Duse Ex Machina (DXEM.WAD)

DUSE EX MACHINA

by Andy Leaver

As it turns out, Andy can do levels for the original Doom beyond Knee Deep in the Dead. If you'd played most of his previous maps - bitebwad, his levels in NHFL, Indifference, and Timelessness - it wouldn't be a stretch for you to believe otherwise. Every one of them was Phobos to the core with a shareware-exclusive bestiary. Here, then, is Duse Ex Machina [sic], an E3M7 replacement released in mid-to-late 2003. It also proved to be a swan song of sorts. Published shortly after the first Community Chest, it's also the last map that Leaver would make for Doom, original or Ultimate. Everything from here on out would be Doom II, whether for the CCHEST series or his aborted No Hope For Life Episode II.

DXEM has no supplied story but it involves teleporters and one of those weird floor / sky gates so it appears to be something along the lines of Doomguy's continuing adventures in Hell. Well, it might not necessarily be the last marine, but no one is more qualified to eke out their existence in an eternal struggle over the mercurial topography of the Inferno. I don't mind; there's an infinitude of Hellscape to traverse and I love seeing what nightmares authors dream up. This particular pitstop consists of two distinct areas that are linked by teleporters. One is an outdoor, granite badland with some ruined marble structures. The other is a green marble fortress / dungeon type thing.

The general flow of the level progresses from the eastern side of the outdoor area and into the teleporter-bound dungeon. You eventually appear on the ledge that divides the east side of the badland from the west. From here you jump down to find a teleporter that takes you to a previously inaccessible (but visible) portion of the fortress. Using warps to enter previously-glimpsed areas is a great Doom motif and partially descended from the map slot that this level occupies, Tom Hall's and Sandy Petersen's "Limbo". It can be a little disorienting, though. I got turned around in my head while I was on top of the dividing ledge and thought - for whatever reason - that a couple of new caves had opened up on the ground level. That was not the case.

There's a fair amount of contrast between the interior and exterior areas, amping up what would already be a natural disparity. The outdoor spaces are fairly broad and, while there are some damage floors, they're pretty easy to maneuver through. The big exception is the narrow tunnel that links the east and west portions, emphasizing the inherent claustrophobia of subterranean action complete with moving panels that sneakily release lost souls. The heart of the green marble fortress has low ceilings and close quarters only to give way to larger, more distinctive chambers once you pass through the connective tissue. I am vaguely reminded of the general architecture and busy texturing style that Karthik Abhiram Krishna employed beginning with Congestion Control, I think because of the ubiquitous grey metal struts.

Andy's take on combat re: E3 is more reserved than his massive E1 bodycounts. He uses lost souls in the common tricksy fashion, putting them in places where they can sneak up on the player due to the lack of a wakeup noise. Cacodemons appear sparingly but feature in two of the more memorable encounters. Five or so of them back an ominous thicket that borders the cave where you can find the rocket launcher. Another squad supports the level's sole Baron of Hell, but that battle sets you up with the plasma gun and a ton of ammo. The shotgun guys and imps do a decent enough job of chipping away at your health and harrying you, whether from a ledge or in the cramped fortress halls. Demons, on the other hand, felt hamstrung by being stuck ineffectually in certain locations.

In that respect, Duse Ex Machina is remarkable as a Hell-themed level that doesn't try to break the back of the player like the original Inferno, let alone Thy Flesh Consumed. This may be a turn-off for OG Doom players who expect a little more teeth to their battles but it makes for a fun little errantry. If you love wandering through infernal landscapes then you should give DXEM a play.

DOG BY MACHINE