The Castle of Blood 1.0

DOOM is one of the oldest FPSes in existence, and its engine is famously so robust that it can run on pretty much anything and also create pretty much anything.  From FPSes to RPGs to companions to a city living game, it has a ton of different mods and maps that can all do different things. One of the many is Castle of Blood.

To install Castle of Blood, you need to have ZDoom and move the WAD file into the GZDoom folder, which is pretty par for the course for DOOM maps.

When you boot it up, the first thing you'll notice is that it has an incredibly attention to detail, rivaled only by the all time great John Anderson. It shows some incredible ingenuity with linedefs that work to transform the castle as you're fighting through it. For instance, there are long series of curvy corridors which disappear when you return, replaced by a network of torch column to provide cover for monsters hiding in the shadows.

The combat is slower than DOOM 2, thanks to the smaller monster pool. There's tons of ammo, with me never feeling any panic from a lack of resources. The creator also provides so many weapons that it never gets difficult, even when it came to the exit setpiece.

Overall, however, this is one of the most fascinating maps around, thanks to its evolving nature. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, then you should give Castle of Blood a download - it might just blow your mind.