Re-Mapping the Realms: Springwood

Did I just get hit with a bout of inspiration in the shower? Yeah, I did. The 9th Realm of Dbd is Springwood, A Nightmare On Elm Street's location, and oh boy why did this map get like 5 versions of practically the exact same thing? Regardless, Springwood has been a little bit dodgy, and known as a Survivor-sided map due to the houses and main, but here I am to change things up. Oh, and there might be a little… surprise later!

Overview of Springwood

Dream a little dream of me… Inside the Realm is a place that makes it seem like you're dreaming. Half of it looks like a normal town while the other seems to be an endless cluster of pipes, metal railings, steam, and machinery, all making their own noises with fresh claw marks dragged across them. The borders of the Trial are no longer brick, but instead, giant, sharp claws that reach up high and bend inwards. The metal structures that populate the map have stairs that can lead you above, but if you think that's enough to get away, you'll be mistaken.

Badham Preschool

It's strange that the most normal and untouched part of the map is the Preschool itself, given the horror that happened beneath the floor. The rest of the map is stuck somewhere between the reality of a midwestern town and a nightmare. The houses are gone, replaced with metal scaffolding covered in steaming pipes, and the street no longer exists, being replaced with a larger parking lot out the front of the preschool. Even the Killer Shack has become walls of touching pipes, claw marks all over them.

The Preschool itself has had its basement enlarged, allowing for Hooks to be placed down there, should the Basement not actually spawn within.

Onto balance stuff. Yes, the houses are being removed, three cheers for everyone! They're being replaced with scaffolding loops that have much more interesting things going on than just taking a safe window a couple times and using a single Pallet before using another Window.

The Preschool is also receiving changes. The layout itself is stupid good, but if the Basement spawns in main, suddenly, everything gets real dodgy! If you've ever been hooked in that Basement or rescued someone from it, you know exactly how hellish it is because it funnels you. If the Killer doesn't break those Breakable Walls, you'll be meeting them pretty soon.

So, the Preschool's thin hallways are being removed, allowing for more space within on both floors, and the Gardening Shed is being opened, holding a Window. If you don't know what the Gardening Shed is, it's that big rectangular tumor that's next to the car loop to the side of the Preschool. And yes, I'm also removing that downright HORRIFIC Window out front of Main. Inside of Main has a lot more going on now, I don't think it's needed anymore. And Breakable Walls are removed, hip hip hooray!

Freddy's Rebirth

The memories of several Badhams have combined, congealed, and molted together. This is that little surprise I talked about. At the center of this small-sized map is the Burning Factory. A square building currently on fire that houses a Generator as well as several Pallets and Windows, and a Basement spawn. The exterior of the map contains the familiar Killer Shack, cars parked out front of the Factory, the familiar loops of Springwood, and one, square pool of water from where Quentin emerged when he fell asleep at a swim meet. This is the place where Freddy Krueger died, and came back as a Dream Demon.

Yep, betcha didn't expect a custom map! I did this because of all the Badham variants that have passed through the years. They were a little uninspired to be honest, so I decided to make Freddy's Rebirth, a small-ish map that contains the place where Freddy was burned to death by ̶M̶r̶.̶ ̶K̶r̶a̶b̶s̶ angry parents. Oh, and I suppose I need an achievement for this!

This Ends Tonight

As a Survivor, escape a Trial after completing the Generator inside the Burning Factory, of Freddy's Rebirth.

End

I really did just get smacked with like 7 Realms in a row that aren't exactly fun to be on. This is the 6th in a row, the 7th being Gideon, which is totally gonna be a lot of FUN. FUN FUN FUN trying to figure out what to do with The Game… which I'll probably rename tbh. Thankfully, after all of this garbage, it's Yamaoka, which is gonna just be a series of visual changes with some minor balancing changes.

As for Springwood itself, I really did lean into the "half-dreaming" nature of Fredward's powers. I'll actually do something quite similar for Midwich too! I liked the industrial feel of Freddy's Dream World, and him scraping along the walls of his Realm to make everyone believe that he's been in here for a loooong time.