Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       Kill a bunch of soldiers and aliens in some generic warehouses and offices somewhere in a red brick city. It's a pretty straightforward map that requires at least two people. SCMapDB page Authors: Daniel Plant Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Civil Defence (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 7, 2024 | 3588 characters      Civil Defence is a very simple sequence of gunfighting arenas in a warehouse district setting. Players fight their way out of a building by escaping along its fire escape, then through the district, before moving through a sewers area to the final battle. The first third of the map sees players fighting blackops grunts and assassins, before things take a sudden shift and see the players fighting an odd combination of vortigaunts, gonomes, and shock troopers (with a few itchyosaurs, and eventually a voltigore, thrown into the mix).      The battles in this are intense. Without a third player, we found that approach

      Kill a bunch of soldiers and aliens in some generic warehouses and offices somewhere in a red brick city. It's a pretty straightforward map that requires at least two people. SCMapDB page Authors: Daniel Plant Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Civil Defence (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 7, 2024 | 1418 characters      Players fight their way out of an high rise, onto the streets, through some sewers, then back onto the streets. It's soldiers at first but then suddenly aliens start to appear. Progressing in the map is rewarded with enemies spawning in already cleared out areas, so respawning is fun.      Combat sections typically consist of arenas or hallways that enemies can flood into. They don't have crazy high amounts of health and we can generally gun them down pretty fast, but when we have to fight male assassins with snipers and M16s with grenades it gets tricky. There is HEV scattered around the map, along with oth

      The extended version of Breakout, which can be found on the same page as this map on the database, feels more like a revised and finished version. It's a lot of standard looking Black Mesa architecture with tons of buttons to open doors and spawn monsters.  SCMapDB page Author: Chris Silcock Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakout Extended (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 13, 2023 | 3211 characters      Breakout Extended is a linear walkthrough map for Sven Co-op. Blast your way through default-flavored corridors and enemies. Spend most of the map with boilerplate weapons, and occasionally keep them between checkpoints! Fight all sorts of infantry-style enemies across the Earth military, Xenians, and Race X.      The combat is mostly corridor shooting which can easily feel bland. What keeps things interesting most of the time is small details in the visuals and cycling through different enemy types to lump into the corr

      The extended version of Breakout, which can be found on the same page as this map on the database, feels more like a revised and finished version. It's a lot of standard looking Black Mesa architecture with tons of buttons to open doors and spawn monsters.  SCMapDB page Author: Chris Silcock Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakout Extended (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 13, 2023 | 4766 characters      So this is the extended version of Breakout, which is also available for download on the Breakout Extended page but doesn't have it's own page. We didn't realize we could play the original until right before writing our reviews so we just noclipped through it to see the difference. The difference is a whole new section, almost half the map added after the dead end in the original. We didn't play for realsies but we did try to end the map to no avail, so I'm guessing this is more like a finished version r

      The sequel to Breakfree is more of the same. We don't have to go back down the elevator and there is now a boss fight! Unfortunately the biggest obstacle is still the elevator mechanic itself. SCMapDB page Author: Beather Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakfree 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 29, 2023 | 2270 characters      Breakfree 2 is the sequel to Breakfree. Visually, it is a huge upgrade with liberal use of Sonic 2 textures and an Eggman model for the scientist to match the Sonic 2 music. The music is the exact same.      This time around the map is split into two parts: the annoying elevator part, and the annoying boss part. The annoying elevator part is somehow more annoying than the previous map, offering large brushes that shoot from out of unpredictable places in the wall at a faster speed than players can dodge. There are also similar grinders and rotating brushes that the elevator passes over and obscu

      The sequel to Breakfree is more of the same. We don't have to go back down the elevator and there is now a boss fight! Unfortunately the biggest obstacle is still the elevator mechanic itself. SCMapDB page Author: Beather Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakfree 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | April 29, 2023 | 3293 characters      I'm getting something of a crisis of conscience with the Breakfree series. I just played Break Go, which was inspired by this series, and gave it a higher score than the original based solely on how much I exploded on the elevator. Elevators in Sven Co-op are very dangerous and throughout this map we were constantly exploding for no reason.      So I'm going to try to judge this map without taking into account how many times I was randomly killed by the floor. We start off and the map is fullbright, just like the first one. We hit a button that is hard to discern against the background that

        There is not a whole lot of breaking or getting free, this map is an obstacle course with a moving elevator. It's a real fun concept and it is executed fairly well, but Sven Co-op elevators will kill players more than any obstacle in the map. SCMapDB page Author: Beather Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakfree (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 10, 2023 | 3591 characters      Breakfree is a gimmick map which plays and sounds like an old Sega Genesis boss map. An elevator takes you through a vertical obstacle course- intangible to the elevator, but quite tangible (and deadly!!!) to the player. All of it spectated upon by an evil scientist running an experiment! How does it work?      Well, first of all it doesn't. I'm not going to mince words here- I have a lot more I want to say about this map, but the first thing to mention is that elevators are fucking broken in Sven Co-op and this map relies on elevators a

      There is not a whole lot of breaking or getting free, this map is an obstacle course with a moving elevator. It's a real fun concept and it is executed fairly well, but Sven Co-op elevators will kill players more than any obstacle in the map. SCMapDB page Author: Beather Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Breakfree (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | April 10, 2023 | 2781 characters      I thought this map was going to have platforming, and I was sort of wrong. The entire map is an elevator, two players are required to start it up and when it does, it plays Sonic music. Then we have to dodge all sorts of wacky obstacles as the elevator goes up.      If you are familiar with the goldsrc engine or a variety of Sven Co-op maps, you may have realized a flaw in this design. At numerous points in the journey my teammate and I would spontaneously explode. We would always assume an obstacle came through and killed us but most of the time there

      The map is split into a base and across a chasm is a road where aliens come from. Defend what I assume is the rock from the aliens coming from what I assume is a place that lacks softness. SCMapDB page Author: Elvis Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Between a Rock and a Hard Place (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 27, 2023 | 4677 characters      Between a Rock and a Hard Place is two maps for Sven Co-op that, for all I can tell, are identical. There's the normal version and the large version. I can't tell if the normal version is large or if the large version is actually quite normal in size. Either way, we played both and didn't find any difference.      The rub is simple: the players occupy a 2-story base set into the wall of a cave. Said base sits across a chasm from multiple enemy spawn points. That's an almost deceptive description, as enemies spawn plenty from over the bridge as well. And inside of the p

      The map is split into a base and across a chasm is a road where aliens come from. Defend what I assume is the rock from the aliens coming from what I assume is a place that lacks softness. SCMapDB page Author: Elvis Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Between a Rock and a Hard Place (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 27, 2023 | 4688 characters      Here we have a defense map across a chasm with a bridge. Players have to defend something or other against waves of enemies, both alien and human, and there are some scientists. There are two versions of the map, normal and large, we played both once through, winning on the large one and failing on the normal one.      The first thing that happens is I spawn upstairs and start poking around, my teammate spawns downstairs where the action happens and starts exploring that direction. Two things that I didn't find out despite looking around and hitting the windows is that there is a sho

      Old school classic Frogger, hop across the freeway and a river to reach some buttons, press them all to go to the next round. Any misstep and you will die horribly. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Frogger (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 18, 2023 | 3162 characters      Frogger is a 3-tiered arcade "puzzle" "skill" game map for Sven Co-op.      The setup is simple: run past 4 lanes of speeding cars, reach the dock, then jump across 4 lanes of giant logs in quick-kill water to 4 button alcoves. Hit the button, get killed, start over, hit all the buttons, end the round. The next round is more complicated: the second round adds invincible turrets which the players must distract using the hivehand- really creative! The third round adds an RPG to explode the turrets, shortly followed by a crossbow to sniperfight snipers who appear in the button alcoves. With that completed, the m

      Old school classic Frogger, hop across the freeway and a river to reach some buttons, press them all to go to the next round. Any misstep and you will die horribly. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Frogger (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 18, 2023 | 2794 characters      I felt a bit of deja vu when I saw this map, I had previously seen it in another map by the same author, retrohunt. That map was duck hunt fused with frogger, but this map is all frogger.      Players have to traverse a very busy and deadly street and then jump across logs in a poison river and jump into alcoves to press buttons. Pressing all four buttons ends the round and there are three rounds. Turrets and weapons start appearing in round 2 and the map gets quite difficult. I had racked up about 60 deaths myself from just running into traffic and hails of gunfire. The map uses a clever mechanic where turrets will shoot at bees f

    Welcome to the Holodeck, a map where players can run around an arena while other players spawn monsters in. I'm guessing it's based off the holodeck in Star Trek but I don't remember the that show ever making the holodeck look like this. SCMapDB page Author: Shnuh Date of release:2004 Maps in package:1 Map review of Holodeck (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 4, 2023 | 1925 characters      Holodeck is, if I'm following correctly, a follow-up update to Biodome ( http://scmapdb.wikidot.com/map:biodome ) by the same author. To recap, that is to say, Holodeck is a sandbox map for Sven Co-op, wherein an arena comprised of a flat square area adored with turret towers with bridges between them set the stage for players to toy with the tools of Sven Co-op. I wrote a brief review of biodome which you can see on its page on this site. I recommend looking into that and coming back here to find out how this map differs.      Not by a whole lot. T

      Welcome to the Holodeck, a map where players can run around an arena while other players spawn monsters in. I'm guessing it's based off the holodeck in Star Trek but I don't remember the that show ever making the holodeck look like this. SCMapDB page Author: Shnuh Date of release:2004 Maps in package:1 Map review of Holodeck (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 4, 2023 | 2802 characters      I played the beta of this map and it was not bad, it looked pretty bad and weapon selection was terrible but the arena combat was fun. Some of these problems even got fixed in this version!      The map is now lit properly and that is already a huge improvement. The arena in unchanged, a pit in the center of the map with some short towers and bridges. There is a ladder up top to an area with buttons overlooking the combat zone that can spawn monsters, weapons, explosions, water, whatever. The buttons are still fairly vague and there are new additions from

      Don't let the fancy title screen that looks like the X-Files fool you, this is a Black Mesa adventure. Players take on the role of scientists trying to escape the disaster, unsuccessfully. SCMapDB page Original map author:LetKyx Team Conversion author: Outerbeast Date of original mod release:2004 Date of final Sven Map release: 2019 Maps in package:4 Map review of Unholy (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | February 11, 2023 | 3117 characters      Unholy is a Half-Life mod converted to Sven Co-op. The mod is a short 4-map walkthrough starring two scientists discussing the story of their daring escapades through the Black Mesa complex as the resonance cascade wreaks havoc.      Throughout the story, players can expect to very slowly gain weaponry, only ever achieving as much as a basic boilerplate loadout of an MP5, pistol, revolver, and shotgun, with some hand grenades to round out the very final encounters. Most of the map involves battling xen creat

      Don't let the fancy title screen that looks like the X-Files fool you, this is a Black Mesa adventure. Players take on the role of scientists trying to escape the disaster, unsuccessfully. SCMapDB page Original map author:LetKyx Team Conversion author: Outerbeast Date of original mod release:2004 Date of final Sven Map release: 2019 Maps in package:4 Map review of Unholy (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | February 11, 2023 | 2613 characters      Unholy is a Half-Life mod that takes place back in Black Mesa, this time we play as a scientist and the twist is we aren't as cool as Gordon Freeman. Honestly the whole thing is mostly vents and is mercifully short.      We start off with a cutscene, I get to see it but my teammate who joins after the map starts does gets to watch a wall. After turning off survival mode we get into the map proper and its a lot of vents. There are some rooms, some hallways, tons of vents, and it is all Black Mesa themed so it

      This map is not just Duck Hunt, it also has a Frogger section as well. Snipe aliens out of the air on one side of the map and dodge fast cars in another. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Retrohunt (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 4, 2023 | 2940 characters      Retrohunt is a map for Sven Co-op which aims to provide two minigames based on classic retro games Duck Hunt and Frogger.      Players begin in a stylish lobby which is Duck Hunt on one side and Frogger on the other, each with a teleporter leading to their respective game. It's an intuitive lobby and shows right away what kind of attraction you're in for. That said, unaware that Frogger would be the featured game, I took the Frogger environment to possibly be Hogan's Alley, which I consider a more comparable pairing for Duck Hunt.      The Frogger minigame is a bit chaotic, but not impossible to master. Players must cross fo

    This map is not just Duck Hunt, it also has a Frogger section as well. Snipe aliens out of the air on one side of the map and dodge fast cars in another. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Retrohunt (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 4, 2023 | 2792 characters      Retrohunt is not only a version of Duck Hunt remade for Sven Co-op, but it is also Frogger. Player start off in a room that is half dark alley and half bright NES hunting ground each with a teleporter.      In the Frogger side of things players are dropped onto a narrow sidewalk with four lanes of fast cars speeding by. When I first went through my teammate telefragged me by using the teleporter right behind me, so watch out for that. Actually crossing the road is an ordeal, as the cars are fast, deadly, and don't appear in an easily timed intervals as their speeds can change.      Getting across the road (and the floating platforms, thi

       Sitting somewhere between a whole new experience and just being Black Mesa but monochrome, this map brings a much needed unique visual style to Sven Co-op. From monsters to lights, everything is either black or white. SCMapDB page Author: BuGi Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Black & White (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 28, 2023 | 4261 characters      For clarity's sake, I am reviewing the July 21, 2019 update (by SC-Dynamite) of BuGi's Black White map. My understanding is that it's the most up-to-date fix with the least overwrought changes.      Black White is a stylish walkthrough map. It falls into the kind of surrealistic kaizo-action you might think of when you think of the Half-Quake series. Things are largely black and white, you mostly fight vortigaunts using boilerplate weaponry, and the map trolls the players with hidden traps and minor inconveniences. It feels a bit unfair to draw comparisons to Half-

       Sitting somewhere between a whole new experience and just being Black Mesa but monochrome, this map brings a much needed unique visual style to Sven Co-op. From monsters to lights, everything is either black or white. SCMapDB page Author: BuGi Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Black & White (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 28, 2023 | 3592 characters      Black and White is a tricky map where the solution to the puzzle is not always straightforward. All the visuals are simplistic monochrome black and white textures. Standard Half-Life textures are remade in this style but there is also plenty checkerboard as well. Enemies are reskinned to be black and white but blood is not, so red and yellow is the only splash of color you'll see besides sprays.      The map really reminds me of Half-Quake, the whole thing is designed to mess with your head. The first puzzle is pressing a button in spawn and then figuring out that one black sq