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: Kevin Schilder Atlas (from Heretic)
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Scythe 2: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/lev...

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

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The grand unveiling of Scythe 2’s true intentions during the final stretch is something to behold. It’s easily one of the craziest lefthand turns I’ve seen in all my years playing Doom. The first time I stumbled into the map I could hardly believe what my eyes were gazing upon. The enraged, frothing hordes of Whispering Winds is like the beginning of the end. Every single map after this one displays Erik Alm at his most devilish and psychotic. His swift and merciless judgement from now on is pure nightmare fuel. If you don’t like this kind of gameplay, then I would advise you to not go any further.

I can’t help but think that, this entire time, Erik was merely toying with us. As if he gave a false sense of hope and confidence to the player, biding his time until the nuke was ready to drop, and drop a nuke he did.

Whispering Winds is probably the most hectic map in this last stretch of Earth Jungle maps. Every millimeter of space needs to be fought tooth and nail for, and this can really only be through direct confrontation. You simply don’t have the ability to be fearful in this map. Every challenge must be confronted head on, and the abuse won’t stop until everything dies in that fight.

It’s like a combat trial, and Erik is trying to test you to see if you’ve really got what it takes. His mounds of Revenants are bastards to kill head on, but you don’t have any other choice. Besides, it builds character for the rest of the WAD. I would definitely recommend practicing in this map if you want to get better, because it’s great for dealing with large hordes of difficult enemies at once. Despite this influx of demons, Erik’s level design chops still shine. He keeps the level compact and concise (for the type of map this is) while providing intense combat that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

Lastly, the atmosphere in this map is still amazing. The MIDI adds such a dramatic and dreadful blanket of atmosphere to the whole experience, and combined with the massive hordes, it can culminate into a feeling of hopelessness and despair. However, this is something that I love about Whispering Winds as well. If you’re able to stand up to the opposition it turns into a grand triumph as you carve through demons.

This map is wonderful, and I’ll never forget the shell shock it gave me upon first play through.