Amid Evil (Champion Edition)

Amid Evil (Champion Edition) is a first-person shooter set in a dark fantasy universe, where players embody the Champion—a hero who overcame the Black Labyrinth to wield a sacred battle axe—tasked with cleansing interdimensional realms corrupted by an ancient Evil Force. Drawing heavy inspiration from 90s classics like Heretic and Hexen, the game emphasizes non-linear level exploration, key-based progression, hidden secrets, and a arsenal of magical weapons powered by mana, with a unique soul mode that temporarily enhances abilities. This special edition compiles the base Amid Evil game, the The Black Labyrinth expansion, and both their original soundtracks for a comprehensive experience.

Amid Evil (Champion Edition): Review

Introduction: A Heretic Reborn in the Modern Age

In the landscape of modern video games, where sequels dominate and trends cycle with merciless speed, there exists a particular, profound satisfaction in seeing a beloved genre resurrected not as a pale imitation, but as a vibrant, radical reinterpretation. Amid Evil is not merely a throwback; it is a conviction. Developed by the New Zealand studio Indefatigable and published by New Blood Interactive, this 2019 title arrived as a clarion call to fans of 1990s first-person shooters, explicitly channeling the dark fantasy spirit of Heretic and Hexen while wielding the full graphical and systemic power of Unreal Engine 4. The “Champion Edition,” released in 2023, serves as the definitive compendium, bundling the critically acclaimed base game with its substantial prequel expansion, The Black Labyrinth, and both soundtracks. This review argues that Amid Evil represents a masterclass in retro-inspired design, successfully bridging a 25-year gap by understanding that the magic of classic shooters lay not in technical limitation, but in pure, unadulterated gameplay and atmosphere. It is a game that doesn’t just recall the past—it reforges it in a modern crucible, establishing itself as a cornerstone of the “boomer shooter” revival and a testament to the enduring power of creative vision over technical constraint.

Development History & Context: From Doom Mods to Unreal Glory

The roots of Amid Evil dig deep into the fertile soil of the 1990s modding scene. Its creators, Leon Zawada and Simon Rance, have been friends since childhood and began their game development journey crafting modifications for id Software’s iconic titles. Their most notable pre-Amid Evil work was the Rise of the Triad total conversion, Return of the Triad. This experience was crucial; it taught them how to deconstruct and rebuild a classic FPS framework with both reverence and ambition. The initial concept for Amid Evil was born as a Doom mod in 1997, a project left unfinished but whose core ideas—a “fantasy shooter” with magical ranged weapons—simmered for two decades.

Their professional paths converged again on the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad, where they assembled the core team that would form Indefatigable. The leap to Amid Evil was powered by a singular technological and artistic breakthrough. Artist Simon Rance created an Unreal Engine 4 demo showcasing a weapon rendered as a normal-mapped sprite. As he described it, this was “the thing that got [the game] going.” This technique became the visual bedrock of Amid Evil: first-person weapons and pickups are 2D sprites with masks, but these sprites are given stunning depth and dynamism through the application of normal, roughness, and metalness maps, baked from high-poly 3D meshes. Rance extended this to environments, using low-resolution textures paired with normal maps to create a “1995 aesthetic” that feels simultaneously nostalgic and cutting-edge. It’s a “mix of old-school and new-school graphics techniques” that creates a look utterly unique to the game—pixelated yet profoundly shaded, retro yet luminously modern.

This technical innovation served a deliberate design philosophy. The team wanted to make a “1990s game for a modern audience.” To achieve this, they augmented the classic formula with dynamic enemy AI—foes that rush, dodge, reflect attacks, and flank—and a “Soul Mode” system that weaponizes the act of killing, rewarding aggressive, skilled play. The level design, while complex and secret-laden, avoids the mazelike frustration of some older titles, ensuring constant forward momentum. The game’s early access launch on March 12, 2018, following the model pioneered by New Blood’s own Dusk, was a strategic masterstroke. It allowed the studio to release the game in functional episodes (“Astral Equinox,” “Domain of the Sentinels,” “The Sacred Path”), gather massive player feedback, and steadily build a dedicated community. Each subsequent episode (“The Solar Solstice,” “The Forges,” “The Arcane Expanse,” “The Void”) was added over the next 16 months, culminating in the full 1.0 release on June 20, 2019.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A Saga of Cosmic Corruption

Amid Evil’s narrative is an exercise in “lore scattered like secrets.” Its story is not delivered through cutscenes but through environmental storytelling, codex entries, and inscribed messages on walls and floors, demanding player curiosity. The premise is mythic: an “Evil Force,” a cosmic cancer, silently infected the sacred Lands of the Gods millennia ago. The player is “the Champion,” the first mortal in a thousand years to survive the trial of the Black Labyrinth and claim the Axe of the Black Labyrinth. Summoned by ancient deities, the Champion’s quest is to cleanse the corrupted realms, a journey that reveals the Evil’s insidious, transformative nature.

The narrative unfolds across seven episodes, each a corrupted domain:
* Episodes 1 & 4 (Astral Equinox / Solar Solstice): Present a tragic duality. The moon-worshiping Astral Equinox and sun-worshiping Solar Solstice were once harmonious, symbolized by a shared crest. The Evil Force didn’t merely conquer them; it twisted their dogma into fanaticism. The moon sect preaches “Midnight, moonlight, sun begone,” while the solar cult becomes “Ax-Crazy” light-worshippers. The lore implies a slow, subtle corruption—a change in dreams, a shift in doctrine—not a sudden invasion.
* Episode 2 (Domain of the Sentinels): The Sentinels, ancient guardian golems, are infested from within. The lore speaks of “alignment” and “crossing the divide,” suggesting their mandate to judge and cleanse was subverted. Their “infestation” manifests as slimy, parasitic organisms that animate their hollow forms, a visual metaphor for corruption taking root in institutions of order.
* Episode 3 (The Sacred Path): This episode is the narrative keystone. The Pilgrim is a figure who sought knowledge across the realms but was ultimately “twisted by the void.” His journey, chronicled on shrine walls, mirrors the Champion’s path but predates it. Key community theory—supported by developer comments—identifies the Pilgrim as the Corrupt Spirit, the boss of this episode. The blue-inked messages warning “Those who follow the pilgrim’s steps, are doomed to face his reality” are his taunts from beyond. He is what the Champion could become: a victim of the Evil who now perpetuates it.
* The Black Labyrinth DLC: Serving as a prequel, it reveals the source. The Champion must overcome the Watcher of the Black Labyrinth, a huge holographic head who acts as the warden of this proving ground. Strikingly, community speculation and vocal similarity suggest a connection to the final boss. The most potent theory is that the Watcher is an avatar or a non-evolent aspect of the greater Evil Force, a final test or a captured aspect of the entity the Champion will ultimately face. The DLC ending shows the Champion, triumphant, being transported directly to the Gateway of the Ancients, seamlessly bridging to the main campaign’s start.

The finale in Episode 7 (The Void) confronts the Evil Force itself: a tentacled cosmic entity. The final battle is a sequential boss fight where the Axe itself transports the player through different arenas, each phase revealing a new form of attack. The ending sees the Champion ascend to the Haven of the Ancients, only to don his helmet (revealing his four-eyed, alien physiognomy) and gaze upon a “Pool of Prophecy” showing the Haven in flames—a sequel hook of apocalyptic foreboding. The themes are Lovecraft Lite: a universe governed by ancient, powerful beings whose domains are vulnerable to a primordial corruption, yet can be purged by a singular, empowered hero. The game’s title is a pun—”a medieval”—but thematically, it’s about being “amid” a greater, pervasive evil.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Symphony of Slaughter

At its mechanical core, Amid Evil is a high-velocity, resource-management ballet. It borrows the Heretic/Hexen weapon-magic paradigm and injects it with Quake‘s speed and Unreal‘s verticality.

Core Loop & Progression: The player navigates sprawling, non-linear levels grouped into seven distinct episodes. Progression hinges on finding keys (often hidden) to unlock doors, but the layout encourages constant movement and exploration. The Hub Level (Gateway of the Ancients) allows episodic selection via portals, with a healing spring to restore health between challenges. Each episode culminates in a boss fight.

The Arsenal & Mana: The player begins with the Axe of the Black Labyrinth (melee) and acquires six ranged weapons, each powered by one of four mana types (Blue, Green, Orange, Purple). This creates a compelling resource loop: you must scavenge for both specific weapons and their corresponding mana.
1. Staff of the Azure Orb (Blue): A rapid-fire water orb pistol. Its tracking and stunlock make it “Boring, but Practical” throughout the game.
2. Whisper’s Edge (Green): A shotgun that fires piercing sword beams. In Soul Mode, beams widen and bounce.
3. Star of Torment (Green): A crystal mace firing nail-like shards. Perfect for pinning enemies.
4. Voltride (Blue): A trident firing electric bolts; Soul Mode transforms it into a devastating lightning gun with chain lightning effects.
5. Celestial Claw (Orange): The rocket launcher equivalent, firing entire planets. Its Soul Mode creates a massive “sun” explosion that damages everything, including you—a “Difficult, but Awesome” tool for room-clearing.
6. Aeturnum (Purple): The BFG stand-in. It fires a black hole that sucks in all enemies. Soul Mode makes it a one-hit screen-clear but is suicidal if misused (“Obliterated” death message).

The Soul System: This is the game’s brilliant systemic heart. Defeated enemies drop souls. Collecting enough fills a gauge, enabling “Soul Mode” for a short duration. This supercharges weapons with alternate fire modes (as described above) and increases damage. It incentivizes aggressive, chained kills, creating a powerful risk-reward loop where you must stay in the thick of combat to maintain power.

Enemy AI & Design: Enemies are “brutal and adaptive.” They don’t just spawn and pathfind; they rush, jump, dodge, flank, and reflect projectiles. The Shield-Bearing Mooks of Episode 4 force weapon-switching. The Forgemaster boss of Episode 5 is invulnerable unless you splash him with arena-based acid. This dynamic AI ensures combat is a constant tactical puzzle, not just a target practice.

Additional Systems:
* Health is restored via “Blood Orbs,” not health packs, encouraging constant aggression to replenish.
* Power-ups grant temporary flight, invisibility, or a torch.
* Warrior Mode (a New Game+ variant) forces you to start each level with only your axe, a brutal test of skill.
* The Hordes of Evil survival mode offers endless combat against waves of foes.
* A deep Codex filled with lore, weapon stats, and even classic cheat codes (prefixed with “AE”) honors the PC gaming heritage.

Amid Evil‘s genius is in how these systems interact. The mana economy forces weapon diversity. The Soul Mode encourages offensive mastery. The intelligent AI and arena-based boss mechanics demand environmental and strategic awareness. It’s a tightly woven tapestry where every mechanic reinforces the core fantasy of being a super-powered Champion battling through hellish realms.

World-Building, Art & Sound: A Psychedelic Tapestry of the Macabre

Amid Evil is a masterclass in cohesive, disturbing, and beautiful world-building. Its seven episodes are “completely different settings,” each a distinct visual and auditory nightmare:

1. Astral Equinox (Episode 1): Giant caverns and moon-worshiping fortresses. Blue-tinged, with crescent moon motifs and “Lunacy”-themed enemies.
2. Domain of the Sentinels (Episode 2): Crumbling, oceanic fortresses inhabited by “Eldritch Abominations”—Sentinels infested with parasitic, squid-like horrors.
3. The Sacred Path (Episode 3): A linear pilgrimage through temple ruins, jungles, and volcanoes, culminating in the Corrupt Spirit’s domain. Visually, it mixes Mesoamerican (“Mayincatec”) and Egyptian motifs.
4. Solar Solstice (Episode 4): A stark contrast to Episode 1—fiery, orange-hued sun-worshiper citadels. A lesson in “Light Is Not Good,” with blinding light-based attacks and fanatical enemies.
5. The Forges (Episode 5): An industrial hellscape of molten metal, retracting “Spikes of Doom,” and “Malevolent Architecture.” The Forgemaster boss wields a “BFS” (Big Fucking Sword).
6. The Arcane Expanse (Episode 6): A “Shattered World”—the floating, gravity-warped ruins of a planet torn apart by rogue mages. This episode is pure “Alien Geometries,” with shifting platforms and impossible architecture, inhabited by “Crystalline Creatures.” The dual serpent boss (Twin Terrors) fight takes place in a water bubble above a void.
7. The Void (Episode 7): The pièce de résistance of surreal level design. A “Dutch Angle”-pervading Eldritch Location that looks designed by Dalí and Escher on drugs. “Living Shadows” inhabit this chaotic realm where pathways assemble as you move and lights deceive. It’s “Made of Evil” incarnate.

The Art Direction: The signature sprite/polygon mix is the unifying thread. While the world is fully 3D, weapons, pickups, and many effects are rendered as exquisitely detailed sprites with modern lighting. This creates a unique aesthetic: the environments have a low-poly, slightly gritty realism, while the magical elements pop with crisp, animated, frame-by-frame artistry. It’s “Retraux” done with 2020s technical prowess, not a simple emulation.

Sound Design & Music: Composer Andrew Hulshult delivers a phenomenal, dynamic soundtrack that shifts from atmospheric dread to frenetic, guitar-driven energy, perfectly syncing with gameplay intensity. Tracks like “Halls of Doom” (E2M3) even “Shout Out” to Doom‘s iconic E1M9. Sound effects are punchy and satisfying: the crunch of the Whisper’s Edge, the roar of a planet launch from the Celestial Claw, the sizzle of the Voltride. The audio feedback is critical, informing the player of kills, soul collection, and weapon status.

Together, these elements don’t just create a game world; they forge an atmosphere of pervasive, ancient, and psychedelic horror, where beauty and terror are inextricably linked.

Reception & Legacy: A Modern Classic Cemented

Amid Evil’s reception was a slow-burn triumph, perfectly mirroring its early access development. Early impressions (2018) praised its vision and weapon design while noting some enemy design quirks and glitches in pre-release builds. The full 1.0 release (June 2019) met with critical acclaim, earning an 85/100 on Metacritic. Reviews consistently highlighted its weapon variety, inventive level design, and masterful fusion of retro and modern sensibilities. PC Gamer (86/100) called it a “truly weird (and beautiful) fantasy setting,” while Destructoid (8.5/10) praised its “chaotic, beautiful, and fiendishly clever” design. It was frequently favorably compared to Unreal and Quake, but with a distinct Heretic soul.

Its commercial success was significant, powered by a strong early access campaign and word-of-mouth. On Steam, it has maintained a “Very Positive” rating with over 94% positive reviews (5,344+ reviews), accumulating a player score of 93/100 on aggregate sites like Steambase. This exceptional player reception, sustained years after release, cements its status as a beloved classic.

The Champion Edition (August 2023) was the final, definitive packaging. It bundled the base game, the acclaimed prequel expansion The Black Labyrinth (which itself was a significant 2023 release with new weapons like the Voidsplitter—a sinisterscythe with a “Dimensional Cutter” Soul Mode—and new enemies like the Storm Spirit dragon), and both official soundtracks. This edition closed the loop on the entire available saga of the Champion.

Legacy and Influence:
* The Boomer Shooter Vanguard: Alongside Dusk (also published by New Blood) and later ULTRAKILL, Amid Evil proved that the 1990s FPS formula wasn’t just nostalgia bait. It showed how to evolve the genre with modern tech (lighting, particle effects), smarter AI, and fresh progression systems (Soul Mode) without sacrificing the core tenets of fast movement, exploration, and arsenals of imaginative weapons.
* Artistic Benchmark: Its unique normal-mapped sprite technique became a sought-after visual style for later retro-inspired titles, demonstrating how to achieve a “retro” look without sacrificing visual fidelity or dynamism.
* Lore Implementation: It set a standard for environmental storytelling in fast-paced shooters. The practice of hiding narrative fragments in secret areas and codex entries influenced how subsequent indie shooters integrated world-building without breaking pacing.
* Expansion Model: The Black Labyrinth served as a successful, substantial prequel expansion that enhanced the base game’s value and lore, a model later emulated.

Conclusion: A Triumphant Coronation

Amid Evil (Champion Edition) is not merely a collection of games; it is the complete saga of a modern myth forged in the fires of classic design. It stands as a monumental achievement in game development, a project born from decades of passion that understands the soul of its inspirations—Heretic, Hexen, Doom, Quake—and speaks to them in a contemporary dialect. From its revolutionary sprite/polygon art style to its brutally smart enemy AI, its deeply rewarding Soul Mode combat to its psychedelic, secret-saturated worlds, every element is calibrated for maximum impact.

The bundled Champion Edition provides the ultimate experience, allowing players to trace the Champion’s journey from the trials of the Black Labyrinth through the purification of the corrupted gods’ realms. The minor criticisms—some enemy designs being less memorable than others, or the lore’s inherent obscurity—are outweighed by the sheer density of creative ideas and polished gameplay. With a Metacritic score of 85 and a steadfast 94% positive rating on Steam, its critical and player reception is unequivocal.

In the pantheon of video game history, Amid Evil secures its place as a definitive spiritual successor and a genre-revitalizing landmark. It proved that the boomer shooter could be a vessel for profound artistic expression and innovative mechanics, not just retro comfort food. For historians, it is a case study in successful long-term development and community engagement. For players, it is an relentlessly entertaining, brains- and brawn-testing odyssey through one of the most imaginatively hostile and beautiful universes ever rendered. The Champion was chosen. And we, the players, were chosen to experience his journey. That is no mere pun; it is the game’s enduring, enchanting truth.