Quake Enhanced – The Classic FPS Masterpiece!

Quake - Featured Image

Introduction

Quake is the classic, fully 3D shooter by iD Software, the makers of Doom, and a major achievement in game development – its engine later used in many FPS games from both iD and other studios, such as powering Medal of Honor: Allied Assault to name a few.

Developer: iD Software
Released: 22 June 1996
Price: $9.99
Engine: iD Tech/KEX Engine

Stores: GOG, Steam, Epic, PS Store, Xbox, eShop
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/X|S, Nintendo Switch

Another alien dimension is on the verge of sending hordes of evil, eldritch monsters to Earth to ravage and tear its denizens to shreds, but thankfully the military is not going to let that happen easily, launching Operation Counterstrike to stop the invasion. Or so they would have, if you, Ranger, weren’t their only survivor. Your goal is simple: somehow carry out what all others have failed to do and get rid of the mastermind of this invasion, codenamed Quake (actually Shub-Niggurath), by obtaining all four Runes of Magic required to end her. All you have to do is teleport through the Slipgates, and survive – one way or another.

NOTE: This review covers Quake Enhanced’s base campaign on the Hard difficulty.

Knee Deep Into The World of Quake

An image of a grassy section in Quake's first level.
Off to a great start.

You start out with a bloodied axe and a shotgun with which you rip and tear through fully modeled 3D zombies and monsters, and find better weapons to kill more of these creepy crawlies before they kill you. Like Doom, Quake isn’t a game that’s too interested in bogging you down with a story or cut-scenes, and the only pieces of lore you get are at the end of each of its four episodes – otherwise, your default state is to survive.

Although the weapon arsenal isn’t as expanded as Doom’s or indeed most other shooters, and running out of ammunition is a frequent worry, both elements work in favor of the game’s dark atmosphere, making you feel less like you were on a power trip and more like you just survived what could’ve been your last encounter. That said, the weapons are slightly unconventional, such as shotguns being weaker and with less spread than you would expect, or most enemies requiring several nails to put down.

That’s not to say Quake is all hopeless, as it also contains power-ups to give you just a small taste of power, from mundane stuff like the practically necessary armor, to the Pentagram of Protection that gives you 666 points of armor making you near invulnerable, to the fan-favorite Quad Damage that quadruples your weapons’ powers allowing you to satisfyingly mow down hellspawn. Iif you live long enough, you might even grab the Thunderbolt gun – please use its limited ammo sparingly and definitely don’t use it while in water.

Stuffy Atmosphere

Monsters infighting in a Quake level
Oh yeah, this is how you know it’s made by the same guys who created Doom – monster infighting!

That said, while the action is certainly even more visceral and crunchy than Doom, realized through detailed sound effects and impressive 3D visuals for the time, the game has a higher emphasis on its horror themes than the blood-pumping action. There are plenty of enemies in the level but they hit harder and look uglier, such as the Shamblers which shock anyone they see to oblivion, or the Fiends who pounce you as soon as they catch sight of you.

This emphasis on horror is even more exemplified by Trent Reznor’s mostly ambient, moody soundtrack, which is probably one of the most oppressive soundtracks you could hear in a FPS game, as well as the generally dark visuals of the levels. There’s just nothing like swimming through a dirty body of water, and emerging on the other side to an onslaught of Zombies but you don’t have the rocket or grenade launcher to destroy them into pieces.

Enhanced for the Present

An overhead view of E1M1's windy path in QDOOM.
This is actually E1M1 from Doom, courtesy of the officially curated add-on QDOOM.

Quake was already designed from the get-go to be simple to play and wrap your head around its mechanics, with the real challenge being mastering it and overcoming unique enemy encounters, and on that end, Quake is still enjoyable to explore and overcome in the current year. The issue was for the longest time, you had to deal with playing the game in DOSBox, or load it up into one of many source ports.

At least that was the situation until Nightdive Studios released their official source port, allowing the game to run on modern machines and support resolutions like 4k in widescreen out of the box. You still have the option to use source ports or even download and play the original version if you’re OK with a more limited experience or some fiddling around.

At least for the main story, the new engine was fantastic in presenting the classic in the best possible way without compromising on its definitely unique visual style or its impactful game-play. In addition to adding modern features like multiplayer cross-play with several platforms, it also adds officially curated fan mods, called add-ons – though both of these require you to sign up for a Bethesda account to use even for the DRM-free GOG version. Not to mention it adds the brand new additional campaigns Dimension of the Past, and Dimension of the Machine!

In Conclusion

Quake was a game changer back in the day, but even after almost two decades of changing the FPS landscape forever, it remains a great play on its own. If you have played it back in the day, you’ll appreciate what the new Quake Enhanced version has on offer, and if you’re playing it for the first time, this is a great way to get started with the masterpiece.

Gibbed battalions of monsters, but still craving for more FPS action? Check out the classic version of XIII, the conspiracy-fueled, comic-book-styled shooter! Or how about And All Would Cry Beware! for some surreal, otherworldly exploration?

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