The '90s was a decade-long blitz of out-there marketing campaigns, lads mags, and PlayStation; rich experimentation with the polygon and a concerted effort to push the boundaries of bad taste. Rise of The Triad, based on a modified version of ID’s Wolfenstein engine, was initially pitched as a sequel before becoming a standalone PC title in 1995. Developed by Apogee Software (which became 3D Realms), this 'Ludicrous Edition' is handled by Nightdive Studios, who has a solid track record in remastering classic PC titles.
Rise of the Triad follows H.U.N.T, a crack UN covert team tasked with infiltrating San Nicolas Island to stop a strange, Nazi-esque cult from launching nukes at Los Angeles. While your team, a band of operatives with different properties in speed, firepower, and strength, are typically fashioned, the game itself is a bizarre, otherworldly romp through maze-like stages littered with the dark and bizarre, abstract and insane, peppered with occult motifs and oddly futuristic apparatus.
Bricked towers stand tall and ominous, craning toward black skies; pillars of flame burst from the ground and fireballs streak across courtyards; magical shifting columns threaten to crush anything in their path; spinning pylons bristling with spikes form chicanes to needle through; floating cylindrical platforms hang in the air, leading to bonuses, secrets, and high-powered weaponry. Health-replenishing food comes in the form of ‘priest porridge’ and ‘monk meal’, often found by destroying giant urns or candelabra.
And your enemy, a ‘cult’ boasting an impressive military arsenal, are essentially Nazis from a different time period, dressed in trench coats and SS uniforms. Their leader, a cloaked shaman known as El Oscuro, shouts "Eat your veggies" at you in Latin while flinging fireballs. And, should you find the Excalibat, you'll be privy to a green glowing baseball bat infused with Oscuro's own power.
This mayhem firmly belongs to the irreverent era in which it was born, one shared with the likes of Earthworm Jim and Sega's Cyber Razor Cuts. Marginally predating 3D Realms’ own Duke Nukem, Triad plays up the pulp and strides so boldly into the madcap that its tonal inconsistencies teeter on jarring. You can even, like, trip out on mushrooms, man.
Though tame by today's standards of freewheeling ultraviolence, Triad's Mortal Kombat-esque blood sprays were notable in the '90s, throwing out humourous “ludicrous gibs” messages when you use Drunk Missiles to explode groups of enemies. Should your foe marginally escape mortal wounding, too, they drop to their knees and beg for their lives.
Jump pads bounce you to lofty heights and across massive distances, and digging around various nooks reaps power-ups that bestow flight, allowing you to hit the extremity of the map’s ceiling while taking aim at assailants below. Elsewhere, God power grants you the ability to shoot a flurry of homing magic from your bare palm, causing Nazis to vaporise in a black void.
Perhaps the most infamous of transformations is Dog mode, obtained by collecting a magical bone. This turns you into an invincible canine that can either aggressively maul the hell out of enemies or fire the 'Barkblast': a chargeable shockwave that makes short work of anything caught in its path. Dog mode's brief 30-second window, though, can be used to reach otherwise inaccessible secret areas, making its usage more about discovery than attack, at least in one-player games.
And, speaking of secrets, Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition’s five different campaigns are absolutely littered with them. Hidden touchpad areas, moving walls, floor pressure points, and obstacles to leap are everywhere, usually rewarding you with high-powered weaponry that turns enemies to mush, should you take the time to seek them out.
What Rise of the Triad did for the FPS back in 1995 was, at the very least, highly creative. Its base weaponry, including twin pistols and machine guns, has unlimited ammo; and, while the larger firearms, bazookas, and missile launchers have a finite supply of shells, they’re still generously plentiful, as are the range of screen-clearing explosives. Triad leans into its carnage, making for an action-oriented affair where you rarely need to worry about conservation. As well as regular exchanges of gunfire, enemies can catch you in things like netting, requiring you to wiggle the controls to break free. It plays cleverly with the verticality of stages, utilising air and overhead areas to build intricate, if ultimately linear, maps, that present the key-collecting format in a new way.
This remaster includes absolutely everything Rise of the Triad ever had, collecting every pre-existing expansion and throwing in an entirely new episode by the original designers. This new addition feels even more inventive and tautly assembled than the classic maps, and on its own will be enough to justify a purchase for fans. There are also achievements to be had, adjustable difficulties across the board, and the options menu contains just about every tweak one could imagine, allowing you to revert things like item drop regularity and enemy health elements to their original states, or swap out one superb blistering soundtrack for another, including that of the 2013 re-release. Personally, we didn’t like the default gyroscope aiming in handheld mode, but it can easily be switched off.
Running at a smooth and unbroken 60fps in as high a definition as the Switch can muster, and absolutely crammed with content, it's clearly the definitive version of the game. It also features a huge online multiplayer aspect, with original maps and capture campaigns for up to 11 players. For many, this will be the package highlight.
So, wherein lies the rub? Well, despite its modern polish and host of trinkets, it remains undeniably dated. It moves almost too quickly, making navigating hovering platforms precarious and fiddly, and combat somewhat fraught. The difficulty varies wildly, too, with some stages being an absolute nightmare to get through, while others are a breeze. Discovering secret weaponry often remedies this, but not always, and certain campaigns have more of an unevenness than others.
Visually, too, it takes some adjustment, even in its high definition, with the labyrinthine nature of its layout occasionally confusing, requiring you to understand its vertical opportunities and what constitutes a door, a pressure pad, a tunnel, or a path. The combat reaches high points when there are tons of enemies on-screen and you’re packing something devastating with which to eviscerate them, but lest you crank the difficulty to something stupid it will take a while before you're barnstorming the stronghold in a blaze of glory. It also takes some time to adjust to the basic combat crosshair element, popping away at little distant sprites and hoping their invisible bullets don’t eat too much of your health.
Somehow, it's a game that, despite all of its creative flair, doesn't feel as fresh to play as Doom does today. That could be because of Apogee's design ethos, the more haphazard nature of their stage layouts, or simply that it was looking to emulate the feel of Wolfenstein, Doom's precursor. Regardless, for those committed to playing it well, there are plenty of adrenaline-fuelled highlights to be had — just be warned that an adjustment process precedes them.
Conclusion
Existing fans will feel so well served by this release that there needn’t be any hesitation in picking it up. Those dipping their toes for the first time should know that it operates in a way that has aged differently to other classic first-person shooters. Whereas Doom's combat and fluidity remain free and immediate, its axis of movement more realistic and its stage layouts more controlled, Rise of the Triad functions around its own, unique design parameters, where violence and abstraction reign supreme. Learn its maps, the versatility of its weaponry, and how to make best use of its playground elements, and there’s a game here with the capacity to enthrall.
Comments 27
Disappointing the hear the controls haven't been brought up to new standards. Considering that's an essential component of shooters.
Surprising to hear this is the case from Nightdive and New Blood. I hope they aren't slipping.
I loved how when you activate god mode not only are you invulnerable, it also makes you about 20 feet tall as well!
May pick this up during a sale.
@LadyCharlie
i feel as though twin stick controls are worse today in general than they were in, for example, time splitters 2 on ps2.
i most recently noticed it with quake on switch. whereas TS2 felt very 1:1 direct, modern twin stick games to me feel almost drive-by-wire, like the game responds with what "it thinks" im trying to do, rather than what im "actually doing."
i actually feel this way about fzero99, and just random new games, and its a way i never felt before playing games. as though its a new idea about how analog controls should work in the minds of developers, and i dont like it. not necessarily game ruining, but just a little less joy for me.
anyway. I always look forward to your comments and i thought you might have an opinion on this. ✌️
It's hard to convert the controls when this game and others of its time were meant for the arrow keys and space bar on a keyboard. That being said, I played the PC version a few weeks ago and it felt OK with WASD and mouse, albeit look movement with the mouse feels superfluous.
This is one of my favourite FPS, but it has undeniably dated somewhat. Good review! Hoping to see the like of Hexen and Heretic brought back at some point.
I remember having a lot of fun with this back in the day (I think this is the game that introduced "exploding gibs" mode) but it does look awfully dated and I'm not sure if I'd want to play through the entire thing again. I may pick it up on sale at some point though as it does look like it could still be a lot of fun if you're in the right mindset.
@-wc-
Timesplitters 2 (on GameCube) is probably my all-time favourite FPS. TS3 was probably the better game (and definitely had a stronger story mode) but the challenge modes in 2, the massive amount of unlockable characters and the sheer sense of fun hasn't been bettered.
Ride of the Triad is much more fun if you grew up with those old shooters. It's practically satire. I love it, but its not like I don't get it if you look at it like a relic.
RotT is definitely an acquired taste, but recommended regardless. You can feel the passion these devs made with a super-jacked version of the WOLFENSTEIN 3D ENGINE (!), and through the OST which rivals the likes of the best you heard on consoles at the time. To paraphrase Civvie, the OST is Symphony of the Night/Mega Man X levels of good.
Nothing quite like seeing that severed animated eyeball fall down the side of the screen after a bazooka blast!
@Woderwick
yeah, same. I played the GC one alot, too, and it was just as good save perhaps for a slightly less appropriate controller (though i love the GC con in general)
everything you said about it (in fact id forgotten about the EXCELLENT challenge mode, my god!) plus the best 4p split screen multiplayer mode ever (its like Goldeneye without the license holding it back) 👍
Half life is the only other FPS series that has given me that level of joy, and they are so different that im happy to just have two favorites.
cheers ✌️
@-wc-
Half-life is a stonkingly good shooter. I remember even the opening sequence where you're fully in control of your character felt like a massive thing when I first played it. And the weapon models were so tight it was probably the first shooter I played that didn't feel like an arcade game with prop guns.
I'd also forgotten how much fun TS2 was in split screen multiplayer. Me and my mates poured hours into that. And yeah, the Goldeneye lineage was clearly there but I think TS2 is the better game. The whole thing suited my sense of humour so much more.
The same team did another much underrated game, Second Sight. Totally different atmosphere but decent gameplay and it's one of the few games I've played that I'd consider having a well constructed plot.
All of these classic pc games! And all I'm asking for is Jazz Jackrabbit!
Jokes aside, I played Rise of the Triad back in the days and loved it BECAUSE it's insane and over the top and fast and doesn't make any kind of sense. I might give this a go honestly.
Shadow Warriors remastered with 60 fps and weapon and item wheels next, please.
I used to play this a lot in the late 90's. I had absolutely no idea what the game was about but enjoyed it none the less. The stage design was/is pretty weird and can feel fan-made at times. Crazy game and a significant part of my gaming history.
Also, "It moves almost too quickly" is the entire point. That isn't "dated controls," that's the entire boomer shooter genre; fast movement and fun, not slow and plodding. See also: Amid Evil and Dusk.
@shgamer Shadow Warrior has already been remastered, it was called the Classic Redux. It's only on PC though, I would like to see it ported over to consoles.
@mlt Jazz Jackrabbit and Blake Stone for me 👌
@JayJ Yeah, I know, I own it for my Steam Deck. Sadly it's not optimized well for controller. It (and Duke Nukem 3D) needs versions with item and weapon wheels badly imo.
Doom all over again....it would be good if this had a Physical release. Guess, LRG will do that if time comes.
The original 1995 game made IGN's "Top 100 First-Person Shooters" list (which was published about a decade ago).
@-wc- These "assists" may be there to level the playing field, since online multiplayer has become a thing since the Gamecube days.
But, yeah, TS2 remains a brilliant game. (Although TS3 is the one I still play regularly.) That campy soundtrack from the Mexican Mission level really sells it for me.
Multiplayer? What multiplayer? Just bought and downloaded this. I've been waiting for this to release, waited through the delay, all so I could play some ROTT with buddies, and zero multiplayer. Unless I'm missing something, multiplayer only seems to be available on PC. Super disappointing.
@SwitchForce LRG will be doing a physical release. It was announced during their show a few months ago.
I still need to pick this up on Steam. Hope the controls are good on an Xbox controller.
@axelhander Amid Evil is so much fun. I've been playing it little by little since August. I've gotten through 3 different worlds and am nearing the end of the fourth one. I'm waiting for Graven, Wraith and several others to come our of early access before I get then. Definitely check out Postal: Brain Damaged on Steam. I've been having a ton of fun with it since last week.
As with many retro shooter remasters (though not the excellent Quake-releases) this one sadly lacks split-screen multiplayer. I really hope they will add that in a future patch, because this really sounds like a game that would be awesome to play that way. Elbows allowed and ghosting is part of the deal.
I love games like this. I can't wait to try it out.
Tap here to load 27 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...