Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition – Stuck in the Past (PC)

Back in the ’90s, shareware titles were all the rage on PC. Rise of the Triad was one such title that attempted to mimic the success of Doom from a year prior. Developed by Apogee, Rise of the Triad sold moderately well, but in the end it was just an imitator and faded into obscurity. Between all of the rocket launchers and exploding body parts, it was simply a shadow of its desire – the younger cousin of id Software’s mega hit. Can Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition cement itself as a true classic? Well, the answer is complicated, but probably not.

With the announcement of Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition, memories came flooding back. I realized that I played this game all those years ago on my parents PC. I distinctly remember huddling in the corner of the room with the computer, hoping they wouldn’t see the bloody appendages drip down the screen. This new Ludicrous Edition remaster adds more levels, more content, and more overall features to the Rise of the Triad package. It’s everything you liked, and everything you didn’t like, about the game, along with some fancy new options to run on modern computer hardware. However, while I played through this for the first time in probably 20 years, I was constantly reminded – bandaids don’t fix bullet holes. There are more fundamental problems with Rise of the Triad that hamper the experience.

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles for $19.99.

Story: Why Is It Always a Cult?

Rise of the Triad begins with a group of elite, special operatives called HUNT, or High-risk United Nations Taskforce. Aside from their criminal use of hyphens to fit their acronym, this group of commandos is trained to hunt cults that are terrorizing the world. While on the trail of a dastardly cult, they come across an island monastery filled with evil cultists that share a remarkable resemblance to Nazis.

There are multiple campaigns included in the Ludicrous Edition. There’s The HUNT Begins which is an 8-level campaign that matches the shareware version from decades ago. The original version of the game, Rise of the Triad: Dark War and its expansion, Extreme Rise of the Triad, are also included. There’s a batch of brand new levels called The HUNT Continues that, well, continues to decimate the cultist population. There’s a ton of levels here, well over 50 by my count, and fans are sure to enjoy them.

Nope, no cults here. Must be the neighbors.

Gameplay: A Product of Its Time

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition plays like you would expect any old-school Doom clone. You’re dropped off in a level and need to find your way to the end. Between you and the end are labyrinthine levels, loads of enemies, keys to unlock doors, secrets, and power ups. Rise of the Triad takes this very seriously, and a huge focus is placed on the long, maze-like levels and keys alongside eccentric power ups. Not only that, but this is from an era where developers weren’t afraid to show a little blood and guts.

Exploding Eyeballs

One of the first things I noticed when I launched into the game is how much gore will splash across your screen. You’ll see eyeballs slide down your screen, cultists beg for their life before being mowed down, and bodies diced by spinning blade traps. It’s over the top, and that’s the point – the game aims to set itself apart with fast, frenetic action and violence. It’s about the adrenaline, guns, and destruction.

Charred to a crisp.

Speaking of which, the guns are rather tame for such an eclectic Doom clone. There are only 3 traditional weapons including a pistol, dual wielded pistols, and an automatic MP-40. Each of these gun have unlimited ammo. While the traditional weapons work well enough, it can get repetitive using them. Luckily, you’ll quickly find a missile weapon to destroy the enemies (or yourself!) with. Missile weapons are mostly various flavors of rocket launchers. There’s one that shoots a wall of flames, and another that shoots a barrage of unpredictable rockets. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen the rest to be honest. Finally, there are just a couple of surprise weapons, like a magical staff and an enchanted baseball bat. Yeah, odd choices for weapons in a game about killing “definitely-not-Nazi” cultists.

Some Things Can’t Be Fixed

The most frustrating part about Rise of the Triad is the level design. Most levels are extremely long, confusing, and filled with cryptic passageways. I found myself getting frustrated early on because the hallways and rooms look so similar. Even worse is when I would run into a dead end and have to backtrack to find the correct key. The levels are not short by any means, and backtracking means having to constantly reference the map while avoiding traps and other stage hazards. Rise of the Triad excels when you’re allowed to shoot big, explosive weapons – not when you’re searching for a hidden button halfway across the level.

Careful where you step!

Part of the problem here is that the game is built on ancient software. Rise of the Triad was originally conceived as a sequel to Wolfenstein 3D, and uses an upgraded version of the same engine. That’s why it feels so restrictive – it’s using code that was written 40 years ago! And although I applaud the team for the upgrades they’ve done, the fact of the matter is that the levels are flat and limited. To see what I mean, enable mouse look in the options and look up or down – the entire screen will warble like you’re suffering from vertigo.

Let me be clear – there’s no aiming really to speak of, even if the mouse-look is enabled. In fact, I find it’s easier to play with it turned off. Combat and gunplay plays almost the exact same as it does in Wolfenstein 3D, as long as you fire the gun in the vague direction of your enemy, you will likely hit them. I found the move speed to be excessive as well, with it quite difficult to navigate through particular trap-filled hallways and floating platforms. It was hard to both move and shoot at time, which is a uniquely unfortunate combination.

Accessible Level Editor, Multiplayer, and Cut Content

Included with Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is a level editor. This is very easy to use, and has built in Steam Workshop support. There are official guides for it on the Steam Discussion boards, so there will be no shortage of fan-made adventures. There’s also a multiplayer mode, but I wasn’t able to find any running games. Most folks are probably too busy running through the single player levels since there are so many of them.

The God Mode powerup will smite your enemies in the best way.

This release of Rise of the Triad also introduces cut content that was removed from previous versions, for one reason or another. For example, there are female cultists now and a some new visuals for enemies. According to the long list of changes in the official launch trailer, there are new cutscenes, accessibility options, and alternate sound effects to enjoy too. Welcome changes to bring fresh life to a nearly 30 year old game, for sure.

Graphics and Audio: All the Bells and Whistles

I have to hand it to the developers. They did a great job remastering the game and consolidating the many game modes and features. For fans of the original game, Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is the definitive way to play. While the original game ran on DOS, this port runs flawlessly on my modern rig and I didn’t have any problems at all. The new visuals, particularly the lighting and menus, look fantastic. There is an option to restore the original look of the game in the options as well, if you really want to experience them. The music is also great, and suits the frantic action well.

The Dog powerup is self explanatory. 100% serious.

Does It Run on the Steam Deck?

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck, and is Verified for Valve’s handheld PC. I found that using the controls at the default settings were a little too slow for how fast the movement of the game is. It definitely required some tweaking to get right, but overall is a great match for the handheld.

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition was reviewed on PC with a key provided by Stride PR.