Barring some shocking upheaval… I have found my 2018 WAD of the year.
Dimension of the Boomed is Doom meets Quake — two of my favorite things together at last — but Boomed isn’t just Quake wallpaper pasted over the old Doom paint. And it’s not one of those uninspired “Game X in Game Y” conversions you used to see all the time either. It’s so much more than the sum of its two more obvious parts. It’s the perfect balance of the grim, haunting look of Quake, and the fast, violent action of Doom, sure — but those alone do not a good WAD make. The heart of any WAD is its maps.
To my knowledge, this is Urthar’s second mapset, though to date neither has seen an official release. I originally fell in love with his maps when I played the to-this-day-still-in-beta Way 2 Many Dead Guys. Meanwhile, the latest version of Dimension of the Boomed as of the writing of this post is Release Candidate 2. Even so, Urthar has already joined the ranks of my all-time favorite Doom mappers.
Urthar WADs seem to spend an eternity in beta for good reason. Every one of Urthar’s maps I’ve played is balanced to a degree that’s only achievable with extensive playtesting. From the way the maps use their enemies, to the amount of health and ammo they provide, to the labyrinths and puzzles they expect you to make sense of, they never ask more from you than you can handle (with one tiny exception we’ll get to later). Oh, you died? Sorry, but it was 100% your fault. Running low on resources? You were playing too recklessly. Not sure where to go? In your heart you know you missed something obvious.
As if that wasn’t enough, every map in Boomed is the perfect length. Just short enough that dying and being forced to start over isn’t a source of frustration; instead, it’s a chance to up your game and do better. And long enough that by the end, just so much progress is on the line that your palms start to build up a nice moist coating.
They’re small-ish maps, but open, winding, interconnected. Each one comes across as much larger than it actually is — through the use of branching routes and these huge, vaulted spaces you visit repeatedly throughout the run of the map, each time from a different entry point and with a new goal. Even just little dead end paths that lead to more goodies give you the sense that you’re carving a completely unique route through each level.
Considering how much attention is given to those large-scale locales, you might not expect much to be paid to the finer details. You’d be wrong, of course, and spectacularly so. You’re in the hands of a master, one who crafts every pointless alcove, every monster closet, every shadow cast with the same love and attention to detail as the big setpiece arenas.
Each map in Dimension of the Boomed is based on one of Quake’s texture sets, but Urthar also varies up architectural features and design philosophies with each one to create a completely unique look and feel. Following the trend set by all four of Quake’s episodes, the first map is the only techbase you’ll see. It’s a wonderful future-sewer with tons of verticality — rusty walkways winding and climbing into the rafters. Map02 covers the medieval castle theme and 03 does the caves and reddish stone corridors you might remember from Gloom Keep.
Then, just when you think you’ve got a feel for the sort of gameplay Dimension of the Boomed is all about, it flips the script on the fourth map with a slow-burn creepfest. There are enemies and they’re used to terrifying effect, but it’s the empty space and silence between encounters that sells the horror. This one’s also the most varied in the pack: a scavenger hunt through claustrophobic medieval alleyways, storerooms, and graveyards; into a haunted crypt, a wizard’s study, and a moldering cistern. There’s a staggering number of distinct locales — and remember, we’re not talking about a particularly long level.
After that? I don’t think a description of Map05 can do it justice. You have to experience it yourself.
That brings us to the final “proper” map, with the runic, lava aesthetic I usually associate with Chthon. In this case it’s home to demonic brains of all sizes: a large-scale showdown with arachnotrons and modified plasma-shooting masterminds. I love Map06 in concept, but sadly it does feel kind of luck-based at times. There are points where your entire survival comes down to which direction an enemy decides to walk, which split-second it starts firing at you, or whether your attacks are able to stunlock it or not. All that is out of your control and in the hands of the RNG. I do like this map — don’t get me wrong — but it’s a 9 when all the other maps are 10s.
Still, if you don’t care for Map06 as Boomed’s final hurrah, worry not. There’s a bonus map in slot 08 that should satisfy just about everyone.
The one thing we haven’t touched on yet is the bestiary, and that’s kind of by design. Some favorites from Quake do make a return, but I don’t want to spoil which ones, especially considering the amazing entrances they make. The first time you run across a [redacted], you hear its unmistakable roar a full 10-15 seconds before you see it, and you have all that time for the dread to build.*
It’s atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere here. Sure, the textures and music from Quake help a lot, but it’s impossible to oversell Urthar’s talent for building tension. Whether it’s through liberal use of clever traps, or interspersing bursts of action with slow exploration sequences, or letting enemies free roam through the maps so they can ambush you at any moment. Dimension of the Boomed is a WAD that will stick with me, and that I’ll come back to time and again. Long after the fresh Quake flavor has lost its freshness, these maps will still hold delight and wonder.
Urthar, you are the weaver of beautiful nightmares — for, I hope, many maps to come.
*note: the specific encounter I’m referencing here actually occurs only on Hurt Me Plenty difficulty level
Dimension of the Boomed requires DOOM2.WAD and runs in MBF-compatible ports like PrBoom, Eternity, and ZDoom derivatives. If you’re not sure how to get it running, this may help. And for more awesome WADs, be sure to check these out!