A brand new release of the classic Doom games has recently been released under the title Doom + Doom II. This remastered collection includes both the original two games as well as all the additional extra content released. The bow on the present is that the games are now able to be played at 120fps at 4K. This review is going to be just of original Doom, while originally released on 1993, this version also includes a fourth chapter that was added as part of Ultimate Doom in 1995. I own this game in so many different formats, everything from Playstation to XBox to even owning a copy on the Game Boy Advance, but realised that I have never actually reviewed it. Spoilers for the plot to follow, though the game is over thirty years old at this point!
The story is minimal, with it only being presented in the game at the end of each chapter where you are treated to a wall of text. You are an unnamed marine in the far future who has been sent to a remote posting after assaulting a superior officer. You are stationed with the Union Aerospace Corporation on Mars, the company had recently been investigating teleportation technology, but their success also brings with it disaster as they unknowingly open a gateway to Hell through which demonic horrors pour out. With the rest of the marines wiped out, it is up to you to defeat the invading hordes.
'Knee-Deep in the Dead' is the first chapter and has you battling through the UAC base on Phobos (one of the moons of Mars). Your battle leads you to a teleporter which transports you to Deimos - a second moon of Mars that had mysteriously vanished. This makes up the second chapter - 'The Shores of Hell', where you discover the moon had vanished as it is now floating above Hell itself! Deciding to take the battle to the enemy, you descend into chapter 3 - 'Inferno', which is literally Hell. Finally is the additional fourth chapter 'Thy Flesh Consumed' that has you on Earth fighting the initial invading force, supposedly bridging the gaps between Doom and Doom II.
Doom remains a timeless game that is so much fun to play. While not the first 'first person shooter', it is widely considered to be the father of the genre as it inspired countless games all the way up to present day. Each level puts you in a maze-like environment where you must battle monsters, as well as locate key cards that open up new areas, with the goal in each level to reach the exit. Fighting enemies is a lot of fun, with you collecting an assortment of weapons from pistols and shotguns to miniguns and plasma guns. The enemies are mainly made up of zombified guards and fireball throwing imps, other types also make an appearance such as the beastly demons (who also come in an invisible form) and floating fleshy orbs known as cacodemons. Each chapter ends in a fun boss fight against a larger enemy in a bug arena. Along the way you can discover secret areas, and find plenty of health packs and armour packs to give you an edge.
The first three chapters are as fun as ever, and even better for this latest remaster - you have the option to use a brand new soundtrack that changes up the low quality midi sound for a proper sounding one, I loved this. The gradual change from facilities to Hell is done well, and despite the changes in location this always feels just as fun. I don't believe I had ever played the fourth chapter before, and this was where my experience was brought down a bit. I did complete 'Thy Flesh Consumed' but it felt far more game-like, seeming to be made up of random environments that didn't make cohesive sense. These last levels were also absolutely rammed with enemies and often devious map design, making them much more of a slog to get through.
Despite the dip in quality and increase in hardness for the final chapter, I found returning to Doom a real blast, smoother gameplay and a better sounding soundtrack made this return a load of fun. I would put Doom in my top ten gams of all time, it really remains that good! Doom + Doom II is currently on XBox Gamepass.
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