Id Software have been some of the most influential developers in gaming history, and for good reason. Even without the original team, they still hold their work up to the highest standards they possibly can. It’s not so much that their work is especially bloody and gory, it’s the look and the feel of the gore as it is shot out the back of a demon’s face that truly draws the crowd. Doom 2016 (or Doom 4 as I will be calling it) was a ridiculous return to form after a decade of silence from the genre.
Doom and Doom 2 were essentially twin games that shaped the entire FPS genre. Then Doom 3 came along and dulled it down to a dark, gritty graphic hog that some fans considered a snorefest. After the run-and-gun blasters that the first two were, Doom 3 looked constipated and lethargic by comparison. At the time, it didn’t test very well among the public, but fans warmed up to it over time.
The problem was that the third installment also cast a shadow of doubt over the fourth installment. As retroactively decent as it became, fans did not want this to be the standard Doom of the 2010’s. When Doom 4 was announced, there came a gigantic answer.
This game has graphics that will bulge your eyes out, even by today’s standards, they’re great! Each level has amazingly gory details and the corruption that the demons cause throughout the game can be seen in the highest of definitions. The devs packed every level with a landscape outstretched as far as the eye can see. Whether it be the long open range, to the tiniest of claustrophobic corners, you’re getting your eyeful. Whether it be a landing platform, a science lab or a business office building, Doom 4 proves that you can stick dead bodies and visceral growth anywhere and everywhere.
The demons are very recognizable as well. Even though some of them received a bit of an overhaul in terms of their design, you know who they are. In a stark difference from the original two shooters, you get to see these demons up close and personal as you tear their limbs apart and take their organs out of their bodies with the force of a sledge hammer.
If it wasn’t already clear, the graphics got an upgrade several times over and set a ridiculous standard for all of its peers. It is clear that these visuals will age like a fine wine and keep its beauty for ages to come.
Featuring some of the most acid chomping techno metal to coincide with your ripping and tearing. Doom 4 employed a wonderful idea of making the music start pumping harder as action scenes start and thrash as the monsters start lining up just to catch a lead sandwich straight to the face. Much like its successor, you can argue that adding the techno aspect was a mistake but your nay saying is drowned out as it causes great engagement and makes me headbang in every aspect of the phrase, both banging my head to the music while also banging an imp’s head against the wall as it goes splat!
While there’s not a whole lot of voice acting to speak of, what actors they did get did their jobs exceedingly well. The stars of the show, however, were the sound designers. Both the crunching of the bones and the blasting of the shotguns were astronomical to the whole experience. Everytime you heard the squishing, gushing sound of a heart being wrenched out of a demon’s chest, you should read the credits and know who to thank for the joy you’ve felt.
While not entirely a clone as such, the fourth installment in the Doom franchise boasts a very familiar game design to its retro counterparts, albeit upgraded and fleshed out to today’s steep standards. Some would call it repetitive and simplistic, but isn’t that the point? The Doom fans looking for that old nostalgic shoot’em up will not be disappointed in the least. Those looking for a Call of Duty type “realistic” shooter can look elsewhere. There are tons of military shooters for you to cut your teeth on. Real true blue retro 90’s shooters brought to the current generation in such a sensational way are in short supply.
You don’t reload your guns, you don’t automatically regenerate and you are not in a series of linear levels that are straight, narrow hallways. You need to keep your guns blazing, keep moving and killing while picking up as much health and armor as you can. Getting lost in levels can get a little disconcerting as it interrupts the pacing, but that’s why you have the map to help you along.
The hordes of demons you face can get ridiculously huge. The little devils climb out of the woodworks all around you and they can be slippery at times. Sometimes they deal damage that can drain half of your health bar in a single hit. With nine or ten of them tearing at your every angle, it can get nerve racking to try and keep up. With the proper weapon, health, ammo and armor upgrades, this becomes a lot better and the difficulty is turned on its head before the end.
This gameplay is accentuated with the help of some very nifty little easter eggs and collectibles throughout the entire runtime. It makes you want to collect all of the little Doom Marine figurines and it makes you crave all of the extras just for the simple fact that you started finding them in the first place. One of the biggest draws of this were the secret classic Doom levels hidden in secrets throughout the game. Doom 4 makes it rather difficult to find these classic levels because of the platforming and the high elevations they are placed in. For many fans, though, it is well worth the trouble.
The word for this game is “intuitive”, as it symbolizes simplistic gameplay and makes learning its playstyle ever so easy to jump into. It starts you off slow with just a few imps and shotgunners to whet your appetite before it lowers you down into the depths of hell, literally. The weapons are simple, as well as the attachments and upgrades they acquire. The hardest part to figure out is which one will be your favorite. Even the mechanics behind the chainsaw are self explanatory. You don’t need the game to pause in order to figure out how these things work, you just need a few unwitting opponents to test them out on. The game does this so off-handedly, you sometimes don’t even know it’s doing it.
Compared to other iterations of the franchise, Doom 4 is rather easy in more than one way. With the levels of strength you attain bashing skulls, you can plow through the ranks with ease and look damn good while doing it. There are more difficult stages to be had, for sure. The argent tower is a test in patience when platforms move just as you are about to jump on them or when you land on them just as something large and heavy crush you upon your advent.
Then there are a couple of the boss battles that can seem more bullet spongy than your normal affair. The challenge isn’t so much in the tactics you employ rather the fact that it takes a little longer than it should to bring them down. This is a very minor nitpick and over time, it can be overcome.
For you real thrill seekers out there, you could always try Ultra Nightmare. Good luck with that is all I have to say.
The best thing that people can say about the story behind Doom 2016 is that while all of it is going around the Doom Slayer, he really couldn’t care less. The only thing he cares about is his armored boot stomping some evil skulls. Whether the demons’ skulls are evil is up to interpretation but that’s what we’re going with.
So, the Argent Facility brought up some Hell energy in order to solve a global crisis. One of their workers got a bit of the crazies and decided to unleash hell into our dimension. The good news is that along their journey, they also found a tomb that encased the Doomguy! Thanks to that, he was also unleashed back into our dimension and the head of Argent decided to employ him as a bit of a butler in order to tidy up the Hell problem.
This whole thing is told to us in a series of maybe three cut scenes. One of them takes a little longer than usual, but it doesn’t affect the pacing of the game all that much. We get those small interruptions every so often and that’s about it. If you want to know more about it, you can read story clips throughout the game, if that’s your thing. If not, dust the brains and gore off of your Doom armor and get back to work!
As said before, the collectibles in this game are a joy to behold. You can have hours of fun just hunting those, if that’s your cup o’tea. The secret levels, the Doomguy toys and the challenges are well worth your time and a whole other playthrough on increased difficulty.
More than that, though, it just feels great to indulge in your savage instincts to squash the little devils with your rage! You can play this game on Arcade Mode for higher points and achievements or you can just play through the Story Mode by levels for some of your favorite parts. One thing it could have done is allow you to play against the bosses as a selectable chapter to play on their own. There is plenty of joy to be had in dominating their levels to get to them, don’t get me wrong.
Yes, I love this game and no, I’m not counting the Multiplayer Mode in this review. I didn’t find the Multiplayer to be all that terrible, but at the same time, it is a whole other game all its own. The Single Player is where it’s at! It is an amazing return to form in its own right and it trudged back to its throne. It took up its mantle once again and roared in triumph!
This game still beats Doom Eternal, in my humble opinion. When I want to just pick up the controller and tear through demon flesh, this game is the one I will go to in a single heartbeat. With Eternal, I just think about all of the platforming and all of the extra stuff they tacked onto it and I can still play it, but not with near as much enthusiasm. Nothing against Doom Eternal as a whole, it’s still a great game.
Doom 4 is definitely the piece of the pie I will take any day of the week. It has its nitpicks and shortcomings but that matters naught. It cannot be compared in quality to the original Doom, as they are both different games and amazing in their own respective rights. Death has never looked so amazing in pixelated visuals as it does here. Id deserves all the credit for all of their achievements and their last two games are proof of this. Do not let this escape your collection, whatever port you decide to get it on.
Remember to kill well, and always drink water.
