Acrophobia¹ was originally intended to be a part of Quake, but was cut due to compilation problems and unsuitability due to it's vast open spaces. The level later surfaced in the N64 port of the game under the name The Count of Death, and was rescued and released for the PC with slight modifications by one of IonStorm's level designers in the form we review here. Although its original designer is unknown, the man behind the PC release, former IonStorm designer David Namaksy, provided the following notes with the level:

Here at IonStorm I have access to all the original id maps. On this cd was a map call[ed] DM7, being the curious bastard I am I tried to load it. The original map was screwed up (some type of texture problem). I fixed that textured [sic] and begun to play with it and revise it a little, more to my liking for a deathmatch map. What came out was Acrophobia - DM7. So for the most part it is an one of the original quake deathmatch levels.

The design of DM7 is simple, the lowest floor is flooded with stale rainwater, above it a series of thin walkways and platforms surround a large central building built of heavy dark-blue iron, resting beneath smog filled green skies. A couple of air tubes similar to those in The Wind Tunnels serve to transport you between the levels in the building exterior, leading from the ground to the either the first floor or roof, and the building has a small lift inside for the same purpose. The structure of the level itself is quite odd, having nothing quite like it elsewhere in id's official levels until the Quake III tournament level Vertical Vengance.

The level is incredibly well stocked considering its size, containing a Quad Damage (building roof), Pentagram (in the water, underneath the green armour jacket), Ring of Shadows (second floor walkways) and almost every weapon in the game. The low powered weapons being in the walkways at ground level and the higher powered ones are kept further up.

Although Acrophobia is an enjoyable arena it doesn't quite match up to any of the standard six, and it's probably for the best that it didn't make the final cut. The layout and texturing are simplistic, and the outdoor areas are a little large for multiplayer gaming. It remains as a seldom seen curiosity, another relic of the game's development along with other levels like the original version of Shub Niggurath's Pit and The Lost Emtramce to the Dismal Oubliette, worth a look for those interested in the design process, but otherwise of little interest.

There are no secrets in this level.