The Evil Unleashed (TEUTIC.WAD)

(TITLEPIC based on "Outer Ascension" ©2017-2019 Julian-Faylona)

Hot on the heels of their first episode WAD for Doom, the Teutonic TiC - Thomas and Denis Möller - released The Evil Unleashed as their sophomore WAD building effort, this time replacing Episode 3. It follows most of the same design principles behind Slaughter Until Death, but with tighter gameplay and slightly harder difficulty and even better architecture and design. As with SUDTIC, the aesthetic theme is an abstract union between all of Doom's textures with no real attempt at an overarching plot, but that's fine, because while a plot can enhance the feel of Doom, the real meat is in the gameplay, and TEUTIC delivers.

As per usual, Thomas and Denis love throwing scores of zombies at you for you to just mow down. Sometimes they can be threatening, but you'll be happy to see the imps, demons, and other beasts when they crop up. You'll have to duck quite a bit of shotgun fire, though. They're also a fan of some unique constructions using lifts and triggers to create multiple routes through the same general area or create the illusion of truly three-dimensional space. It isn't quite as dynamic as the action they'd go on to pioneer, in part due to the difference between Doom and Doom II, but fans of OG Doom should be pleased.

There are a few new textures, some of which can also be found in SUDTIC, like the pentagram windows or steel demon doors. Most notably, they replaced the fist weapon. It's got the normal idle graphic, but when attacking, the marine pulls his fist back and delivers a resounding kick, beating Duke Nukem to the Mighty Foot by quite a bit. In order to see it, you'll have to run the ancient install utility that comes with the file. Just be warned - it permanently modifies the Doom WAD. It can likewise restore the WAD to normal, but you should make backups just in case.

TEUTIC doesn't quite have the spark the Möllers would pick up in Obituary and carry into their offerings in Memento Mori, but it's some of the best OG Dooming 1994 had to offer. The rest of '94's offerings can't really compare to TiC's grasp on gameplay, though they have their own appreciable qualities.

THE EVIL UNLEASHED
by Thomas and Denis Möller

Out of Control	E3M1
by Denis Möller
Clever design. I especially like the way the door to the yellow key room opens, giving the illusion of three-dimensional space. There's a few ugly fights but nothing really difficult except maybe the blue key ambush, my standout moment, even though you can see it coming from a mile away.

E3M2	Military Depot
by Thomas Möller
	Maybe a little too vast. There's a lot of shotgun ammo, but more importantly, a lot of space to cover, with plenty of chambers filled with shotgun guy squads. The highlight for me is the blue key trap, another bit of hitscanner Hell, but most of the southern portion of the map – and the large crate maze – is a bit of a letdown after playing through M1 and all of Slaughter Until Death. At least the fights remain somewhat interesting.

Lost Defense Base	E3M3
by Thomas Möller
A fairly high-octane beginning, especially when it comes to pistol starts. You have to lure out a pack of demonkin and nab the shotgun when they're indisposed. The rest of it is a series of nice encounters from The Innocent Crew, including among other things a cramped staff room filled with zombies. My favorite obstacle is probably the long walkway north of the blue key. Grindcrusher opens up the north wall, filled with imps, and if you try and rush out the entrance, you're greeted by a wall of spectres. Also more of TiC's prominent cross motif here.

E3M4	Disastrous Unrest
by Denis Möller
	A couple of really cool sequences here, like the trap after the red key door with the demons and imps, or the baron fight. Also some clever uses of architecture for flow control, like in the nuke pit area. I thought I'd save the berserk pack for a health pickup; it would have been nice to have it the first time I took the teleporter. There's a few pretty uninspired parts, though, namely the huge pack of zombimen by the yellow key and the horde of shotgun guys directly after. In spite of this, I think this is a great map, with scads of great gameplay.

Infernal Vortex	E3M5
by Thomas Möller
There's a lot of really cool architecture here, with Thomas using those triggers that switch map paths like train tracks. I also enjoy the architecture of the final teleporter room. None of the fights here really stand out to me, except maybe the incredibly banal overdose of zombimen, which I already had enough of the last fight. The shooting gallery was pretty fun, with a nice layout. Not as memorable as E3M4, but I still like it. (Also a bit easier.)

E3M6	Dark Altar
by Thomas Möller
	Hahah, so much more brutal. Love the manhole cover. Those pentagram windows got annoying this level, you can't quite see what you're gunning for. Also a very bullshit crushing ceiling trap after the yellow door. I mean, come on! Granted, after dying to it once, I noticed the telltale ceiling color, just one more skill I have to learn I guess. Best fight was a tossup between the cramped manhole battle and the imp courtyard, though I enjoy the intensity of the opening salvo.

Savage Area	E3M9
by Thomas Möller
There's a rather large issue, mentioned in the idgames page, concerning the yellow key, and as such, most of this level can be bypassed. Regardless, I think the design is a step down from earlier works, like "Dark Altar", while the fights maintain the level of intensity, with less firing blindly into zombimen. The demon / lost soul fight stands out in my mind. There's also a Cyberdemon hiding out here, who if you're particularly bored can be crushed to death with the mechanism provided, but as it's a tall ceiling and a fast crusher, the job takes forever. Oh well! Still liked it.

E3M7	Infested Ruins
by Thomas Möller
	There's a lot of cool architecture here, though the monster closets leave a little to be desired. I especially like the blood drain right by the yellow key door and the blood tiles before the inverted cross. Fights are pretty much the same as the rest of the episode, a lot of demons to hem you in while you try to deal with ranged guys. There's only one instance of zombiman slaughter, which is a plus. Other than that, nothing remarkable.

Raze	E3M8
by Thomas Möller
It's basically an incredibly easy, but fun, slaughter that starts fairly strongly, then gets tepid before finishing nicely with a Cyberdemon / Mastermind fight if you plan it well. The least thrilling part of this level set would be the army of lost souls. The imps are fun to fire into, the zombiemen are dangerous enough in their configuration, and the last three packs are pretty nicely handled. There's a lot of open space - just DooM your heart out.

FREE THE BEAST

This post is part of a series on
Doomworld's Top 10 WADs of 1994

Crossing Acheron	Aliens TC
Doomsday of UAC	Galaxia
Serenity	Eternity
The Unholy Trinity	Return to Phobos
Slaughter Until Death	The Evil Unleashed