GAMES FROM THE FROG'S BOX: THE GIVEN
I've been wanting to cover something Doom-related for a while on this blog, but it's been hard to pick the right thing. A lot of the Doom things I really like are full megawads, and those are exhausting to cover and formulate into coherent reviews.
So I've elected to pick one of my personal favorite single maps to cover today- and it's a unique one. The Given, by Dobu Gabu Maru- which is a very atypical map by Doom standards, but one with a staggering vision and enough 'wow' factor to stick with you for ages. I know it has for me, at least.
UNIQUE FACTOR
Let's get the big things out of the way- The Given is a puzzle map. And not in the usual sense of Doom puzzles- there are no fake walls, no blind wallhumping, no having to catch lifts that lower when you cross a linedef. It's closer to something like The Witness or Submachine, where observing the environment around you and fiddling about with the mechanics will get you far.
There is no combat in it either. No monsters, no weapons, not even any keys- those banners on the HUD are totally static. It's just you, this enormous land, and the sad story within. I won't spoil all of it here, since the game gives it to you in the intro- but all you need to know is that this is the land of Occula, and it hides dark, deep secrets- like the mysterious and awful ritual of The Given.
If this sounds at all interesting to you, go and download this- it'll probably only take an hour or two of your time, and listening to me ramble about it is no substitute for playing it yourself.
Done? Good. Let the rambling begin.
MUSIC
In a map this long and convoluted, the music choice is absolutely vital to making sure it doesn't drag, and Tristan Clark absolutely smashed it out of the park with the custom track, "The Village That Time Forgot". It's welcoming at first, meditative on repeated loops like a good Professor Layton puzzle theme, and its slow tempo has a way of drawing you into the immersive setting.
But, this music also has a slow undercurrent of dread lurking beneath the surface- and more importantly, it's long enough for you to not notice the looping as you bumble about trying to unravel Occula's secrets.
It's an incredible track that fits The Given like a glove, and one of the finest Doom MIDIs i've ever heard.
VISUALS- THE OPULENCE OF OCCULA
Right off the bat, this map looks absolutely stunning. Occula is a staggering, sprawling metropolis that goes every which way, and it's a sight to behold. Even finding what you're supposed to do can be difficult, but that's part of the fun- exploring this enormous, empty kingdom and unpacking all of its secrets.
Right off the bat, though, the most important thing is immediately drawn to your attention- this array of ascending torches, and the high peak nearby. How to open it? That's for you to figure out, after running around and probably getting lost for a few hours. Thankfully, red torches usually highlight important sites that bear investigating.
Even elsewhere, this level has patches of doomcute strewn all over the place. Just look at this garden, with unearthly blue fruits hanging from the trees.
And right next to it, this windmill made of mid-textures- it looks SO good.
Or for more subtle touches, this graveyard. Never has the stock Doom 2 skull texture been given so much extra meaning through a few well-placed copy-pastes and moody lighting.
Or this broken bridge, which has the pieces of it arranged so artfully.
Even the FLOORS are incredible, like with how these banners are carved into the wooden floor with a ton of well-placed lines. The banner iconography is everywhere in this map, and it's just another ingredient to let you, the player, connect the dots.
Hell, LOOK AT THE BUZZSAW. Dobu Gabu Maru wrung a masterpiece out of this venerable engine and texture set, and it's a marvel to behold.
Now, for the real meat of this map... the puzzles.
SPOILER WARNING
The Given is a puzzle map all about exploration and discovery. I can't possibly talk about it- and the incredible intricacy of its design- without spoiling everything about it... so, if you have any interest in playing it, do so NOW and finish reading this review later. Last warning.
Now! There are six riddles scattered around the map, and for the most part they are incredibly intuitive and easy to figure out- not easy given that none of them have any sort of text component whatsoever. Much higher-budget games have struggled to deliver mechanics like this in a satisfying manner, but for the most part, The Given is remarkably easy to suss out without too much trouble.
The easy part is figuring out how the mechanics work, usually. The hard part is knowing how to execute it.
PUZZLE 1: THE COLORED BARRIERS
On the east end of the map is this little brainteaser, and it's probably the easiest to figure out. Three passages to the switch, each blocked by a row of four colored blocks.
All around, there are these little gates, marked with two colors. One half is raised, the other is lowered. And they're all marked in the distinct textures of the colored blocks. Especially the red and blue help form that connection easily.
The gimmick of this level is these gates- running through one raises the taller texture, and lowers the shorter one. It's simple, but it's a fun puzzle trying to figure out the give and take, the push and pull. Especially since two of the paths are impossible to get through- just look at this, you can't raise and lower blue without affecting white, and both are on the same path.
It's made more intimidating by the fact that the gates are scattered all around the immediate area, sometimes requiring a little trek across high gaps to get. Remember- no jumping, and don't slip off. It's still a neat little brainteaser that you'll probably suss out with a bit of running around. I like it- there had to be something resembling a freebie in this wad, and it's still a clever one besides.PUZZLE 2: THE SKULL MOUNTAIN
This is a puzzle that's simple in both concept and solution, but it'll really test your observational and secret-hunting skills.
In the south corner of the map, you'll find these little hills covered in skull switches- far too many to make pressing them all a feasible option. In fact, they're all inert except for the one that's correct. There must be a clue. but where?
Well, if you look up at the ceiling, you may notice the stars up above. And there's one other place in the map that has that...
Which requires a fair bit of snooping to find, of course. But following the only other stellar patch in the sky leads to this chasm, filled with columns of yellow and gray rock, glowing in the dark, as if the stars themselves had fallen to earth.
And in the middle of it, are these miniature versions of the skull islands, with a TINY SKULL TEXTURE on one of them. That's where the switch is. Such granular detail, all to find one switch. It's simple, but the journey of finding the solution is the fun part. The first time I played this, this was the last of the six riddles I found, and the sheer whimsy of it helped offset the frustration from bumbling around trying to find it, lol.
PUZZLE 3: STONES AND STAIRS
In the left corner of the map, this intimidating structure awaits. The two switches in front of it raise and lower some of the steps, but don't seem to have much rhyme or reason. Yet.
Also interesting are all these graves around, with candles ranging in heights from 1-4 tall. Curious, but again, they don't seem to have much immediate effect.
Hunting around enough, you'll find this pit that you can't get out of- seemingly. In fact, this is a training area to teach you the mechanics of the puzzle. Walking on the double candle will raise the step by one, and the single one will lower it- a perfect tutorial for somewhat complicated mechanic- and it gets you thinking, where else can you apply this?
Of course you'll start running around over the double-high stones, trying to see what works... and then the Eureka moment occurs. Each of those stones in the area corresponds to a different part of the stairs- from there, it's just a matter of trial and error until you figure out what stone corresponds to which step. But there's one last nasty trick- the frontmost step can be raised too, so don't leave that one out or you won't be able to reach the top!
Complicating things is the fact that the stones only work when the steps are down- you can't just run over them and check back, you have to actively memorize which ones do what, and check the progress over and over again. Especially since there's one stone set that just does nothing.
Regardless of that small hiccup, this puzzle is one of the best wordless teachers of its gimmick in the map- and it sticks the landing with its delivery, too.
PUZZLE 4: THE MOUNTAINOUS MAZE
Even accessing this puzzle is a mystery, with these giant stone walls surrounding the northeast of the map. There are all these pillars around with gargoyles on them- that look identical. But look closely.
One of them has lion faces instead- and that one's the key. A subtle but clever test of your observational skills- but that's not the real puzzle. No, that would be this torch maze, set in a ruined library with half-sunken bookshelves everywhere.
This puzzle seems entirely random at first- a TNT Evilution-esque torch maze with no walls, that teleports you outside if you make a wrong turn. How can you get through, with no obvious hint?
Well, there's another, smaller maze nearby that doesn't TAKE you anywhere... but the fences here are the key. They all correspond to the other maze, so some pen and paper will make quick work of it... seemingly.
Going back to the maze, you'll still be stymied... until you realize the green and blue torches are swapped in this half. Flip the maze to its side, and you'll make it through. Utter genius, no flaws in this delivery whatsoever.
PUZZLE 5: SCAVENGER HUNT
In the north end of the map, this sinister switch surrounded by empty pedestals awaits you. But there doesn't seem to be any way of reaching it... unless you pay attention.
To the left, is this conspicuous black arrow... so obvious, it's even marked on the automap when a lot of other things aren't. If you follow it, you'll just hit the corner of a random building... but a protracted bout of wall humping will reveal another arrow. The puzzle has revealed itself- the scavenger hunt is on.
This arrow hunt takes you all over the top of the map, finding invisible triggers all over the place. Especially when you occasionally have to go THROUGH objects to find the next arrow switch... as long as it's in the axis, anything is fair game for these secrets.
Especially when the map starts making you plunge off cliffs and hunt in completely different areas... and the next step is far enough away that it's easy to lose track of where the line is.
The toughest part is this, where you're sent into a field full of identical columns and asked to figure out which one is the magic switch. This is the only major instance of wallhumping in the wad- and I admit, I was pretty stymied by this one.
This puzzle is clever, but I think it has some issues with its delivery. The switches are completely unmarked for the most part- if there was a subtle hint as to which nondescript wall had them, I think I"d view this one a bit more favorably. Still not the hardest puzzle in the map, though...
PUZZLE 6: PRECARIOUS PATHS
This is probably the most annoying puzzle in the game for me, not because it's hard to figure out, but because it's so easy to mess up. It starts at this prominent castle in the southwest of the map. Rising up imposingly with seemingly no way in, another secret hunt is required to stake your claim.
Sneaking in through a little crack in the wall leads to this. A dizzying array of colored lines, waiting for you to glean the solution out of them.
Each color has two switches- one that raises, one that lowers. Compared to all the other puzzles, the mechanics are easy to figure out- but this one is a real pain to deal with. Doom platforming is never easy, and a sudden turn into it is a bit of a drag on this map's pacing.
Especially since the red and white switches are up on ledges that require you to platform- and if you fall, you have to start the platforming sequence AGAIN. Thankfully, once you get the required configuration of heights, you won't have to touch the switches again... but still, this part is a little annoying for my liking.
I am perfectly willing to chalk this one up to a skill issue, though. It's still clever.
PUZZLE 7: THE TOWER OF THE PUPIL
With all six puzzles solved, the way to the central tower is open. Ascend for the final challenge of the map- the Unseen God awaits.
On the way up, you'll notice these symbols all around. Suspicious- but noteworthy, and immediately attention grabbing.
At the top, you'll find several markers with symbols on them- way more than you saw trekking up the final tower, in fact. And a lot of them look pretty similar to each other... Hope you took notes of them. (Seriously, having TWO different check mark symbols? Yeesh.)
Though, if you start putting ones in willy nilly, you might just get sent back to the tower's base. There's an additional layer, one that you might not have seen coming...
It's the HEIGHTS of the symbols. from tallest to shortest, you need to run over the six sigils in order... and only THEN will the final switch open. Side note: I love how the gate opens in hexagonal segments for each symbol input, it's neat.
As clever as this puzzle is, I do find it a bit annoying to compare the heights of the sigils considering there's no area in the tower where you can look at them all at once, but oh well. It's still a really cool puzzle- i just wish the deliver was a bit better.
Once the final gate is open, you ascend to the top of the tower... and complete the rite of the Given. No words are necessary- just the sight of the guillotine and the dead body is enough.
The map you end up in afterwards has no objectives, no nothing. Just a simple desk with a book, and an alluring vista to soak in while you process what just happened. How ominous, yet bittersweet. Especially with the name of the map... "Taken". one word, and yet it tells a whole story unto itself.
EXTRA STUFF:
If you crack open the .wad file with something like SLADE, you'll find a text lump labelled "Prologue". I highly recommend reading it after you finish the WAD, it'll provide a ton of extra context for the world and it's lore.
Only mentioning it here because I only knew about it thanks to DoomWiki mentioning it, so if anyone finds out about The Given through this blog- there's a little extra treat for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This is what I love about Doom- it's a template, a palate, for artists to run hog wild with their own personal visions. And few maps illustrate that better than The Given. Occula is a setting worthy of a high fantasy epic all itself, even with this tantalizing glimpse through this ancient game engine.
If it was ever revisited at some point, I'd be overjoyed.
But even ignoring the feat of immersion that is this WAD, The Given is an extremely solid puzzle map that, while not without the occasional bout of frustration, handles itself quite admirably given its self-imposed limitations. Conveying puzzle mechanics without explicit tutorials is HARD, and the fact that I only had to look up the solution to one of them should tell you how well designed these riddles are.
Note: Dobu Gabu Maru ALSO has another puzzle map with an entirely different focus, Moonlight- expect that to be covered here later, because I have just as much to say about it.
WAD LINK:
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/s-u/thegiven
SOUNDTRACK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xKNTsQFnFc