Wheee, it's Valentine's Day. And to celebrate, I'm gonna post something completely unrelated to Valentine's. Eat it. So, after replaying Painkiller some, using a New Game Plus kind of save and modding the game to let me play levels that would otherwise be locked on Insomnia, I took to seeing the sights. I actually played the game some as well but for the most part, I was just here to admire and analyze the level design again. So here's the list of levels that I thought were the best of the best. A sort of Greatest Hits list of Painkiller and its expansion. This list is not in any particular order. I was gonna order them by quality, but after looking at the list I have, I decided it was a fool's errand and quickly abandoned that since the levels aren't really comparable and are meant to stand almost completely by themselves for the most part.
Painkiller
1. Cemetery
Chapter 1, Level 1
The first level of Painkiller also happens to be one of the best, serving as a great introduction to the game and how it will generally play from here on out. While it does that though, it never really sacrifices its theme and mood at all, standing on its own by delivering a very gothic enchanting vibe that's even more effective with the eerie ambient organ music that you hear faintly in between battles combined with fitting enemies. And at the end, a small church with a nice little mini-boss to sink your teeth into. The level itself is hardly scary at all but it was never supposed to be. Instead, the level is more intriguing than anything, inviting you to keep playing and seeing what Painkiller has to offer. Although it's a bit shorter than I would have liked, as a first level this is very excusable.
2. Cathedral
Chapter 1, Level 4
As if to directly contrast the grit and the goth of the first three levels, Cathedral shows us how elegant Painkiller can be sometimes when it wants to. Wide open expanses and elaborate motifs decorate the level as the music only enhances the awe of seeing this brightly colored place. There is also a mini-boss although I actually don't know why he's there as he seems mostly forgettable in gameplay and looks. Otherwise, a very cool place.
3. Prison
Chapter 2, Level 1
When I first played this map, the first thing that struck me by far was how dirty and claustrophobic it was. This whole map seems to ooze powerlessness. Although of course, it's not really hard to see why. But it goes past the obvious. The cell blocks are the dingiest of the dingy, and everything is crusted over and broken with that trademark Painkiller style which this level seems to bring out the most than any of the other levels. Although ironically, I think this map is one of the best of them all, combat wise. The battle music seems perfect as you strafe machine gun fire and gleefully open fire on catwalks and perches while trying to avoid getting stun-batoned. And perhaps that may be it's only problem. The fun combat parts of it clash with the moody soul-sucking atmosphere of the rest of the level.
4. Asylum
Chapter 2, Level 3
If the Prison was incredibly constrictive in it's atmosphere, the Asylum gives off an outright sense of darkness and foreboding VERY well. This would only ever be topped later on by the Orphanage level in BooH, but we'll get to that later. Now, starting off, what I like about this level right out of the gate is how it sets the scene so effectively. You're not thrown into a battle at all. You're not even at the edge of one. Instead, as your view first clears, you simply find yourself looking out over a darkened seemingly abandoned mansion on a stereotypical but ever-so-effective rainy night. You walk around. You look around, but there's no one there at all. Except for you and the rain of course, there's total silence. In fact, you can't even get in the house but have to enter in through a sort of underground passageway on the grounds. What follows is a super claustrophobic and dark dive into the reaches of the mansion with a bunch of nasty enemies waiting for you. Effective and awesome.
5. Town
Chapter 2, Level 5
What I like about this level over the others is that it actually has a great and subtle show-but-don't-tell story buried inside it. It even encourages you to use the fitting Stake Gun in order to complete it and also gives you a lot of ammo for it. The level is a plague-ridden Transylvania style town complete with witches and piles of bodies burning. There's even cultists that will make your life suck if you don't deal with them fast. It's implied that the cultist are secretly responsible for unleashing this horror upon the town. Also, once more, the music is incredible and fitting. Especially the battle music.
6. Military Base
Chapter 3, Level 3
I had a hard deciding whether to put Abandoned Factory or this into the top 10, but in the end, I went with this one since it seemed to have a little more personality to it. Big props to Abandoned Factory though due to it's slightly dreamy yet massive industrial architecture and fitting music. Anyway, to start, there is a great little detail in this level where you can actually hear a drill sergeant bark orders in the distance with his voice echoing. Besides that, there's also a cool spot where you see an ICBM silo and a flying saucer in the hangar. Combat wise, the enemies fit perfectly, with spec ops soldiers wielding SMGs and WWI grunts in gasmasks charging you mindlessly, not to mention the turrets and tanks you'll face off against.
7. Forest
Chapter 4, Level 4
This level is one of the shortest ones in the entire Painkiller lineup, not including boss levels. Nevertheless, I really find the level design for this map to be very intriguing and a little bit otherworldly with some nice ambient music to support it. It's a bit of a hard map though in the beginning where they throw a bunch of enemies at you hard and fast, but despite all this, I still really like it. It's also one of the few more fantastical locations you'll visit in the game.
8. City On Water
Chapter 5, Level 1
This level is probably the most beautiful one in Painkiller of them all. A definite fan-favorite. Also has the best music track of them all, although it has Town's battle music, and then Cathedral, Hell, and Monastery's ambient music all snapping at City On Water's heels for that title. So, as you might guess from the title, the level takes place in a sort of Venice stand-in, although you actually see it totally isolated from any sort of land. This small detail actually contributes a lot to its ethereal dreamy feeling. And again, the music... The music! Now, there is one problem with it in that the enemies they decided to put in it seem kind of out of place, but even that is easy to overlook when you consider the beauty of everything else. Definitely an amazing start to the last chapter of the game.
9. Monastery
Chapter 5, Level 3
If I had it my way, I would have made Docks the first level of Chapter 5 so that City On Water and Monastery would be connected together in sequence. Monastery is also very beautiful like City On Water, but in a slightly different and more rugged way. It's actually quite a nice end level before you hit the true final level for the game. Although it is a bit short compared to the other levels in the chapter, it doesn't matter really. This map is the perfect length for what it needs to be.
10. Hell
Chapter 5, Level 4
And so, finally, we're at the last level. And what a work of art it is. Honestly though, it's more like a museum than an actual level, but it's VERY well done. As we start from the beginning and progress towards the end, we see the ever evolving face of war. And yet, through it all, we all see the same horrifying constant. Violence and death. And then finally, we see it all culminate into one final explosive set piece. The atomic bomb. The end. And brilliantly, we can see all this as if it was totally frozen in time in that place. It's also a smart design decision too, making for a cheap and easy way to build the map while at the same time not sacrificing anything for the look and feel of it.
And now for...
Battle out of Hell
1. Orphanage
Level 1
I think we all knew this was coming. Well, here it is. People Can Fly's superb followup to the Asylum level. Now, while I think the Orphanage wins out in terms of detail, it's only just. Asylum was still pretty darn great and its theme is still different enough to separate it from the Orphanage. Even if it's just slightly. Orphanage is also much harder than the Asylum, but I'm torn as to whether that's a good or a bad thing. On one hand, it fits the feelings of horror and darkness very well. But on the other, it can simply verge on the annoying side as well, making players focus on just beating the level instead of experiencing it.
2. Loony Park
Level 2
This one gets some points off for being kind of annoying although I can't quite remember why. It may have been the forced car ride. Otherwise though, some fun level design here. It almost seems to speak for itself actually. If you wanted to see a cracked out demonic amusement park, look no further at all. If not, best to skip this one then.
3. Lab
Level 3
At first, I wasn't really a fan of this level, but it kinda grew on me. What with the catchy techy music and the ridiculous nurse enemies you face, it's lovable in a goofy sci-fi way. It's also kind of great for combat and it has a subtle little nod to Max Payne on one of the enemies. The level even has a strange portal device in which you fight off waves of enemies that come pouring out from it. Oh, and it's surprisingly kind of massive. Perhaps not as massive as the next entry coming up here, but all the same, it's a big one.
4. Dead City
Level 5
This one has got to be the biggest Painkiller map ever made. And you go in and out of quite a few buildings too. You don't just stay outside. It's very impressive. And the enemy counts here match the size of the map. Most of the enemies are these zombies who run out from everywhere and try to kamikaze you. And that's not the coolest thing about them at all. There's many parts in the map where they'll actually jump from a high place and splatter themselves on the ground, only for them to later reassemble all their parts back together so they can keep up their assault on you. Of course though, the level's very long. Expect to sink in at least a good 20 minutes I'd say. But there is one problem with this map, and that is these flying imp things that dart around and toss these molotov cocktails. Now, their attacks aren't really a problem. It's actually shooting them that's the problem. And again, this still would not have been a big deal if they didn't have that much health, but for some reason they do. Still definitely worth it to see the map though and they're definitely not THAT hard.
5. Colloseum
Level 9
So it was either this level or Stone Pit. Stone Pit has the awesome appeal of slowly fighting your way up to the surface, whereas Colloseum obviously has the appeal of, you know, ancient Roman architecture and fighting in the arena. It was actually really hard to decide between the two but in the end, I feel Colloseum edges it out due to, like Miltary Base, having more personality and consistency to it. Stone Pit is of course just a big pit, as effective as it may be, gameplay and feel wise. Colloseum actually had some artistic work put into it, even if it isn't perfect at all.
-
Whew, that's everything. Yeah this took a long time to write.
Anyway though. Happy Valentine's day.
Painkiller
1. Cemetery
Chapter 1, Level 1
The first level of Painkiller also happens to be one of the best, serving as a great introduction to the game and how it will generally play from here on out. While it does that though, it never really sacrifices its theme and mood at all, standing on its own by delivering a very gothic enchanting vibe that's even more effective with the eerie ambient organ music that you hear faintly in between battles combined with fitting enemies. And at the end, a small church with a nice little mini-boss to sink your teeth into. The level itself is hardly scary at all but it was never supposed to be. Instead, the level is more intriguing than anything, inviting you to keep playing and seeing what Painkiller has to offer. Although it's a bit shorter than I would have liked, as a first level this is very excusable.
2. Cathedral
Chapter 1, Level 4
As if to directly contrast the grit and the goth of the first three levels, Cathedral shows us how elegant Painkiller can be sometimes when it wants to. Wide open expanses and elaborate motifs decorate the level as the music only enhances the awe of seeing this brightly colored place. There is also a mini-boss although I actually don't know why he's there as he seems mostly forgettable in gameplay and looks. Otherwise, a very cool place.
3. Prison
Chapter 2, Level 1
When I first played this map, the first thing that struck me by far was how dirty and claustrophobic it was. This whole map seems to ooze powerlessness. Although of course, it's not really hard to see why. But it goes past the obvious. The cell blocks are the dingiest of the dingy, and everything is crusted over and broken with that trademark Painkiller style which this level seems to bring out the most than any of the other levels. Although ironically, I think this map is one of the best of them all, combat wise. The battle music seems perfect as you strafe machine gun fire and gleefully open fire on catwalks and perches while trying to avoid getting stun-batoned. And perhaps that may be it's only problem. The fun combat parts of it clash with the moody soul-sucking atmosphere of the rest of the level.
4. Asylum
Chapter 2, Level 3
If the Prison was incredibly constrictive in it's atmosphere, the Asylum gives off an outright sense of darkness and foreboding VERY well. This would only ever be topped later on by the Orphanage level in BooH, but we'll get to that later. Now, starting off, what I like about this level right out of the gate is how it sets the scene so effectively. You're not thrown into a battle at all. You're not even at the edge of one. Instead, as your view first clears, you simply find yourself looking out over a darkened seemingly abandoned mansion on a stereotypical but ever-so-effective rainy night. You walk around. You look around, but there's no one there at all. Except for you and the rain of course, there's total silence. In fact, you can't even get in the house but have to enter in through a sort of underground passageway on the grounds. What follows is a super claustrophobic and dark dive into the reaches of the mansion with a bunch of nasty enemies waiting for you. Effective and awesome.
5. Town
Chapter 2, Level 5
What I like about this level over the others is that it actually has a great and subtle show-but-don't-tell story buried inside it. It even encourages you to use the fitting Stake Gun in order to complete it and also gives you a lot of ammo for it. The level is a plague-ridden Transylvania style town complete with witches and piles of bodies burning. There's even cultists that will make your life suck if you don't deal with them fast. It's implied that the cultist are secretly responsible for unleashing this horror upon the town. Also, once more, the music is incredible and fitting. Especially the battle music.
6. Military Base
Chapter 3, Level 3
I had a hard deciding whether to put Abandoned Factory or this into the top 10, but in the end, I went with this one since it seemed to have a little more personality to it. Big props to Abandoned Factory though due to it's slightly dreamy yet massive industrial architecture and fitting music. Anyway, to start, there is a great little detail in this level where you can actually hear a drill sergeant bark orders in the distance with his voice echoing. Besides that, there's also a cool spot where you see an ICBM silo and a flying saucer in the hangar. Combat wise, the enemies fit perfectly, with spec ops soldiers wielding SMGs and WWI grunts in gasmasks charging you mindlessly, not to mention the turrets and tanks you'll face off against.
7. Forest
Chapter 4, Level 4
This level is one of the shortest ones in the entire Painkiller lineup, not including boss levels. Nevertheless, I really find the level design for this map to be very intriguing and a little bit otherworldly with some nice ambient music to support it. It's a bit of a hard map though in the beginning where they throw a bunch of enemies at you hard and fast, but despite all this, I still really like it. It's also one of the few more fantastical locations you'll visit in the game.
8. City On Water
Chapter 5, Level 1
This level is probably the most beautiful one in Painkiller of them all. A definite fan-favorite. Also has the best music track of them all, although it has Town's battle music, and then Cathedral, Hell, and Monastery's ambient music all snapping at City On Water's heels for that title. So, as you might guess from the title, the level takes place in a sort of Venice stand-in, although you actually see it totally isolated from any sort of land. This small detail actually contributes a lot to its ethereal dreamy feeling. And again, the music... The music! Now, there is one problem with it in that the enemies they decided to put in it seem kind of out of place, but even that is easy to overlook when you consider the beauty of everything else. Definitely an amazing start to the last chapter of the game.
9. Monastery
Chapter 5, Level 3
If I had it my way, I would have made Docks the first level of Chapter 5 so that City On Water and Monastery would be connected together in sequence. Monastery is also very beautiful like City On Water, but in a slightly different and more rugged way. It's actually quite a nice end level before you hit the true final level for the game. Although it is a bit short compared to the other levels in the chapter, it doesn't matter really. This map is the perfect length for what it needs to be.
10. Hell
Chapter 5, Level 4
And so, finally, we're at the last level. And what a work of art it is. Honestly though, it's more like a museum than an actual level, but it's VERY well done. As we start from the beginning and progress towards the end, we see the ever evolving face of war. And yet, through it all, we all see the same horrifying constant. Violence and death. And then finally, we see it all culminate into one final explosive set piece. The atomic bomb. The end. And brilliantly, we can see all this as if it was totally frozen in time in that place. It's also a smart design decision too, making for a cheap and easy way to build the map while at the same time not sacrificing anything for the look and feel of it.
And now for...
Battle out of Hell
1. Orphanage
Level 1
I think we all knew this was coming. Well, here it is. People Can Fly's superb followup to the Asylum level. Now, while I think the Orphanage wins out in terms of detail, it's only just. Asylum was still pretty darn great and its theme is still different enough to separate it from the Orphanage. Even if it's just slightly. Orphanage is also much harder than the Asylum, but I'm torn as to whether that's a good or a bad thing. On one hand, it fits the feelings of horror and darkness very well. But on the other, it can simply verge on the annoying side as well, making players focus on just beating the level instead of experiencing it.
2. Loony Park
Level 2
This one gets some points off for being kind of annoying although I can't quite remember why. It may have been the forced car ride. Otherwise though, some fun level design here. It almost seems to speak for itself actually. If you wanted to see a cracked out demonic amusement park, look no further at all. If not, best to skip this one then.
3. Lab
Level 3
At first, I wasn't really a fan of this level, but it kinda grew on me. What with the catchy techy music and the ridiculous nurse enemies you face, it's lovable in a goofy sci-fi way. It's also kind of great for combat and it has a subtle little nod to Max Payne on one of the enemies. The level even has a strange portal device in which you fight off waves of enemies that come pouring out from it. Oh, and it's surprisingly kind of massive. Perhaps not as massive as the next entry coming up here, but all the same, it's a big one.
4. Dead City
Level 5
This one has got to be the biggest Painkiller map ever made. And you go in and out of quite a few buildings too. You don't just stay outside. It's very impressive. And the enemy counts here match the size of the map. Most of the enemies are these zombies who run out from everywhere and try to kamikaze you. And that's not the coolest thing about them at all. There's many parts in the map where they'll actually jump from a high place and splatter themselves on the ground, only for them to later reassemble all their parts back together so they can keep up their assault on you. Of course though, the level's very long. Expect to sink in at least a good 20 minutes I'd say. But there is one problem with this map, and that is these flying imp things that dart around and toss these molotov cocktails. Now, their attacks aren't really a problem. It's actually shooting them that's the problem. And again, this still would not have been a big deal if they didn't have that much health, but for some reason they do. Still definitely worth it to see the map though and they're definitely not THAT hard.
5. Colloseum
Level 9
So it was either this level or Stone Pit. Stone Pit has the awesome appeal of slowly fighting your way up to the surface, whereas Colloseum obviously has the appeal of, you know, ancient Roman architecture and fighting in the arena. It was actually really hard to decide between the two but in the end, I feel Colloseum edges it out due to, like Miltary Base, having more personality and consistency to it. Stone Pit is of course just a big pit, as effective as it may be, gameplay and feel wise. Colloseum actually had some artistic work put into it, even if it isn't perfect at all.
-
Whew, that's everything. Yeah this took a long time to write.
Anyway though. Happy Valentine's day.
