This is the same author who did "Intruder," one of the best DF levels out there. Therefore, I had high expectations when I loaded it. Essentially, I was hoping for what the author gave us last time: well rounded architecture, a good balance of enemies, and a level with a good layout that could be attacked in more then one way. One of the first things I noticed though, was that the plot wasn't up to par with the previous level. "Intruder" had some mystery surrounding it. This is merely a rehash of finding the data tapes, and blowing up a base. Not very original. However, I was confident that the level itself would be better. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed.

Just like "Intruder," this level excels when it comes to architecture and overall design. The facility itself is well constructed. The caves and walkways in the exterior shots had a natural look to them. They were curved rather then straight like a hallway. In fact, even the interior hallways were not your typical elongated rectangle. The floor was broken up a bit, so that stairs and pillars could be used. There wasn't one room that didn't have some form of detail to it. Tiers/levels, something that I haven't seen too much of in a DF level, were used. The two main rooms in the facility had several different elevations to it, giving the area a true 360 degree feel to it. The ruined rebel base was well constructed as well. The textures that were used made it feel like it was abandoned. Texturing within the Imperial facility was equally impressive. There was a wide variety in the base, but it wasn't just random patches. It made the level look and feel that much more real. Exterior texturing was a bit one-dimensional in that one texture tended to dominate. However, the author did attempt to tone that down by adding in imperial and sewage textures.

There are a lot of enemies within the base. That's not to say that they were thrown about at random. The actual placement was pretty good. What I meant was that the number of enemies was quite high. It almost got to the point of being a frag-fest rather then a DF level. It was disappointing to walk into a room of little to significance, and mow down a score of stormtroopers. Also, there weren't many shield and health packs to balance out the gameplay. I was constantly on the brink of death throughout most of the level. Ammo was one thing that was plentiful though. In fact, it was so plentiful that it effects the level in a negative aspect. Because there's so much of it, you don't really have to play conservative, or pick your fights. The good news was that the author didn't succumb to the temptation for putting Dark Troopers next to the power couplings. That would have been too much. Fortunately, the one thing that you can almost never have too much of, enhancements, was almost as abundant as the ammunition. To start, when you first load the game, you are treated with a brand new text crawl. When you enter the actual level, the enhancements keep on coming. New BM's add to the architecture. A new WAX adds to the difficulty. New VOC's, and VUE's add to the atmosphere. Finally there's new music (as in not the music from level 1), and a new briefing. In fact the only category left alone were the FME's (frames).

There's some really good lightning in this level. Just like in "Intruder," the author uses a combination of light and shadow to bring out a foreboding atmosphere. The processing room (the room with all the conveyor belts) is particularly dark and moody. Exterior lighting was primarily one tone, but shading was used around the buildings. The sewage areas were almost scary, as I tried to navigate through in the dark with Dianoga's swimming all around me. Also contributing to the atmosphere is the semblance of the level and the realism. The author has once again managed to create an amazingly realistic layout. For starters, there's more then one way to move. This kind of non-linear movement not only adds to the realism of the base, but it also adds to the replay value because it makes the player want to come back and try new methods. Second, the construction of the base is realistic too. Control rooms are with other control rooms, and processing rooms are with other processing rooms. Various sewers actually connect with each other to form a whole network. In fact the only thing in the level that was unrealistic was the room with the red key and the cargo room. Both involved tricky jumping in order to get to the next part. I just can't believe that that's what the imperials stationed in those rooms have to do every day. However, these are minor complaints. There really is only one major problem with the level (but it's a big one): technically, it cannot be beaten (at least the version that was sent to this site cannot be beaten). When you're in the ruined base, you have to turn on the power to open this one door. That's not a problem. When you enter the room, you'll see a switch on the right side. After you flip it, a wall is raised and you see a raised platform in the middle with another switch nearby. Now, in the version that I had (emphasis on "had") the tapes were on the platform and the switch opened another door that allowed you to get to your ship. The version sent to this site, however, does not have the data tapes on the platform. I turned on the cheats to look for the tapes, but they're not in the level. If someone would like to fix that (it would take maybe ten minutes) it would be an enormous help to all DF fans. It's a shame too because other then that, the level is almost flawless.

It's really a shame that this level won't get the score I think it deserves. If someone would remedy this problem, I'll re-score the level. Otherwise, it stays where it is. However, I still think you should play it because of all the other great features that are there.