Buro - Dunkelschwamm


    Buro is a prologue to a map series that was never made, which is a shame because it is a beautiful map. The map is very nicely designed bank filled with assassins that ends when players enter the vault.

SCMapDB page

Author: Alex546

Date of release: 2010

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Buro

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | June 15, 2023 | 2488 characters

    Buro is an action map which takes place in a bank being attacked by special operatives. The players counterattack, intercepting the blackops assassins. Players spawn with random loadouts of useful boilerplate weapons- revolvers or deagles, shotguns or mp5s or m16s or uzis. It adds an annoying bit of spice that makes every spawn awkward.

    The map is very form over function. Each room is certainly evocative of a real life location that blackops massns and fassns have been dropped into. Rooms and hallways are often awkward for accommodating multiple players, and progression is mostly linear. There's lots of small details, but nothing really plays off in gameplay. Even the security guard present, despite wielding a weapon, refused to fire on a single enemy. Thankfully, fighting blackops with the weapons provided is usually a good time regardless of map design. It's just a shame the map shape works as hard as it does against fluid gameplay.

    Thankfully, the form being prioritized pays off with some really lovely visuals. The outdoor area looks alive, and the map overall looks like something more akin to Source or something. The lighting and use of props in particular was really well done.

    There's a keypad puzzle near the end of the map that halted us. I don't know what the solution is because my teammate brute-forced it before I had the chance to find a solution in the map. There's also an apache battle that we had to solve by just happening to respawn with the revolver enough times to drain its health. As the climaxes of the two objectives, these both felt like huge letdowns.

    Overall, I think Buro is a cute bank heist mission with some confusing end-map decisions. Give it a go with your friends!

Pros:

  • Really, really pretty mapping with good use of props and lighting
  • Absolutely living city environment
  • Fun combat with blackops assassins
  • Lots of fun detail in every corner
  • Really neat that there's two objectives to win
  • Decent length

Cons:

  • Useless allies
  • As is often the case, the different loadouts on spawn cause more problems than intrigue
  • Cramped, linear map progression that isn't conducive to coop play
  • Maybe I missed something, but unequipped for apache battle?
  • Maybe I missed something, but vault opened by brute forcing?
Score: 7 / 10

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