Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       Barnacle Flight is a map based on a quirk of barnacle grappling your fellow player, causing everybody to fly (glitch around) in the air. On the map database it lists the author as g1l but in the map the author is listed as Venomys. Also, there is a map titled 'Barnacle Flight 2' that preceded this map, this map comes after number 2, it's all very confusing. SCMapDB page Author: g1l Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barnacle Flight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 22, 2022 | 2144 characters      Barnacle Flight is a gimmick map where players use the barnacle on one another to zip around in the sky above an island. The sky is full of bubbly cloud sprites and some silly looking giant squares of scrolling cloud textures. The island itself is a nice jagged chunk of island in the water (the water does not extend far beyond the coast before hitting skybox) and features both a teleporter to the spawn area and a central la

      Barnacle Flight is a map based on a quirk of barnacle grappling your fellow player, causing everybody to fly (glitch around) in the air. On the map database it lists the author as g1l but in the map the author is listed as Venomys. Also, there is a map titled 'Barnacle Flight 2' that preceded this map, this map comes after number 2, it's all very confusing. SCMapDB page Author: g1l Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barnacle Flight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | September 22, 2022 | 2298 characters      The gimmick here is that players grapple onto each other and sort of hover in the air around the map. Now to be fair I only tried this with two people and the exploit is clearly intended to work with more than that. We attempted the instructions on the floating block in the middle of spawn but with only two people we couldn't really direct ourselves in any direction, maybe that is still a problem with more people, I don&#

      Ayakashi is the collective name for Yokai (the Japanese term for supernatural beings) that appear over bodies of water. There isn't any water in this map but there are plenty of Yokai with custom models to shoot with fancy new gun models. SCMapDB page Author: nekomata, GAMESABA Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ayakashi Banquet (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 4, 2022 | 3662 characters      Ayakashi Banquet is a megamonster style map for Sven Co-op with lots of (I'm presuming comical) cutscenes inbetween. I cannot judge the cutscenes as I do not speak Japanese, the language they are written in, but I can speak to the gameplay and presentation.      I'm going to talk about presentation first. The map's a real mixed bag: it has some really fun enemy models and weapon models. There are zombies with the skeleton model from They Hunger, there's an anime chick assassin boss, and cat houndeyes. There's even a

      Ayakashi is the collective name for Yokai (the Japanese term for supernatural beings) that appear over bodies of water. There isn't any water in this map but there are plenty of Yokai with custom models to shoot with fancy new gun models. SCMapDB page Author: nekomata, GAMESABA Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ayakashi Banquet (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | September 4, 2022 | 4037 characters      The screenshot for this map is a giant skeleton guy and I was pretty excited to take down a big skeleton guy with dual machine guns. Unfortunately that is all this map is, fighting enemies with lots of health with cool weapon reskins.      The map is very one note, the walls are stretched out hedges with large arenas separated by big ramps with torii looming over them. At spawn there are two pickup trucks holding a bunch of weapons and there are well structures in each of the three arenas that heal players and provide ammo. The arenas ge

       I am not a fan of jumping puzzles, but this map does it right. There is nothing too crazy and I was able to complete the whole course thanks to the quality of life features like checkpoints and the color coding. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of The Void (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 18, 2022 | 4401 characters      The Void is a map that I'm very nostalgic for, so factor that in while reading this review. I remember playing this back in the day with an internet connection so slow I couldn't platform worth a damn, but I loved it anyway. Looking back, is it still as fun as I remember?      The Void's conceit is minimalism: color-coded grid-tile floors serve simple functions, from launching the player to hurting the player to being ladders to being water to being the next spawn point. These simple tools are used in an escalating series of platforming challenges that, on their face, seem very

      I am not a fan of jumping puzzles, but this map does it right. There is nothing too crazy and I was able to complete the whole course thanks to the quality of life features like checkpoints and the color coding. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of The Void (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 18, 2022 | 3098 characters      So first off, I am not a fan of platforming in first person. This whole map is a lot of platforming. I did manage to have a lot of fun though.      There are some really smart design choices like the color scheme, you may have to read the map description for an explanation on the colors. The colors actually remind me a lot of Portal, both minimalist and evocative while also being extremely practical. The map looks great, as the title suggests, the whole thing floats in a void. The undersides of platforms are null textured so so it is hard to see the next area.      The jumps themselves aren&#

       Neptune Labs is a map set in space orbiting Neptune, not under the ocean as the blue tint may imply. The map is unfinished and abandoned but has been updated to end properly and give the full walkthrough map experience, even if it is somewhat short. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Neptune Labs (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 15, 2022 | 3602 characters      Neptune Labs is a medium-length walkthrough map by prolific mapper Keen. It showcases a lot of creativity, a decent amount of ingenuity, and an overall enjoyable experience.      The most striking and charming aspect of the map is its art style. Details are brushed in very interesting and uncommon ways, and the textures are made with this semi-abstract cartoony style that's hard to explain but really evokes a certain atmosphere. It passively oozes personality up the wazoo, in technical terms. The brushwork for the outside of the Neptune lap is a

      Neptune Labs is a map set in space orbiting Neptune, not under the ocean as the blue tint may imply. The map is unfinished and abandoned but has been updated to end properly and give the full walkthrough map experience, even if it is somewhat short. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Neptune Labs (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | April 15, 2022 | 4445 characters      According to the notes in the map description this map is unfinished. It definitely feels unfinished, there are so many minor details that have been overlooked it feels like a really well done amateur map. There are so many Black Mesa themed maps that having a map set in space in orbit over Neptune is novel and the custom textures, level design, story bits delivered every now and then really helped sell the setting.      We started out in a small craft heading towards the space station. At first, due to the double meaning of Neptune, we thought the ma

       Annihilation is a heavy word, it's one of those words where if used as a name it needs to really illustrate the destructive power within. This map is forgettable walkthrough map through rough rooms and halls. SCMapDB page Author: Skals Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Annihilation (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 27, 2022 | 1912 characters      Annihilation is a short action-packed map that burns bright and burns fast.      Players escort a bunch of OpFor marines into an arena where they are ambushed by pitdrones which spawn (maybe endlessly?) from two pipes in a room which opens rather explosively (I was killed by the door falling off its hinges). The room is an ambush, and soon you're fighting gonomes attacking from a hole in the wall as well. If you advance on their position, a wall breaks down and a baby garg comes out to fight. Eventually one of us found the exit in a hole in the ground.      At some point you'r

      Annihilation is a heavy word, it's one of those words where if used as a name it needs to really illustrate the destructive power within. This map is forgettable walkthrough map through rough rooms and halls. SCMapDB page Author: Skals Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Annihilation (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 27, 2022 | 1876 characters      Annihilation is a short map and according to the map description there are four objectives to complete, let me say right now that I beat the map without clearing the labs. The level was well done, if a bit short. Enemies burst through walls more than once in some pretty neat simple scenes.      There are friendly soldiers and turrets here to help, the turrets especially do a good job cutting down the enemy waves. There are underbarrel grenades and HEV in the spawn which help a lot. There is just enough to stock one person up, players will have to share carefully or wait for the respawn.

       This map is a fortress facing another fortress with infinitely spawning snipers. The player fortress has crossbows and sniper rifles along with plenty of ammo for both. There is no end to the map, just snipe the snipers. SCMapDB page Author: tweak Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Baron Of Snipe (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 19, 2022 | 2718 characters      The concept here is simple: place the players in a fortified position and equip them with sniper rifles and crossbows to pick off advancing waves of assassins and the snipers at the opposite building. While advancing a bit is possible, it's inadvisable as any upward movement will quickly place a player right on top of respawning enemy territory without any viable close-quarters options. Still, advancing can be a bit fun to see how far in you can move with friends covering you with sniper support from the safety of spawn.      There isn't a whole lot more to say ab

      This map is a fortress facing another fortress with infinitely spawning snipers. The player fortress has crossbows and sniper rifles along with plenty of ammo for both. There is no end to the map, just snipe the snipers. SCMapDB page Author: tweak Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Baron Of Snipe (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 19, 2022 | 2388 characters      Baron of Snipe is a very simple sniping horde map. Players start in a fortress and on the other side of the map is a building with plenty of windows that is just oozing snipers. There is a large dump of sniper rifles, crossbows, and plenty of ammo for both. Players start with pistols and medkits but there is nothing else in the map, no pistol ammo, no health, no HEV.      My biggest complaint would probably be that male assassins routinely run forward, open the door to the player base, and waltz right in. I think we need to constantly snipe them to prevent that from happeni

      This map is all about elevators. Get it? Lift Lifters? Elevators? I think the 50 50 refers to the authors, RNG and Robootto, each creating half of the map. I'm not sure what Xsus means. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto and RNG Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Lift Lifters 50 50 Xsus (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 30, 2022 | 3651 characters      Lift Lifters 50 50 Xsus, or Lift Lifters as I will be calling it henceforth, is a map credited to the famous RNG and the infamous Robootto. How much of it was based on either's input, I have no idea. What I will say is that this is among some of my least favorite of RNG's work, and easily my favorite of Robootto's that I've played so far.      The map is made up of challenges divided by massive lifts, hence the name. I don't think Robootto or RNG could have predicted the nightmare that would become Sven Co-op's elevator physics, which often cause players to bec

      This map is all about elevators. Get it? Lift Lifters? Elevators? I think the 50 50 refers to the authors, RNG and Robootto, each creating half of the map. I'm not sure what Xsus means. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto and RNG Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Lift Lifters 50 50 Xsus (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 30, 2022 | 2407 characters      This is easily the best map I've played made by Robootto so far, probably because RNG, a generally beloved mapper, is a co-author. When I play maps made by Robootto usually I am trying to figure out if the map is trolling me. This map gave me no such feeling.      The map is about elevators. The map name, lift lifters, makes a lot of sense when you realize this, The elevators are usually simple but big with lots of variation on the design. Combat is minimal, there is a gargantua serving as a sort of boss fight about halfway through. Most of the combat is scattered skirmishes with v

       Abelkerky is a map highly reminiscent of Stadium. It's got a spawn area with tons of weapons and a big pit full of infinitely respawning enemies.  SCMapDB page Author: Einar svc Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Abelkerky (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 8, 2022 | 1859 characters      Abelkerky is what appears to be a slaughter map full of respawning zombie soldiers, voltigores, and gonarchs. The arena in which they spawn is a large pit with a ramp leading down into it, up to an upper floor with two entrances and the respawn point for the zombies. To get into the arena, there are two doors and some friendly turrets with heavy health, all going back into the player spawn. The player spawns with full health and all of the Sven weapons available at the time of the map's release, as well as a minigun at spawn and an extra uzi.      The brushwork and design of the map is extremely lazy. It gives off the feeling that a lot of

      Abelkerky is a map highly reminiscent of Stadium. It's got a spawn area with tons of weapons and a big pit full of infinitely respawning enemies.  SCMapDB page Author: Einar svc Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Abelkerky (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 8, 2022 | 2267 characters      I didn't know what to make of this map before playing. The map description is completely useless redundant info, and the screenshots don't really look like anything. This map is an attempt at a stadium-like map, with a large pit full of respawning enemies and plenty of ordinance to drop on them.      It's not done as well as other stadium maps, namely stadium. Player start with almost all the weapons and full ammunition for them. There are HEV batteries, dual uzis, and a chaingun in spawn, but since players start with full HEV the batteries are there for resupply. There is no ammunition so once you use up all the ammo for a gun then

       Indojapan is a strange map where players progress through thematically disconnected rooms in a big loop. It's difficult to tell where the map is supposed to begin and end since players spawn all over the place. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Indojapan (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 7, 2022 | 3290 characters      Big seizure warning. This map has an entire section that is just a big ol' strobe with noisy textured walls while attempting to navigate many headcrabs. I have no propensity toward epilepsy and it gave me a headache.     I ndojapan is a Robooto map outside of his typical flavor of utter nonsense and more in line with a secret map. Searching for out-of-place brushes which might be teleports or breakables which are very hard to discern from nonbreakables and have way too much resistance to damage is what makes up the map's gameplay for the most part.      You begin in a sushi

      Indojapan is a strange map where players progress through thematically disconnected rooms in a big loop. It's difficult to tell where the map is supposed to begin and end since players spawn all over the place. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Indojapan (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 8, 2022 | 2111 characters      This map is a mess.      There are two spawn zones, one of which is at a sushi bar, where the map description says it starts, and the other in in a burning town. My teammate and I were both in different spawns and we had no clue how to get to each other or what was happening or where either of us were. We were pretty fast in deciding to noclip around and see what the whole map looked like. Imagine our surprise when we found a ton of different rooms.      It turns out the map is a bunch of rooms with teleporters in that chain all the rooms together. The sushi bar has a breakable secti

       Borg Cube is a Star Trek themed map taking place inside a Borg spaceship, the famous Cube. The map uses a whole slew of new textures and models to recreate the ship and even gives players a phaser. SCMapDB page Author: Agamemnon Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Borg Cube (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | December 30, 2021 | 4230 characters      Borg Cube is a two-map walkthrough set fraught with action, adventure, traps, and switch puzzles. It plays fast and loose with the themes in fun and silly ways, letting you know right off the bat with the presence of xenomorphs that this map does not take the lore seriously.      That's not to say Borg Cube isn't made with care, though. Each environment is crafted into a unique feel unlike what is typical of Half-Life mods. I love the outdoor environments and techno-nonsense throughout. It's a feast for the eyes most of the time, when you aren't just scouring mazes of industrial

      Borg Cube is a Star Trek themed map taking place inside a Borg spaceship, the famous Cube. The map uses a whole slew of new textures and models to recreate the ship and even gives players a phaser. SCMapDB page Author: Agamemnon Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Borg Cube (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | December 30, 2021 | 2863 characters      Borg Cube is a very fun map with custom models and sounds that really bring to life the Star Trek setting.      Most of the combat is tight quarters with Borg crammed in. Some Borg run, lots of them have ranged attacks, a few are slow and easy to kill, others run in and murder the player. This map is really aimed for more than two players, two at minimum are required but the enemy density and strength are best dealt with more.      The weapon of choice here is mainly the gauss cannon, if you can land continuous headshots on the Borg they go down pretty quick. The Mp5 is fairly useless when you get