Blake Stone: Planet Strike

One year before Doom, this game was rather innovative and fun. Fun weapons, lots of different aliens, and much more. On the other hand, all maps (already) looked the same. After the release of Doom, only nostalgia would convince someone to buy this game.

There are some new ideas in this game compared to Wolf3D but when it comes to playability and atmosphere it's nowhere near. The impossibility to circle strafe just sucks.

Planet Strike, the sequel of the original Blake Stone, adds many interesting tricks which don't make it a totally "new" game, but it's pleasant and less "Wolfenstein-like" than it's precedessor. Those tricks are i.e. weapon bobbing, new map system, one new weapon, traps and bomb, which you must use on the specific object to end each level. Also, there is much more types of mutants, sadly without any new abilities or attacks, and some of them are just boss creatures from original Blake. 20 levels of PS in comparison to 60 of BS isn't overwhelming, but trust me, they won't be a breeze (maybe if you choose the 1st difficulty level, coward). Planet Strike is also harder, looks better (and darker), and overally makes a great addition to collection of "corridor shooters".

Nothing beats Doom, but that didn't stop lots of developers from trying to make something like it! Planet Strike is a sequel to Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, running on an even further improved version of the Wolfenstein 3-D engine. Now you have higher resolution weapon sprites, diminished lighting and an objective-based gameplay loop that includes finding a detonator, blowing up the security system for that floor. More enemy types per level are thrown at you now, with alien edits of the human-style enemies from the prior game being joined by several monster-type enemies. This is fun and well made, though a shorter ride than it's prequel. On the other hand that means it doesn't overstay it's welcome.

The improvements made on the Wolf3d engine really shine here when it comes to looks. Everything looks improved on from Aliens of Gold. The new weapon sprites are bigger and look so much more detailed. The lighting is much better and a little darker instead of everything being vibrant and bright giving it a better feel (at least to me). The new enemy sprites look way better than AoG (even though most of the enemies are the same ones from the first game). Maps have better detail to them and ending each level by needing to find a detonator to blow up that floors security system helps change things up a bit. But not everything is better in Planet Strike. - Since most of the weapons and enemies are recycled from the first game with a fresh coat of paint on them, it makes Planet Strike feel like just some DLC for AoG and not really a standalone adventure. The guns make the same sounds as they did in AoG. The enemies make the same sounds as they did in AoG. It feels familiar and lazy at the same time. - The changes made to your map are fine but it's just not as good as in AoG. Sure, you can zoom in and have it reveal secrets to you (and there is a charge needed to keep it going) and that is fine but doesn't come close to how good the map in the first game was. There will be times where you will get lost and won't be able to open your map because it is always on the bottom of your screen now (unless I am just dumb and didn't know how to open it). - Planet Strike is shorter than Aliens of Gold. For some, that might be a bad thing, but I think it helps PS from overstaying its welcome. Later levels do feel a little bit rushed like they did in AoG. If you enjoyed AoG, I think you will find some enjoyment with Blake Stone on his second adventure. More of the same can be good sometimes and I think the little bit of changes made do help keep things feeling fresh till the end