Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       Step into a world of bright colors and synthesized music. Fight colorful enemies with beams of light. Relax amid a horde of enemies. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Retrowave (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 9, 2022 | 3107 characters      Arena Retrowave is a slick, stylistic arena map with crazy jump pads, teleports, high health, high armor, high ammo, heavy duty weaponry, and high action. Enemies and weapons are skinned to appear like glowing wireframes. This is all to the benefit of a retrowave aesthetic, accompanied by some synth music by Rain Sword (thumbs up, good shit).      The aesthetic is, frankly, the most characteristic aspect of this map. So, let's talk about it. The brushwork, skybox, prop entities, enemies, and weapons all blend together to create a seamless, cohesive aesthetic where even outlandish player models do little to break the atmosphere. I especially like the wirefra

      Step into a world of bright colors and synthesized music. Fight colorful enemies with beams of light. Relax amid a horde of enemies. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Retrowave (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | November 27, 2021 | 3166 characters      This was the first arena map I've played so I didn't really know what to expect going into it. This was probably the best map for my first arena, it is dripping with style and I spent a good portion of the time playing just exploring the many areas of the map.      I much prefer walkthrough maps or anything where I can make visible progress, which arena maps aren't really good for. This map in particular has a lot going on. In the beginning I was fighting on top of the central building under the mistaken assumption there was some linear path to follow. Eventually I realized I was going in circles and chasing my tail. Later I found out the glowing

       "I've got you now Sonic!" Then the big grinder turns on, blades spin, lasers emit, and lava boils up from the floor. This is a one-room map that ends when players defeat Eggman's machine. SCMapDB page Author: ZpElmO Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arma-Egg-On (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 8, 2022 | 2452 characters      Arma-Egg-On is an experimental boss battle map for Sven Co-op. Doctor Eggman from Sonic infamy appears in a big brush-based boss battle. It reminds me a bit of the final boss of Commander Keen 3- just a big simple set of moving level objects and weak spots.      The battle works like this: the machine alternates firing lasers from its laser canons, spinning giant blades, and occasionally raising lava from a grate in the ground. My comrade and I were initially misled- in the center of the tower Eggman stands initially in a glass control room before teleporting away. Since this is the control ro

      "I've got you now Sonic!" Then the big grinder turns on, blades spin, lasers emit, and lava boils up from the floor. This is a one-room map that ends when players defeat Eggman's machine. SCMapDB page Author: ZpElmO Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arma-Egg-On (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 8, 2022 | 2213 characters      I saw the screenshots and I was endeared. There was Eggman sitting in his little control booth. The textures were mostly default Half-Life stuff but done up in a colorful way that emphasized the caution black and yellow stripes. The result is a single room map with a fun Eggman trap complete with looping music and laser effects.      The entire gameplay of the map consists of avoiding Eggman's machine in the middle of the arena. It has spinning blades at ankle level and another at just about head level. Two platforms rotate around the middle at about shoulder height, standing on the platform

       This map is a zoo (not to be confused with the other zoo map made by Icewold) condensed down into a hallway. There are only eight exhibits but the whole thing is interactive. SCMapDB page Author: Killer99 Date of final release: 1999 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Zoo (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 8, 2022 | 1776 characters      Zoo is a map that consists of a small corridor with glass cages displaying the various wildlife of Xen angrily rocking against their confines. After breaking a grate, the xenians escape, and the player must navigate a short rising water puzzle and a vent to get to a snark kill box.      I guess this is a troll map. Due to Sven's enhanced enemies, the alien grunts, zombies, and vortigaunts in the early map are far more chaotic than the map was originally balanced for, so just getting to the puzzle is a rough chore. They endlessly respawn too. Things are even more dire if alien grunts fall into the grate and players have to dea

      This map is a zoo (not to be confused with the other zoo map made by Icewold) condensed down into a hallway. There are only eight exhibits but the whole thing is interactive. SCMapDB page Author: Killer99 Date of final release: 1999 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Zoo (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 8, 2022 | 1438 characters      The map is a simple hallway with windows on either side. All sorts of xen creatures spawn infinitely inside these rooms behind glass. At the far end is a grate on the floor, after breaking it (or in my case, standing on it), jump down into the hole which will break the glass on the zoo animals. They start spawning in immediately and don't really stop, players only start with basic pistol and 17 rounds and crowbar. My teammate and I had to cheat to make it back to the hole alive.      The hole leads to an underground water filled tunnel, the end of which leads to a room with a grate on the ceiling, shooting this grate makes the

       This map is a series of arenas that players fight enemies in. It really lives up to its name, there isn't a whole lot left to describe. SCMapDB page Author: eMTeG Date of final release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Fights (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 1, 2022 | 5554 characters      Arena Fights is a map which promises fights in arenas, and it delivers some of those. There's some stuff in-between that is what I would call "goldsrc fluff": button puzzles, arbitrarily raising water puzzles, getting around lasers to access teleports- whatever. That's not what we're here for. We're here for some Arena Fights!      Arena Fights delivers three Arena Fights brand arena fights. The first arena fight of the three arena fights is an arena fight fought in an arena rather plain- players file in through a fire door (the only of two in the spawn which respond to touch- though both are identical) into a rectangular prism of a

      This map is a series of arenas that players fight enemies in. It really lives up to its name, there isn't a whole lot left to describe. SCMapDB page Author: eMTeG Date of final release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Fights (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 1, 2022 | 5262 characters      The map is Arena Fights and I can confirm that there are arenas and players do fight in them. The map description really does sum it all up nicely, there are three areas with different enemy composition and pressing buttons opens the way forward.      The map starts players off with almost a full complement of weapons. I would have liked an egon gun but I did start with 10 underbarrel grenades so all is forgiven. There is a ton of HEV in the spawn area even though players start with full HEV. There are two blast doors here but only one opens right now.      The first arena is full of friendly soldiers behind a defensive position. Pressing the accessbile button

       This great looking map is made to look just like the game Borderlands. I'm not sure if this is a recreation of a Borderlands map or just inspired by the game, but it looks truly unique. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Hyperion Preserve (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2022 | 5330 characters      Hyperion Preserve is an arena map for Sven Co-op with very ambitious presentation and some wacky ideas. From the brushwork to the textures to the scripted weapons to the silly progression systems, this map tried a lot. Does it all come through?      First thing you'll notice is that the map looks very good, and quite a bit like Borderlands. The environment looks great for Sven Co-op, and is lit, textured, and brushed very well. Even the buttons glow and read very clearly as interactable, fun decorations litter walls- everything looks great.      The gameplay itself is an arena wave defense wh

      This great looking map is made to look just like the game Borderlands. I'm not sure if this is a recreation of a Borderlands map or just inspired by the game, but it looks truly unique. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Hyperion Preserve (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2022 | 6533 characters      This map uses a lot of Borderlands 2 models and textures to recreate, what I assume to be, a location in Borderlands 2 of a big arena. The map looks great, everything really sells the idea of an arena fight on another planet against waves of aliens.      The map starts off with players in a black room and a big floating button, pressing it opens the wall up to a short hall and an elevator up to the arena. Once inside the area, which is rolling hills dotted with shipping containers, pipes, tree things, some small streams, and a simple structure. There is a platform with a button and a big symbol ove

       There are nine r's. This is a very short map that feels more like a tech demo than anything else. Players fly through arches, throw grenades in holes, and make a face spin, and that's it. SCMapDB page Author: CryoKeen (aka Keen) Date of final release: Unknown Maps in package: 1 Map review of rrrrrrrrr (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2022 | 2261 characters      rrrrrrrrr is a map credited on this site to CryoKeen, though Keen's profile does not display this as one of his maps. I'm not entirely sure how to categorize it. It's perhaps a joke map, but the joke is so esoteric I don't know how to interpret it. It's like a Meredith Monk performance- I'll just be reviewing it very technically, as I concede I don't quite understand it.      After three brief puzzles, the map ends. Two of the puzzles involve images of people I don't know in a context I don't understand. I shot the first image, and after my teammate pre

      There are nine r's. This is a very short map that feels more like a tech demo than anything else. Players fly through arches, throw grenades in holes, and make a face spin, and that's it. SCMapDB page Author: CryoKeen (aka Keen) Date of final release: Unknown Maps in package: 1 Map review of rrrrrrrrr (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2022 | 1475 characters      This is a very short map, seemingly unfinished and very light on details. Other than knowing there are nine r's all I can say is that the map starts in a sewer, players activate a sign to get a Stargate SG-1 jumpscare before being launched through a bunch of arches and into a weird alien room with water and grenades. In the wall here are holes, throw the grenades in to reveal a teleport. The teleporter will cause players to telefrag so watch out. After the teleporter press two buttons to make the lady's face spin, it will explode so watch out again. Then at the end the map ends with

       Diego Land is an unfinished and abandoned project meant for somebody, I believe it's a youtuber named Diego. The map description says there is supposed to be comedy but I can attest the mapper hasn't added anything like that before abandoning it. SCMapDB page Author: Galy Raffo Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Diego Land (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2022 | 4300 characters      Diego Land is an action map which paints in huge, broad strokes. Segments of the map are separated into huge cube rooms filled with scattered, strewn about as enemies ranging from bullet sponge levels of HP to full-metal bullet sponge levels of HP attack the player from multiple vantage points. Entrances into these arenas are always through blocky hallways with big vertically sliding doors, so the only way for a player to engage is head-on or by kiting in the doorway.      Thankfully, Diego Land is stocked heavily with lots of weapons- namel

      Diego Land is an unfinished and abandoned project meant for somebody, I believe it's a youtuber named Diego. The map description says there is supposed to be comedy but I can attest the mapper hasn't added anything like that before abandoning it. SCMapDB page Author: Galy Raffo Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Diego Land (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2022 | 6156 characters      This map is abandoned, so it's unfinished and never will be finished. What is here is very clearly unfinished. The level design is incredibly simple and blocky, and combat encounters are wads of enemies in hallways. There are some cool fire effects that don't hurt and some custom models like stretched out scientists and weird cartoon pit drones. There were a lot of 3d models of bodies laying around which looked good but they were also solid and would constantly block me. It's an interesting map and it definitely would have been bet

       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&#

       This is an arena. There are many like it, but this one is Arena. Enemies spawn in without end and the architecture is simple and blocky. SCMapDB page Author: Rivendell Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 17, 2022 | 3662 characters      Arena is an arena map. You ever see those gladiatorial battles where they just, like, let wolves or dogs or mountain lions or bears loose on a bunch of fighters and it's just nonsense and bloodshed and nothing makes sense? Arena is a lot like that. I think, in that way, it lives up to its name.      However, it's also one of those kinds of arena maps that's made with very little finesse. In fact, I'd say this is done with no finesse whatsoever. Reality falls apart at the seams, as players randomly find themselves swimming through midair, or at times you'll find cylinders of water. The structures are massive and fantastical, and the outdoor are

      This is an arena. There are many like it, but this one is Arena. Enemies spawn in without end and the architecture is simple and blocky. SCMapDB page Author: Rivendell Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 17, 2022 | 2295 characters      Arena is a fairly bland map. Players spawn next to friendly NPCs and some hostile ones and they fight and players can step in and help them. Left alone these two factions can generally keep each other busy. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to which monsters are friendly and which are hostile, it all seems random. There was a gargantua that I saw and helped kill but then I tried looking for anything else of interest and didn't find much, meanwhile my teammate fought spawning turrets, female assassins, a minigunner, and a big momma. I guess your mileage may vary. Players spawn fully loaded so that helps a lot.      The map is a big empty room with a

       Relax on white sand texture, take a swim in the ichthyosaur infested waters, explore the bungalows, sacrifice yourself or a friend to the volcano. Fox's Island is a chill hang-out map with some fun features to explore and a very nice view. SCMapDB page Author: The Fox Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Fox's Island (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 12, 2022 | 3792 characters      Fox's Island is a chill relax map by The fox. Sit in the hot springs of the island, explore the Maldives-style overwater bungalow huts- some which feature monitors for viewing the resort's stage, and one of which features a working mirror. Ride water slides, jam out to a boombox, or swim over to mysterious rock formations surrounded by dangerous ichthyosaurs.      The brushwork of the island itself is a bit blocky and rigid for a naturalistic structure, failing to convey any of the eroding forces of the ocean, but still is a treat for the ey

      Relax on white sand texture, take a swim in the ichthyosaur infested waters, explore the bungalows, sacrifice yourself or a friend to the volcano. Fox's Island is a chill hang-out map with some fun features to explore and a very nice view. SCMapDB page Author: The Fox Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Fox's Island (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 12, 2022 | 2941 characters      This is a map made to just hang out. There isn't much combat, no puzzles that I could find, just things to explore and fun things to look at. There are a bunch of ichthyosaurs in the water though and some barnacles under the docks so there is some combat.      The map is a very nice looking island with a small group of huts on stilts connected by walkways on stilts. There is a hot spring with a func_monitor (a feature that only works in windowed mode), a campfire which will burn you, and a stereo that needs batteries to play music all right by spa