DOOM is the grandfather of all first-person shooters. DOOM is greater than that. DOOM is the grandfather that will come in and still wipe the floor with your entire family. You don’t mess with DOOM, not even today. DOOM is the lovely creation of iD Software’s greatest minds at the time. The creation of DOOM is attributed to John Carmack. Carmack was fresh off of developing Wolfenstein 3D when it was decided to use the same engine to build an even better shooter experience. The only thing on the mind was adrenaline-pumping action. Carmack even proved he was subscribed to the Miyamoto model of game design when he was quoted. “Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It’s expected to be there, but it’s not that important. “

You are a marine transferred to a base on the moon. During your stay, all of hell breaks loose. Guided by the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind, the forces of hell have come with a vengeance. You are now simply the Doom Guy, don’t hold back.

DOOM was designed in the same engine as Wolfenstein 3D and carries over a lot of what defined it. DOOM cut a lot of corners as an early 3D title, but one area it never attempted to was gameplay. The gameplay of DOOM is as simple as it gets. Select your gun, find ammo, and shoot stuff. You can run, you can cycle through your collected weapons, but you can’t look vertically. Don’t worry about that. As long as you’re aligned with your target you’ll hit it. DOOM was designed to be a frantic mess of exploration and violence against demons. DOOM has some of the most fluid gameplay I’ve experienced from the genre at all. Even all these years later, it feels like DOOM hasn’t aged a day.

The world is on a completely different level of cutting edge from 1993. We’re so far ahead that the technology we have feels like the kind of Sci-Fi that inspired this game. DOOM at the time was notable because of what it did. The amount of fire that could be showcased on screen without a hiccup was astounding. When enemies die their bodies never disappear. You could use them as markers if you were lost. This all was insane in the 90s, and it doesn’t lose it’s charm today. DOOM is not a bad looking game by any means. It’s aged, but a game like DOOM will always age better than a game like Goldeneye. The sprites of DOOM have such a particular charm that you see them and know exactly where they’re from.

There is another man just as important to the creation of DOOM as John Carmack. Mick Gordon has been on most entries of the DOOM franchise, and his work on this game’s music still holds up to any modern soundtrack. There’s a reason you can whistle At Doom’s Gate even if you don’t know the name of the song. There’s something so satisfying about listening to bitcrushed metal while taking a shotgun to Imps and Cacodemons. The soundtrack has become just as important to DOOM as the gameplay, and the soundtrack certainly is as good here.

The biggest flaw with DOOM is how it’s handled today by Bethesda. I played DOOM on the Nintendo Switch, and I ran into a lot of issues. Sometimes it was as harmless as a sound cutting off before it should, or my gun not showing up in front of me. In the final chapter, Thy Flesh Consumed, I experienced five crashes in total. DOOM allows you to save at any time, but I don’t think you should have to be in constant fear. These problems aren’t common enough for me to warn you about this port, but it’s something you should keep in mind.

DOOM’s final challenge. The Spider Mastermind.

DOOM is a game I can’t see every falling out of favor. It feels like a truly timeless experience. DOOM is a simple fast-paced action and exploration that provides a pretty great escape. It’s a really short time, but the modern ports of the game don’t try to overcharge for it. I regret that it took so long for me to give this game a try. If you’ve somehow missed it, I can’t recommend it enough.