Review: Groups Vitae

Once again, our level of interest is an SP outing released on June 1, 1999 by the Spanish mapper Pablo Fernandez, second of the two. This and its sister project The Mines: Escape are the only levels of his for Unreal single player, and short at that - but are they worth a play? This article will attempt to answer that question, focusing on the final work of Pablo, which is a simple variation on a topside of a mining region theme we remember from Return to Na Pali's first level.

As with the previous level's case, Pablo hasn't made any effort in the storyline department at all. The player's identity and purpose are once again limited to searching for four switches required to progress (this time steppable tiles on the floor as opposed to clearly visible red arrow buttons from the prior map), and preserving one's own hide by eliminating anything that moves, be it Skaarj, Krall, Brute or an occasional pest like a tentacle or a pupae. As opposed to the mine map, however, the player is excellently equipped for the task, as the weapon offerings include the flak cannon and the eightball just to name a few, and there are more than enough dispersion pistol power ups to fully upgrade the weapon and then restore its battery to the full should the player run out and is not willing to wait. The only gripe I have with the gameplay is that the player appears in a tentacle-filled room and is immediately attacked upon spawning. Such suckerpunching by the game is absolutely not welcome.

The level's visual presentation is spot-on: while certainly much simpler than the mentioned Edge of Na Pali with its Terra Mining Region, the area evokes the same purpose. The music track from ISV Kran adds to the feeling of mystery, being surprisingly fitting, even though I expected to hear Dusk with its splendid action section instead. The visuals are simplistic (albeit the terrain in the outside area really isn't bad) and the areas feel a bit cramped but the sense of place is there. There are no BSP holes to be found. As for the aural layer - aside from the music and monster grunts, there's barely anything to speak of.