TDM FM Review: House of Theo

This is a review of one of The Dark Mod’s (a mod for Doom 3) fan missions. It may contain traces of spoilers. You have been warned.

Author(s): Theothesnoop
Version: 1.0
Date released: 2011-12-04
Theme: Castle
Download FM here

It’s great to see this year that more and more first-time-mappers are getting their FMs done and uploaded to the web for us to enjoy.

I’m not complaining about the existing mappers in any way, but it’s just good to see some new, refreshing ideas perhaps.

Theothesnoop is one of these new mappers on the scene, and after reading the title of the FM, I thought I was in for an adventure with Gary Stu (hey, somebody criticised one of my Thief fanfics like this once – now I’m the critic for a change). But I gave it a go like I do with all TDM FMs.

I started off in the snow on a hill overlooking the sunset. My mission was to infiltrate the castle and uncover some information. Upon turning around, the first thing that caught my eye was this rather large castle standing atop the hill. Conveniently, someone had left a window open and there just so happened to be a wooden beam above it, with a lantern acting as a neon sign highlighting the area. So I had my entry point thrust in my face.

Lighting is an issue in this mission. There’s too much of it for one – too many fire-lit torches, and not enough water arrows. So that might present a bit of a problem. Trying to dash across a corridor, I was sighted by a guard who then followed me down the stairs to my hiding spot and promptly cut me to ribbons.

Another issue this mission has is there’s initially too much backtracking. The mission isn’t entirely linear which is good, but when you creep along a path and all seems well, until you reach a door that can’t be picked and you have no key, forcing you to go all the way back to the area you started in – it feels a bit frustrating, to be honest. Initially the choice of path is just an illusion – there seems to be but one way. Once you get some keys, more pathways are open to you. But I suppose you could look on the bright side of life, and say that at least the mission doesn’t rely heavily on lockpicking for a change. There are several keys needed to make your way through the castle.

Hover mouse over pictures for captions, if available.

I get the feeling while playing this mission that it’s quite like the new Bond game, GoldenEye: Reloaded. You’re often forced to look for other ways around the place, because an area might be too well lit; there’s too much activity, patrols, etc.; you don’t have the damn key, and you can’t pick the lock.

Having said that, there’s a nicely achieved balance when it comes to guard activity. There aren’t many guards in some areas – maybe one patrol if you’re lucky (or unlucky if you come across one in what seems to be broad daylight). Nearer the more important areas like the armoury, and chambers belonging to the royalty such as King Theo, there’s a larger guard contingent and even tougher, more heavily armoured guards are to be encountered at that.

The level design around and inside the castle is rather good – better than I originally anticipated. From towers to wide walkways, this mission does remind me a good deal of the first proper mission from Thief: Deadly Shadows – Garrett’s hunt for the Blood Opal at Lord Julian’s (or was it Lord Ember?). There are several different levels, and these can be accessed from ladders, stairs, and even an elevator. One section of the FM even sees you using a dumb waiter.

The backtracking that initially frustrated me then kind of made sense as the mission progressed. It made it more of a challenge. Without it, this FM probably would have been quite a lot easier, because it’s not that long or particularly difficult if I’m honest.

I quite liked the little side stories that were encountered in the mission, with one readable explaining why the attic was locked. But like with quite a few FMs available for TDM, there’s seemingly no larger plot revealed. Just get in, get the job done, and get out. A somewhat quick, not overly complicated, solid mission, then.

Pros:

+ Different approach to gameplay, whether intentional or not.

Cons:

- Lighting affects gameplay somewhat negatively, perhaps.

- Too much backtracking initially.

FM score: 8/10