Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2020 23:20:12 GMT -5
If you've not yet played it, AKELDAMA.WAD has some of the best music I've ever heard in a Doom map set. As good as the levels are(they are great), the music still overshadows them in my opinion. Definitely one to check out.
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40oz
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Post by 40oz on Dec 8, 2020 9:35:58 GMT -5
Oh hell yeah! I had those thoughts exactly when I played it a few months ago. Great maps too. In "best classic megawads" topics, Memento Mori 1/2, Icarus, and Requiem are often cited. In my most recent replays of these megawads, I was mostly unenthused with many of the maps and drew the conclusion that these are megawads where the music carries the maps. In other words, the music is so awesome that I think it colors people's (and my own) memory of the maps. In Akeldama, if I know project lead valkiriforce, he's a pretty big fan of classic Doomage, seeing inspiration from classic doom mapping icons like Tom Mustaine, Jim Flynn, and Bob Evans. And I think he nails it. Akeldama does play and feel a lot like a megawad that belongs in 1998. Upon loading Akeldama, I successfully traveled back in time to relive the good feelies of starting a new doom adventure in a new megawad that's hard to achieve after the jaded cynicism I've built up over a 20-year long doom tenure. I really enjoyed a lot of the maps. There were some real bangers. Though in a way that's almost too true to these "classic megawads" there were also a few maps I remember really feeling like filler. But in some cases, the music is so good that the grind of getting through it isn't so bad. The music sounds less like Doom music, or even somehow less like the stuff I've heard most of the Doom community come up with. It sounds like music that would have been just as well in a really good video game. By the time I had gotten to MAP02, I was sold on the soundtrack. Playing Akeldama is a pretty rich and unparalleled experience to pretty much any wad of 2020. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2020 16:22:54 GMT -5
The interesting part for me was that I'd never heard of a lot of the musicians. That goes to show that there are great musicians as well as great mappers entering the community constantly.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2021 21:43:57 GMT -5
Just finished this wad today. I can now say that from beginning to end the music is really phenomenal; what a treat! I might see if I can find a way to convert these tracks to mp3 so that I can listen to them in the car while I drive. Just an marvelous soundtrack all the way.
A bit off topic, but regarding the levels themselves, I know some people thought they went a bit long and were kinda sloggy, and I can completely understand that perspective. But for me that was kind of cool. It's like a megawad with extra long levels. If you go into it knowing that each level is going to take much longer to fully enjoy, it really is actually very satisfying. The amount of fun that can be squeezed out of one AKELDAMA.WAD map is like 3 Scythe maps. There are a lot of really cool gimmicks and techniques used in these levels, and if you haven't played this you really should experience it. Almost every map was a standout map for me, but one that sticks in my mind is MAP 26: Duskbound by Breezeep. The use of sector-altering linedefs in that map has got to be some kind of record. The map seems to morph and change under your feet as you play it. For straight Doom limit-removing mapping, that map represents a glorious use of the engine.
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