Short 'n Quick 2 (SNQ2.WAD)

SHORT 'N QUICK 2

by Varun Abhiram Krishna

Varun only released two levels sporting the SNQ monicker. The original Short 'n Quick, released in 2002, was a relatively straightforward Doom II starbase level with a few encounter setups that pushed the player into slightly uncomfortable places. As something that appeared to be patterned after Pablo Dictter's work, it looked nice and managed to squeeze in some worldbuilding. Short 'n Quick 2, a Doom II MAP01 replacement published in 2003, is a vastly different experience. It is still a small level, relatively speaking, but features a difficult series of encounter setups that has more in common with the sort of challenging fare seen in Congestion 1024.

SNQ2 apparently followed in the tradition of the then- and still-unreleased The Anomaly: Part III, the look of which was itself partly inspired by Chris Hansen's Flay the Obscene: The Third. Not consciously, mind you; it's more that CH's level was one of Varun's favorites. Where ANOMALY2 was a thematic hybrid that best related to OG Doom's E3M3 ("Pandemonium"), FLAYOBS levels feature grimey, green grass; rocky wildlands; and gothic, brick and metal structures. Blood was an important component of FLAYOBS2 but The Third uses blue, ostensibly clean water. The lack of sanguine fluid ought not to disavow you of the notion that you are fighting to survive in a hostile Hellworld.

Short 'n Quick 2 embodies most of the aesthetic traits of FLAYOBS3. Blood runs through the whole of it, though, a constant reminder that you're not in some terrestrial ruin. It also inverts the spatial focus. Hansen's level is primarily composed of north and south dungeon / fortress sections that are joined together by an outdoor area whose two landscapes are split by a prominent walkway. The exterior segment is a great bit of worldbuilding that serves to anchor the Gothic ruins. In SNQ2, the outdoor area comprises the vast majority of the playable space. The few interior locations that you visit are both peripheral and cramped. They're aesthetically pleasing and feature some painstaking sector lighting that's juxtaposed with monster closets of dark oblivion, but all of the shine is on the great outdoors. Which is fitting, really, because that's where almost all of the challenging combat takes place. 

The action opens with a great, panic-inducing reveal. You're at one end of a causeway with a lone shotgun guy, a super shotgun, and a pile of shells at the other end. Stepping forward causes the walls on both sides to lower and expose you to monsters that you probably woke up with a few premature pistol shots. It's out of the frying pan and into the fire, though, because the elevator at the end of the newly-formed bridge leads to a yard that is positively swarming with monsters. It may not feel like it at first but you have your choice of the three outdoor areas to start out in. As the author notes, some directions may be more difficult than others.

The yard with the yellow key card bunker is by far the nastiest. The position is heavily fortified with a bunch of monsters on the cramped floor including demons and goat men, revenants on the high ground in three different perches, and a handful of cacodemons. Speed runners may have their own strategies but I feel that fully clearing this area is best skipped for later. All three directions have some extra shell ammo to help you out so you're not missing out on anything critical. One of them even has a rocket launcher (and a secret plasma gun that I didn't take the time to figure out). Your ultimate reward for storming the yellow key bunker consists of four more monsters, two of which you might want those explosives for.

I had the most fun with the southeastern area. It's a bloody cistern cut across by an earth bridge with a far eastern ledge staffed by mancubi. The encounter setup brings to my mind the cargo bay area from Short 'n Quick as you need to deftly maneuver your way in between fireballs as you SSG the fatsos to death. The Hell knights sitting on the lower rocket launcher ledge sort of preclude a daring daylight dash so the placement fosters more of a tactical approach to combat. Flipping the required switch ushers in a minor mob of revenants but, supposing that you snagged the rocket launcher before chancing a trap trigger, you ought to be okay. I generally enjoy blasting skeletons at door frames. Your mileage may vary.

The indoor sections feature simpler combat, like zombies, and are far less dangerous to handle when compared to the madness of the yellow key bunker. Underscoring the importance of the non-linear layout, the exit chamber features a monster closet that unleashes an arch-vile who otherwise oversees the rocket launcher yard. It's not particularly difficult to deal with as a token end-of-level ambush but, as the level is initially laid out, it could be a confounding factor. The fact that you can explore the southwest dungeon and release it before heading east is a really cool gameplay decision. I typically see the ability to defang pitfalls as a reward for finding secret areas. Dovetailing it in with what might be a final poke at the player feels like clever economy of design.

Short 'n Quick 2 looks great and packs a lot of punch into its compact layout. If you were wanting something with less cramped, 1024-ish super shotgun dancing then you can dial the difficulty down in order to explore this corner of Hell with a little less intensity. It's interesting to see how quickly Varun's taste for challenging combat accelerated; I have no idea what to expect from Reanimated, his joint venture with his brother, Karthik. Will the two levels cook quite this hard? There's only one way to find out.

SNQRONICITY II