Abyss of Pandemonium

The Good
Most players are very suspicious of such unofficial add-ons for Quake. And with good reason - many of them are pretty bad and are obvious attempts to cash in the game’s popularity. Abyss of Pandemonium is a different story. It is among the few such products where the designers have really made an effort to produce something with fair quality, on par with the original Quake (or at least close it).

AoP’s biggest strength is its level design - it is almost as good and detailed as the original Quake levels. The mapmakers have created meaningful environments, rather than series of interconnected rooms and hallways. They have followed the game’s pattern of combining hi-tech and medieval/gothic environments, sometimes even mixing the two in the same level. The more impressive thing is that level design has been enriched with a couple of new tricks here and there, such as new forms of traps (with lightning bolts or hooks that tear your flesh off your bones!) or good use of particle effects (most notable is the “rain” in the introductory level).

AoP adds a whole lot of new textures as well. They are close imitations of the original game’s artwork, yet always different in some subtle way, which makes them unique. A few new weapons have been added to spice up the gameplay. There are a few new enemies as well, including a big heavy mech. And two new bosses too, which have entirely new models and textures. And they are fairly challenging to fight.

AoP also has a story - pretty basic and simple, in tone with Quake’s own. But at least it has one - most other add-ons don’t have any, or they have some but it’s irrelevant to the actual levels. Anyway, you’ll be up against another of Quake’s evil minions - a fearsome lady who does not appreciate your heroic efforts to fight evil.

In terms of difficulty, AoP is somewhere in the middle - not very easy, but not insanely hard either. I’d say it’s on par with Quake and its official mission packs.

Last but not least - AoP is currently freeware, so you can try it out and enjoy it at no extra cost. Furthermore, the version available for download is an improved one (2.0), which fixes some bugs from the original release and includes a few deathmatch maps as well.

The Bad
Beside the good levels, there are a few that seem a little bland and uninspired - the kind of level you’d expect to find in other unofficial add-ons. Luckily, they are pretty few.

Despite its new weapons and enemies, AoP does not really change the fundamental Quake formula. If you were looking for a new experience, this won’t be it.

Some of the new textures lack polish and could look pretty ugly under certain light conditions (or at higher resolutions). The new enemy models are okay, but not beauty contest material either.

The Bottom Line
If you are a Quake fan, hesitate no more - the add-on is pretty good (probably the best among the unofficial commercial packs of the 1990’s), and besides - it’s free. It will surely provide you with a few hours of quality gaming.