DOOMATHON entry #2.5/20
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
I had heard about the first episode of Sigil all the way back when it released, but I hadn't heard so much as a whisper about its sequel - I just so happened to see it when I checked the list of add-ons in the 2019 source port, and ended up being one of the first people on this site to log it without even intending to.
Despite the lack of fanfare, Sigil 2 is a worthy successor that expands upon its predecessor's ideas and pushes the design philosophies of the original Doom to their absolute limits. There are more environmental puzzles (searching for cracks in the wall where eye switches could be hidden became second nature not even halfway through this episode), more lava floors, more massive environments, and more absurd enemy swarms. Moreso than any of the six episodes I'd played up to this point in the marathon, this feels like a series of puzzle boxes that's trying to kill you, and I can't recommend it enough if that sounds like your idea of a good time. This design philosophy leads to the natural endpoint of a horrendous final battle with two cyberdemons AND a spider mastermind, but it's so in the spirit of classic Doom that I can't be too upset about it.
I personally hope that this is the end for Sigil - I can't really envision the design elements that make it a unique chapter in the franchise being pushed any further without breaking. It's a delicate balancing act that this episode already shouldn't have been able to nail, so I just might be eating my words in 2027.
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
I had heard about the first episode of Sigil all the way back when it released, but I hadn't heard so much as a whisper about its sequel - I just so happened to see it when I checked the list of add-ons in the 2019 source port, and ended up being one of the first people on this site to log it without even intending to.
Despite the lack of fanfare, Sigil 2 is a worthy successor that expands upon its predecessor's ideas and pushes the design philosophies of the original Doom to their absolute limits. There are more environmental puzzles (searching for cracks in the wall where eye switches could be hidden became second nature not even halfway through this episode), more lava floors, more massive environments, and more absurd enemy swarms. Moreso than any of the six episodes I'd played up to this point in the marathon, this feels like a series of puzzle boxes that's trying to kill you, and I can't recommend it enough if that sounds like your idea of a good time. This design philosophy leads to the natural endpoint of a horrendous final battle with two cyberdemons AND a spider mastermind, but it's so in the spirit of classic Doom that I can't be too upset about it.
I personally hope that this is the end for Sigil - I can't really envision the design elements that make it a unique chapter in the franchise being pushed any further without breaking. It's a delicate balancing act that this episode already shouldn't have been able to nail, so I just might be eating my words in 2027.