The 1x1 Community Project
By brendondle et al. - 24 Maps
Format: MBF21
[Download]
Started: September 20th 2026
Finished: September 22nd 2026
Status: Abandoned
(DSDA-Doom highly recommended for this wad for compatibility reasons)
LunchLunch's 10x10 Project is a great example of the old quote "Limitation breeds creativity", and 1x1 is an even more extreme take on that concept. With a mapping roster mostly consisting of niche hardcore slaughterheads and a handful of more artistically minded mappers, 1x1 makes for an eclectic mix of very weird maps, and very painfully difficult maps. I've seen some people complain about some mappers in 1x1 abusing the lack of a limit for decoration objects, or exploiting their one chosen texture by aligning it in specific ways to make one texture look like multiple, or using their allotted switch texture for something other than a switch, but personally I don't mind. 10x10 was never about being a strict challenge, just a fun limitation to then work around in creative ways. 1x1 tightens those limitations significantly, but I think retaining the freedom for mappers to get creative within said limitations doesn't go against the core concept. 1x1 starts out fairly strong, Raddicted's "One by One" makes for a great introduction for what to expect, Soul_Runner's "Desolate Library" is a beautiful example of the texture limitation being used to great effect, though the Berserk focused combat is pretty frustrating and em essex's "Szerkezet" is probably my favorite in the set, two short but lethal rocket launcher oriented fights in a dimly lit concrete structure tinted with greenery, broken up by small bits of platforming, complete with a custom non-midi song by em themselves. After this point there's unfortunately not much else I have to talk about except for three specific maps. Map 31 "I Sleep with No One, Not Even Myself" doesn't even let you PLAY the map unless you're playing on UV which is... probably for the best despite the fact that I don't appreciate the sentiment. At least you're still given free access to Map 32 "The Womb Etched Into Time" , which is yet more Weird Bullshit ™ that I did not understand how to solve and do not have the patience for, so I skipped it. Then there's The Map. The only reason I really wanted to play 1x1 in the first place. Map 13 "///ETHER RAIN///" by Akolai, is a very vibes driven puzzle map that uses some advanced shenanigans to have the player still walk around and interact with things after their death, as you puzzle your way through a static-y rain soaked world completely drained of life. After a fairly basic opening puzzle, you're faced with two different puzzle sets: the line puzzles and the symbol puzzles. To exit you'll need to either finish all 3 of one type, or the first two of both types. The first puzzle of each set is fairly simple, the second throws in a confusing twist, and then the last is a significant difficulty spike. Line and symbol puzzle 1 were both no issue, and I sorta figured out symbol puzzle 2 after a few tries and some guesswork, but line puzzle 2 stumped me for a good while. I was on the right track but missed exactly what I needed to do until I looked it up, and I didn't even attempt the final version of either puzzle. The symbol one looked WAY too confusing, and while I think I understand how line puzzle 3 would have worked, it just seemed tedious and would've required a lot of messing around in an image editor. After you have the requisite blue and red keys you're free to leave after a cool final sequence. "///ETHER RAIN///" is a very awesome concept, and even as someone not especially experienced with puzzles I had an alright time, but I do wish it was a tad longer (maybe with more easy-ish puzzles so I can actually enjoy it), and the puzzles it does have are a bit eh. Unfortunately after playing the map I was most excited to see, my interest in 1x1 fizzled pretty quickly. It's a project mostly defined by mappers who create slaughtermap setups for insane speedrunners and difficulty junkies, and while they did at least put in the effort to balance most of their stuff, that flavor of combat is never quite my thing 90% of the time. I got through all the maps made by the more "normal" mappers already, so I'm kinda content to just stop here and go do something else. The one bright side of this is that I have at least gotten DSDA-Doom to a state that I don't mind using it as my sourceport nearly as much as I did before, which is a nice bonus.
Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
Favorite/Least Favorite Map skipped because the WAD wasn't completed.
Consolation prize to Map 3: "Szerkezet", I wish more of 1x1 was like this.