For the last four years, the hottest mapping event in the retro FPS scene has been the Quake Brutalist Jam. Here, mapmakers enthralled by id Software’s 1996 shooter have gathered to honour architecture’s moodiest style, constructing levels designed to evoke its austere, concrete minimalism.
The first Brutalist Jam occurred in 2022, spawning 35 maps that were bundled together and released as a single mod. A second Brutalist Jam took place the following year, producing 30 more delightfully grey, angular constructions to blast your way through.
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Arcane DimensionsThe Jam’s organiser, who goes by Makkon, provided the final count earlier this week. The 75 maps include 43 “main” maps, 18 new faces maps, and 14 miscellaneous maps. However, it might be a while before we get to play the results, as it’s now upon Makkon to join all these maps together in a playable hub.
This is a tradition that harks back to the original Quake, featuring in many other multi-map mod projects like Arcane Dimensions. But creating such a hub for 75 maps is a huge lift. Some members of the community have suggested splitting the Jam into multiple releases. But Makkon is committed to releasing it as a single package, noting, “This is going to be an insane challenge.”
If you want to get a sense of what Brutalist Jam 3 might include, you can download the introductory map created by Makkon, designed to showcase the features of the Jam. While made for instructional purposes, it’s still a decently sized map, letting you try out the new weapons in a bespoke shooting gallery before battling the new enemies across a more traditional FPS level.
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