Zoo (by Killer99) - Dunkelschwamm

  


    This map is a zoo (not to be confused with the other zoo map made by Icewold) condensed down into a hallway. There are only eight exhibits but the whole thing is interactive.

SCMapDB page

Author: Killer99

Date of final release: 1999

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Zoo

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | July 8, 2022 | 1776 characters

    Zoo is a map that consists of a small corridor with glass cages displaying the various wildlife of Xen angrily rocking against their confines. After breaking a grate, the xenians escape, and the player must navigate a short rising water puzzle and a vent to get to a snark kill box.

    I guess this is a troll map. Due to Sven's enhanced enemies, the alien grunts, zombies, and vortigaunts in the early map are far more chaotic than the map was originally balanced for, so just getting to the puzzle is a rough chore. They endlessly respawn too. Things are even more dire if alien grunts fall into the grate and players have to deal with them using their handguns and crowbars. Getting through it just to fall into a snark pit is pretty disappointing. It's a clunky mess with a troll ending.

    I didn't find this map very fun or very interesting. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. The appearance of the map is very bare, very dull. There's not much merit by which I could suggest downloading this. There isn't a real end to the map, either, so keep it off your server rotation.

Pros:

  • Enemy variety?

Cons:

  • It's an annoying sequence of annoying events traversed annoyingly leading to an annoying end
  • Disappointing ending
  • Enemies are pretty overwhelming compared to how this was originally meant to be balanced, making the troll ending that much more of a pain in the ass. I don't care if that's the intention, I'm reviewing this, I'm saying that's a con.
  • Just kind of confusing progression. None of it is very fun, you just stumble through it

Score: 2.5 / 10

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