Review by Colin Phipps

The most distinctive feature of "Bereft" is definitely the fog. It's a clever trick; the fog works reallistically, with more distant objects being more obscured by the fog, and becoming clearer as you approach. And it, and this level, work with original Doom 2.

The fog is done by using a replacement COLORMAP, turning Doom's normal effect where distant objects are made darker into the fog effect, where distant objects are made grayer. This is also the major drawback - there can be no varying of light levels in "Bereft";. For outdoor areas, which are usually all one light level anyway, the fog is great (in particular, the first courtyard with the blood falls is good). But the indoor areas are all one light level too... which as we all know usually makes a boring level. If I'd been making a level with this fog effect, I'd have gone with something more like Slough of Despair (Doom 1 E3M2) i.e. an almost-all-outdoor level. There were nice touches, like the fireplace that injures you if you walk too close, but generally I felt the indoor areas were boring.

Gameplay is also mixed. The first fight is good, as are a couple of fights where you get teleported into the midle of defended courtyards. The indoor fights, especially the maze, are pretty dull. I only remember one trap, but there are quite a few secrets to look for if you get bored. And don't fall in the acid lakes, they're fatal.

I liked some of the outdoor bits, but as a whole the level didn't impress me. The fog is a very good trick though, and the level is worth seeing just for that.