UTAKATA
By SYU - 32 Maps
Format: Limit Removing
[Download]
Started: September 26th 2026
Finished: October 3rd 2026
Status: Completed
UTAKATA makes for a very impressive first megawad by newcomer SYU, which takes you through 20 years worth of their Doom mapping journey with a Japan-flavored set of maps spruced up by a massive amount of very well made custom textures. Admittedly it's quite noticeable which maps were made much earlier on in the development cycle, which makes for an EKG machine of quality that shifts wildly between very well crafted maps that look very visually impressive, and minimally detailed IWAD style maps with extremely inconsistent combat design. The early maps are pretty simple and filled with a good amount of doomcute, going through small towns, rural fields, and techbase sewers, with a funny little joke mini-plot of various helpful messages left by "Mr. C", who reveals himself to be a Cyberdemon that acts as a sort of miniboss encounter at the end of Map 6. After this shocking revelation, things continue on the doomcute train, with a very exceptional highlight being Map 14 "The Ryokan", a more exploration focused romp through a traditional Japanese bathhouse, which contrasts pretty hilariously with the following map, Map 15 "Western Village" which is an exaggerated American wild west hitscanner shooting gallery complete with a train station and saloon. Map 18 "Tasogare", breaks up the action with a finely detailed modern town bathed in beautiful sunset, which shifts to a tense escape sequence with surprise Archviles around every corner as the sun sets after grabbing the key from a forest shrine. The first chunk of the hell episode is unfortunately VERY bad, clearly made incredibly early on in UTAKATA's development cycle and lacking in any kind of second look for polishing before it was released. Then out of nowhere, Map 27 "Yoru no Gakkou" drops you into an extremely detailed light horror map with incredible atmosphere. Seriously, how are all these maps made by the same person? The last few maps cross the finish line mostly gracefully, with the penultimate map filling the usual slot of "obligatory Icon of Sin boss fight", while the actual finale gives you the choice between a kinda messy but pretty to look at slaughtermap in a cherry blossom garden, or a teleporter that skips the entire map because... I don't know. Despite the varied quality, UTAKATA is a charming megawad full of fun moments and jokes, and while for the most part there's nothing too exceptional, the high points of this wad really show off SYU's skill as a mapper, and I'd love to see more from them sometime!
Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Favorite Map - Map 27: "Yoru no Gakkou"
Least Favorite Map - Map 21: "Hell Gate"