Doom Review - The Painkiller Sequel We've All Been Waiting For

*Copy purchased on release
Version reviewed - PC
Price: 60 USD / 60 EUR

Nostalgia is a powerful force in the world of video games. Every year we witness more and more franchises of the old being rebooted or reimagined. To understand this particular trend we need to look no further than the ballooning costs of AAA game development. However, while being economically driven, this trend gave birth to a number of excellent titles that contributed to our medium in some truly great ways. Franchises like  Tomb Raider or Wolfenstein reached new creative heights in their respective reboots.    Ever since Bethesda announced that Doom would be getting a reboot it was clear that doing the historic franchise justice would be no easy task.


The secretive nature of the development process didn't really fill the fans with a lot of confidence. Up until April we were given little substantive footage of the id Software's newest creation.The disappointing multiplayer beta only fueled the aura of uncertainty. When it was announced that there will be no review copies provided to the press some of the fans were quick to bury the title even before the full release. This is why it is with a mixture of sheer joy and legitimate surprise that I can say: Doom 2016 is quite good! It is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and it will not satisfy everyone. However, considering the burden of expectations placed on the developer prior to the release, Doom is gleefully unapologetic in how fun it is.

The first thing that will surprise many is how quickly you are violently thrown into action. You will shoot your first baddies literally 10 seconds after the game starts. There's no pretense of storytelling, no explanation, no fluff. You are a pissed off space marine and you're here to kick some serious ass. The little story that is there can be summarized in one sentence: legions of hell are invading our realm and you are humanity's only hope There's certainly a sense of poetic simplicity to how silly the whole ordeal is. The main villain is so over-the-top demonic that I actually burst into laughter seeing her at a certain stage of the game. As cheesy as the minimalist storytelling is, the world created by the developers is just perfect for the kind of game they were going for. The main theme here is that heavy-metal-driven anger that couldn't be any more 90s if they tried. The soundtrack only helps to reinforce the retro feel of the game. The mixture of heavy metal and Quake-inspired electronic music might not be the most memorable but is yet another little element that helps the awe-inspiring tone of the game.

As much as I enjoyed my time interacting with this hell on Mars, it is the gameplay that really took the game to new heights. The dynamism of the gunplay is what occasionally makes Doom a  truly mesmerizing experience. Mowing down thousands of baddies hasn't felt that good since the masterpiece that was Painkiller. In many ways the new Doom is a direct spiritual successor of the People Can Fly cult classic - a compliment I wasn't prepared to give to either Hard Reset or the Shadow Warrior reboot. The great feel of the gameplay can be attributed to a few simple design principles. First of all,  Doomguy's default running speed is almost extreme by today's standards. The game is great at encouraging you to always be on the move. To stay alive you are required to engage in what I call "headless chicken" tactics. The sense of motion you get from dodging enemies only adds to the insane power fantasy that is the new Doom. The crazy pace of the game is only amplified by a parkour-inspired traversal system that makes a surprising amount of sense in this adrenaline-fueled universe.

 Another important aspect of the title that definetely has to be praised is how impactful the gunplay feels. And sure, you might think that this is no big deal since it's id Software and id knows how to make good shooters. What makes Doom unique though is how the developers made sure you are always aware of the actual impact your bullets are having on the enemy. Damage animations are unlike anything else you have ever seen. Every time you get up close and personal to a hell spawn you are immediately aware of how devastating your blows are. In fact, the very controversial glory kill mechanic is designed specifically to make you appreciate the visceral detail that was created to immerse you in this fascinating world. And don't worry, the glory kill thing does not outstay its welcome ; by the time mid-game kicks in for good  you will have to use versatile tactics in order to survive. Difficulty scaling is another praise-worthy aspect of the game. Unlike many other AAA titles these days, the default difficulty level is a welcome but fair challenge that many will appreciate.

Despite all the great qualities Doom is certainly far from a perfect title. The overall pacing of the single player campaign is a bit broken. The first 2 hours of it can only be described as subdued. It takes more than a while before the game starts throwing all the more interesting weaponry at you. Mid-game is where the game truly gets to shine but even here the action is a bit unevenly distributed . The game insists on revealing the vast majority of new enemy types in the middle of the game. Apart from the boss battles there are hardly any surprises in the late game. The boss battles itself feel a bit crammed together. You will not encounter your first boss in the first 8 to 10 hours of gameplay. Instead, most levels end in fun but bog-standard arena-type events. The superb gameplay holds the experience up throughout all of these missteps but there is no question that the whole thing feels a bit messy.  

If you are looking for a truly innovative title that introduces a lot of new ideas this might not be the game for you. Apart from the addition of the parkour mechanic and proper vertical traversal the id Software creation seems to be heavily reliant on the Painkiller formula with some old Doom concepts mixed in. If you are a retro shooter connoisseur you will quickly realize that  a lot of the "new" ideas could be considered derivative in some places. This is painfully apparent when you examine the gun line-up of the game. Out of all the weapons and mods in your arsenal there are clearly 3 or 4 options that are optimal at all times while also being the most fun. And of course, this has plagued many shooters for years. Still, personally I would have appreciated if the game found a way to encourage more weapon switching.

Whether all that bothers you or not is up to personal sensibilities. However, it is clear that the 2016 version is nowhere near the game-changer that revolutionized the industry in the 90s.  The reality of the situation is that we as an industry have moved on from the many contributions of the original Doom and expecting the new sequel to be anywhere as important is a bit unreasonable.  The new game is a fun shooter that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is a respectful homage to the original with enough of good concepts to recommend it to most fans of the FPS genre. Considering how much of a difficult project Doom must have been, the end result is rather impressive. What I will say with full confidence is that id Software is back in top form and I can't wait for what the future holds for franchises like Doom or Quake.

 Final Verdict:  8/10 - Exceeding all expectations

 P.S.: The multiplayer is.... I guess OK would be the perfect word for it. I don't usually do a lot of competitive multiplayer but I can imagine that high level play is not something that this would allow with all its Be the Demon silliness.