Rawi's Gaming Battelgrounds ... My Descent into insanity

Let’s start something new today. Among my weirder and artistic hobbies, gaming is the more “tame” one and one that has been with me for basically all my life. Can’t really remember my very first game but I know I’ve been a tiny kiddo on my dad’s lap, watching him play the classics of the 90s. And once old enough that I could operate the “magic machine” myself, I got into playing myself. This resulted in the 90s era FPS and others landing in my “nostalgia” shelves and I happily return to them when I feel like reliving the blissful years and sometimes to challenge myself whether I get better with age or retain my skills.

Among these is a little bit of a niche game, Descent; or Descent: First Strike if you want the full name. Why niche? The game falls into a 6DOF genre, 6DOF standing for “6 degrees of freedom”. This means that unlike in FPS games, you can move in all six directions; up-down, left-right, forward-backward. Of course, since you’re piloting a ship, you can turn, pitch and roll as well. So, what’s the premise of the game? Long story short, mining corp has mines across the solar system and their robots go haywire. You’re hired as a “Material Defender” to get in, save any hostages and destroy the mines by destroying the reactor. The game is special not only to me due to it being part of my childhood but also because it’s rather rare in terms of how the gameplay is executed. The game, or the series of three games to be precise, is one of the cult classics of its time. It was replicated only almost two decades later through the game Overload made by, wait for it, dev team consisting of the developers of the original games.

Now, the title of the post says “Descent into insanity” and you’re likely wondering why. Well, there’s one more somewhat iconic thing and it’s the difficulty. Believe me, the game is quite unforgiving and some of its enemies make the game one hell of a nasty challenge. For reference, the difficulty levels are like this:

My personal notes there might feel weird but trust me, they’re quite fitting. Just to give you an idea how difficult the game is, it took me until my teenage years until I could finish the entire game from level 1 to level 27 and all three secret levels and that was on Rookie difficulty. The main obstacle was the level 7 with its boss. Hotshot was beaten our my 20s and Ace during my uni studies when I had some free time. And on 28th November 2024, the final challenge has fallen. Granted minus one secret level but it wouldn’t make much difference since I’d effectively skip it by rushing to the reactor. And in this post, I’m to share the story of this final battle.

What are we dealing with?

First things first, how does the difficulty work in the game. Good thing is that the game doesn’t increase the health pool of enemies, only their firepower. What changes for player however is the strength of the power-ups, specifically energy and shields. The amount starts on 18 and lowers in steps of 3. Another thing that scales are so called ““MatCens” (from Materialisation Centres which spawn more enemies into the level). These look like purple veins on the walls and teleport in 3 to 7 depending on difficulty. This can create quite a nasty combination especially on Insane which adds some more changes. To sum them up (compared to Ace):

How bad is all this? When playing on Ace, the changes felt tough but fair. On Insane, I couldn’t even finish the very first level before. But now I did and I already rambled enough so let’s get into the fray.

Levels 1 through 5: Rough introduction

As I mentioned, it took me a bit to get into the right approach in the first levels. I tend to be more aggressive and direct in combat in these since I don’t have to worry about certain dangers. On Insane, this doesn’t work so I had to switch into the more cautious playstyle that I use later in the game. This was pushed further by one more added challenge which was to beat the “shareware episode”, first seven levels of the game, without intermediate saves. With the aforementioned playstyle, I managed to get through despite having a bit more trouble in level 3 which introduces the MatCens and in possibly the nastiest way; right before the exit so your escape after destroying the reactor isn’t “for free”. But once that was the only troublesome level in this batch.

Level 6: Training wheels are off; Let the hell begin

This level is the proverbial baptism by fire for the game; or more precisely, by a rain of bullets. Why? This level introduces one of the most dreaded enemies of the game, the Class 1 Driller. This cat-like enemy with a chaingun for a mouth is one of the nastiest to fight. First, it’s the only enemy that has a hitscan weapon which in a game designed mainly around projectile weapons is a huge threat. Furthermore, it fires quiet a long salvo which can easily take away tons of shields. Lastly, it’s one of the most aggressive enemies, not shying away from chasing you or lunging at you from around corners, immediately starting its barrage of pain. Luckily, it’s a glass cannon and can me taken out by a single missile so keep the homing missile rack well stocked.

Now, how did I do in this level? Well, I had to abandon the challenge and start to do intermediate saves. The increased aggression of enemies caused me to “bleed” a lot of health, making any bad encounter with the aforementioned driller pretty much fatal. Eventually however, I managed to get through this battle, including the incredibly evil trap when going for the red key.

Level 7: Childhood brick wall made simple

Oh yes, the first boss level. The level that blocked me from finishing the game in its entirety for a long time. But now? Now the boss fight is easy. The harder part is actually clearing the boss arena which is full of drillers and red hulks armed with homing missiles. But if you’re resourceful and save an invulnerability power-up, you can easily clear the place and later focus on the smart-bomb throwing titan. How hard is it? Stay on the move, use the corridors in the middle pillar to avoid the plasma bolts when the arena becomes too “crowded” and shower the boss with everything you can.

Levels 8 through 10: Calm before the storm

First levels after the boss fight are a small breather even if they can be a bit frustrating with some of their traps. I’m looking at you, level 9 with the beginning or the secret “firing squad” of tiny drones in one of the optional sections. Level 9 also does a bit of a nasty trick with multiple red doors to make the escape harder. Because if you choose wrong, your escape will become much much longer. That said, they’re just to regain some sanity before we dive into the mid-game which pulls off quite a few nasty tricks. But before that, we’ll take a detour to the end-game via the first secret level.

Level S1: The end-game with all the most powerful foes

The first secret level; armed to the teeth with the strongest enemies in the game, ready to make your stay in the secret asteroid base an ordeal. Seriously, the “welcoming party” is a fusion hulk right in front of the door, ready to delete your shields on a single volley of bolts. But isn’t the largest danger, oh no. There are two places which are iconic for the level.

First, the yellow key room; not only is it well-guarded by fusion hulks but believe me when I tell you that they’re not the biggest problem. That, my dear reader, is the escape from the room. The corridor is protected by two MatCens, both spawning in “gun platforms”. One group is armed lasers, the other is armed with missiles. The latter are actually even more dangerous than the drillers on this difficulty because a salvo of eight missiles is a guaranteed death. So, how to deal with this? Easy, grab the key and “punch” through the group of the laser platforms, hoping you won’t get torn to pieces by the other group.

Second iconic place is the “dark room”. It’s a large hall that’s full of enemies and also with MatCens that leads to a small room with the red key. The main issue of the room is that it’s completely dark so you can’t really see what’s in it. Moreover, there are cloaked enemies, specifically drillers (yes, devs are THIS evil). And to top it all off, the room with the red key has laser and missile platforms. So, what now? Cloak. Cloak that is quite likely to drop from a cloaked driller which you’ll encounter on your way here. Save the cloak and use it to quietly get in, grab the red key and get out. Rest of the level is manageable.

Level 11: Hot start, lunges, burns and bombs

First level of the rough mid-game section in which the devs are trying to pull out various inconveniences to test your patience. In this level specifically you have quite a few: A hot start with enemies trying to kill you right at the start, tons of drillers and various other “beasts” lunging at your from around the corners, good portion of the level is in lava-filled corridors making maneuvering difficult and to top it all off, the ending has enemies dropping bombs into your path. So yeah, a day in paradise indeed.

Level 12: The trifecta of pain

This level has only four enemy types but three of them are pretty much dominant; drillers, plasma drillers and red hulks. There are few medium hulks with normal missiles but the previously mentioned are just everywhere. On the bright side, the level is quite large and with careful navigation it can be beaten quite easily. Remember that enemies only engage you from a certain distance but you can see them and strike much earlier than they can.

Level 13: The longest exit

The level with my favourite soundtrack :) And one hell of a maze shrouded in the dark. This is one of the levels where I could really use headlights but those were introduced in the second game. The level on its own isn’t super difficult but has quite a few corners you need to be careful around. The cherry on top is the exit which is the longest in the entire game and you can easily get lost. There’s also a small group of drones ready to jump at you right at the last moment so keep it in mind and try to keep your shields reasonably high.

Level 14: First moment of “let’s just try everything”

Alright, in this level the game pretty much decides “Let’s see how you can handle the full arsenal” and it shows. MatCens in inconvenient places, long corridors with angles just right so you can’t easily avoid missiles, enemies lunging from around the corners, … This level wants you dead in some of the most frustrating ways.

Level 15: Explosive solutions

Is it weird to call this level a bit of a breather? Like, you get a break from bullets but that break gets replaced by missiles. And by that I mean that EVERY single enemy is a medium or a red hulk. At least there’s enough room to stay clear of the blast damage or to hide behind walls.

Level 16: Chasms of hurt

Whoo boy, this one. It starts innocent enough. Like, the usual slightly mazey corridors and rooms until you reach the “crown jewel”; a room with two massive chasms which lead to the yellow key. Remember this room well because the exit room looks the same. Except there are more enemies, which are also more dangerous. And to top it all of, there are MatCens … spawning drillers … ready to turn you into swiss cheese on your way out. Seriously, the exit is brutal but … there are power-ups to save you the misery so use them wisely and you’ll be good to go.

Level 17: Sphere of relief

Yes, after the last level this one is a legit relief despite the hot start and some nastily placed drillers. The design of the level is quite neat; a spherical “cage” made of two “rings” and some branching rooms. One place this level becomes nasty though is the yellow key room. Just … remember the trifecta from the level 12? It’s that, minus the room to maneuver. At least the exit is super easy.

Level 18: Maze full of MatCens

Ugh, this nasty maze. And the start with the tons of MatCens filling the room with laser platforms. At least you don’t have to get through the starting room too many times and believe me, fusion cannon does a quick job with the crowd. Other than that though, the level is surprisingly manageable, minus the few driller moments.

Level 19: Dive into missiles

Do you like missiles? Do you like missile platforms? Yup, you’ll get your heart’s content here. And they will be in tighter spaces so you have hard time avoiding blast damage. Not to mention the level is designed to feel as if you’re “diving” into a deep excavation and both floors are cross-shaped so you’re pretty much guaranteed to end up in a crossfire. Keep well-stocked with homing missiles and smart bombs when navigating this one. Oh yeah, and then there’s the tiny maze for the red key. Small, narrow and full of enemies with missiles. Yay.

Level 20: A chase through a minefield. And the nastiest rescue.

If there’s one thing this game hasn’t pulled off yet, it’s having to chase your keys around. Yup, you’re reading this right. This level mostly consists of three relatively small rooms full of mine-laying enemies, one being coloured as the key it’s carrying. And you’re supposed to chase them while avoiding the mines and other enemies. It may not sound so bad but the rooms you’re chasing the key-carriers through are made like small mazes with tons of corners. And of course there are enemies with explosives to ruin your day.

Now, why the nastiest rescue? The hostage room is accessible from the same room where the reactor is. That wouldn’t be too bad but the room has two MatCens in it … and they spawn medium hulks … with one of the groups being the cloaked type. So while the room is big it gets tiny really quickly from all the missiles flying around, chipping relentlessly at your shields. And you have to get through this at least twice if you want to save the hostages because the trigger is at the door and at the small corridor leading to the reactor. How did I do it? I endured the first fight and after taking out the reactor I had to do a “leap of faith” similar to the S1. Made it out with barely a scratch.

Level 21: The most protected reactor

Yay, another level that feels manageable only to pull the rug from under you at the end. First, the red key room. Three MatCens with a combo of hulks, defenders and drillers. Seriously, just dive in, grab the key, get out and NEVER come back to it. It can be avoided so you should be fine. But that’s not the “main course”, oh no. That’s the reactor room. A medium-sized hall split into quarters by holes filled with lava and two MatCens spawning hulks for a good measure. The reactor itself is in the middle, locked behind doors that open on specific triggers in other small rooms so you have to do a little bit of a dance before you can take it out. So … what to do with this? Drain the MatCens first. Yes, you can do that because their spawning pool is limited. After that, the room becomes easy. Just remember to pick the correct red door to find the exit.

Now, there’s also a secret exit but this level was skipped in my Insanity playthrough because it doesn’t really bring too much. The level is a large store room with a central room filled with cloaked drillers and four cages that you can only open from the inside to get the goodies in them. Since the level is kind of meh, I decided to skip it. But don’t worry, there will be plenty more opportunities to end up like a sieve.

Level 22: Running through the firing squad

Oh, the memories. The painful painful memories of discovering the exit from this level is through a room with a MatCen that spawns cloaked drillers. By the way, it’s how the game introduces them for the first time to you. Yup, the designers really didn’t want you to leave this one without a face full of holes from depleted uranium gifts. But here’s the thing. The MatCen only triggers when entering it from the hole that leads to the exit door. This means you can enter the room easily without worry. Moreover, you don’t have to enter it at all before you actually head to the reactor so you can avoid the unnecessary risk. Otherwise, the level isn’t too hard, at least by the standards of the late game.

Level 23: Conquering the peak

This is it. This is the level where the game really throws away the gloves and pulls out its strongest cards. All the nasty enemies, all the frustrating tricks and one more ace that was hiding in the sleeve; monster closets at the exit path that open once you reach the reactor to stop you cold when trying to run away. And they’re not going easy. Drillers, red hulks, plasma drillers … all the nastiest stuff. If you conquer this level, you pretty much win the game because this is the peak.

Level 24: A welcome breather

Whoo boy, I can’t believe I’m calling this level a breather. Yes, it’s late in the game. Yes, it has the nastiest enemies but it feels like you’re not thrown to the wolves anymore. Sure, there are still few ugly moments but nothing unexpected and at this time you probably adapted you playstyle enough so the traps can’t surprise you. And at this point the levels can’t really pull off anything surprising. So just stay vigilant and if you don’t have to cross any MatCens take a safe path.

Level S3: Let’s repeat L14 but with actually everything

Remember when I said the level 14 throws all the tricks at you? S3 does it again but with a full enemy roster. Seriously, there’s pretty much every enemy in the game at least once. And whoo boy the exit covered in MatCens to make the escape miserable. Well, not really because it takes time for the spawned in enemies to fully wake up and my that time you’re going to be out of the level anyway. It’s really not as difficult as it may feel.

Levels 25 and 26: The final stretch

Here we go, the final stretch. Not much else to say here because while the game doesn’t go easy on you, you’ve already seen it all so it’s just about punching through the walls. And that wall may consist of a fleet of fusion hulks ready to delete your existence 3 times over :p

Level 27: The end

Here we go, the final showdown. Trust me, getting to the boss is still an exercise of patience since there are quite a few nasty traps but nothing to really surprise you. Ok, maybe the storage room with the red key full of cloaked hulks >:3 For the final battle, save your invulnerability power-ups and chase the boss around, unloading all the damage you can do before it teleports around. Ignore all the enemies that spawn in and well, try to handle to huge amounts of shaking from the mega missiles. Once the boss is in the death throes, grab an invulnerability or cloak for a good measure and soar towards victory.

And that’s it. That’s my journey through the game that is part of my childhood and that took me almost three decades not just to beat but stomp it to the ground. The final run took me slightly over 7 and a half hours and many many reloads due to my impatience. It also taught me some new things and broke some myths I’ve been living in (Yes, Rawi, the fusion cannon is actually good, don’t sleep on it). But now that this journey is over, what’s next? The second game? Some other gaming challenge? Who knows …

R.R.A.