Coldburn - GrandmasterJ

 


    The main feature of Coldburn is that it is so cold it burns and players will take environmental damage in certain areas. I didn't think this mechanic would be fun but the author definitely put a lot of thought into it and made it work really well.

SCMapDB page

Author: Keen

Date of release: 2014

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Coldburn

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by GrandmasterJ | August 14, 2023 | 3187 characters

    The screenshots for this map look very intriguing, and the name is mysterious too. A big part of the map is taking damage from extremely cold temperatures and I thought I would hate that mechanic but I thought it was well implemented. It's kind of like Mario games when he's underwater and eats coins to regain oxygen. Although I can't imagine more than two players having a good time on this map with the limited supply or air coins.

    We start off in a room where we have to uncover the start button. There is also a secret here so that is pretty cool. We get some cool cutscenes here and throughout the whole level. We get a cutscene for a lot of new hazards like a big sucker that kills some allies and we have some story cutscenes near the beginning. After this is a spawn update to a slow conveyor into the level proper, with all it's blue foggy glory. The map is atmospheric as hell and the custom models for the enemies and weapons (the magnum is a big error so I guess that model wasn't included) along with the use of numerous sprites and fantastic lighting came together to create a unique and cold experience. As we descended deeper we noticed large signs informing us of 'sanctuaries' which were resupply rooms that always held a checkpoint and the current temperature which also indicated how much damage we would take at a second.

    The gameplay was mostly exploration and scavenging as we would have to crawl down dark and foggy hallways to find out what was at the end while also gobbling up air crystals so we didn't freeze to death. At a certain point my teammate and I had to stagger our approaches as we needed every crystal we could get to survive the walk down the hall. There are plenty of enemies along the way, houndeyes, human grunts, gonomes, and zombies, which are all reskinned and given some glow effects. This makes our HEV drain very fast, once it's out we die quickly.

    The map does a lot of unconventional things and I think it's balanced for exactly two people, so opening a server up to a larger group seems like a recipe for disaster. But it's a really atmospheric adventure and it utilizes the near constant cold damage mechanic well. The visuals are top notch and shows an impressive blend of models, sprites, textures, and lighting. I don't quite buy the 'moon around Neptune' aesthetic and I even remarked to my teammate that it seems more evocative of some test that players are endlessly incarnated in. The map is marked beta but there was never a followup, too bad.

Pros:

  • A+ atmosphere
  • the constant cold damage mechanic was done very well, provided there are no more than two players
  • lots of custom content that came together in a cohesive and immersive way
  • plenty of supplies
  • plenty of checkpoints that also doubled as supply rooms
  • literal signs tell us how much damage we can expect to take and where safety is

Cons:

  • more than two players competing for resources would probably end the run
  • missing revolver model

Score: 9 / 10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deluge - Dunkelschwamm

Image
       Deluge is a very atmospheric map made by one of the community's most acclaimed mappers, RNG. This map is very indicative of his style, well detailed moody and oppressive environment, strange monsters, and high levels of interactivity including lots of secrets. SCMapDB page Author: RNG Date of final release: 2014 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Deluge (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 9, 2022 | 4625 characters      Deluge is a map by RNG, which you can assume means it is a quality map. RNG brings style, high-production, and a confusing sense of eldritch nonsense that glues the experience together in a way that makes it feel like something that was summoned from another plane of existence rather than mapped out.      The map is a classic arcade-style keyhunt level. After choosing a difficulty (I suggest going as hard as possible, as with two players it felt easy) you hop into a gritty world that feels like brutalist, industrial architecture made its way
Read more

Zombie Squad - Dunkelschwamm

Image
       Suit up squad, it's time to go fight human grunts that this map calls zombies. This map is a horde map taking place in a burned out urban block, supposedly there are points to capture but I didn't see any. SCMapDB page Author: cyberdaemon Date of release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Zombie Squad (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 17, 2023 | 2601 characters      Zombie Squad is a well detailed horde map wherein grunts and hwgrunts (and, like, an assassin) swarm the players from every angle. Thankfully, within the details of the ruins are plenty of weapons, and a reasonable smattering of HEV and health pickups.      The description makes it sound like maybe my experience with the map is broken. There were, like, 3 soldiers which looked like zombies in the map. I think far more were meant to be zombies? Also, the MOTD makes it sound like there's some funny control point business, like there's an objective to the map. Far as I can tell a
Read more

Dark Seekers - Dunkelschwamm

Image
       Inspired by 'I am Legend' players fight the eponymous Dark Seekers in an abandoned city. Solve puzzles, find a way to escape, and beware the large amounts of high health enemies! SCMapDB page Authors: Goanna Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Dark Seekers (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 7, 2024 | 4838 characters      Dark Seekers is a duo of horror maps based loosely on the I Am Legend scenario. In the first map you search buildings to find necessary items to solve puzzles while being harassed by the titular dark seekers- zombies which run and take quite a bit of damage to kill. The second map takes the players through a dark seeker infested subway tunnel, until they surface into a warzone where hostile soldiers battle dark seekers in the streets. Both maps are very different in gameplay tone, but manage to feel appropriate together in atmosphere and theme.      The first map is slow in pace, with players being forced to slow
Read more