[Alien Vendetta] MAP15: Bulls on Parade (UV-Max Demo)

after overwhelming odds it's nice to have something quite a bit easier heading in to the secret levels. there are a few tricky bits, and the level can be a little eccentric at times but it's still good fun. the whole intro bit with the lava river seems like it should be a lot easier - there's a lot of running back and forth with switches and doors that only open remotely. plus a pretty mean trap that requires tagging a shootable switch as enemies flood in to save yourself. after some spelunking through narrow passages - including my first-ever encounter with a popup monster, which is now pretty trivial - we get a reprise of the worst idea the casalis ever had - the randomly teleporting barons from map 20. here they're revenants, there's more of them and the arena is thankfully way bigger. unpleasant but not terrible. the elevator section that follows is tricky to get right as it's easy to fall behind if you don't know where the enemies will come from. if you do know, you can keep pace with the rocket launcher somewhat easily. plus a pretty mean archvile that follows that up and traps you in a tiny corridor; probably should have switched to the rocket launcher. then finally we get to the big final rumble, with lots of pinkies (the titular bulls on parade, according to the text file) along with a lot of other enemies. the walls surrounding the arena are fake, and crossing them wakes up enemies, but there is also useful stuff behind them. i found it easier to push into the other room and then fight from there as it's a lot more defensible. waste the cyberdemon, and head through the pretty trippy path for the secret exit.
also this midi is probably the best you can do for a bulls on parade cover with midi, and it definitely rules. one of my favorites.
alien vendetta: www.doomworld....
av midi pack: www.doomworld....
get the demo: s3.yrriban.net...
source port used: dsda-doom 0.27.5
sound font used: arachno.sf2
flags: -complevel 2