Retro Review: Doom (PSN)

A blast from the past.

 It's fast, it's bloody, it's Doom! Often regarded as the seminal first-person shooter of all-time, thanks to the gameplay innovations that it brought to the genre like 3D visuals and multiplayer, Doom is a classic beloved by action fans. Taking the role of a lone but brutal space trooper, you'll be fighting demon forces as you aim to wipe them out. After recently playing Doom Eternal, I got the itch for more FPS goodness and decided to play the game that started it all. Playing it for the first time since it was recently re-released on modern consoles, how does it age? And most importantly, is it still a blast to play?

 As a space marine-- popularly known as "Doomguy"-- you wake up in a military facility in Mars, to find out that your comrades have been savagely killed by demons. Alone, you must take arms and battle through the demon forces that threaten to invade Earth. Doom is pretty light on the story, as the focus is on the gameplay, but you get some exposition at the end of each episode detailing the game's events.

 Doom is a super straightforward game. You run around with a gun killing demons, get better guns, and kill even more demons. The adventure will take you from an abandoned space station all the way to the depths of hell itself, clearing room after room of demons. The levels start off easy enough, with basic zombie and imp enemies. It's once after you acquire certain progress-related items, is that you'll be ambushed by tougher demons in the form of the round and floaty Cacodemons and the bull-like Baron of Hell.

Unleash some hell!

 The shooting in Doom is super fun and simple, basically you aim and shoot till they're dead. The game will also lock-on to faraway enemies in order to get an accurate shot. Despite that, aiming can be vague sometimes as you'd want to shoot a nearby barrel to damage enemies at point blank, only to end up missing. Neatly tucked in levels are a variety of weapons such as a chainsaw, shotgun, rocket launcher, plasma rifle, and the most powerful weapon, the BFG (Big F*cking Gun). When out of ammo, you'll just have to rely on your fists as a melee weapon to lay down the beating.

 Also placed in levels are stim-packs and armor, which restore health and offer extra protection, respectively. There's cool power-ups too like invincibility and clocking should things get rough. You'll be often walking through hazardous lava and poisonous floors, though thankfully you have a rad suit to offer protection.

The gameplay is fast and exciting.

 For the most part, the level layout is straightforward and clear, with the main goal of each is to locate the exit and escape. You'll be flipping switches, collecting keys, surviving traps, and looking for goodies in the form of secret rooms as you make your escape. How you find the exit depends on who designed the level-- as the game was designed by four level designers. The result is some inconsistency in the levels' design as you'll blasting through a dead-easy mission, only to find yourself in the next one wandering aimlessly for 20 minutes. I generally liked the levels and sense of exploration overall, but still can't help but feel it being messy at times.

Does the game repetitive after a while?

Not when you're killing some tough enemies!

 Doom is split into three episodes: "Knee-deep in the Dead", "The Shores of Hell", "Inferno", and "Thy Flesh Consumed". The first three comprise the base game while fourth extra episode serves as a prequel to Doom II. The game was manageable on normal difficulty though Thy Flesh Consumed was brutally hard and will given skilled players a tough time. The game is short by today's standards, as I beat it in 5 hours. Thankfully, there's additional content in the form of a multiplayer mode, where you can play locally with four players. For example, you can play against each other in Deathmatch mode or play through the story in co-op. Overall, the game isn't a bad deal considering it's $5 bucks.

 Being a 27 year-old game, it's no surprise that Doom has aged considerably. The backgrounds and 3D models look ancient though the character sprites manage to hold up well, due to them being colorful and distinctive. It's hard to believe at the time of release, the game was considered to be cutting edge. The PS4 release bumps up the frame-rate to 60fps, which is perfect for a fast action game like Doom. The metal-inspired soundtrack by Robert Prince has managed to stand the test of time, as there are lots of memorable tracks that I enjoyed. Tracks like "At Doom's Gate", "Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names)", "I Sawed the Demons", and "Deep Into The Code" will forever be catchy classics.

Despite its aged look, Doom still packs an awesome

soundtrack.

 Doom was a blast to play, and one of the most fun FPS games around. The fast-paced and bloody gameplay, legendary soundtrack, and fun to explore levels are the game's strongest points. It might not look all that great today but as long as it's fun, who cares! If they can get past the aged visuals, action and FPS fans will definitely find a lot of enjoyment in Doom.