QUAKE - Review

                                               Retro Games Reviewer #11; Quake Review

Id Software built a great mythology around this game, even before it came out on his full version. Supposedly, it was going to make a revolutionary change in the world of First Person Shooters. Back in the days, most magazines still called them "Doom-likes". At least the Portuguese ones. I admit, though, we never had good PC Game magazines...

I remember seeing the advertisement of the game, in a magazine. The first one. It was simply the big creepy "Q", and some teenage-captivating sentences: Something like "Lock yourself inside your bedroom, close the doors, and the curtains. Forget everything that's outside. You're about to enter Quake."

As a "Nintendero" - how my spanish neighbours called the Nintendo fanatics, I was never a big fan of Computer games, with some exceptions. I thought they lacked the creativity, the magic, the gameplay, Super Mario, the TV Screen, etc, etc, bla bla.

However, I must say I was quite curious, at least, to read a little about that mysterious and sinister game. 

As a coincidence, my father bought a computer in those days, - we're talking 1995 - and, to start experimenting the CD-ROM, he also began to buy some PC magazines, who included CD's with lots of demo and shareware stuff inside. So, I was very glad to see the word "Quake" written in one of those CD's. I put it on the computer, and I installed the shareware version of Quake. In a couple of minutes, the game was loaded.

And, holy Gods. In a microsecond, I fell in love. 

The intro is the player entering the level 3, The Necropolis. It's quite a mess, with the zombies attacking, and stuff. I pressed Enter without delay. I never liked intro's on FPS. They just fuck up the ambience and the growing atmosphere that the player wants to feel, progressively. I'm starting to play a game that is supposed to build suspense, expectation, and finally, some damn' action. Why the hell try to destroy that with an intro showing a part of the game where grenade launchers are being used, monsters are already attacking, screams, and all that shit? It's just stupid.

Anyway, as I said, I pressed Enter without delay. Select New Game. Ok, and now you're good to go. You have to choose between three paths, meaning the difficulty levels: Easy, Normal and Hard. - There's a Nightmare difficulty level, hidden in the beggining of the game. 

I realize, since the beggining, that the graphics of the game, are just fucking amazing. And, to my extreme pleasure, I also realize the game's scenarios are built under the influence and the model of medieval castles, and mythology.

I already mentioned before, that I love Medieval environments. 

Quake has 4 episodes, and three of them are, as I said, dark medievalish. The third one, The Netherworld, is futuristic, but with all the weird creatures, and creepy beasts of all the others. It's a great mix, and keeps the game from becoming repetitive.

In each realm, you have to find a rune. So, 4 runes, right? After that, you get to the last level, to fight the big boss. A creature called Shub Niggurath. This creature, is in fact one demonic character of Lovecraft's mythology. "Quake" is Shub Niggurath's code name.

Each realm or episode, is in a different dimension. And, before you get to those gothic, medieval dark paradises of FPS lovers, you have to pass through a high-tech and futuristic level, in order to find the teleport system, the splipgate, and get there. In those levels you do not find mythological  monsters, but human soldiers, and even violent dogs. 

So, first, the future, and then, the past. 

When in the Dark Gothic/Medieval realms - this sounded like a music genre description - you start to kick some demonic ass. Or vice-versa.

The first episode, Dimension of Doomed, is the easiest - as it should be. But you can already take a good taste of what great game you have.

The beasts look like they're going to jump off the screen, and attack you. The reality feeling of the game is big, and your adrenalin will start to acumulate. The scenarios are, most of the time, dark. Castles, dungeons, catacombs, that you have to explore. Illuminated by torchs, most of the times. Each level is quite different from the previous. So, the creativity is also a high point of the game. The levels also have different and expressive names, such as Castle of Damned, Tower of Despair, the Ogre Citadel or The Crypt of Decay. These would be all great names for some Metal albums. 

And, picking up a lyric of Twisted Sister to describe Quake: it's dark and it's how you want it to be.

The creatures can be very creepy. From the ogres who throw rockets, to the very aggressive fiends - remember the final level of Contra? When it appears that big alien mouth, working as a mini-boss? they look like a mix between that creature, Alien - from the movie - and a primal animal. They used to scare the shit out of me, when I played the game for the first time. Incredibly fast, they would pop up from every door or hidden room that would open, attacking you with no delay. The sounds are also great, which makes things even better, meaning even creepier. You can hear the beasts making their primal noises, searching, jumping, breathing. Damn', as I write this, I'm feeling like playing Quake.

You also have Dark Knights, and Magic Knights. Humanoid enemies. The Magic ones throw you, well, rays of black magic. 

Shambler is one of the creepiest, - and also very hard to beat - creatures. The body resembles a giant polar bear, covered in blood, around the mouth. The mouth is basically, the entire head. And he does not brush his teeth. He throws thunders through his hands. Very festive, right?

Vore is another horrendous creature. Like a demonic spider, also with a nasty big mouth - must run in these guys family - throwing sparks of energy, who will explode. This pet cannot be mistaken by any other. Even before you reach her, because of her noise. I hope you like Norwegian Black Metal...

Zombies will attack by...throwing you pieces of their own bodies. How nice of them. Talk about giving yourself to the others. They cannot be killed, because they are already dead, but you can make them in pieces by using the granade launcher. Careful with it, because, if you're too close during the hit, you can die too, or at least be wounded.

There are other nice buddies in the game. The boss of the first episode, Chton, is a demon made of lava, and steel. 

Weapons! Before mentioning the weapons, I must say the gameplay is perfect. Even with the standard PC keyboard. In fact, specially with the standard PC keyboard. I also have the N64 version of Quake, and I prefer the PC keyboard. 

You have a lot of nice and sweet toys, to fuck these beasts. The classical shotgun, the double barrel shotgun, the nailgun - like a machine gun - the super nail gun - sweet! - the rocket launcher - comes in two versions, one of them shoots them right on their faces, the other, works like a grenade launcher. - and the thunderbolt. You cannot use the thunderbolt in water. It will kill you, because, well, it throws thunders. Thunders are electricity. Do the math.

If you do enough damage to an enemy before the last shot, you will break them in pieces. Literally. The head goes to a place, and the remaining parts of the body, to others. 

There are pentagrams written in blood, all through the levels, specially wooden doors.

I cannot say this enough: The levels are fucking beautiful. In a dark, medieval, gothic, extremelly dangerous way. Lots of great details. Floor, walls, towers, windows, chambers, rooms, etc, etc. The sky is also very well made, in purple, although you will not see it very often. 

You can explore water. In fact, lots of goodies, like items, and sometimes, secrets, or parts of the levels, are underwater. 

 You will have to search for the usual keys. They come in gold and silver, this time. Very nice looking. Some of them are called runekeys. Their shape is different.

To enter each dimension, you need to use the slipgate, as I said. But, once inside the realm/episode, you will find magic teleport doors. They will send you to secret places of the level, or to the next level. So, you have this mix between the ancient, and the futuristic. Although, the ancient takes most of the cake. And that makes me very happy.

So, as the old commercial said: Lock yourself inside your house, close the doors, the curtains, and tell your girlfriend you're off. - yes, the commercial really said that. In Portuguese - disconnect your phone, pick up Quake, and play this dark beauty. 

Categories: Quake review