Scythe 2 is a 32map mega WAD sequel to Erik Alm’s 2003 mega WAD Scythe. The original featured snappy, short, and fastpaced maps split into episodes based on difficulty. It ended up being an extremely influential WAD and ended up becoming one of the few PWADs eligible for Competn speedrunning. Endless amounts of mappers that followed Scythe would try and emulate/build on Scythe’s design philosophies.

Scythe 2 not only keeps these philosophies intact (for the most part) but expands upon them. The levels in Scythe 2 are much larger, more complex, much more ferocious, and put more emphasis on aesthetics. Overall, Scythe 2 is an upgrade in every way possible from the original. Not only is the level design of Scythe 2 extremely influential, it’s level ordering/structure in the context of the entire mega WAD has also become a popular design choice. This WAD is split into 6 aesthetically distinct episodes with each one containing a death exit. Along your bloody journey through Scythe 2 you’ll encounter gothic, Egyptian, industrial, wasteland, Earth jungle, and hell maps.

Along with all of this, Alm decided to mostly ditch the stock MIDIs this time around, and collected a mixtape of MIDIs from all kinds of places. MIDI renditions of real songs, game MIDIs, you name it.
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IWAD: Doom 2
Port: DSDAdoom 28.2
Compatibility: Limitremoving (comp level 2)
Mapper(s): Erik Alm
MIDI: Compression of Time (from Final Fantasy 8)
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Scythe 2: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/lev...

DSDAdoom: https://github.com/kraflab/dsdadoom

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Talk about drama and dread man holy shit. This map was bathed in an Olympicsized swimming pool of both.

Haunting and mesmerizing in equal measure, The Gates is one of Erik’s strongest levels, and it only gets better with time. It also helps that I have a complete obsession with this MIDI. “Compression of Time” from Final Fantasy 8 is nothing short of otherworldly. It starstruck me on first listen and keeps me hypnotized by the dreamlike feeling it conjures up. It’s another moment of insanely perfect map and music pairings in Doom.

The combat is a little off the beaten path for Alm, so to speak. It’s more freeflowing and sandboxy than normal, allowing for multiple decisions to be made at once in terms of whom to kill, how to kill them, and when to kill them. I do know for certain that you should immediately turn to the right upon entering the central area to get the rocket launcher. It’s a necessity for 3/4th of the map.

There’s always something happening in that central area, and it always makes for an interesting play through. The Hell Knight bunches on ledges make sure that you can’t camp in one spot forever, the roaming Revenants keep you constantly on your toes, and the everincreasing influx of stuff teleporting in during the second half keeps stirring the pot.

The real fun begins after grabbing the BFG, with the four Cyberdemons and four heavilyguarded switches. You can either say fuck it and rush the four buildings to spawn everything and let the Cyberdemons duke it out with all the shit that comes in, or you can take it a little slower. The new buildings themselves aren’t fairly difficult to tackle on their own, as the difficulty is mostly due to the remaining Cyberdemons and other demons that could be behind you while you’re trying to take out the demons in the buildings. I will say, though, the Arch Vile one can be somewhat tricky.

I know I said that End of the Line was the tipping point for Scythe 2, but this is something else entirely. Like a cliff overlooking impending doom, The Gates evokes the feeling of a point of no return. Absolutely stunning work Erik.