Sven Co-op Map Reviews

      Artifact is a custom map converted to Sven from Team Fortress Classic. It's a hard as nails platforming map that has me questioning if there is an important change in player movement across games that makes the map harder than it should be. SCMapDB page Original map author: Kami Conversion authors: AdamR Date of original mod release: 2003 Date of final Sven Map release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Artifact (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | July 24, 2022 | 8431 characters      I feel like every part of this map is engineered to be the most absolute bullshit. This is one of those maps where five minutes into playing it I look at the time limit, see that we have 70 minutes left, and think to myself "we're not going to beat this". My teammate and I used noclip the entire map, there was not one section that we did not cheat to get through. This map was originally made for Team Fortress Classic, I have to think to myself, is there some moveme

       This map is a work in progress and may change drastically in the future. That said, it's really only missing a proper game end and everything else looks good and works well. SCMapDB page Author: Gruntzz Date of final release: 2022 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bounty (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 10, 2022 | 6181 characters      Bounty is a map heavily inspired by Hotline Miami, from the aesthetic to the gameplay. What's the gameplay like? Why, you run into a room fulla guys and immediately get shot to death, that's what!      This is a work-in-progress map (as of June 10 2022) as far as I understand, so take this review as constructive criticism that I'll happily revisit in a re-review should this map be updated.      Getting on with the review: let's start with the aesthetic. I think one of Hotline Miami's greatest strengths is its strong sense of aesthetic, but visually and sonically. Bounty captures the lighting, mood, and s

      This map is a work in progress and may change drastically in the future. That said, it's really only missing a proper game end and everything else looks good and works well. SCMapDB page Author: Gruntzz Date of final release: 2022 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bounty (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 10, 2022 | 5352 characters      I know this map is a work in progress and when it updates I will revisit this review. The map is a brutally hard search and destroy/assassination mission where one shot will literally kill you, oh and survival mode is on. The first thing we did was turn survival mode right off, the map was playable after that. The respawn timer was very long, I think that is a totally acceptable alternative to survival mode.      Players start in the street, with a nice looking but eerily empty beach and beach chairs immaculately lined up in columns and rows. Players can swim in the water and drown which gives a custom death announcement, whi

          Arctic Incident is a conversion of a single player mod of the same name. Some conversions are just singleplayer experiences dropped into Sven Co-op, but this map has been updated to be more co-op friendly. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: XF-Alien Conversion authors: AlexCorruptor, Outerbeast, and Tunac Date of original mod release: 2015 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Arctic Incident (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | June 5, 2022 | 4278 characters      There is an incident in the arctic, strange arctic creatures have invaded an arctic scientific research base, the arctic military is there to kill both the arctic creatures and the arctic scientists, and you have to escape. It's arctic Black Mesa. This two map set is a conversion of a mod by the same name, so it definitely sits on the easy side even if my teammate and I did die a couple of times each. Despite being a conversion of a single player experience, the conve

          Arctic Incident is a conversion of a single player mod of the same name. Some conversions are just singleplayer experiences dropped into Sven Co-op, but this map has been updated to be more co-op friendly. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: XF-Alien Conversion authors: AlexCorruptor, Outerbeast, and Tunac Date of original mod release: 2015 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Arctic Incident (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | June 5, 2022 | 4448 characters      Arctic Incident is a Half-Life mod which this mapset aims to port to Sven Co-op. Does it do this faithfully? I don't know, as I haven't played the original. However, my understanding is that some maps were consolidated and the weapons have been changed. If that's the case, then this is a very solid port which made some good decisions, as both the maps and weapons work great.      The maps are arctic themed, and mostly revolve around a research base in the

       Another Unit is an official Sven Co-op map release, it's flavored in typical Black Mesa aesthetic and presented from the HECU perspective. SCMapDB page Author: B-dama Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Another Unit (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 26, 2022 | 4594 characters      Another Unit is a map by B-dama which comes default with Sven Co-op. It is a standard walkthrough map, with lots of mixed alien combat and fighting with Barnies, turrets, and robogrunts.      First thing you'll notice when playing this map is that it looks rather good. It has a lot of the same aesthetic that Black Mesa style maps usually do- industrial, mostly subterranean concrete brutalist corporatism. However, it also has that look that's a little past the generation of Half-Life's original graphics, with more ambitious brushwork and scale. Everything in this map looks good, is decently well lit, and every location in the first half of t

      Another Unit is an official Sven Co-op map release, it's flavored in typical Black Mesa aesthetic and presented from the HECU perspective. SCMapDB page Author: B-dama Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Another Unit (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 26, 2022 | 4129 characters      Another Unit is an official map and it shows. The level architecture is beautiful. Everything is detailed and would look at home right alongside levels in the original Half-Life.      Players spawn right off the bat with a shotgun, mp5, full ammo for both, and 40 armor. This means players don't have to rearm when respawning. The map starts off with two long hallways side by side with turrets everywhere. You have to toss a grenade in the booth with the evil Barney to open the door, then you can use the big unlock machine to open up the doors at the far end of the hallway. Going through the hologram walls triggers barricades to rise up and robo grunts

       SV Mountain is a map about platforming up to different rooms in a big boxy mountain. The remake is a walkthrough map rooms connected by corridors. SCMapDB page Author: FoxPlays Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of SV Mountain Remake (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 6, 2022 | 3041 characters      Sv Mountain Remake is a "Remake" in the same sense that "Batman Begins" is a remake of the Adam West show. There are a few shades of the same concept, but it's utterly a different thing.      Sv Mountain Remake is an adventure walkthrough map that takes the player through strange, large rooms that I couldn't tell made sense in any real life fashion but were fun pastiches of the types of shit Half-Life assets do best: A room full of toppled shelf racks where you have to crawl around a toxic spill; a lobby waiting area with portals which drop enemies in; alien rooms with strange, pulsating walls- the typical Half-Li

      SV Mountain is a map about platforming up to different rooms in a big boxy mountain. The remake is a walkthrough map rooms connected by corridors. SCMapDB page Author: FoxPlays Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of SV Mountain Remake (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 6, 2022 | 3355 characters      This map is supposedly a remake of another map, also called SV Mountain. I don't really get it, that map was all about platforming with some action, and this remake is a walkthrough map with no platforming. The original story was literally 'bla bla bla" so I don't see any connection storywise. There is a crystal at the end of both of them so that's one thing in common.. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for drawing inspiration and making a new thing, I'm glad this map exists but I don't see much of a connection between the original and the remake.      The map starts off and players only have a desert eagle and a

       Affliction is a standalone mod converted to Sven Co-op set in Black Mesa. There are a lot of maps for Sven with the same story, this one is fairly standard. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Toni Hiltunen Conversion authors: Outerbeast Date of original mod release: 2002 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Affliction (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 19, 2022 | 3871 characters      Affliction is a Half-Life mod which was converted and updated, here, for Sven Co-op. This conversion features two maps which seem to combine the maps of the original mod at teleport points. The maps still feel mostly balanced for a single player, with fire fights coming in short, easy bursts often. The levels, for taking place almost entirely in interior settings, feel open and breezy, with breakable glass partitions allowing the interior spaces to breathe even more. Mix in some scripted peaceful NPC interactions and a cinematic opening sequen

      Affliction is a standalone mod converted to Sven Co-op set in Black Mesa. There are a lot of maps for Sven with the same story, this one is fairly standard. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Toni Hiltunen Conversion authors: Outerbeast Date of original mod release: 2002 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Affliction (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 19, 2022 | 3285 characters      This map set started off on a really cool car crash that send players down into a tunnel. It's a fun scripted event. Unfortunately survival mode is on by default. I usually turn that off when I play, the first map was fine, there was only one death between my teammate and I. The second map however has some brutal poison followed by a heavy weapons grunt which killed us a lot, making disabling survival mode a must. My first death on this map set was from climbing inside a destroyed computer, the bottom of the computer was concave and I was fa

       Persia is a walkthrough map set in a Middle Eastern city with tons of snipers around. There are a lot of enemies on rooftops and hiding around corners making progression tough and tense. SCMapDB page Author: Skacky Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Persia (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 23, 2022 | 4972 characters      Persia has been a Sven Co-op staple going on almost 15 years as of writing this. Does it hold up?      The first thing that you'll notice about Persia is that it's a striking map. There's a very specific theme and atmosphere that is set up early in the map and really manages to maintain until the very end. Along the way there's lots of implied scale, subtle details which enrich the environment without drawing attention, seamless flow from indoor to outdoor scenes, shocking verticality, and some very fun set pieces which do unexpected things with the theme. The textures are all very evocative and t

      Persia is a walkthrough map set in a Middle Eastern city with tons of snipers around. There are a lot of enemies on rooftops and hiding around corners making progression tough and tense. SCMapDB page Author: Skacky Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Persia (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 23, 2022 | 4567 characters      Persia is a great looking map with solid combat and a lot of platforming. There are no new spawn points so all the good parts of the map are interrupted on death with the same platforming sequence again and again.     The map is supposed to look middle eastern and it totally does. I feel like in some maps set in the middle east it always looks like a warzone but this map felt more like Prince of Persia. The buildings were large and imposing with those fun stylized windows like you see in Aladdin. There was a really nicely made tank in the beginning and lots of sandbags, but I never felt like I was in a warzone, mor

       Access Point is a standalone mod converted to work in Sven Co-op. The whole goal of the map is to escape from Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Dr. Orange Conversion authors: Mikk Date of original mod release: 2018 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Access Point (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 4920 characters      Access Point is a singleplayer mod that I have never played by (the, I'm presuming, mysterious) Dr Orange. Access Point for Sven Co-op is a port of that singleplayer mod by mikk. And boy, what a port it is.      Access Point is a fast-paced singleplayer map which acts as a vertical slice of all of the action in the first half-dozen-or-so chapters of Half-Life. There are headcrabs, houndeyes, barnacles, vortigaunts, and grunts battled through fast and satisfying mini-battles throughout the exploration of the locale. Said locale is one of those Black Mesa industrial areas, fit with

      Access Point is a standalone mod converted to work in Sven Co-op. The whole goal of the map is to escape from Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Dr. Orange Conversion authors: Mikk Date of original mod release: 2018 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Access Point (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 3376 characters      This map I another port of a stand alone Half-Life mod. Unlike most other ports of mods this one is very short. At the beginning of the map it gives players a vote on a hard or medium difficulty. It's so short that my teammate and I played the map twice, on both difficulties.      The first problem with the map is that since it's a port of a singleplayer mod there is a shortage of ammo. There are only two underbarrel grenades for the M16 in the whole level and not much M16 ammo either. Shotgun and magnum rounds were plentiful, but seemed stretched thin across two people and didn

       Half-Life: C.A.G.E.D., or just Caged as I will refer to the map from here on, is a standalone Half-Life mod converted to Sven Co-op. It's a prison break themed mod with quite a few maps. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Cayle George Conversion authors: ak47toh Date of original mod release: 2017 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: lots Map review of C.A.G.E.D. (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | January 15, 2022 | 4840 characters      C-A-G-E-D, or "Caged" for short, is a Half-Life mod experience that's quite fantastic. The single-player mod is available on Steam and, to be frank and up-front, this is a mod designed to be experienced as a singeplayer mod.      My review of C-A-G-E-D is:      It's a very beautiful mod with some fast-paced action, satisfying combat, tense platforming, and a general feeling that you are attempting to escape from a high-level prison complex. The thematic music, end-game setting, and final visua

      Half-Life: C.A.G.E.D., or just Caged as I will refer to the map from here on, is a standalone Half-Life mod converted to Sven Co-op. It's a prison break themed mod with quite a few maps. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Cayle George Conversion authors: ak47toh Date of original mod release: 2017 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: lots Map review of C.A.G.E.D. (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | January 15, 2022 | 3459 characters      Sometimes when a singleplayer Half-Life mod gets ported to Sven Co-op it doesn't really hold up, like Half-Quake. The second map, where actual gameplay starts, has it pretty rough, but overall I think this is one of the better ports and one of the better Sven Co-op maps out there. It definitely can be completed solo, a lot of the time whoever entered a room first would kill everybody inside before the other could do much to help. With any more than two players the combat becomes pretty trivial.      The map s