between. Keep in mind, I'm not a Doom god, and I probably won't have the same ideas about what makes a great level as you do, but that's okay. Disagreeing is part of the fun, after all. At the end of the day, this show is really about spreading the joy of Doom, so let's do so. Real quick before we start, the rules are we must play on ultraviolence and pistol start each level. I need to play the WAD twice before reviewing it. saves are allowed, and we go for 100% kills in all levels, making exceptions in cases where it's just not worth it. I play on Z Doom, with compatibility set to strict. Now, to the WOD. Map 1. First Blood. First Blood is a docile opener for a megawad with such a fearsome reputation. It introduces speed of Doom's famous green sky, which apparently resulted from a demonic chemical attack on our planet, and an earthy theme that persists for a good chunk of the megawad. Keep an eye on the hitscanners, berserk often, and you won't have any problems here. Grade B-, difficulty, D-. Map 2, Mysterious Cove. This eerie Darkwave debut is almost immediately reminiscent of the Mucus Flow, with its uncanny textural similarity and foreboding atmosphere. In fact, the Mucus Flow seems like the most pervasive aesthetic reference for much of Speed of Doom's first episode, and it's odd that Joshi and Darkwave never acknowledge it in the text file. Mysterious Cove makes handy use of elevators which, thanks to Boom, can make stomps on multiple floors, and also introduces one of Speed of Doom's signature tricks, the pop-up monster ambush. It's not that obnoxious here, but it will get abused later on. you'll see. One thing you'll notice about Darkwave's maps is he loves secrets. I admit they can get perplexing, but after spending significant time with Speed of Doom, I've concluded that Darkwave is actually my favorite secret hider. He makes them organic, satisfying, and visually appealing as often as he makes them useful. Word to the wise, keep an eye out for off-color crates. Grade, A-, difficulty, C-. Map 3, Constrained Base. The modest Constrained Base is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it map. Five minutes of miniature ambushes and tight corridors that leaves little impression. It is, however, a good indicator of things to come. Joshi likes to increase difficulty by decreasing the size of the playing field. This one falls short of Speed of Doom's standards, but benefits from an excellent Stewboy tune. Grade, C+, difficulty, D+. Map 4, Sedgemeyer. Sedgemeyer is almost as gorgeous as its traps are dizzying. It feels strange to call a sewer level gorgeous, but this map really is a sight to behold. Darkwave is a real knack for natural landscapes. Sedgemeyer draws from Alien Vendetta's toxic touch about as much as it calls the mucus flow's number, but the gameplay is Dark Wave through and through. It's loaded with jump scares and nasty ambushes, but the SSG shootout with the imps in Mancubi, the spring-loaded yellow switch room, and even this last encounter with eight imps and a Hell Knight are all carefully wrought and calibrated to not tolerate impatience. Trigger discipline will help you greatly in Dark Wave's maps. Sedgemeyer's secrets are worth the trouble of finding them, and believe me, they are trouble. All I can say is, look for a shootable switch if you want to survive the Super Slime. Darkwave did his own music for this one, a vertiginous, paranoid track that once again draws favorable comparisons to the mucus flow. If you haven't yet adjusted to this megawad's love of tactical traps and edge-of-your-seat fights, then now's the time to get your head right. Grade A, difficulty, B-. Map 5. Cliffside Siege. Besides its relatively high difficulty for its early placement, Cliffside Siege's lone similarity to its Alien Vendetta influence is Jimmy Paddock's interpretation of Bobby Prince's MIDI. Get ready to scramble for non-existent cover from start to finish. Joshy throws some pretty severe teleport traps at you, none worse than the gaggle of chaingunners that appears after you obtain the yellow key. Budget your three rad suits carefully, as dipping your toes in toxic sludge is pretty mandatory. For a good example of BS pop-up monster usage, look no further than this hellmite. Cliffside Siege. Siege has grown on me, and even though it's still not exactly my cup of tea, I have to respect how much its monster placement compliments the layout, especially the mastermind, the long-range imps, and the flying foes. Grade, B+, difficulty, B. Map 6, Dreamscape. This was the moment I knew I was going to fall in love with Speed of Doom. Dreamscape checks all my boxes. It's lushly detailed, the fights are explosive, the midi is intoxicating, and the whole experience is surreal and memorable. Dreamscape is home to the first really meaty fights in Speed of Doom. You've got a mess of chaingunners in the first room, followed by two free-roaming arch-viles, a series of ambushes baited with tantalizing goodies, and finally a big-boy fight with two cyberdemons, a squad of revenants and barons, and two arch-viles guarding the exit, which leaves out the lethally-trapped secret BFG. You're gonna want that. I hate to sound like a broken record, but Dreamscape is the most mucus-flow-like of all Darkwave's creations. Just look at this slimefall secret, the arachnotron turrets, the quiet creepiness of the derelict tech base you start in, the magical overtones. The resemblance is uncanny. Dreamscape is one of Darkwave's hallmark maps. It illustrates his design philosophy in a nutshell, and cements his place as one of my all-time favorite mappers. His attention to detail, mastery of atmosphere, and fondness for high body counts and heavy artillery had me at hello. Not coincidentally, it's also the point where you start to realize what Speed of Doom has in store for you, both in terms of spectacle and punishment. Grade, A+. Difficulty, B+. Map 7, Simple Prison Yard. Oh, I just got it. Dead simple, prison, and courtyard all in one map 7. Actually, I'm so dim I didn't pick up on the reference till I read the text file. Simple prison yard takes you out to the woodshed, serving up chaingunners and bullet sponges in tight spaces until the end, where you're jumped by a buttload of teleporting maccubi and then, you guessed it, a mob of spiders. I consider the maccubi more dangerous, as their crisscrossing firing pattern can blanket the whole arena right quick, but the arachnos will tear you to shreds if you didn't save health and plasma. Two things I don't really like about this map are the cyberdemon, who's nothing but a time sink, and the Arachnotron teleportation, which sometimes makes you wait like a minute before deciding to work properly. Definitely the feistiest Joshi submission so far. Grade? B. Difficulty? B+. Map 8, Frenetic. If you guys think Darkwave paid me to write good things about him, I don't even care. This map is great. Frenetic is an unabashed romp through a fortified storage facility, seasoned liberally with Darkwave's faves. Secrets, gibbetude, and searing archvile traps. Apparently, Darkwave took inspiration from fellow designer Gustav, who worried that he might... fall into some stereotype with those spectacular brown and green sceneries, and suggested he try creating a large indoor storehouse. So, Darkwave did. The result is a short and explosive caper that gets more and more fun with each replaying, especially if you know where the secrets are. Grade A, difficulty B. Map 9, Depredation. This is actually one of my favorite Joshi maps. Depredation's confined setting generates suspense of a pleasanter variety than it usually goes for, and Stewboy's heart-pounding MIDI makes for the perfect backdrop. If you're too good for infighting, things are going to be tight before you get your hands on the SSG, and the periodical Arch-Vile interjections can catch you by surprise. Save rockets and cells for special occasions, and you can trust the super shotgun for everything else. Not much else to say. Depredation is brisk, fun, and friendly for a Joshi map. Grade, A-, Difficulty, B+. Map 10, Vile Pain. I tell you what, it's hard to beat Speed of Doom's first 10 maps, and even harder to top Darkwave's first 5. Man's on a roll. Vile Pain may well have inspired Skillsaw's Angry Archviles series, and less directly Going Down's 200MHz, giving top billing to its 28 Archviles and throwing in 13 Pain Elementals for good measure. Darkwave lets you start each fight mostly at your own pace, but that courtesy has a sinister ring to it, as if he's saying, ready when you are. The further you progress through this forgotten complex, the more it opens up and the more hell it unleashes. The blue key section is especially nasty if you're not ready for copious surprise Archviles. But sharp-eyed secret hunters can net a soul sphere and mega armor to soften the blow. With the blue key in hand, you can access the plasma rifle on the red key, both of which trigger very nasty ambushes, one with spiders and meatballs, one with a lot of pinkies and specters. You can try to make a min-fight, which is pretty fun if you can keep from jibbing yourself on a specter, or take it one wave at a time. The pigs and ghost pigs have trouble with stares, a weakness that you and your secret berserk can exploit. If you can last until the invulnerability arch-vile lightning round, you're made in the shade. Vile pain is a beautiful nightmare. A hot-blooded concept map with style and thrills to spare. One of Darkwave's best. Grade A, difficulty B+. Map 11, Transcension. Talk about a hot start. This aggravating conclusion to Speed of Doom's first episode was allegedly Joshi's attempt at a nice, open-spaced and simple map. I mean, I wouldn't call it claustrophobic, but I wouldn't call it nice either. The arch-file at the start, the relentless Macubus and Revenant snipers in the stupid cave section with the pinky flash mobs and pop-up monsters in your face are pretty damn unfriendly. Thankfully, the giant fight at the end is cheesable with infighting and patience. I never liked this map. It's trappy, cheap, and can be a bit of a pain in the ass. and compete with Darkwave aesthetically. Grade, C+, difficulty, B+. Map 12, the Meatgrinder. The Meatgrinder sports a bloody castle theme, which pairs nicely with the Heretic music. I do have to call a spade a spade. There are a few distasteful encounters here, like this pop-up arch-vile, these pop-up Hell Knights, and this stupid trap with two more Hell Knights point-blank. With such well-choreographed encounters as the opening infight, this breathless hallway ambush, and the title setpiece, I don't know why Darkwave felt the need to stoop. The secrets are pleasant, if a bit weird. This beautifully framed plasma rifle behind the bloodfall is a treat, but the berserk secret which you get by pressing three red things with no audible feedback is kinda whack. I always expect more from the ending. You jump into a pit only to be greeted by a handful of arachnotrons and pinkies. You got plenty of rockets, so let them fly. Grade, B+, difficulty, B. Map 13, Lucifer's Tears. Man, does this one make a bad first impression. Joshi is a master of disguising nastiness in petite monster counts. And Lucifer's Tears is a perfect example of that. With minimal medical supplies available early on, those teleporting shotgunners ate me alive my first time through, and the coverless yellow key area can turn into Swiss cheese or grilled cheese in a matter of seconds. The secret rocket launcher would have been nice to have sooner, but I'll take what I can get. Brooding, atmosphere-heavy maps aren't really Joshy's M.O., but he does alright here. Grade B, difficulty A-. Map 14, Sledge. Oh yes, Speed of Doom's first out-and-out slugfest. Sledge is all muscle. Breathless, dark waves, spectacular, complete with bracing fights and beautiful scenery, set to a soundtrack that never lets up. Up till now, we've only seen Darkwave's Dr. Jekyll. This is Mr. Hyde. We're talking 700 monsters, including 4 Cyberdemons, 9 Archviles, and a dozen Pain Elementals flinging their children everywhere. It's a chaotic mess of assorted bestiaries screaming and infighting and generally getting in the way. Where's the BFG when you need it? Well, cut through the boiling blood, turn right, and have a gander at this beautiful secret. Oh yeah, give me that. I have never seen anything like this backlit Spectre BFG slaughterfest. It's not hard or anything, just completely unexpected and aesthetic as hell. The map caps off with a Cyberdemon double team and a chorus of revenant Kamehamehas. I love, love, love this map. It captures everything great about Speed of Doom. The intensity, the grandeur, the heroism, and by God, the punishment. A lot can go wrong in this map, but the payoff sure is sweet. Grade, A+. Difficulty, A. Map 15, Descent to the Core. Perfect Hatred. Josh Seely edition. According to the text file, Descent of the Core took about 12 hours to make, and it shows. There's a certain spontaneity and freshness to this map's action that never gets old. The frantic opening really ladles on the arachnotrons. They exert stupendous pressure while you gather supplies and dodge chaingun fire, leaving no way out except through them. Descent of the Core also features another fretful spider mastermind placement, and a very painful mancubus cluster. There are a few things I can't stand about this map, unfortunately. One, this crusher hallway with the shotgunners, art files, and later pinkies and revenants. In terms of tooldom, this is Black and Decker tier. Two, this Cyberdemon. With your limited ammo allotment, killing him is a pain in the ass. Three, you're required to Archvile Jump over this health bonus if you want to experience the Megawad's absolutely must-see secret maps, to which I say ID Clev 31. Grade, B+, difficulty, A-. Map 31, 101-001-1010. One of the most flawless integrations of gameplay and theme in all of Doomdom. 666 in binary is a cold, unfeeling technoscape riddled with mechanically augmented enemies. Thank you, bye. Arachnotrons, Revenants, Masterminds, and Cyberdemons are the only foes you'll face here. Working solely with futuristic weaponry, it's your job to send these bionic freakshows back to the scrap heap. Under these self-imposed limitations, Darkwave, in his only odd-numbered map, succeeds at creating intelligent, pulse-pounding, and for as huge as they are, surprisingly accessible combat scenarios, and ices the cake with a playful scavenger hunt, finding and slaughtering all seven albino spacemen, opens the gates to map 32. 666 in binary is not a traditionally beautiful map, but it never fails to knock my socks off. It's all in the cold, lifeless metal, spilled sludge, and synthetic blues indifferent to the blood-red, apocalyptic sky. I might sing Darkwave's praises some more if he didn't owe such a huge debt to Stuart Wren, whose MIDI is so good it's hard to believe, a scintillating sci-fi tune that also manages to sound chilly, computerized, inhuman. I call him the incomparable Stuart Wren. For good reason. 101001 1010 is one of the iconic Speed of Doom maps. A thrilling, unforgettable rampage through a bleak, wasted techno hell. Grade A+, difficulty A-. Map 32, Pyramid of Death. So let's take a minute to talk about slaughter maps. If you've spent time around people who talk about Doom, you've almost certainly heard the term slaughter map. If we're being honest, it's a term that functionally means very little. I've seen it used to describe Plutonia's go-to-it, hell-revealed, alien vendetta, sunlust, holy hell, sunder, and occuplice. But these examples are so wildly different that the only thing they have in common is at some point somebody playing them said, Man, this sh** is hard. It's true, some people use slaughter as a pejorative for anything beyond their skill level, but it's often negatively associated with repetitiveness, acceptance, excessiveness or carnage for its own sake. There's also a population of players who exclusively enjoy slaughter combat for the simple reason that everything else puts them to sleep. So what do we talk about when we talk about slaughter? It's probably easier to lay out what slaughter maps are not than what they are. For instance, maps with high monster counts are not automatically slaughter maps. Dehydration and Anagnorisis from Ev Eternity, Misery Halek from Alien Vendetta, Screams Aren't a Crime Yet from Valiant, and even Fire and Ice from Scythe contain over 500 enemies but don't really qualify as slaughter. You might argue with me about Fire and Ice. Yes, it has big groups of monsters, but it hardly offers any opportunities for run-of-the-mill circle strafing or BFG spam. Two oft-mentioned slaughter mapping tropes. Relatedly, maps that make prominent use of the BFG are not necessarily slaughter maps. If the mapmaker is giving you a BFG, they need to throw a lot of monsters at you to even make it relevant. I think the map starts to become slaughter when, even with a BFG in hand, the odds look stacked against you. Here's the bottom line. Slaughter is too easy and undescriptive a label to slap on most maps without further clarification. I think it's unfair that slaughter tends to imply mindlessness, because well-calibrated slaughter maps take careful thought and planning to master. Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes maps that meet the slaughter criteria can feel too hostile or exacting to enjoy, but a few bad bananas shouldn't spoil the bunch. The reason I digress is, the discussion around slaughter maps will become increasingly pertinent to Speed of Doom the further we delve into it, starting with Pyramid of Death, which, let me leave no room for ambiguity, Pyramid of Death is a slaughter map. Josh Seeley throws down the gantlet. in this super secret splatterfest. Though its visuals are barebones at best, Pyramid of Death still makes ZDoom chug a little, so I switched over to PR Boom Plus for this recording. It's been a while. Like Alien Vendetta's No Guts No Glory, you may throw up your hands at the opening fight with its mounted spider masterminds, bridge-blocking cyberdemons, and waterways clogged with barrens of hell, but Joshi gives you ample recovery items, and once you fight your way through the pyramid, things loosen up a bit. Rampant infighting is inevitable, so take advantage of your enemy's distraction to score hits on the more threatening formations. The massive fight by the blue key is so brutal it gives you two megaspheres and an invulnerability you can archfile jump to. I know I often scoff at Arch-vile jumps, but you're really gonna need that 30 seconds of god mode. The Arch-viles are so numerous, they can literally blast you out of the arena, and right after you deal with them, an unholy entourage of cacos, pain elementals, and their spawn will blot out the sun. Handle this disaster, and the rest is a piece of cake. Kill two quadruple archvile jack-in-the-boxes guarding the last two keys, then get the mastermind to the top of the pyramid to infight six more archviles, nuke them, and you're done. I can't say that I love this map, but it's definitely memorable, and Joshi's Blitzkrieg approach is a nice departure from a lot of his other work. Grade, A-, difficulty, X. Map 33, Descent to Nowhere. Yep, Speed of Doom is a map 33, accessible only through cheating. I'm not exactly sure why it was included, but I won't say no to more Doom. Descent to Nowhere is like one of Alien Vendetta's milder tech-based maps with a terrible, terrible ending. It's grey and trap-heavy, and I can kind of see why it was kicked from the regular rotation. Nothing about it really grabs me. The final fight is essentially Hell Revealed to the Descent, except 50% harder, because it starts with a Cyberdemon, can't be cheesed, and limits your cell capacity. You can Arch-Vile Jump again through a specific window to unlock a secret BFG, but I really couldn't be bothered and paid for my laziness with 12 minutes of my life. Play this map after you finish Speed of Doom to avoid messing with the Megawad's continuity. Grade B, difficulty A-. Map 16, The Core. Beautiful in its simplicity, The Core is Doom in a nutshell. Get keys, get guns, kill monsters, repeat. All the action takes place around the pulsating title structure, and while it's certainly fun to mow down hordes of demons while they rip each other to pieces, the combat is decisively less sophisticated and therefore less fun than Sledge's. Of course, the visuals are still top-notch, and the ending where you destroy the core and the lights go out is dramatic as hell. Darkwave said of his map, I was wanting to make a map with destroying a large number of enemies in a short time, so this. In that case, mission accomplished. Grade A, difficulty B. Map 17, The Shrine. The Shrine is bite-sized and unexpectedly accessible. All that brown and green brick brings to mind the Plutonia Experiment, an association strengthened by Stuart Wren's Plutonia II MIDI. You'll be doing a lot of fighting over unavoidable hurt floors, but Joshi and a rare gesture of goodwill provides you plenty of radiance. ...mediation suits. This map holds the distinction of being the only Joshi map from Speed of Doom I've enjoyed every time I booted it up, and it's a welcome wind-down from the last few maps. Grade, A-, Difficulty, B. Map 18, Silent Hour. Silent Hour is an acquired taste. Only recently have I gained an appreciation for it, mostly because I looked up secrets and have spent a lot of time with Darkwave stuff in general. Silent Hour plays rough before you get your hands on some bigger guns. There are a few helpful secrets in the Silver Base, but I can't make excuses for Darkwave this time. They're BS levels of cryptic. Patience is a necessity in this map, as the optimal approach to each encounter isn't likely to present itself first try. Even after four playthroughs, I'm finding new ways to do certain fights. For example, I usually wait until I get the BFG to tackle this quintuple archvile ambush, but I miraculously survived a deadly game of peekaboo when I fell in accidentally this time. The final fight is very satisfying, especially if you wiped out those archviles, because the two-faced switch they're guarding lets you crush the mancubi and telefrag that nagging cyberdemon. Silent Hour isn't likely to be most players' favorite dark wave map, but it demonstrates a lot of commitment to his more exploratory mapmaking side. Grade, B+, difficulty, A. Map 19, Impure Serenity. Joshi describes this map as a breather, but I've never found it all that relaxing, especially in the beginning. There's no comfortable way to deal with all the snipers and riffraff stuffing the hallways without tiptoeing to the non-secret megasphere, which in itself doesn't take the pressure off completely. Maybe I'm just conditioned to feel ill at ease in Joshi maps that use a lot of vegetation, but the music, lovely as it is, just doesn't feel right. It's much too soothing. After effortlessly circle-strafing this cyberdemon to death, mentally prepare yourself, because break time is over. Grade B, difficulty B+. Map 20, The Path to Hell. A diabolical fusion of Darkwave's signature natural landscapes and an emerging hellish theme likely inspired by Scythes 1 and 2, The Path to Hell is where Speed of Doom stops f***ing around. Don't miss this early backpack secret behind the missing candle, because you're gonna need all the ammo you can carry. Outside of the secret maps, nothing in this megawatt has looked cool. quite so grandiose. The scale of Darkwave's architecture slackens jaws, and every fight feels like a major event, none more so than this canyon of carnage. Just look at all this. Hyperbolic as it is, the finale is not my favorite fight. That title goes to the Slime Corridor, which looks plenty intimidating to begin with, but just wait till the Archviles spawn in behind you. As if the path to hell wasn't hardcore enough, the level and the episode ends with Doomguy blowing his brains out so he can pursue the rest of the demons back to hell. Holy shit, that's commitment. Grade A? difficulty A+. Map 21, Resurrection. Ah, Joshy, you had a great idea, man. The player waking up in a shallow grave, grabbing some guns, ready to take the fight to hell, and then what did you do? You turned it into a Tyson map, with Mancubi, hitscanners, cacodemons, and archviles. Not that I have a problem with punching archviles, but two of them? Why? Because it takes longer? And then another one? And then another one in the lava who you have to save your bullets for if you want to get 100% kills? Jesus Christ, man. Resurrection is an absolute bear for completionists. Ammo is scarce, the enemies are beefy, and it's just generally annoying. Down to the exit being placed behind two timed doors, presumably to keep you from peekaboo shooting the last screw-you archvile. I guess the E1M1 reference is clever, but this map seems designed to grind gears. Grade C+, difficulty A. Map 22, Dead Echo. To say this is Darkwave's most mediocre map is certainly a kind of praise by itself, but I don't have much actual praise for Dead Echo. The scenery is kind of derivative, and the fights are some of Darkwave's weakest. Cheap as they might seem, the cramped ambushes in the red key room are some of the fights I most enjoy here. I dislike the obligatory arch-vials that pop out when you grab new weapons, and the triple cyberdemon rush is surprisingly aggravating, especially if the accompanying monsters don't infight properly. Even the vanilla midi feels like a punt, as if admitting to a lack of inspiration. No need to dwell on this one. Grade B, difficulty A-. Map 23, Poison Ivy 2. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is the only map in Speed of Doom that I hate. I hate this map more than most of the Fs I've given on this show. Poison Ivy 2 is the apotheosis of Joshy's obsession with tiny maps, high enemy density, constrictive weapon and ammo dispensation, and pop. Up. Monsters. 99 times out of 100, if I call a map bullshit while I'm playing it, I take it back, after the fact, because either I'm missing something, I suck, or I ended up liking it when I go back to it. Having said that, Poison Ivy 2 is bullshit. Clearly it's inspired by Scythe 2's later jungle levels, but even Eric Alm's worst encounters don't subject you to random misfortune like this. From what I've seen on the web, it looks like the best strategy is to ignore everything and leap for the BFG early, but I couldn't pull this off properly, and I doubt this method is intended. The other weapons are under strict Cyberdemon surveillance. Have fun with that. And the Archviles. My- god the archviles. Unless you're cowering in a corner, which you won't be doing often, assume that some archvile somewhere has got a bead on your forehead. Folks, I died 46 times in this recording, and I knew exactly what was coming. If I never play Poison Ivy 2 again, my life will be better for it. Grade D difficulty. X. Map 24, Hell's Honeycomb. I have a soft spot for Hell's Honeycomb. It's the last of Darkwave's maps with that quiet, pensive quality that so enriches Episode 1. That's not to say it lacks excitement. This hexagonophilic hellhole has an archvile infestation, and some of these fights will put hairs on your chest. The opening brawl is kickass, the blue key imp rampage is a treat, and the red key locks you in a room with a cyberdemon and makes you blast your way out. There are seven secrets in this map, which I believe ties for the most in the megawad. and they're uncharacteristically obvious by Darkwave's standards. The Mega Armor Baron secret will bruise the uninitiated, and the BFG secret with the Cyberdemon is unnecessary. After all, the map gives you a BFG for free if you find any of the three keys. The yellow key room with all the trick archfiles is kind of a headache, and the Cyberdemon sandwich finale is a little on the nose, but all told, Hell's Honeycomb is a handsome map, and a welcome calm before the storm. Grade A, difficulty B+. Map 25, Death's Nocturne. Probably the last Joshi map that I don't actively dread playing, Death's Nocturne greets you with a closed fist, siccing shotgunners, chaingunners, and hell knights on you in deceptively close quarters. Joshi once again takes explicit inspiration from Scythe 2, specifically map 17, and he takes a few combat cues from Maric Alm as well, notably with Archviles, Revenants, and up-close Cyberdemons. After Poison Ivy 2, nothing intimidates me anymore. Joshi gives you a ton of rockets and enough BFG ammo to neuter the map's last few fights. The first room in the map, ironically, might be the hardest. Grade. B, difficulty, B+. Map 26, Blessed Hellscape. Nothing says Speed of Doom quite like a hundred revenants chasing you across a fiery plain screaming bloody murder. Believe it or not, Blessed Hellscape is only Darkwave's third most tempestuous map, and it's mostly less scary than it looks. The macro fights give you ample room to lead revenant rockets on a merry chase, and the smaller encounters give you plenty of health and ammo. Thankfully, the majority of the map's 38 archviles are harmless or too busy resurrecting stuff to care about you. Which isn't to say you shouldn't worry about them. Darkwave's secrets are once again idiosyncratic to the point of annoyance. The plasma rifle is revealed when you press on one of these red bars, for example, and there's no audible feedback. Come on, man. The grand finale is a rollicking ass kick. Don't trip the line deaf at the cave entrance or this arch-file party will send you to the moon. I gotta say, Darkwave does a mean hell map, but by this point in the WAD I miss Episode 1's earthy hues. Grade A, difficulty A+. Map 27, Haze Temple. Yet another Scythe 2-esque Joshy excursion with a painful start, Haze Temple is an episodic slugfest set in a shadow-draped, gothic hell. The central hub is just the worst. A chain gang of maccubi bombards you at every turn, while revenants and archviles take potshots in the peanut gallery. Silencing them is a chore, because every corner of the room is guarded by pairs of barons, and you can't reach the archies and revenants without the red and blue keys, which you'll find in the east and west wings. I think I prefer the blue key path, chaotic as it is, for its sumptuous visuals. With both keys in hand, think carefully about how you want to use the secret invuln in Megasphere, The switch that opens the yellow key summons four cyberdemons, and grabbing it reveals more Mancubi, a Mastermind, and some Vilesguard in the exit. Hayes Temple isn't as unpleasant as I remembered, probably because it's one of the least claustrophobic Joshi maps in the set. Grade, B+, difficulty, A. Map 28, Twilight Massacre. A slaughterfest of staggering proportions, Twilight Massacre is about as subtle as Blunt Force drama. Canonized by a top 10 spot on DoomWorld.com's most memorable maps, Twilight Massacre is definitely distinctive. But I'll be straight with you guys. This probably wouldn't even make my top 10 favorite Darkwave maps. Yes, it's ambitious, and Darkwave impresses with its ability to orchestrate fights on such a massive scale, but holding down the fire button with the BFG and zooming around at top speed does eventually get stale. Twilight Massacre is an illustration of the limit that slaughter mapping asymptotically approaches. At a certain point, the BFG becomes the only relevant weapon in your arsenal, and it's only so powerful. Some people will never get tired of pushing that big green ball and its 40 tracers to its maximum potential, but personally, I hate to see my SSG gather dust. Twilight Massacre is worth a play for the sheer spectacle, but I guess I'm trying to say it's overrated. Grade A-. Difficulty A. Map 29, The Ruins of Kalmik. More like the ruins of your day. From the starting gun, the ruins of Kalmik goes for your throat. Speed of Doom is no picnic, and I expect heavy resistance from any map 29, but this is just excruciating. Joshi crams heaps of demons into a tenth of Twilight Massacre's real estate, Half his map is covered in lava, on which you can expect to fight cyberdemons, spiderdemons, and up to six archviles at once, so watch those rad suits, tick-tock, tick-tock. Just writing about this map is exhausting, so you know what? I'm just going to cut the review short here, and let my death reel express the magnitude of misery the ruins of Kalnick can lay on you. Grade, B-, Difficulty, X. Map 30, Darkness Without End. One of the bloodiest Megawad closers ever, Darkness Without End is you versus 2,000 demons spilling out of the void, whose ranks are constantly being replenished by 40, yes, 40 monster spawners. Don't worry, it's not quite as bad as it sounds. All you have to do is survive the onslaught for about three minutes, and then you're free to blast Romero's head. It's not one of the Megawad's freshest ideas, but it beats the tar out of Icon of Sin. Fittingly, Darkness Without End is one of the shortest maps in Speed of Doom. Grade, B+, difficulty, B+. So, Speed of Doom was one of the first megawands I played after Dean of Doom debuted, and it was a wake-up call, because there I sat, fancying myself a fairly knowledgeable and well-rounded Doom aficionado, but I'd somehow passed up Speed of Doom. What an oversight! At the time of its release, Speed of Doom was quite polarizing, with some people hailing it as the next alien vendetta, and others absolutely hating its plutonic proclivity for traps and, quote, slaughter mappiness. Speed of Doom as a final product is nothing like Alien Vendetta or Plutonia, of course. Rather, it's a melting pot of early 2000s influences reforged into a brand of Doom that belongs completely to its co-authors. Darkwaves simmering secret hunts in cacophonous war-torn landscapes, Joshi's hellish crucibles, these maps sit at a perfect juncture between the classic megawands of old and the emerging modernity seen in the output of the biggest name to the 2010. Most notably Ribix and Skilsaw. History lessons aside, Speed of Doom is crackerjack stuff. A special alignment of beautiful, distinctive visuals and some of the best action around. I'm happy to bestow a final grade of A on this beast of a megawad. On the difficulty side of things, Speed of Doom is a banger. Easily rivaling Alien Vendetta, and only slightly outgunned by Hell Revealed's wanton savagery. I'll give it an A+. Now for my Dean's List. Valedictorian? Map 31. 666 in binary. Salutatorian, map 14, Sledge. Class President, this was a tough one, but I'm gonna go with map 23, Poison Ivy 2, and the dunce cap goes to map 23, Poison Ivy 2, Good Riddance. Speed of Doom is definitely honor roll eligible, so let's quickly spotlight some more high achievers. Map 2, Mysterious Cove. Map 4, Sedgemeyer. Map 6, Dreamscape. Map 8, Frenetic. Map 9, Depredation. Map 10, Vile Pain. Map 32, Pyramid of Death. Map 16, The Core. Map 17, The Shrine. Map 20, The Path to Hell. Map 24, Hell's Honeycomb. Map 26, Blessed Hellscape. And Map 28, Twilight Massacre. Thank you very much for watching. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the wand down below. I'd love to hear what you think, and I'll heart your comments to let you know I've read them. Before I go, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge my generous patrons. Aaron Allen, Aaron Berger, Acoly, Alec Wehrman, Alex Topfer, Alex Max, BuilderSith, Callum Duncan, Kappa Bitch, Cheese Wheel, Chris O'Neill, Christophine Place, Kiara P, Crafty1Cal, Delirium, Dorothy Miller, Emma Essex, Final Brett, Garu Dave, General Roasterrock, Glenn Marmon, Griffin Upchurch, Gus Shade, HolyHellRevealedWhen, Jared C. Bly, Jesse Taylor, Josh Ballard, Camille Bernadotte, Leon Staton, Mark Rowland, Marky Music, Masterdrew117, Mixer, Mr. Bob Cyndaquil, Myolden, Neurometry, Nick Machado, One True Purple, Pyro Shee, Thank you. I appreciate you all. I'd also like to thank DCG Retrowave for providing the midis for this episode. You can find a link to his channel in this video's description. This is MtPain27, and I'll see you in the next episode of Dean of Doom.

Hello there! I'm MeltPain27, and this is Dean of Doom, the show where we give grades to classic and contemporary Doom wads. Why?

Because ranking things is fun! Today's episode will be dedicated to Speed of Doom, a megawad released in 2010 by Josh Seeley and Darkwave. who divided the work so evenly between them that they actually alternate.

Excluding the secret maps, the odd-numbered slots are all Joshy's, with Darkwave handling the evens. It also features the musical stylings of then-up-and-coming MIDI magicians Stuart Wren and Jimmy Paddock, who contributed over 20 original tracks, which have seen use in many more projects thereafter. Taking inspiration from such classics as Alien Vendetta, Scythe 1 and 2, Hell Revealed, and The Plutonias, Speed of Doom is a classic-style megawatt that its creators originally planned to finish at a clip of one map per week, a process dubbed semi-speed mapping.

and the text file. In the end, seven days couldn't contain the two mappers' ambitions, and the finale they ended up producing was much grander than they expected. I, for one, am very glad things turned out the way they did. Speed of Doom is a dynamic, delightful collision of two creative minds. I'm excited to get into this one.

So here's how the show works. Every map gets one grade for quality and one for difficulty. On the quality side, the grades go from A to F.

Grade A levels are fun, memorable, visually distinctive, creative, and a fair challenge. difficulty grades go from x to e, x for extreme, e for easy, a through d in between. Keep in mind, I'm not a Doom god, and I probably won't have the same ideas about what makes a great level as you do, but that's okay. Disagreeing is part of the fun, after all.

At the end of the day, this show is really about spreading the joy of Doom, so let's do so. Real quick before we start, the rules are we must play on ultraviolence and pistol start each level. I need to play the WAD twice before reviewing it. saves are allowed, and we go for 100% kills in all levels, making exceptions in cases where it's just not worth it. I play on Z Doom, with compatibility set to strict.

Now, to the WOD. Map 1. First Blood. First Blood is a docile opener for a megawad with such a fearsome reputation. It introduces speed of Doom's famous green sky, which apparently resulted from a demonic chemical attack on our planet, and an earthy theme that persists for a good chunk of the megawad.

Keep an eye on the hitscanners, berserk often, and you won't have any problems here. Grade B-, difficulty, D-. Map 2, Mysterious Cove.

This eerie Darkwave debut is almost immediately reminiscent of the Mucus Flow, with its uncanny textural similarity and foreboding atmosphere. In fact, the Mucus Flow seems like the most pervasive aesthetic reference for much of Speed of Doom's first episode, and it's odd that Joshi and Darkwave never acknowledge it in the text file. Mysterious Cove makes handy use of elevators which, thanks to Boom, can make stomps on multiple floors, and also introduces one of Speed of Doom's signature tricks, the pop-up monster ambush. It's not that obnoxious here, but it will get abused later on.

you'll see. One thing you'll notice about Darkwave's maps is he loves secrets. I admit they can get perplexing, but after spending significant time with Speed of Doom, I've concluded that Darkwave is actually my favorite secret hider. He makes them organic, satisfying, and visually appealing as often as he makes them useful. Word to the wise, keep an eye out for off-color crates.

Grade, A-, difficulty, C-. Map 3, Constrained Base. The modest Constrained Base is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it map.

Five minutes of miniature ambushes and tight corridors that leaves little impression. It is, however, a good indicator of things to come. Joshi likes to increase difficulty by decreasing the size of the playing field.

This one falls short of Speed of Doom's standards, but benefits from an excellent Stewboy tune. Grade, C+, difficulty, D+. Map 4, Sedgemeyer. Sedgemeyer is almost as gorgeous as its traps are dizzying. It feels strange to call a sewer level gorgeous, but this map really is a sight to behold.

Darkwave is a real knack for natural landscapes. Sedgemeyer draws from Alien Vendetta's toxic touch about as much as it calls the mucus flow's number, but the gameplay is Dark Wave through and through. It's loaded with jump scares and nasty ambushes, but the SSG shootout with the imps in Mancubi, the spring-loaded yellow switch room, and even this last encounter with eight imps and a Hell Knight are all carefully wrought and calibrated to not tolerate impatience. Trigger discipline will help you greatly in Dark Wave's maps.

Sedgemeyer's secrets are worth the trouble of finding them, and believe me, they are trouble. All I can say is, look for a shootable switch if you want to survive the Super Slime. Darkwave did his own music for this one, a vertiginous, paranoid track that once again draws favorable comparisons to the mucus flow.

If you haven't yet adjusted to this megawad's love of tactical traps and edge-of-your-seat fights, then now's the time to get your head right. Grade A, difficulty, B-. Map 5. Cliffside Siege. Besides its relatively high difficulty for its early placement, Cliffside Siege's lone similarity to its Alien Vendetta influence is Jimmy Paddock's interpretation of Bobby Prince's MIDI.

Get ready to scramble for non-existent cover from start to finish. Joshy throws some pretty severe teleport traps at you, none worse than the gaggle of chaingunners that appears after you obtain the yellow key. Budget your three rad suits carefully, as dipping your toes in toxic sludge is pretty mandatory. For a good example of BS pop-up monster usage, look no further than this hellmite.

Cliffside Siege. Siege has grown on me, and even though it's still not exactly my cup of tea, I have to respect how much its monster placement compliments the layout, especially the mastermind, the long-range imps, and the flying foes. Grade, B+, difficulty, B. Map 6, Dreamscape.

This was the moment I knew I was going to fall in love with Speed of Doom. Dreamscape checks all my boxes. It's lushly detailed, the fights are explosive, the midi is intoxicating, and the whole experience is surreal and memorable.

Dreamscape is home to the first really meaty fights in Speed of Doom. You've got a mess of chaingunners in the first room, followed by two free-roaming arch-viles, a series of ambushes baited with tantalizing goodies, and finally a big-boy fight with two cyberdemons, a squad of revenants and barons, and two arch-viles guarding the exit, which leaves out the lethally-trapped secret BFG. You're gonna want that. I hate to sound like a broken record, but Dreamscape is the most mucus-flow-like of all Darkwave's creations. Just look at this slimefall secret, the arachnotron turrets, the quiet creepiness of the derelict tech base you start in, the magical overtones.

The resemblance is uncanny. Dreamscape is one of Darkwave's hallmark maps. It illustrates his design philosophy in a nutshell, and cements his place as one of my all-time favorite mappers.

His attention to detail, mastery of atmosphere, and fondness for high body counts and heavy artillery had me at hello. Not coincidentally, it's also the point where you start to realize what Speed of Doom has in store for you, both in terms of spectacle and punishment. Grade, A+.

Difficulty, B+. Map 7, Simple Prison Yard. Oh, I just got it.

Dead simple, prison, and courtyard all in one map 7. Actually, I'm so dim I didn't pick up on the reference till I read the text file. Simple prison yard takes you out to the woodshed, serving up chaingunners and bullet sponges in tight spaces until the end, where you're jumped by a buttload of teleporting maccubi and then, you guessed it, a mob of spiders. I consider the maccubi more dangerous, as their crisscrossing firing pattern can blanket the whole arena right quick, but the arachnos will tear you to shreds if you didn't save health and plasma. Two things I don't really like about this map are the cyberdemon, who's nothing but a time sink, and the Arachnotron teleportation, which sometimes makes you wait like a minute before deciding to work properly.

Definitely the feistiest Joshi submission so far. Grade? B. Difficulty?

B+. Map 8, Frenetic. If you guys think Darkwave paid me to write good things about him, I don't even care. This map is great. Frenetic is an unabashed romp through a fortified storage facility, seasoned liberally with Darkwave's faves.

Secrets, gibbetude, and searing archvile traps. Apparently, Darkwave took inspiration from fellow designer Gustav, who worried that he might... fall into some stereotype with those spectacular brown and green sceneries, and suggested he try creating a large indoor storehouse. So, Darkwave did.

The result is a short and explosive caper that gets more and more fun with each replaying, especially if you know where the secrets are. Grade A, difficulty B. Map 9, Depredation. This is actually one of my favorite Joshi maps.

Depredation's confined setting generates suspense of a pleasanter variety than it usually goes for, and Stewboy's heart-pounding MIDI makes for the perfect backdrop. If you're too good for infighting, things are going to be tight before you get your hands on the SSG, and the periodical Arch-Vile interjections can catch you by surprise. Save rockets and cells for special occasions, and you can trust the super shotgun for everything else. Not much else to say. Depredation is brisk, fun, and friendly for a Joshi map.

Grade, A-, Difficulty, B+. Map 10, Vile Pain. I tell you what, it's hard to beat Speed of Doom's first 10 maps, and even harder to top Darkwave's first 5. Man's on a roll.

Vile Pain may well have inspired Skillsaw's Angry Archviles series, and less directly Going Down's 200MHz, giving top billing to its 28 Archviles and throwing in 13 Pain Elementals for good measure. Darkwave lets you start each fight mostly at your own pace, but that courtesy has a sinister ring to it, as if he's saying, ready when you are. The further you progress through this forgotten complex, the more it opens up and the more hell it unleashes. The blue key section is especially nasty if you're not ready for copious surprise Archviles.

But sharp-eyed secret hunters can net a soul sphere and mega armor to soften the blow. With the blue key in hand, you can access the plasma rifle on the red key, both of which trigger very nasty ambushes, one with spiders and meatballs, one with a lot of pinkies and specters. You can try to make a min-fight, which is pretty fun if you can keep from jibbing yourself on a specter, or take it one wave at a time. The pigs and ghost pigs have trouble with stares, a weakness that you and your secret berserk can exploit.

If you can last until the invulnerability arch-vile lightning round, you're made in the shade. Vile pain is a beautiful nightmare. A hot-blooded concept map with style and thrills to spare. One of Darkwave's best. Grade A, difficulty B+.

Map 11, Transcension. Talk about a hot start. This aggravating conclusion to Speed of Doom's first episode was allegedly Joshi's attempt at a nice, open-spaced and simple map. I mean, I wouldn't call it claustrophobic, but I wouldn't call it nice either. The arch-file at the start, the relentless Macubus and Revenant snipers in the stupid cave section with the pinky flash mobs and pop-up monsters in your face are pretty damn unfriendly.

Thankfully, the giant fight at the end is cheesable with infighting and patience. I never liked this map. It's trappy, cheap, and can be a bit of a pain in the ass. and compete with Darkwave aesthetically. Grade, C+, difficulty, B+.

Map 12, the Meatgrinder. The Meatgrinder sports a bloody castle theme, which pairs nicely with the Heretic music. I do have to call a spade a spade.

There are a few distasteful encounters here, like this pop-up arch-vile, these pop-up Hell Knights, and this stupid trap with two more Hell Knights point-blank. With such well-choreographed encounters as the opening infight, this breathless hallway ambush, and the title setpiece, I don't know why Darkwave felt the need to stoop. The secrets are pleasant, if a bit weird.

This beautifully framed plasma rifle behind the bloodfall is a treat, but the berserk secret which you get by pressing three red things with no audible feedback is kinda whack. I always expect more from the ending. You jump into a pit only to be greeted by a handful of arachnotrons and pinkies. You got plenty of rockets, so let them fly. Grade, B+, difficulty, B.

Map 13, Lucifer's Tears. Man, does this one make a bad first impression. Joshi is a master of disguising nastiness in petite monster counts. And Lucifer's Tears is a perfect example of that.

With minimal medical supplies available early on, those teleporting shotgunners ate me alive my first time through, and the coverless yellow key area can turn into Swiss cheese or grilled cheese in a matter of seconds. The secret rocket launcher would have been nice to have sooner, but I'll take what I can get. Brooding, atmosphere-heavy maps aren't really Joshy's M.O., but he does alright here.

Grade B, difficulty A-. Map 14, Sledge. Oh yes, Speed of Doom's first out-and-out slugfest. Sledge is all muscle.

Breathless, dark waves, spectacular, complete with bracing fights and beautiful scenery, set to a soundtrack that never lets up. Up till now, we've only seen Darkwave's Dr. Jekyll. This is Mr. Hyde.

We're talking 700 monsters, including 4 Cyberdemons, 9 Archviles, and a dozen Pain Elementals flinging their children everywhere. It's a chaotic mess of assorted bestiaries screaming and infighting and generally getting in the way. Where's the BFG when you need it? Well, cut through the boiling blood, turn right, and have a gander at this beautiful secret.

Oh yeah, give me that. I have never seen anything like this backlit Spectre BFG slaughterfest. It's not hard or anything, just completely unexpected and aesthetic as hell.

The map caps off with a Cyberdemon double team and a chorus of revenant Kamehamehas. I love, love, love this map. It captures everything great about Speed of Doom.

The intensity, the grandeur, the heroism, and by God, the punishment. A lot can go wrong in this map, but the payoff sure is sweet. Grade, A+. Difficulty, A. Map 15, Descent to the Core.

Perfect Hatred. Josh Seely edition. According to the text file, Descent of the Core took about 12 hours to make, and it shows.

There's a certain spontaneity and freshness to this map's action that never gets old. The frantic opening really ladles on the arachnotrons. They exert stupendous pressure while you gather supplies and dodge chaingun fire, leaving no way out except through them. Descent of the Core also features another fretful spider mastermind placement, and a very painful mancubus cluster.

There are a few things I can't stand about this map, unfortunately. One, this crusher hallway with the shotgunners, art files, and later pinkies and revenants. In terms of tooldom, this is Black and Decker tier. Two, this Cyberdemon.

With your limited ammo allotment, killing him is a pain in the ass. Three, you're required to Archvile Jump over this health bonus if you want to experience the Megawad's absolutely must-see secret maps, to which I say ID Clev 31. Grade, B+, difficulty, A-. Map 31, 101-001-1010.

One of the most flawless integrations of gameplay and theme in all of Doomdom. 666 in binary is a cold, unfeeling technoscape riddled with mechanically augmented enemies. Thank you, bye.

Arachnotrons, Revenants, Masterminds, and Cyberdemons are the only foes you'll face here. Working solely with futuristic weaponry, it's your job to send these bionic freakshows back to the scrap heap. Under these self-imposed limitations, Darkwave, in his only odd-numbered map, succeeds at creating intelligent, pulse-pounding, and for as huge as they are, surprisingly accessible combat scenarios, and ices the cake with a playful scavenger hunt, finding and slaughtering all seven albino spacemen, opens the gates to map 32. 666 in binary is not a traditionally beautiful map, but it never fails to knock my socks off. It's all in the cold, lifeless metal, spilled sludge, and synthetic blues indifferent to the blood-red, apocalyptic sky.

I might sing Darkwave's praises some more if he didn't owe such a huge debt to Stuart Wren, whose MIDI is so good it's hard to believe, a scintillating sci-fi tune that also manages to sound chilly, computerized, inhuman. I call him the incomparable Stuart Wren. For good reason.

101001 1010 is one of the iconic Speed of Doom maps. A thrilling, unforgettable rampage through a bleak, wasted techno hell. Grade A+, difficulty A-.

Map 32, Pyramid of Death. So let's take a minute to talk about slaughter maps. If you've spent time around people who talk about Doom, you've almost certainly heard the term slaughter map.

If we're being honest, it's a term that functionally means very little. I've seen it used to describe Plutonia's go-to-it, hell-revealed, alien vendetta, sunlust, holy hell, sunder, and occuplice. But these examples are so wildly different that the only thing they have in common is at some point somebody playing them said, Man, this sh** is hard. It's true, some people use slaughter as a pejorative for anything beyond their skill level, but it's often negatively associated with repetitiveness, acceptance, excessiveness or carnage for its own sake.

There's also a population of players who exclusively enjoy slaughter combat for the simple reason that everything else puts them to sleep. So what do we talk about when we talk about slaughter? It's probably easier to lay out what slaughter maps are not than what they are. For instance, maps with high monster counts are not automatically slaughter maps. Dehydration and Anagnorisis from Ev Eternity, Misery Halek from Alien Vendetta, Screams Aren't a Crime Yet from Valiant, and even Fire and Ice from Scythe contain over 500 enemies but don't really qualify as slaughter.

You might argue with me about Fire and Ice. Yes, it has big groups of monsters, but it hardly offers any opportunities for run-of-the-mill circle strafing or BFG spam. Two oft-mentioned slaughter mapping tropes.

Relatedly, maps that make prominent use of the BFG are not necessarily slaughter maps. If the mapmaker is giving you a BFG, they need to throw a lot of monsters at you to even make it relevant. I think the map starts to become slaughter when, even with a BFG in hand, the odds look stacked against you. Here's the bottom line. Slaughter is too easy and undescriptive a label to slap on most maps without further clarification.

I think it's unfair that slaughter tends to imply mindlessness, because well-calibrated slaughter maps take careful thought and planning to master. Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes maps that meet the slaughter criteria can feel too hostile or exacting to enjoy, but a few bad bananas shouldn't spoil the bunch.

The reason I digress is, the discussion around slaughter maps will become increasingly pertinent to Speed of Doom the further we delve into it, starting with Pyramid of Death, which, let me leave no room for ambiguity, Pyramid of Death is a slaughter map. Josh Seeley throws down the gantlet. in this super secret splatterfest.

Though its visuals are barebones at best, Pyramid of Death still makes ZDoom chug a little, so I switched over to PR Boom Plus for this recording. It's been a while. Like Alien Vendetta's No Guts No Glory, you may throw up your hands at the opening fight with its mounted spider masterminds, bridge-blocking cyberdemons, and waterways clogged with barrens of hell, but Joshi gives you ample recovery items, and once you fight your way through the pyramid, things loosen up a bit.

Rampant infighting is inevitable, so take advantage of your enemy's distraction to score hits on the more threatening formations. The massive fight by the blue key is so brutal it gives you two megaspheres and an invulnerability you can archfile jump to. I know I often scoff at Arch-vile jumps, but you're really gonna need that 30 seconds of god mode. The Arch-viles are so numerous, they can literally blast you out of the arena, and right after you deal with them, an unholy entourage of cacos, pain elementals, and their spawn will blot out the sun.

Handle this disaster, and the rest is a piece of cake. Kill two quadruple archvile jack-in-the-boxes guarding the last two keys, then get the mastermind to the top of the pyramid to infight six more archviles, nuke them, and you're done. I can't say that I love this map, but it's definitely memorable, and Joshi's Blitzkrieg approach is a nice departure from a lot of his other work. Grade, A-, difficulty, X. Map 33, Descent to Nowhere.

Yep, Speed of Doom is a map 33, accessible only through cheating. I'm not exactly sure why it was included, but I won't say no to more Doom. Descent to Nowhere is like one of Alien Vendetta's milder tech-based maps with a terrible, terrible ending. It's grey and trap-heavy, and I can kind of see why it was kicked from the regular rotation. Nothing about it really grabs me.

The final fight is essentially Hell Revealed to the Descent, except 50% harder, because it starts with a Cyberdemon, can't be cheesed, and limits your cell capacity. You can Arch-Vile Jump again through a specific window to unlock a secret BFG, but I really couldn't be bothered and paid for my laziness with 12 minutes of my life. Play this map after you finish Speed of Doom to avoid messing with the Megawad's continuity.

Grade B, difficulty A-. Map 16, The Core. Beautiful in its simplicity, The Core is Doom in a nutshell. Get keys, get guns, kill monsters, repeat.

All the action takes place around the pulsating title structure, and while it's certainly fun to mow down hordes of demons while they rip each other to pieces, the combat is decisively less sophisticated and therefore less fun than Sledge's. Of course, the visuals are still top-notch, and the ending where you destroy the core and the lights go out is dramatic as hell. Darkwave said of his map, I was wanting to make a map with destroying a large number of enemies in a short time, so this. In that case, mission accomplished.

Grade A, difficulty B. Map 17, The Shrine. The Shrine is bite-sized and unexpectedly accessible. All that brown and green brick brings to mind the Plutonia Experiment, an association strengthened by Stuart Wren's Plutonia II MIDI.

You'll be doing a lot of fighting over unavoidable hurt floors, but Joshi and a rare gesture of goodwill provides you plenty of radiance. ...mediation suits. This map holds the distinction of being the only Joshi map from Speed of Doom I've enjoyed every time I booted it up, and it's a welcome wind-down from the last few maps. Grade, A-, Difficulty, B. Map 18, Silent Hour. Silent Hour is an acquired taste.

Only recently have I gained an appreciation for it, mostly because I looked up secrets and have spent a lot of time with Darkwave stuff in general. Silent Hour plays rough before you get your hands on some bigger guns. There are a few helpful secrets in the Silver Base, but I can't make excuses for Darkwave this time. They're BS levels of cryptic.

Patience is a necessity in this map, as the optimal approach to each encounter isn't likely to present itself first try. Even after four playthroughs, I'm finding new ways to do certain fights. For example, I usually wait until I get the BFG to tackle this quintuple archvile ambush, but I miraculously survived a deadly game of peekaboo when I fell in accidentally this time. The final fight is very satisfying, especially if you wiped out those archviles, because the two-faced switch they're guarding lets you crush the mancubi and telefrag that nagging cyberdemon.

Silent Hour isn't likely to be most players' favorite dark wave map, but it demonstrates a lot of commitment to his more exploratory mapmaking side. Grade, B+, difficulty, A. Map 19, Impure Serenity. Joshi describes this map as a breather, but I've never found it all that relaxing, especially in the beginning. There's no comfortable way to deal with all the snipers and riffraff stuffing the hallways without tiptoeing to the non-secret megasphere, which in itself doesn't take the pressure off completely.

Maybe I'm just conditioned to feel ill at ease in Joshi maps that use a lot of vegetation, but the music, lovely as it is, just doesn't feel right. It's much too soothing. After effortlessly circle-strafing this cyberdemon to death, mentally prepare yourself, because break time is over.

Grade B, difficulty B+. Map 20, The Path to Hell. A diabolical fusion of Darkwave's signature natural landscapes and an emerging hellish theme likely inspired by Scythes 1 and 2, The Path to Hell is where Speed of Doom stops f***ing around. Don't miss this early backpack secret behind the missing candle, because you're gonna need all the ammo you can carry.

Outside of the secret maps, nothing in this megawatt has looked cool. quite so grandiose. The scale of Darkwave's architecture slackens jaws, and every fight feels like a major event, none more so than this canyon of carnage. Just look at all this.

Hyperbolic as it is, the finale is not my favorite fight. That title goes to the Slime Corridor, which looks plenty intimidating to begin with, but just wait till the Archviles spawn in behind you. As if the path to hell wasn't hardcore enough, the level and the episode ends with Doomguy blowing his brains out so he can pursue the rest of the demons back to hell. Holy shit, that's commitment. Grade A?

difficulty A+. Map 21, Resurrection. Ah, Joshy, you had a great idea, man. The player waking up in a shallow grave, grabbing some guns, ready to take the fight to hell, and then what did you do? You turned it into a Tyson map, with Mancubi, hitscanners, cacodemons, and archviles.

Not that I have a problem with punching archviles, but two of them? Why? Because it takes longer? And then another one?

And then another one in the lava who you have to save your bullets for if you want to get 100% kills? Jesus Christ, man. Resurrection is an absolute bear for completionists.

Ammo is scarce, the enemies are beefy, and it's just generally annoying. Down to the exit being placed behind two timed doors, presumably to keep you from peekaboo shooting the last screw-you archvile. I guess the E1M1 reference is clever, but this map seems designed to grind gears.

Grade C+, difficulty A. Map 22, Dead Echo. To say this is Darkwave's most mediocre map is certainly a kind of praise by itself, but I don't have much actual praise for Dead Echo.

The scenery is kind of derivative, and the fights are some of Darkwave's weakest. Cheap as they might seem, the cramped ambushes in the red key room are some of the fights I most enjoy here. I dislike the obligatory arch-vials that pop out when you grab new weapons, and the triple cyberdemon rush is surprisingly aggravating, especially if the accompanying monsters don't infight properly.

Even the vanilla midi feels like a punt, as if admitting to a lack of inspiration. No need to dwell on this one. Grade B, difficulty A-.

Map 23, Poison Ivy 2. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is the only map in Speed of Doom that I hate. I hate this map more than most of the Fs I've given on this show. Poison Ivy 2 is the apotheosis of Joshy's obsession with tiny maps, high enemy density, constrictive weapon and ammo dispensation, and pop.

Up. Monsters. 99 times out of 100, if I call a map bullshit while I'm playing it, I take it back, after the fact, because either I'm missing something, I suck, or I ended up liking it when I go back to it. Having said that, Poison Ivy 2 is bullshit. Clearly it's inspired by Scythe 2's later jungle levels, but even Eric Alm's worst encounters don't subject you to random misfortune like this.

From what I've seen on the web, it looks like the best strategy is to ignore everything and leap for the BFG early, but I couldn't pull this off properly, and I doubt this method is intended. The other weapons are under strict Cyberdemon surveillance. Have fun with that. And the Archviles.

My- god the archviles. Unless you're cowering in a corner, which you won't be doing often, assume that some archvile somewhere has got a bead on your forehead. Folks, I died 46 times in this recording, and I knew exactly what was coming. If I never play Poison Ivy 2 again, my life will be better for it. Grade D difficulty.

X. Map 24, Hell's Honeycomb. I have a soft spot for Hell's Honeycomb. It's the last of Darkwave's maps with that quiet, pensive quality that so enriches Episode 1. That's not to say it lacks excitement.

This hexagonophilic hellhole has an archvile infestation, and some of these fights will put hairs on your chest. The opening brawl is kickass, the blue key imp rampage is a treat, and the red key locks you in a room with a cyberdemon and makes you blast your way out. There are seven secrets in this map, which I believe ties for the most in the megawad. and they're uncharacteristically obvious by Darkwave's standards.

The Mega Armor Baron secret will bruise the uninitiated, and the BFG secret with the Cyberdemon is unnecessary. After all, the map gives you a BFG for free if you find any of the three keys. The yellow key room with all the trick archfiles is kind of a headache, and the Cyberdemon sandwich finale is a little on the nose, but all told, Hell's Honeycomb is a handsome map, and a welcome calm before the storm. Grade A, difficulty B+.

Map 25, Death's Nocturne. Probably the last Joshi map that I don't actively dread playing, Death's Nocturne greets you with a closed fist, siccing shotgunners, chaingunners, and hell knights on you in deceptively close quarters. Joshi once again takes explicit inspiration from Scythe 2, specifically map 17, and he takes a few combat cues from Maric Alm as well, notably with Archviles, Revenants, and up-close Cyberdemons.

After Poison Ivy 2, nothing intimidates me anymore. Joshi gives you a ton of rockets and enough BFG ammo to neuter the map's last few fights. The first room in the map, ironically, might be the hardest. Grade.

B, difficulty, B+. Map 26, Blessed Hellscape. Nothing says Speed of Doom quite like a hundred revenants chasing you across a fiery plain screaming bloody murder.

Believe it or not, Blessed Hellscape is only Darkwave's third most tempestuous map, and it's mostly less scary than it looks. The macro fights give you ample room to lead revenant rockets on a merry chase, and the smaller encounters give you plenty of health and ammo. Thankfully, the majority of the map's 38 archviles are harmless or too busy resurrecting stuff to care about you. Which isn't to say you shouldn't worry about them.

Darkwave's secrets are once again idiosyncratic to the point of annoyance. The plasma rifle is revealed when you press on one of these red bars, for example, and there's no audible feedback. Come on, man. The grand finale is a rollicking ass kick.

Don't trip the line deaf at the cave entrance or this arch-file party will send you to the moon. I gotta say, Darkwave does a mean hell map, but by this point in the WAD I miss Episode 1's earthy hues. Grade A, difficulty A+.

Map 27, Haze Temple. Yet another Scythe 2-esque Joshy excursion with a painful start, Haze Temple is an episodic slugfest set in a shadow-draped, gothic hell. The central hub is just the worst. A chain gang of maccubi bombards you at every turn, while revenants and archviles take potshots in the peanut gallery.

Silencing them is a chore, because every corner of the room is guarded by pairs of barons, and you can't reach the archies and revenants without the red and blue keys, which you'll find in the east and west wings. I think I prefer the blue key path, chaotic as it is, for its sumptuous visuals. With both keys in hand, think carefully about how you want to use the secret invuln in Megasphere, The switch that opens the yellow key summons four cyberdemons, and grabbing it reveals more Mancubi, a Mastermind, and some Vilesguard in the exit. Hayes Temple isn't as unpleasant as I remembered, probably because it's one of the least claustrophobic Joshi maps in the set. Grade, B+, difficulty, A.

Map 28, Twilight Massacre. A slaughterfest of staggering proportions, Twilight Massacre is about as subtle as Blunt Force drama. Canonized by a top 10 spot on DoomWorld.com's most memorable maps, Twilight Massacre is definitely distinctive. But I'll be straight with you guys.

This probably wouldn't even make my top 10 favorite Darkwave maps. Yes, it's ambitious, and Darkwave impresses with its ability to orchestrate fights on such a massive scale, but holding down the fire button with the BFG and zooming around at top speed does eventually get stale. Twilight Massacre is an illustration of the limit that slaughter mapping asymptotically approaches.

At a certain point, the BFG becomes the only relevant weapon in your arsenal, and it's only so powerful. Some people will never get tired of pushing that big green ball and its 40 tracers to its maximum potential, but personally, I hate to see my SSG gather dust. Twilight Massacre is worth a play for the sheer spectacle, but I guess I'm trying to say it's overrated. Grade A-.

Difficulty A. Map 29, The Ruins of Kalmik. More like the ruins of your day. From the starting gun, the ruins of Kalmik goes for your throat.

Speed of Doom is no picnic, and I expect heavy resistance from any map 29, but this is just excruciating. Joshi crams heaps of demons into a tenth of Twilight Massacre's real estate, Half his map is covered in lava, on which you can expect to fight cyberdemons, spiderdemons, and up to six archviles at once, so watch those rad suits, tick-tock, tick-tock. Just writing about this map is exhausting, so you know what?

I'm just going to cut the review short here, and let my death reel express the magnitude of misery the ruins of Kalnick can lay on you. Grade, B-, Difficulty, X. Map 30, Darkness Without End. One of the bloodiest Megawad closers ever, Darkness Without End is you versus 2,000 demons spilling out of the void, whose ranks are constantly being replenished by 40, yes, 40 monster spawners.

Don't worry, it's not quite as bad as it sounds. All you have to do is survive the onslaught for about three minutes, and then you're free to blast Romero's head. It's not one of the Megawad's freshest ideas, but it beats the tar out of Icon of Sin. Fittingly, Darkness Without End is one of the shortest maps in Speed of Doom.

Grade, B+, difficulty, B+. So, Speed of Doom was one of the first megawands I played after Dean of Doom debuted, and it was a wake-up call, because there I sat, fancying myself a fairly knowledgeable and well-rounded Doom aficionado, but I'd somehow passed up Speed of Doom. What an oversight! At the time of its release, Speed of Doom was quite polarizing, with some people hailing it as the next alien vendetta, and others absolutely hating its plutonic proclivity for traps and, quote, slaughter mappiness. Speed of Doom as a final product is nothing like Alien Vendetta or Plutonia, of course.

Rather, it's a melting pot of early 2000s influences reforged into a brand of Doom that belongs completely to its co-authors. Darkwaves simmering secret hunts in cacophonous war-torn landscapes, Joshi's hellish crucibles, these maps sit at a perfect juncture between the classic megawands of old and the emerging modernity seen in the output of the biggest name to the 2010. Most notably Ribix and Skilsaw. History lessons aside, Speed of Doom is crackerjack stuff.

A special alignment of beautiful, distinctive visuals and some of the best action around. I'm happy to bestow a final grade of A on this beast of a megawad. On the difficulty side of things, Speed of Doom is a banger. Easily rivaling Alien Vendetta, and only slightly outgunned by Hell Revealed's wanton savagery. I'll give it an A+.

Now for my Dean's List. Valedictorian? Map 31. 666 in binary.

Salutatorian, map 14, Sledge. Class President, this was a tough one, but I'm gonna go with map 23, Poison Ivy 2, and the dunce cap goes to map 23, Poison Ivy 2, Good Riddance. Speed of Doom is definitely honor roll eligible, so let's quickly spotlight some more high achievers. Map 2, Mysterious Cove.

Map 4, Sedgemeyer. Map 6, Dreamscape. Map 8, Frenetic. Map 9, Depredation.

Map 10, Vile Pain. Map 32, Pyramid of Death. Map 16, The Core.

Map 17, The Shrine. Map 20, The Path to Hell. Map 24, Hell's Honeycomb. Map 26, Blessed Hellscape.

And Map 28, Twilight Massacre. Thank you very much for watching. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the wand down below.

I'd love to hear what you think, and I'll heart your comments to let you know I've read them. Before I go, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge my generous patrons. Aaron Allen, Aaron Berger, Acoly, Alec Wehrman, Alex Topfer, Alex Max, BuilderSith, Callum Duncan, Kappa Bitch, Cheese Wheel, Chris O'Neill, Christophine Place, Kiara P, Crafty1Cal, Delirium, Dorothy Miller, Emma Essex, Final Brett, Garu Dave, General Roasterrock, Glenn Marmon, Griffin Upchurch, Gus Shade, HolyHellRevealedWhen, Jared C. Bly, Jesse Taylor, Josh Ballard, Camille Bernadotte, Leon Staton, Mark Rowland, Marky Music, Masterdrew117, Mixer, Mr. Bob Cyndaquil, Myolden, Neurometry, Nick Machado, One True Purple, Pyro Shee, Thank you.

I appreciate you all. I'd also like to thank DCG Retrowave for providing the midis for this episode. You can find a link to his channel in this video's description.

This is MtPain27, and I'll see you in the next episode of Dean of Doom.

Transcript for:Review of Speed of Doom WAD

Transcript for:
Review of Speed of Doom WAD