Hey everyone!
Continuing our nostalgic quest through old-but-gold maps, today we’re covering “Synthesis of the Soul” by Tahazzar! Not to be confused with its remake, “Synthesize the Soul”, which we'll touch upon later.
Tazz describes it as the first map he’s publicly released, and it’s an unbelievably strong start. Although it doesn’t feature any fancy scripting or gimmicks, it already shows Tazz’s trademark love for hard and enormous levels.
Here, you’re tasked with wiping out the patrons of a club, with a long bar area at the top, and various seating areas on the way up. Of course, any self-respecting bar of this size must have four bartenders, at least. Three are just for show, but the fourth is so good at his job that he can pour drinks while upside down. Now that’s talent.
Of course, where there’s bartenders there’s phylacteries, scattered all around, with some being closer to their owners and others not so much. As such, the level quickly turns into a fun little adventure, mainly consisting of fighting your way to the bottles with what little weaponry you have at your disposal. Unlock vents, shoot bartenders to tell where their bottles are, and scavenge for ammo – you’ll need plenty for this job.
Now, if you’re having trouble with this level, whether due to its difficulty or its performance issues, that’s where “Synthesize the Soul” comes in. It’s a remake of the level intended to address the problems of the original, with a reduced enemy count and map size, meaning it’s much less taxing on both your skills as a player and on your PC.
The original I personally find more enjoyable, but the remake is more focused and performs better. If you want a challenge, play the original version, while if you just want a more laidback taste of Tazz’s distinct mapmaking style, go for the remake.