Sunlust (Second Playthrough)
By Ribbiks and dannebubinga - 32 Maps
Format: Boom
[Download]
Started: September 3rd 2026
Finished: September 7th 2026
Status: Completed
[STARCANNON399'S DEAN OF DOOM SEASON 4 WAD REVIEWS: FINALE - SUNLUST]
And here we are again. Replaying Sunlust after almost 2 years was a pretty interesting experience. My memories and final thoughts after the first playthrough were heavily influenced by the sheer awestruck feeling that I actually managed to BEAT SUNLUST, so playing it again with the full knowledge that I could in fact do this gave me more room to rethink my thoughts on this wad as a whole. After becoming Ribbiks literate in the many months since, I still really appreciate a lot of how these maps are designed, and danne's contributions fit right in alongside them. Early Sunlust is very solid, the first few maps make for a great introduction to things, though Map 5 "Gear Up" is REALLY mean for how early on it is. Map 7 "Total Enclosure" is one of the best uses of Doom 2's hardcoded Map 7 gimmick I've ever seen and is very worth trying to 100% for the fun scavenger hunt. The underground mini-episode from maps 11-15 is great fun, and the fleshy interlude from maps 16-18 makes for a memorable trio as well. (provided you figure out the weird teleporter gimmick in "The Womb") The secret maps are a bit underwhelming, "Birds of a Feather" is very simplistic and easy compared to a lot of the rest of Sunlust and only really exists to let Ribbiks doodle with pretty looking shapes and structures, and "Postcoitus Doom" is a silly joke map with intentionally annoying combat setups that lack the intelligence of the rest of this wad. I think after Map 20, things start to fizzle out a little. Maps 24, 25, 29 and 30 are the only highlights in a sea of otherwise noticeably not as good ones, and it makes the finale fall a little bit flat. And now that I've played them twice, Sunlust's last two maps are a little overrated honestly. Aside from the opening room, surprising title, and the archvile carousel, "Go Fuck Yourself" isn't all that special, and for a Ribbiks map it's uncharacteristically cramped and brutal on first playthrough, and "God Machine" spends a LOT of time on slowly funneling you through kinda filler-y fights in a confusing dark labyrinth before you ever get to see the main event final fight, which is easy to screw yourself over in since there's deceptively few cells sitting around the arena and the last wave of enemies that fills the arena is just a gigantic clusterfuck that's miserable to deal with since like half of it is pain elementals. Despite this though, I now more than ever think one thing to be true: Everyone should play Sunlust. It's a great training ground for harder Doom stuff, and a very enjoyable and satisfying experience despite a handful of fumbles. It's difficult, yes, excruciatingly so if you're insane enough to play on UV, but more than doable with patience, determination, and Doomguy's trusty backpack of weapons. To quote a personal favorite Sunlust review of mine (written by Maribo): "You should believe in yourself more. Ribbiks and danne do."
As a final episode, Sunlust was surprisingly... normal. Considering the tone of the previous two it did feel strangely pedestrian, like it was written long before the rest of Season 4. As things reached their end though, just as how Sunlust's final two maps stand tall over every other map in the set, the final two maps in the episode did too. After 5 years of hearing the Dean censor bleep out any usage of "fuck", hearing him finally drop it in full for "Go Fuck Yourself" was an atom bomb moment. I suppose it's fitting considering this is the end. Map 30 was expectedly reverent, being the big finale for both Sunlust and Dean of Doom, but still tame considering what's come before. Compared to Necromantic Thirst's soul crushing gauntlet of pain, and the Drake O'Brien Ovational Megawad's outpouring of grief, nothing Ribbiks or danne could do would ever compare. Reading out the Patreon credits for EVERYONE was a very kind gesture, fitting to commemorate all the people who helped make this show possible. His final monologue, set to live action footage of the sun setting behind a mountain (fitting, huh.), was the real final goodbye. While his departure from Doom is sad news, I'm glad it was done on good terms. Wherever he moves on to, I wish him the best.
And with that, Dean of Doom has come to an end. It's been an incredible ride, even though I only hopped on the train close to the end of Season 3. Without this show I never would've started playing what quickly may have become my favorite game of all time, (at the very least it shares that title with Ultrakill) and I wouldn't have met so many amazing people. It feels a little silly to do this considering this is nowhere near being my final review, but it seems fitting. YoshiTheMage, Sotenga, Triangularity, Magi, BizzareIdeaMan, drinkrust, SaltBadGuy, BEG and Elassirish; thank you. I may not know any of you personally, and many may never even read this, but I appreciate you all the same. Spreading the joy of Doom is what makes this game special, and without you I'd have no one to spread it to.
DEAN OF DOOM
FINISHED
KILLS 100%
ITEMS 100%
SECRETS 100%
Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Favorite Map - Map 12: "Dangeresque" / Map 16: "Lost Antiques" (One for Ribbiks, one for danne)
Least Favorite Map - Map 27: "Emerald Spire"
Thank you Ribbiks and danne for making Sunlust.