Gamer Blast

13 more days in Hell is the sequel  to the popular 13 days in Hell arcade shooting game. The first was a quite impressive shooting game, where the player had to survive wave after wave of lost souls out for blood.  This new installment in what will become an excellent franchise, no doubt, is something quite different, and improves upon many aspects the original was lacking. However, this new installment is not without its flaws either, but overall 13 more days in Hell is an excellent game, that is well worth spending some time with.

Where the first 13 days of Hell was only a shooting game, that would only require you to aim shoot and reload, the new  installment entails much more and is a full fletched first person shooter, that  looks and sounds every bit as uncanny as the famous Doom PC games.  In 13 more days of  Hell you will walk through a maze of corridors and hallways, guided by a guardian who also doubles as the store sales man, where you can buy ammo, weapons and health potions during the game(And you will need them!).  weapons and ammo can also be found through the levels, and like with the first game the number keys allow you to select the various weapons, provided that you have them in your arsenal.

Sound – Rating: 8/10

The sounds in 13 more days of Hell are minimal, yet very effective. The sounds are simply integrated into the atmosphere adding to the tension, which is the same kind that provided so much excitement in the early Doom games. Throughout every step of the way a player will have the same eerie feeling that an undead creature may jump him at every corner, and usually they will. While the maze of corridors and hallways is large, the sounds and looks will at times make a player feel slightly claustrophobic, which is exactly the feeling one should have when walking through an area, knowing creatures can and will pop up from anywhere. The sounds of the different guns are well done also. A gun sounds like a gun and a gun with silencer will sound as such.  Overall, the sound effects are very well done, without overdoing it.  For example, when a player uses a health potion, you hear him sigh in relief, as the bar becomes full again. 13 more days of Hell definitely is not a game, with your average sound effects, that plague so many other flash games.

Graphics – Rating: 7/10

The graphics are well designed, especially the surroundings. Like with the sounds, much thought has gone into designing the hallways and corridors, creating the perfect atmosphere for a Doom like first person shooter game. The creatures themselves are adequate, but in that area there is room for improvement, as they often look a little blurred. Of course one cannot expect graphics like Far Cry yet from a flash game, but they still can be a little better than they are in 13 more days of Hell. Looking at the game in general one can’t escape the impression that most of the thought and detail has gone in to  the surroundings, and the lost souls were simply ported in from the original game. The guardian looks crisp and very detailed, but does not move, which is another minor drawback from the game. It’s not a big thing, and certainly does not take away from the game, but it is one more detail, that could be improved upon to make the game feel just that little bit more realistic. One little detail I also was sorry to see go, was the eerie reddish mist they used in the original game, where the undead creatures would emerge from. Adding that to the new game would in my opinion be the crown on the project, and would have given the whole game that finishing touch. Perhaps this will be a good suggestion for part 3.

Game Play – Rating: 8/10

The game plays, looks and feels very much like the first two Doom games, or Castle Wolfenstein for that matter. The controls are similar, just like the well known current FPS games, like Counterstrike, Far Cry and the others.  “W” to walk forward, “A” for walking to the left, “D” to go right and “Z” to walk backwards. The mouse is used to turn, aim and shoot. The number keys are used to switch weapons. And the space-bar is used to reload. To anyone that has ever played a first person shooter game, this should be very familiar territory. In addition to the well known keys there is the “H” key that obviously stands for health, and if in possession of a health position is used to restore the hero’s health.
It’s all very intuitive and will take the average gamer less than 2 seconds to master.

So, have we got a perfect game here, game play wise? No, like with everything else in this game the game play is good but there certainly is room for improvement. A player is able to turn to all sides, using the mouse, but cannot look up or down, something that is very common in other first person shooter games. This is something  13 more days in Hell also has in common with the first Doom and Wolfenstein games. The first versions of the FPS gaming genre, also lacked that feature. Again this is nothing major, and won’t  keep you from having loads of fun with this game, but having the feature, makes it just this much more realistic, while playing. The same goes for the inability to jump or crawl. It is not necessary for this  game, but being able to do so, makes movements that much more natural and real. Also the limits of the small flash screen take away from the game play, as it makes movement not as natural and swift like we are used to while playing Doom full screen. This can be easily solved by playing the game full screen, provided the arcade site you are playing on offers this feature.

Re-Playability – Rating 7/10

As far as replay value goes on flash arcade games, it is usually the addictiveness that holds the attraction, but once all levels have been conquered, the game loses its attraction, and it’s off to another game, to kill some time with. This is certainly not the case with 13 more days in Hell. This game is a whole different beast, and with its Easy, Medium and Hard settings, it will keep you coming back for at least 3 more rounds, after you have finished the last level. In fact it will be hard to compare this game with most arcade games, as it looks, feels and plays like a fully fledged first person shooter, that does not have to shy away, next to famous titles like Doom I and II, Castle Wolfenstein and even next to the ground breaking Quake I. Of course, it lacks features especially Quake I already possessed, but it comes close, so close, FPS developers, should start getting worried, as Flash games are catching up at an amazing rate.

Conclusion

13 more days in Hell, has turned out to be an excellent sequel to a game that was great, but no more than that. With this latest installment the creators truly show what they can do when they set their mind to it, and though there is room for improvement, one cannot help but be amazed about what they managed to do with a flash game, that requires no lengthy installs, downloads but simply plays from your browser. 13 more days is a fun game that will provide you with hours of good clean gaming fun, bringing back the days we played doom on our 386 personal computers, preferably with the lights turned off in order to gain a greater shock effect. Currently, 13 more days in Hell is one of the best zombie games available on flash arcade sites. Looking at the way the game has evolved, I for one cannot wait until the third installment will be released, and hopefully they will manage to amaze us once again with an FPS game that comes even closer to the ones we are used to playing today.  From the looks of it, I think it won’t be long now, until we see the first flash FPS multi player game.

Overall – Rating 8/10

13 more days in Hell, has turned out to be quite a surprise. After having played the original game, I expected more of the same, perhaps with other characters thrown in the mix, but nothing could have prepared me for this sequel, that is more like a recreation of the game, and this time the way it should have been. All the elements that make for a great FPS are there, and save from a few minor factors that do not take away from the gaming fun, they have come close to releasing a perfect game as far as I am concerned.  I rate it 8 out of 10, and if they continue developing down this road I expect to be able to rate even higher when the next installment will be released.

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