Review: NovoWolf

Details
Title: NovoWolf
Creator: Thomas Weiling
Released: 02/12/2009
Length: 21 Levels
Level Format: Continuous
New Story: Yes (22 Pages)
Graphics: New, mostly from other Wolf sets
Sound: Original (Changed order)
Special Features: Increased Health and Ammo counts, Chaingun Guards, Intermission screens, animated sprites, shading & Ammo boxes.
Dos/SDL: SDL

Initial impressions: A very clean looking game with a nice new selection of walls and really interestingly, and well laid out mapset.

Gameplay: A fantastic challenge with the additional guards and placement of all enemies throughout the mod supplying a real 'thinking players' mod. There are many tough scenarios but there is always ample ammo and health nearby if one is willing to search for it.

Mapping: The maps are, in my opinion, the best that Thomas has produced in any of his mods so far. I've played through every mod that Thomas has released and the majority of these levels are standouts. New mappers could do a lot worse than build experience and understanding of mapping and planning scenarios than by playing this mod.
Thomas really excels with the addition of 2 extra keys and doors which a lot of Thomas' mods don't have plus the inclusion of additional enemies and a larger sprite and enemy count.

Likes: The changed weapon sprites and changed guards work beautifully with the wall selections Thomas has selected for this mod. The new scientist and the lab levels are fantastic and help mix the environments up very well. The standout feature of this mod though is without doubt Thomas' mapping.
This is visually one of the cleanest and best looking mods for some time.

Dislikes: Only a couple of minor things to mention in this one. If I had to mention anything it would be the annoying maze in level 9 that was a bit too big I felt. Not that it's something I disliked but I wish the shading had been used a bit more in some other levels.


Ratings
Dean's Score: 8.0/10
Difficulty: Ranges and gets more difficult as the mod goes on. Some scenarios can be quite difficult in some places as there are plenty of guards used in each level.
Best Level: 17
Worst Level: 9

Wrap-up: This has now become my favorite Wolf mod released by Thomas so far. His use of 4 doors, additional guards as well as the mods other features, has shown just how talented a modder Thomas is. I'm aware that Thomas is usually more partial to making original style sets but when he can produce a fantastic effort with additional features over the originals such as this, then he shouldn't be restricting his skills to only those mods of an original style!
If I was asked which of Thomas' mods would I suggest someone to play to see his best work, this would clearly be one of the first I mention.

Where Can I get it?: You can download the mod HERE or by clicking on the screenshot at the top of this post.

Disclaimer: All reviews are only my opinion when playing the mod and are not intended to discredit anyone or the hard work they have put into creating their mod.