E4 styled

E4 styled, or Episode 4 styled, is a term used to describe PWADs that follow a visual and gameplay style similar to Ultimate Doom's Episode 4: Thy Flesh Consumed. It is similar to the generic Hell inspired map, but making subtle differences in both design and gameplay style. The theme of E4 is described as oppressive, gothic and with an emphasis on survival.

Because of its origin, some E4 styled WADs or maps are made directly as an episode replacement for Thy Flesh Consumed.

E4 styled gameplay
Episode 4 gameplay is very pronounced and different from the regular traditional episodes, showcasing a higher skill ceiling thanks to more tight challenges. It is widely accepted that Thy Flesh Consumed is the hardest episode of the original game.

It makes heavy use of strong, "tankier" enemies in tight spaces with dangerous areas, such as lava pools or death chasms.

In higher skill levels, it gives the player only small amounts of health items, armor and/or ammo, which enforces a more tactical and cautious style of play, in contrast with the traditional all-guns-blazing approach applicable to the earlier episodes. This makes E4 styled gameplay at times more slow paced, and at others, more frantic - in situations such as those found in, the player is forced to move constantly and fight fiercely in order to establish even a tiny foothold at the beginning of the level.

E4 styled visuals
The main design philosophy is a combination of gothic and hellish visual themes, making extensive use of marble textures, bricks, wood, and orange skies, with muted environments.

Designs found in E4 styled maps

 * Hell forts
 * Marble structures
 * Mansions
 * Wood constructs
 * Castles
 * Statues
 * Churches
 * Chasms
 * Nukage, blood or laval pools
 * Rocky exteriors
 * Dim torches

Establishing authors

 * John Anderson (Dr. Sleep)
 * Shawn Green
 * American McGee
 * John Romero

Notable maps

 * E4M1: Hell Beneath (Doom)
 * E4M2: Perfect Hatred (Doom)
 * E4M7: Dungeons and Demons (Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder)
 * E4M6: Sanctuary of Filth (No End In Sight)
 * E4M6: The Mourning Halls (Doom the Way id Did: The Lost Episodes)
 * Painful Evil

WADs that feature multiple E4 styled maps

 * Doom the Way id Did: The Lost Episodes
 * No End In Sight
 * Slith
 * Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder