ROAD TO HADES - DEAN OF DOOM: THE LOST EPISODES

Welcome to The Lost Episodes of Dean of Doom, where we explore the Doom community’s deepest reaches. Today’s episode will be dedicated to Road to Hades, a Boom-compatible solo megawad for TNT: Evilution and the mapping debut of Rose Holmes. I downloaded Road to Hades expecting to get a half-hour of mild nostalgia before moving on to something else, but it cast a spell on me. The first half charms you with home brewed homages to TNT, approachable difficulty, and a few clever flourishes, but this is just the rollercoaster’s uphill climb. Road to Hades doesn’t defy expectations, it strips you of the ability to develop them: one-man megawads can sometimes be smothered by a lack of ideas or redundant delivery, but Road to Hades continually reinvents itself, delights in its own creation, and lovingly salutes its influences. As a TNT fan, I am as partial to weird ideas and gimmicks as I am tolerant of their less-than-perfect execution: Road to Hades lacks triple-A sheen, but it breathes, and it seems like it was a lot of fun to make. The vicarious joy I got from it helped get me out of a months-long period of indifference towards Doom, so I decided to write this video as a way of saying thanks. Lost Episodes are geared towards Doom superfans who most likely know about this show already. Also, Lost Episodes are not obliged to Dean of Doom rules, but today we will keep them intact.
Intro music credit: "Guardian Angel Loses Their Will" by msx2plus
LINK TO THE WAD:
www.doomworld....
Patreon:
/ mtpain27

[@roseholmes9507]

Thank you so much, getting this notification made my day :D You did a great job of commenting on the maps, I only have 2 things to add: - You're right about map 29 being made early on (I think when I was also making map 05). Honestly I should've just scrapped the whole map, but I had committed myself to releasing on the 17th June (Final Doom's birthday) so I didn't have the time :( - also you aren't supposed to be able to explore outside at the start of map 15, I just forgot to make one linedef impassable :p

[@asabovesobelow1362]

Nice wad bro.

[@Counter-Chicken]

This wad looks so creative, I wish I had your imagination. You go girl, keep on mapping! :)

[@GoodOleDFT]

Thank you for the wad, Rose! Even leaving aside its contribution to re-lighting the Professor's volcano, the creativity on display is absolutely lovely. And one thing I've noticed: did you only use stock TNT textures for this? Wow.

[@thepulle4722]

I will say the Doom 3 slander was pretty uncalled for, great looking WAD otherwise!

[@killswitchfate]

it’s such a pretty wad i love it. actually this is probably the best i’ve ever seen so far, but i still need to investigate A LOT of them. cant believe it’s better than japanese community mod but it is. unbelievable.. wait, isn’t that a FF6 song on map23????

[@fomxoo]

I would like to point out that Map 26: "Ship of Morons" is similar to the ULTRAKILL level "Ship of Fools", both in concept and both include the ship-turning-upside-down gimmick

[@GurminderSingh-ux8fc]

Yeah true

[@Counter-Chicken]

Steal like an artist

[@theprettydamned]

Sorry to hear you've had doom indifference, but I'm so glad you found something that sparked joy. Love your videos, and I'm now a total doom convert because of you, decino, coincident and vytaan.

[@DJNeon-C1990]

honestly a "lost episodes" series is quite interesting of a concept, ive got to give it to ya. allows for the discovery of some hidden gems! also i cant resist asking, even though im certain you already heard this exact question a thousand times over, but have you tried Legacy of Rust, the new official expansion yet?, and if so hows it been treating ya

[@NKWittmann]

He's probably working on it, but if he pistol starts every map and plays through each twice it can take some time 😳

[@alexmiller7380]

I’ve waited so long thank goodness ❤

[@_antares031]

Ahaha, that secret easter egg from MAP27 was so adorable! It gave me a big smile, when I saw it from the video. 😄😄 It's really nice to see a full megawad with some unique & unforgettable moments. Thank you very much for this lost episode. I've never thought to enjoy Doom 2's 30th anniversary with an Evilution-based megawad.

[@SkorpyoTFC]

The tiny Mt. Pain model in the classroom easter egg is an adorable touch.

[@danieldominguez3926]

Love how this new series opens the gateway for you to explore more obscure releases, highly recommend Dystopia 3 and Demonfear although you probably knew about them already.

[@lhfirex]

MtPain is like if my English teacher were into Doom instead of stuffy old novels by 17th century British nobles. That's a compliment!

[@hobes6845]

Track down BPRD and get him on your show!

[@314rft]

And make him meet the Delinquent.

[@bingbong_117]

Funny that you uploaded. I was thinking to myself literally yesterday “Man, now that Dean of Doom is over, I probably won’t see MtPain upload for at least a couple of months.” Lo and behold a new Dean of Doom

[@TheIcarusGuy]

Wow, that map 24... you could say that were enough lost souls to clog an emu? . . . . . For real now though, blessed to have another episode, great as always ❤

[@protostar5946]

Ayo, so good to have you back, professor! Oh right, there's a brand new *official* expansion that was released last August, called *Legacy of Rust,* created by employees of ID Software, Nightdive Studios, AND Machine Games. Any chance we could get a lecture on it? I've *already* heard great things about it, and you're gonna LOVE the ending!!! ;)

[@DOOMenstein12]

Okay, this'll keep my fear of the end of Dean of DOOM at bay for just a little longer, knowing that you'll be doing things outside of the scheduled programming lol. Great to see another video!

[@Szpagin]

This wad looks like something the TNT detractor in me would drop after the first couple of maps, without realising what I'm missing later. Thanks a lot for showcasing it in full.

[@MetaSarcasm]

The easter egg made for you omg it's so cuteeeeeeee

[@danielja1832]

I actually kind of dig the standard texture pack when it's used to render huge architecture such as in Tech Base Babel. You would expect that kind of thing from a Sunder or an Eviternity, but you don't see that kind of thing from more traditional sets. Makes it seem more impressive somehow. Abscission did the same thing very well. Keep up the good work Dean.

[@GoodOleDFT]

It's very cool to see because in the IWADs and old mapsets that only used these textures for lack of options, there were no builds of the scale and nuanced mapping knowledge that we see here. It strikes as both new and retro.

[@rhysanderson4657]

im a simple woman mtpain releases a video, i watch it

[@asabovesobelow1362]

>Woman

[@0Lamp13]

​@@asabovesobelow1362you have a problem with us "male"?

[@tehaj]

based, me too but guy version

[@grapejuice237]

@@0Lamp13 What did he say? I can't see his comment for some reason...

[@Counter-Chicken]

​@@grapejuice237 he said ">woman", literally just incel whinging

[@DoomGappy1994]

Amazing episode, your writing is always on point. Thank you for the video, and I can assure you that we will be working on a special type of Archvile that can ressurect the delinquent soon enough!!!

[@NerfPlayeR135]

Should've crushed him. (If a Pain Elemental is crushed to death, it leaves a corpse and can be resurrected.)

[@db257c]

Oh... oh my hello! You are not dead! edit: ahahah yeah I watched stxvile play *that map* with lost souls. There is an optimal route but it is *very* blind unfriendly. I'm unsurprised you had to do multiple restarts. I hadn't seen 30 and about pissed myself laughing. It's right up there with Nostalgia 2 and AUGER;ZENITH for favorite map 30s for me.

[@sleazye7638]

You know what's funny? Yesterday out of the blue I thought to myself "I wonder what the Dean's up to rn" and watched a bunch of old videos. Perfect timing haha

[@DoomKid]

7:40 it stuns me how rare that is!! 10:25 Dean of Duke spotted 11:30 this MIDI makes me miss / want to DM instantly (Man, I have to leave this morning, but will watch the second half soon)

[@sozhran]

11:05 also counts as an Italo Doom reference (Racist Police Force)

[@RealChaosSmurf]

"Risaster Area" really got me, both your delivery and its place in the map

[@whatsacowify]

I tried this and stopped a few maps in assuming it wouldn't be for me as straight homages to the IWADS are rarely my bag - unless a mapper I am already fond of is attached. However, seeing the wildly creative heights this wad climbs to in the middle third and beyond has launched it firmly into must play territory. Thanks for that. Also nice to have you back. I've been in a bit of a doom rut myself (both playing and mapping) so it's neat to have someone sharing the passion for it.

[@lennyface5314]

Did not expect 18,19 and 20 to be legitimately cinematic (especially 19, I expected at least Salutatorian!), just to slam headfirst into a majestically crafted mess.

[@GoodOleDFT]

Welcome back, Professor! ❤ It's been a bit, but all I can say is I hope it was long enough for you to get some respite from - and refresh for - Doom content. Apathy towards previously-loved subjects is a sandy pit (heh) that's hard to climb out of. Talk about a master class of a beginner wad. Rose has ideas and the skill to realise most of them. Only lack of time until release (to match Final Doom's release anniversary) seems to have gummed her gears. And I'm with you on prizing novelty in themes and tongue in cheek gameplay design over a constance of sharply orchestrated combat puzzles. Difficulty is like spiciness: after some time your tongue is so burnt that going further up the scale only inflames your guts, and by then it's not worth the price of admission. No idea what the future brings for the channel or even if we will have an academic year again, but as long as you're content with your content, I wish you happy trails nonetheless.

[@randybutternubs1209]

The hostility towards my beloved DOOM 3 is disheartening but outside of that this WAD looks like a blast and I’m now eager to try it out

[@Aznator06]

Dude thank you for still making this series. Peak Doom content.

[@onepureturtle]

MAP24: When all you have is Lost Souls, everything looks like Doomguy

[@whyimhere1509]

welcome back, missed your content

[@Runie549]

Yeah as someone who has gotten tired of... well, certain gameplay trends a lot of fan wads have overused, er, over the years, I feel you on that "Doom indifference." But I'm so glad you're back! These videos are always a joy to watch thanks to your specific review style :D

[@Cynidecia]

I love skyboxes that show space/stars. Any megawads that have those gets a plus in my book.

[@Zieleslaw]

MIDI from Italo Doom's "Warning Bonanza" is very fitting for MAP24 :) . Awesome creativity and references in this WAD, especially in music choice - and I'm not even a TNT fan! You know how to sell me another WAD to play, Dean, and I appreciate it greatly.

[@zomnibot]

Thanks for covering this one! It's probably my favorite WAD of the year, and maybe my favorite TNT replacement ever. My first thought after passing the midway point? "The Dean would absolutely love this."

[@BassSlapper89]

Bro, I went on a binge yesterday, watching your videos. And what a surprise, I got a Mtpain27 notification! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@distroya_]

It's always a good day when MtPain posts a new video ❤ Also, in relation to the wad, that's probably the most creative way I've seen an icon of sin level be implemented. Absolutely love it. Brilliant work, Rose ❤

[@generalroasterock8114]

Feels like you've struck a good balance on that "one for thee, one for me" front, but I'm happy to see your approach to the continuously growing pile of Doom evolve. TNT as an inspiration is a wonderful excuse to get create with set dressing and story as a new mapper, and I still stand firm with it being my favorite aspect of the whole of Final Doom. Great video as always.

[@ASLB247]

1st. Hope you had a good break, man. 2nd. I’m into this new show idea. Like a sort of “Hidden gem” special for the main show. 3rd. I might just put a pin in this megawad. Even as someone who’s not necessarily the biggest evilution fan (though it’s become a bit of a guilty pleasure), I can’t help but admire some of the effort on display here. Map 18 alone kind of invokes a LunchX4 vibe that is really admirable for a mapper’s debut, and that Map 27 Easter egg is legit one of the most wholesome things I’ve seen in doom in a long time. Really shows how much of a mark you left in this community, man.

[@killswitchfate]

whoa! this pack is really good !!

[@tonyd6665]

Always nice to see a video from you, old friend. Hope life is treating you okay. If not, hang in there, it’ll get better.

[@Rspookster]

First Dean Of Doom episode I was able to bear witness to right when it came out. I'm glad I took the time out of my day to watch! These always make me giddy and make me all the more encouraged to play more Doom! ❤

[@Emperor_SPOON]

Never heard of this wad before, but I guess I have now. Man, there's so many wads, let alone games, out there to play. I don't know if I can play them all, but I thank you, Mtpain27, for at least shedding light on the ones I miss. Good to hear that they're getting the love and appreciation they earned. See you all at the Halloween special!

[@HennerzLennerz]

Another showcase of a new impressive mapper! Sometimes the best ideas come from the new and unrestrained from expectations based on previous works, and this WAD proves that point completely. Top shelf stuff Rose!

[@Fargoth_Ur]

LOOKS LIKE TNT'S BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!

[@lyonsrobbie999]

The WAD and the video are both delightful surprises!

[@TarosTheVoid]

Return of the Dean

[@protostar5946]

Ah yes. The Return of the King.

[@desertwandererx2]

Glad to see more Dean of Doom, one of my favorite Doom series.

[@Cynidecia]

Have you ever looked at DBzone?

[@asabovesobelow1362]

Epic.

[@ItsTheFizz]

Best of luck Pistol-Starting the Legacy of Rust...

[@GoodOleDFT]

Secrets, secrets, secrets. We've seen LoR's design formula in Sigil 1 already.

[@GurminderSingh-ux8fc]

Holy shit man this is amazing video man

[@Deepslash03]

More MtPain with a TNT style wads, hell yeah! I finally sat down and played TNT for the first time a while back, maybe like a year or so ago because I realized I had never finished any of the IWADs and I had a pretty fun time with it, even though I had played newer stuff that is "objectively better." I'm kinda interested in checking out newer TNT inspired wads but I kinda have trouble with the difficulty of newer doom stuff so I've been put off by it a bit lmao.

[@BatootisDaruutis]

That shock of dopamine every time I get a notification about a new Dean of Doom episode, very dope. TnT nostalgia is a double win, too.

[@WW-zt1zs]

I am thankful for your continued willingness to make Dean of Doom Episodes for years and putting them out there with great care.

[@Verstallron24]

I honestly thought this was an unreleased Dean of Doom episode (due to the words "The Lost Episodes" in the title). However, I like the concept of this potential spinoff for Dean of Doom. Hope to see more of this :) Road to Hades seems like a solid wad overall, although I do wish it had a more consistent tone; On one hand, you have gloomy and wicked(ish) maps like Deaf, Dumb, and Blind and on the other hand, there's maps like Bags of Bones, where the tone is rather goofy and silly. Other than that, the aesthetics for some of these maps were appealing, especially the second half of the wad. Rose did a good job on creating this wad, additional points for creating the maps alone. As for your Doom indifference, it's relatable. I tend to find myself distracted with other things that stole Doom's spotlight (and Boomer Shooters in general). Hopefully this, alongside a few other Doom WADs, could help me spark back the joy of Doom i had in the past. Also, I was wondering if you have any plans for Legacy of Rust in a future Dean of Doom episode, perhaps for Season 4. The expansion itself looks rather exquisite, albeit I haven't touch it yet, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

[@59squares]

Welcome back king

[@eduardodiaz9942]

The Doom community's "deepest reaches", eh? Don't think we don't know what you did there. And yeah, not versed on TNT megawads, so this one went totally under the radar.

[@vibesplaneoverflow-bz1xy]

holy FUCK, THE WARRIOR PROFESSOR RETURNS. Edit 1: Love this format. For fans of the show and doom, showing off something obscure and different. Also takes off pressure for "nailing" popular releases. Great episode. If we need to wait 6 months (or more) for the next, we'll be here. ❤

[@JangianTV]

Wahey - he's returned!! Legacy of Rust review when? 😜

[@GoodOleDFT]

Probably a hot minute after Eviternity II, if he gets around to it.

[@JangianTV]

@@GoodOleDFT Everything in good time. Just glad to see our favourite Dean back. 😊

[@Dark_Asylan]

Legacy of rust video "when it's done."

[@DeadlyOre]

Man I've been missing this show! After watching the graduation video I thought "enough waiting" and decided to try mapping for the RAMP 2024 community project, which I made 2 maps for (79 and 204) and thoroughly enjoyed, even if the learning curve was tough. Your show is the reason I wanted to try it for so long, yes I understand you weren't the one to make these wads, but your coverage of them is the reason I've even heard of 90% of what I have, and the way you talk about them with amazing writing is so captivating and I really do want to make more stuff for people to enjoy. I've been lacking a creative outlet lately. This is yet another wad I need to play that I would've never found without you, thank you!

[@J_Cadaverous]

Hoping we get a "Legacy of Rust" video, sometime.

[@tjg121389]

I saw this one get released, but haven't played it myself. I'm still kinda in a Doom rut, tho I did just play through Portraits of Doom and am currently doing the new added difficulty in Eviternity 2. This WAD does look interesting, so once I get out of the rut fully, I'll give this one a shot. A lot of the maps seem to have this melancholy feel to them. Especially the ones that pair dark environments with the more subdued MIDIs. It's an uncommon direction for a WAD.

[@594613]

Frick yeah, the wait paid off. Great video, man, both in terms of subject matter and your analysis of it. I'm not even a huge fan of TNT, but this wad looks interesting.

[@kakhome1]

A nice surprise! Definitely still no shortage of interesting wads out there, hoping for an October spooktakular as well (Alcaraz and the last two Wormwood's make my personal wishlist)...regardless, those ones are always highlights 😀

[@luketc500]

Great Episode! It's always nice to find a wad that can rekindle one's love of DOOM. I go in phases with DOOM too. I'll lose interest for months and then some brilliant wad will pull me back in. Most recently, that wad has been Eviternity 2. I'd love to hear the Dean's thoughts on that one.

[@railgunrenegade5275]

Welcome back, good sir. Have you finished the Legacy of Rust expansion? What did you think of it?

[@FireSeraphim]

I been watching your show for over six months now and I enjoy your videos, sometimes I rewatch your older episodes. I don't know what you'll cover next but I'm wondering if I couldn't convince you to check out The Edge of Time, a partial conversion of mine that I've recently finished. Some of the gameplay elements and the fact that it requires GZDoom might be outside your wheelhouse but I think you would enjoy it once you gave it a chance and perhaps play a few maps of it.

[@yoya8373]

So how do you define "the Doom community’s deepest reaches"? By that you mean mapsets that most people are not familiar with?

[@thefarter9659]

This may sound odd to say but i actually really liked how you sounded more down to earth and genuine with this episode, especially at the start. You're one of the only youtubers i know who *actually* cares for the more obscure wads and doesn't write them off as outdated or unenjoyable just cause they don't have super high quality textures/geometry.

[@timsweeney9283]

Great vid mate, enjoyable as always. A pleasure to have something new from you.

[@nameless5413]

oh boy whole map of delinquents... and that summoned a cameo from "totaly not real delinquent but a lookalike soundalike actor"

[@manniacc2681]

Oh nice! I saw that you commented on this wad's Doomworld thread, and thought you might cover it at some point, quite pleasantly surprised to see you do it so soon.

[@ivy_magnapinna]

Rose Holmes is a great addition to the list of transfem/queer fem creators in the doom scene right now, it makes me happy to see other mappers like me with such unique and varied styles

[@Counter-Chicken]

@@ivy_magnapinna There are so many of us! It's crazy and I still don't really understand why. I remember coming back to Doomworld in like 2022-ish after a hiatus of some years and so many oldheads had come out

[@ivy_magnapinna]

@@Counter-Chicken a queer fem community project in the same vein as JPCP feels in order, maybe someone will be up for organizing that one day

[@arieldreemurr6284]

Finding out that Rose is transfem explains the Ultrakill reference lmao

[@soldier_guy_1]

I wonder if the "flesh-forklifts" are alive, if they are, would that mean that doom and the cars movie exist in the same universe?

[@Doomguy0623]

Welcome Back Dean! Hope you’re doing well

[@lemsylennair1030]

Great video, also great to see you back and with a WAD unfamiliar to me to boot. Will have to check this out

[@AgainstTheeWickedlyMusic]

After a long night of doing homework at college, I came home, cracked a delicious coffee stout, and put this video on, which I had been waiting to watch til I had the proper time. I'm not done with the video yet, but I'm loving this WAD, and getting really curious about playing it myself. I have a soft spot for surrealism, so the imagery is selling me, and your always excellent commentary is only reinforcing that feeling. It's about time I get back into Doom again, too. Thank you, Mt. Pain, for the consistently great content 🤘

[@314rft]

Sorry for the second comment, but I see Rose beat me to the punch with having a map 24 be nothing but Delinquents, er I mean Pain Elementals.

[@mikemerrick8226]

What a pleasant surprise this was. Glad to see you back and doing well, my guy.

[@TheLegendaryEevee]

And this is what has me pumped for season 4. Your editing just gets better and better every year phenomenal job my friend. I shouted out your Channel (promotion) on my Suspension video yesterday so hopefully this year will be the largest yet for you my friend 🤜😉😎

[@Skuttie]

TNT if it was good

[@OfficeHyena]

Love you bro. Only watched the first minute but always appreciate the little bits of atmosphere you create with the rooms you create to set the scene, so well done

[@kylegrefe4399]

I checked in on the channel for updates last week, and now here this is. Funny how that works.

[@childofthe80s1981]

The Doom community missed you MtPain27 welcome back

[@nickxcom]

Glad to see you back ❤ great video as always! Gonna have to check this wad out

[@tehaj]

Welcome back MtPain, super glad to have you. Hope to hear your thoughts on Legacy of Rust soon

[@whossubi]

What a treat

[@theshep]

Beautiful. Another knockout episode. Thank you.

[@novaseer]

23:33 good to know I'm not the only one who serially rockets lost souls

[@St00rt]

Welcome back man, you've been missed!

[@AlexEightch]

Oh my goodness it’s here Good thing you found the episodes!

[@ayahuascamaharaja]

Yesss new video from dean of doom, we are so back guys

[@RUTAS3292]

Bro, the new MtPain just dropped.

[@maazwaseem8313]

Damn never thought I'd be so early to new DoD 🔥

[@shakes5847]

Brooooooooooo! Always happy to see this in the queue!!!

[@SinCity2100]

26:04 Decino would enjoy these platform challenge

[@jimboanimations4041]

MtPain27 is the single anchor to my interest and fascination to classic Doom.

[@killswitchfate]

🙏🏻