Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       ASCII refers to the American Standard Code for Imformation Interchange, a system that supports text on digital platforms. The entire map is textured in white with black text. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 16, 2022 | 3329 characters      Ascii Art is a map in Japanese that I cannot understand. However, with some patience, I *can* beat it.      Ascii Art is a map that I presume is full of humorous content, but unfortunately for myself the humor is meant for another culture altogether. I'm sure it's very funny in the appropriate context, but I cannot say anything about the textual jokes or contextual humor. What I can say is that the map has a very stylish monochromatic style and very fun cartoony characters. The environment is very charmingly crafted around representing an ascii world in a way that isn't invasive or overwhelming, but just very tast

       ASCII refers to the American Standard Code for Imformation Interchange, a system that supports text on digital platforms. The entire map is textured in white with black text. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 16, 2022 | 4369 characters      I remember playing this map way back in the day, probably in 2008 when it came out. I remember riding the longest elevator of my life with two of my buddies. One of them jumps on my head and due to a quirk in the engine I immediately explode followed by me rage quitting because there was no way I was riding the elevator again. Well I've played it again all these years later and that elevator ride has not improved in the slightest.      So ascii art is a map made out of ascii art. For those who don't know what ascii art is, ascii is a character encoding standard, which is fancy talk for how computers handle text. The wh

       The map name doesn't seem to really describe what is going on in the map. There is a very small and simple maze, followed by a large area with shipping containers, female assassins are everywhere. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Army (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 16, 2022 | 1483 characters      Army is a a clearly very early map from a mapper who would go on to be quite prolific. Follow corridors to a cargo hold, fighting female assassins throughout using an assortment of weapons (just use the exploding crossbow bolts- it's the best). Once they're all dead there's nothing else to do other than climb a ladder to traverse a tiny strip of brush above the cargo hold.      For how unfinished the map is, it plays fine. Taking an arsenal to corridors full of ninjas doesn't get old fast, especially if you've got a good HEV charge on you. The environments, while boilerplate and boring,

      The map name doesn't seem to really describe what is going on in the map. There is a very small and simple maze, followed by a large area with shipping containers, female assassins are everywhere. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Army (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 16, 2022 | 1423 characters      The army that the title of this map refers to is an army of female assassins. The map itself has two parts, a small complex of hallways filled with female assassins with some supplies, and a large open warehouse area also filled with female assassins but without supplies. The spawn area has shotguns, grenades, and a crossbow. It should be noted the the crossbow does have the explosive bolts and that there is no flashlight. After killing all the female assassins (I must say, gibbing an assassin with a direct hit from the explosive bolt crossbow is wonderful) we climbed up to a windy rail above the cargo conta

       Well it looks like you ran out of gas inside of a computer. Fight off waves of enemies and survive. SCMapDB page Author: El_Zurdo Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Synthwave (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 16, 2022 | 3445 characters      Arena Synthwave is a map with exceeding output for such low ambition. Fight your way through respawning baby gargs and a handful of enemies in wacky synthwavey displacement-like terrain that's hard to climb with a cute car in the middle where you spawn. On paper it sounds like nonsense, but I promise in practice it's a lot of fun.      At the beginning, players are faced with respawning baby gargs and one garg while the players are equipped with only an uzi and sit at the bottom of a geometric terrain bowl of sorts. Ascending the sides to the cusp of this bowl is a bit of a chore at first, but it's something you get used to over time. Once you're at the top, you find explosi

      Well it looks like you ran out of gas inside of a computer. Fight off waves of enemies and survive. SCMapDB page Author: El_Zurdo Date of final release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arena Synthwave (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 16, 2022 | 2777 characters      Arena Synthwave is a short and sweet map with some nice background music, a very retro 80's look, and some decent combat. Players start out in a small spawn room with some hard to read (neon green against neon purple) credits and a low poly and low resolution portrait of a counter-strike model. Two buttons on opposite ends of the room must be pressed at the same time to open up a wall and reveal a large neon sun. Walking through the sun spits players out in the arena.      The arena itself is very simple. It's a big bowl of uneven terrain, the raised areas around the sides vary in width and all looks very asymmetric and uneven. The ground texture is the same purple grid as in the spaw

       Jump up a lot of precarious platforms to get to the top. There is no end to this map and sometimes players will spawn at the top, negating the need to platform at all. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Trash Xprase Arena (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 10, 2022 | 1251 characters      Trash Xprase Arena is a climbing map. Players climb crude brushwork of multiple colors through a concrete silo all the way to the top, wherein they exit into a Toonrun grassy noll. Sometimes you spawn at the bottom, sometimes you spawn at the top. I gave up at a certain point, so I can't say for sure that all of the jumps are completable- a couple of them, especially after the elevator, felt that way. Oh yeah, there's also a janky elevator.      Usually my reviews are longer than this, but this just about covers it. Most of the jumps are perilous and will send the player to hell in a handbasket. There's no sp

      Jump up a lot of precarious platforms to get to the top. There is no end to this map and sometimes players will spawn at the top, negating the need to platform at all. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Trash Xprase Arena (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 10, 2022 | 1554 characters      I never know how to review platforming maps because I am not a fan of platforming in general. My teammate however is well versed in the arts of first person jumping onto things. He has assured me the climb is probably doable but very difficult. This is already a huge step up for the author, Robootto, whose maps are usually all nonsense.      The map looks real bad, it has misaligned textures that are not meant to be tiled on the walls, all thrown together haphazardly. The platforms come in all shapes and sizes and later there are rails. Half way up the climb there is an elevator designed to be bullshit and it succeeds at t

       This map is based off the very popular anime Attack on Titan. The Chinese name for the anime is Jinji de Juren, which is where the name of the map comes from. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2014 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Juren (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 10, 2022 | 3511 characters      Juren is a defense map styled after the hit Japanese animanga Attack on Titan! I have never seen/read the inspiration for this map, so I'll move forward with my review just assuming this is a perfect representation of the source material.      So, much like in the hit japanimanga Attack on Titan, people defend the village wall from hideous naked freaks of all sizes who lumber around like drunken toddlers waiting to be immediately rendered to goo by a well-placed wack on the back on the neck with a metal rod. The defender swing this rod while swinging themselves using a complicated system of pulleys (a barnacle) which sails straight through

      This map is based off the very popular anime Attack on Titan. The Chinese name for the anime is Jinji de Juren, which is where the name of the map comes from. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2014 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Juren (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 10, 2022 | 3203 characters      This map is a great attempt at making Attack on Titan into a Sven Co-op experience, but unfortunately I just don't think this is the engine for killing titans like they do in the anime, chiefly rappelling around like spiderman with big swords slicing them up. Players are given the barnacles to do this but the hitbox just never seems to land for me. I think I have gotten a headshot or two with the barnacle and that will insta-gib the titans but really the whole mechanic is finicky at best, it never looks like the barnacle tongue hits them and it often goes right through a massive head and drags me through the titan to the wall behind it. I do

       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