Chaos Below
By AshtralFiend and Matt Eldrydge - 1 Map
Format: MBF21
[Download]
Started: March 6th 2026
Finished: March 6th 2026
Status: Completed
I love doom gameplay mods, but that always comes with a MASSIVE caveat. They're just gameplay changes, which means any maps you try with them are unlikely to work as intended (both in terms of balancing and in terms of functionality), so seeing not only a new Matt Eldrydge gameplay mod but then an AshtralFiend created custom map built AROUND that gameplay mod? Crossover of the century right there. Chaos Below is both a fantastic showcase for Operation Deadbolt's new arsenal, and another standout map from AshtralFiend in the style of his contributions to Neon Overdrive and We Have Doom At Home. The map is INSANELY detailed, full of small details and fun flourishes, while still being a nice and concise adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome. Vibes-wise it actually reminds me a bit of Nostalgic Entropy with a more chill focus on exploration, but avoids the big and complex slog of that map. The way forward is a bit more clear while still having a decent amount of optional things to do. The finale is a little disappointing unfortunately, and the highly detailed visuals (especially in terms of the foliage) can block your vision pretty often, but those are small blemishes on an otherwise REALLY cool map. I really gotta find another mapset to use Operation Deadbolt with, it's easily one of my new favorite gameplay mods.
Addendum: In going back to download the standalone wad for Operation Deadbolt, uhhhh something happened with Matt Eldrydge between his last few projects and now. He rebranded to "REVOKE", seemingly banished all downloads for his older projects and now has some huge vendetta against MBF21 stuff in favor of working exclusively with ZDoom features now which is... weird. Thankfully I (and several others) still have their own copies of his previous work so it's not totally lost to time but it is really unfortunate to see so much fantastic stuff completely disappear in an instant.
Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½