Firetop Mountain is a single map submitted by glenzinho for GZDoom. This map will CERTAINLY test your merit, but is it really worth the download? Let's find out.



Difficulty: 9



This map has a lot going for it in terms of difficulty, and it's not just limited to combat (although, I'd be lying if I said the combat wasn't a HUGE part of it). From the get go, you're dropped into the foothills of Firetop Mountain, and all you know is that you have to get inside. Somehow. With lots of beasts surrounding you and hiding around spires and under lakes, you've gotta find a weapon, and fast.



After fleeing the hordes (let's face it, you don't have enough ammo to take them all on), you'll finally take your first steps into the caves. Better step lightly, because if you don't, you'll quickly find yourself pinned between some high caliber beasts, including but not limited to revenants and mancubi. Traps litter the caves, so whenever you see a key, be prepared to fight for it.



Hopefully, you'll have found a BFG somewhere inside the mountain, because you're going to need it against the Warlock. Oh, right, forgot to mention. There's an endboss in this map. Apparently, this is supposed to be a main figure in the map or something. I dunno, I just booted up the map and didn't really look at the text file.



...*skimming text file*...



Oh right. Apparently your mission from the beginning was to kill this warlock dude who resurrected. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, the dude is tough. You'll have to hug those walls like a hippie hugs trees if you want to avoid taking too much damage. That being said, your BFG won't be as effective since you'll likely not have a line of sight.



Design: 10



I was absolutely impressed the moment I climbed the first slope up to the mountain (in-between running from the hordes). glenzinho makes excellent use of GZDoom's features, and aside from Knee-Deep in ZDoom, I've NEVER seen slopes utilized as perfectly as I have here. I don't know how you did it, but color me impressed.



There are also some nice effects here and there, such as a translucent lake and lava casting light inside the mountain. Though, it did bother me a little that one of the lakes was translucent and the other wasn't. But I don't think that really merits a penalty.



Really, this is one of those maps you have to see to believe.



Playability: 8



While some may be put off by the difficulty initially, just try to see it through. There aren't really many bugs, though it IS challenging. Hell, just starting it up to see there are 640 monsters waiting for you, not including monsters spawned by scripts or resurrected by archviles, you know this is going to be a looong haul.



Overall (Not an Average): 9



It took me nearly an hour to finish this map, but it was worth it. If you're looking for something beautiful, challenging, and will keep you busy for a while, this might be it. Firetop Mountain gets a big thumbs up from me. Download it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.