*One month after the Wolfenstein 3D review and I
finally managed to play through the entirety of the original Doom! Granted, it
wasn’t the first time that I’ve completed the game (in fact, this was the third
time), but it was these last two playthroughs combined with a number of other
life events that really took their toll. However, I’m sure you all didn’t come
here to read about my personal problems so let’s begin.
**
Development for Doom started with the introduction
of Mr. Carmack’s new 3D engine. Designs came from a number of sources, with the
primary being both the 1981 horror film, The Evil Dead, and the 1986 Aliens
film.
Eventually, the rest of the team would catch up and
contribute to the Doom Bible – the initial design document written by Tom Hall
which held many of the would-be elements of the game. Unfortunately, many of
the elements within the bible would be scrapped; forcing Mr. Hall to resign
from Id Software.
Regardless, the rest of the team finished designing
the game with the new elements in tow and Doom would see a release in 1993.
**
For the record, this review (and the others in the
classic series) only applies to the original PC version – that is, the
Chocolate Doom emulator which is meant to be a one-to-one build of the PC
version. For some odd reason, the classic games always freeze whenever I try to
play it through DOSBox via Steam which sucks, but that’s what the .WAD files
are for. That said, let’s begin with the plot.
**
All you really need to know plot-wise is that a
Marine (aptly named DoomMarine or Doomguy depending on your preference) was
sent to a military base on Mars and that a number of secret experiments that
took place backfired, releasing armies of Hell-spawn onto the red planet.
Everyone dies, leaving Doomguy to battle the horde alone. There ARE additional
plot elements like Deimos being teleported above Hell itself, but they are
rarely brought up in the game, and seem to be only exclusive to the manual. As
par the course with many games back in the day, the gameplay is the major
focus.
**
The game itself is structured very similarly to
Wolf 3D; you still shoot your way through dozens of foes and reach the end of
the stage.
There are three episodes with eight levels each
(nine if you include the secret stages) and the stages are still as open-ended
as before. However, the level design has received a TREMENDOUS improvement!
The overall physical structure is far more organic,
utilizing more angles and curved lines; making the stages far easier to travel
through and helping distinguish each room more from one another.
You can open certain doors and move specific
platforms via various switches scattered throughout most of the game. Just keep
in mind that some switches can reset after a few seconds and that you may have
to explore a bit to find out just what part of the level was affected.
Also scattered throughout the game are level
hazards ranging from various colored acid pools to blue mutator pads to crusher
ceilings. They won’t kill you immediately if you find yourself caught in them,
but they WILL eat away at your health the longer you remain in them. You can
mitigate much of the damage if you are fast enough; just be wary of the
crushers as they take away health at a faster rate and you can’t move when
stuck.
Exit signs now mark the near-end of stages and
exiting a stage can now range from either hitting a switch to walking onto a
special area in the respective room.
…and if you find yourself lost, you THANKFULLY now
have map of the stage which you can bring up with the press of a button. The
automap (as it’s called) shows the outline of whatever area that you’ve
previously explored in the current level. Something else that I'm glad the
developers included was the ability to move with the map on-screen. This makes
backtracking FAR less of a hassle and you can even zoom out should the level
prove to be too large to fit the entire map at once. The automap is a godsend
and one I’m glad the developers implemented so early on in the genre’s
lifecycle!
Even the secret areas are more easily identifiable.
I mentioned in my review of Wolf 3D that the secret areas were almost
impossible to find since it involved interacting with a wall that looked no
different from a regular wall and that, given what you could find within them,
there was almost no reason to search for them. Now, the means of accessing them
are far more distinguishable and varied. They can still be quite confusing to
identify, but that's to be expected since these aren't necessarily mandatory.
With the scoring system gone and the treasure by proxy, the secret areas now
hold far more useful items (like additional ammo and health) giving players
more of a reason to find them.
It brings me great pleasure to say that, thanks to the
new level elements, the automap, and the improved level structure, you DON’T need
a guide to navigate through the game.
**
Enemies are far more visually and mechanically
diverse; and whether its zombified soldiers or the various demons that roam the
halls, the selection of hostiles in this game completely shits on everything
that the Nazi war machine presented in Wolf 3D. The worst has to be the Spectres,
which are near-invisible versions of the pink Demons. This guys are annoying
because they share the same ‘zig-zaggy’ movement pattern as the regular Demons,
meaning that you won’t really notice them until they are within biting range
(which is especially troublesome during fights with other enemies) and they can
box you into an area without you even knowing until it’s too late. It also
doesn’t help that you often run into them in groups and that they become more
common as the game progresses.
Mechanically, the enemies are handled far more fairly
than the ones in Wolf 3D:
First off, enemies can now teleport into a given
area and they usually do so after you pick up a certain item, press a certain
switch, or enter a certain room. I personally don’t like when games do this
kind of thing, especially when it’s a group of particularly strong enemies
teleporting directly in-front of me; but it isn’t that bad here.
You can identify an enemy’s presence by the sounds
that they make whenever they are nearby.
The hit detection is far more consistent and damage
is based on the type of attack and not how far it is. Granted, it’s not as “realistic”
is it was; but we’re talking about a space marine fighting demons on Mars. Not
exactly the best environment to practice realism.
Also, since the majority of them attack with
slow-moving projectiles, the game practically encourages you to keep moving to
avoid damage. Both of the previous features are some of my favorite design
elements of the game (and old-school shooters in general) as it keeps me wary
of my surroundings and I like having the ability to sidestep the majority of
whatever is thrown at me.
This even applies to some of the boss monsters –
which are some of the most menacing creatures that I’ve ever encountered in any
game EVER! When I say ‘some’, I’m only really referring to the Hell Barons and
maybe the Cyberdemons; though the latter is more difficult since the rockets
that they fire, besides packing a hell of a punch, deal splash damage if they
hit a nearby wall. The Spider Mastermind is probably the hardest boss in the
game since it attacks with hit-scan weapons which deal quite a bit of damage
even at longer ranges!
**
On the topic of controls, Movement in-general has
been refined to what I believe to be near-perfection; both running and walking
have some added weight that adds some much needed fluidity to the series and
manages to remain super tight while, at the same time, allowing for some degree
of looseness (similar to how Mario moves in Super Mario Sunshine).
Adding to this is the fact that you can now
sidestep naturally – meaning you only have to press a single button to strafe
in the corresponding direction and (more importantly) you can strafe while
moving forward or backward far more comfortably.
The H.U.D. is remotely the same, this time
incorporating a third key slot, more animations for the facial avatar, and
displaying all of your current ammo within their four categories.
**
Yes, weapons are divided between four types of
ammo.
Regular bullet weapons are the weakest of the
bunch; consisting of your semi-automatic Pistol - which you start each episode
with and isn't all that impressive, and Chaingun – which essentially replaces
the pistol once you pick it up. Thankfully, the Chaingun in this game doesn't
eat as much ammo as previously so feel free to pin the trigger whenever you
feel the need to.
Shells are only fixed to the Shotgun – an absolute
close-range staple in the shooter genre and is surprisingly effective at medium
ranges here (at least against the lower-tier enemies).
Rockets are the explosive option which are fixed
only to the Rocket Launcher – which is harder to hit with given the slower
movement of the projectiles, but deals a lot of damage either directly or
indirectly via splash damage. Just remember that you can injure or even kill
yourself if you don’t distance yourself from your intended target.
Finally, there are cells which are attributed to
the most powerful weapons in the game. The two weapons which use cells are the
Plasma Gun and the now-famous BFG-9000 (or Big Fucking Gun 9000). The Plasma
Gun is essentially another chaingun only it shoots actual projeciles and you
have to pause for a bit whenever you let go of the trigger.
The B.F.G. is, as the name suggests, the most
powerful weapon in the game. It does take a while for the weapon to charge a
shot and the charge it fires does move very slowly, but aside from the initial
explosion dealing a lot of damage, the resulting explosion also splits among
the nearby visible enemies; dealing just as much damage!
**
That said, let’s move on to the other items in the
game.
First off are the health items: two sizes of
med-kits, small blue potions, and blue orbs with faces – both of which allow
you to push your maximum health to 200%. There are similar pickups for the
newly-implemented armor mechanic – which acts as a sponge to absorb some of the
damage taken.
Ammo pickups are split between the small &
large variants and there is even a backpack which double the maximum amount of
ammo you can carry.
Finally, there are the special items like the
pulsing, eyeball-shaped Partial Invisibility spheres and the Light
Amplification Goggles which negates the dark lighting. Two of my favorite items
are the Computer Area Map - which reveals the entire map of the respective
stage, including the secret areas; and the green Invincibility spheres – which,
come on, who doesn’t like being invincible?! I also like the glowing eyes on
the avatar which makes him look kind of like Raiden from Mortal Kombat; not too
sure about the white-as-fuck screen though.
Items like the health kits and ammo are among the
more common; especially the health and armor bonuses which are everywhere.
However, the special items like the aforementioned blue Supercharge and
Invincibility sphere are typically found in secret areas; though that isn’t
always the case as I’ll get to later.
Also, while some special items act as permanent
upgrades, a lot of them are based on a timer, so only be sure to pick them up
when you need them the most. It’s worth noting that the goggles have the
shortest timer, apparently intentional as the developers didn’t want to take
away from the dark atmosphere for too long.
**
As I touched
upon earlier, there ARE those occasional stages which don't seem to have a
problem leaving seemingly rare items in fairly easy-to-reach areas. Much of the
item selection and placement is also tied to the level design, giving you some
hints as of what to expect. Take (for example) the final stage in the second
episode, Tower of Babel, in which is your first face-off against a Cyberdemon
in the game. The surrounding rooms hold Megaarmor and some Supercharges -
implying on how tough the fight will be; and a Rocket Launcher - letting you
know what weapon you should be using. This is actually pretty cool as it allows
each stage to feel fresh and, as I mentioned previously, to occasionally
prepare you for what’s to come.
**
Difficulty is essentially handled the same manner
as previously, but this game adds a fifth difficulty titled Nightmare and damn
is it hard! Not only do monsters move and attack faster, but they also respawn;
all of them…
…ALL. OF. THEM!
I can only recommend this to those who know the
game inside and out, because even the game warns you of how hard this mode is
upon choosing it. Otherwise, just stick with either the third or fourth
options; the former for the normal experience and the latter if you want to
experience the best that the game has to offer minus the fifth level bullshit.
**
The presentation: I’ll admit that the first time I
played the game, I didn’t think very much of the visuals; probably because I
was spoiled by other games with better graphics. I can say that I now have a
greater appreciation of how this game looks (no thanks to having just played
Wolf 3D and after watching various analysis videos on YouTube).
The graphics are (admittably) a bit dated, but are
still nice given the game’s age, and it may take a while to get accustomed to
the use of 2D sprites in a 3D game as it looks like everything is on some
invisible rotating floor plate that is magnetically designed to turn to face
you wherever you are.
The color palette is much easier on the eyes, while
at the same time managing to keep each level visually distinct from one another
without becoming too monotonous.
Aesthetically, the game is gorgeous; abandoned moon
bases mixed with demonic castles and landscapes makes for one hell of an
experience (No pun intended)!
The lighting has also seen a major improvement and
carries more of an active role in the gameplay than you’d originally think. A
lot of areas in the game are extremely dark, with only the occasional faulty
lighting offering some clarity. These sections scared the hell out of me during
my first full playthrough given that I could hear monsters waiting nearby, but
since I couldn’t SEE anything, I had no idea where they would come from, and that
scared me!
The sound design is also fantastic; all of the guns
are loud and satisfying to use and monsters sport distinctive audio cues (my
favorite being the grunt that the Pinkie Demons make upon death). Though I
think that the Plasma Gun is a bit too loud – about on par with the Chaingun
from Wolf 3D.
The music is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC and there are far
more musical tracks here than previously. The soundtrack consists mostly of
MIDI interpretations of heavy metal drawn from bands like Metallica and Pantera,
with E1M1 sporting the iconic theme associated with the classic series as a
whole. Granted, I’m not a fan of heavy metal but I honestly couldn’t find
anything to dislike about the soundtrack. Well, except for the fact that the
game pauses for a second after the track resets; which may be an issue with the
emulator or my own computer, but it’s still annoying regardless.
In fact, that may be one of the only issues that I
could find while playing. Aside from other issues that I mentioned earlier, my
only other gripe is the times when enemies behind doors would occasionally get the
preemptive on me when I opened them. That’s just cheap in any game, regardless
of the genre.
**
Much like Wolf 3D; Doom also has a shareware
version and an expansion pack. The expansion, titled “Thy Flesh Consumed” comes
equipped with an additional episode which takes place after the main game. It’s
essentially what Doomguy had to go through to find his way back to Earth. The
stages here are definitely the most complex that the game has to offer and the
aesthetics is more akin to the third episode. They are also, oddly enough, titled
after phrases found in the Bible.
The only aspect of the expansion that I found
disappointing was the Spider Mastermind as the final boss again; I would’ve
liked to see a new boss concept. Still, a nice expansion for those who want a
bit more bang for their buck.
**
Overall, I found the original Doom to be a
refreshing and enjoyable experience. The gameplay is fast and frantic, the
levels are constructed better and the controls are smoother. The lighting
really brings out the dark atmosphere and the game can scare you at times. If
it’s not clear already, this game completely shits on Wolf 3D in just about
every way. I can recommend starting with this game if you want to jump into
shooters or have lost interest in the modern formula. Just remember to get the
PC version as it offers, in my opinion, the definitive experience.
Much like other games at the time, this title
helped revolutionize an entire genre of games to follow, and its reputation is
legendary because of it.
