From a technical/historical standpoint, this is a classic Base map. I enjoyed it! Considering it adheres to Base monsters (not even reskinned ogres), I think the gameplay is fairly challenging. This is because ammo and health are tight and, as the author states in the Read Me, he put a lot of these mid-tier monsters in there to offset the limited bestiary.
If you’re spoiled by Arcane Dimensions and just don’t appreciate older maps, then just jump to Rubicon 2. It has new custom enemies, great graphics, and other custom tweaks. However, I think Rubicon and Antediluvian are classic metlslime maps that every Quake player should visit.
Rubicon is an absolute classic, but that doesn’t mean it’s passé. The theme is exactly the kind of grungy, industrial area that fits right into Quake. It even, in some ways, visually bridges the gap between Quake and Quake II.
The enemy and weapon selection is fairly limited, but I don’t feel as if it detracts from the experience. Rather, it presents a somewhat paired down experience, where you almost always feel just on the verge of being out of ammo.
SPOILER: The secret map, Eagle, is a fun little romp for fans of the Legend of Zelda. I almost wish more hidden levels could take themselves less seriously.
