Review: Castle Grom

Details
Title: Castle rom
Creator: Raziel A.
Released: 04/05/2008
Length: 9 Levels
Level Format: Continuous
Story: New
Graphics: Mostly new, taken from other games.
Sound: New
Special Features: High res walls, textured floors and ceilings.
Dos/SDL: Dos

Initial impressions: The textured floors and ceilings and high-res walls look great and the music and other sounds are very well done. The pistol is unfortunately very week and seems to do a lot less damage than the guards version does. I'm not sure the Rise of the Triad guards fit that well into a Wolf mod as they look a little small. The guns and actors hand looks massive and are way too big.

Gameplay: The game play is quite well done with ample use of guards and a nice balance of ammo and health throughout. Some keys are a little too easy to retrieve, not being overly heavily guarded. There is always a big battle before the exit elevator though, with limited health near by, meaning the player always enters the next level on less than full health.

Mapping: The mapping isn't overly difficult or intricate but it is at a good enough level. There are rarely multiple paths where one can get lost and proceeding in the game is nearly always straight forward. There are only a few secrets on each level but they aren't really game changing if you miss them, as most only have a few pieces of treasure or health/ammo in them.
Looking at the maps in an editor there are a few floor code errors plus a pushwall that you can't push from any angle, this would affect any chance of getting 100% of everything, if the game was able to be finished so you could get your results. There is also no secret level which I feel the mod would have benefited from including.

Likes: The high res graphics, mostly, look fantastic although the original Wolf ones don't quite match as they don't look to be in as higher detail as the others. The sounds are great and the new music really fits the mod well. This is a nice looking mod that isn't a massive challenge but still a relatively fun playing experience. I wasn't a fan of the ROTT guards initially but you do get more used to them as you play through the mod.

Dislikes: Ok, there's a few things here that may make me sound like I hated the mod, this is not true but I have to point them out as they bugged me at one point or another while playing the mod.
The lack of an ending. You kill the Boss on the very poorly done Level 9, finish the level but the mod doesn't end, you just go to the original Wolf, Episode 1, Secret level with random walls and signs that this obviously isn't meant to be played. I don't understand when there has been a lot of other good work go into the mod why things weren't finished properly.
Level 9 boss level. This is just the original Episode 1 Boss level with a couple of extra rooms. If you are making your own mod surely it can't be that hard to make 10 new maps, can it?
The size of the weapons just look way too big plus the firepower doesn't seem strong enough. I guess this is part of the problem when you used weapons designed for another game but I believe it is possible to size them appropriately.


Ratings
Dean's Score: 6.5/10
Difficulty: More difficult than original due to weapon firepower imbalance.
Best Level: 4
Worst Level: 9

Wrap-up: This in some ways is a very well done mod but it's the areas that haven't been given enough care that bring it down. It's fun to play and there's enough here to keep the player interested to the, unfortunately, disappointing finish. The High Res walls look great and are a fantastic addition but I'm still undecided as to whether the ROTT guards fit into a Wolf mod or not. I suggest everyone try this one out for themselves and make their own minds up.

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.