--Loading screen, Doom II
Doom II: Hell on Earth, simply called Doom II in the Switch eShop, has been rereleased on current consoles, likely in anticipation of Doom: Eternal. The massive differences in the visuals and nature of the first-person gameplay between the recent Doom games and the first two are blatant from the beginning--not that Doom II has nothing to offer in 2020! The Switch port of Doom II contains the core game and additional content, including the Master Levels expansion, but the main campaign offers a far longer playthrough than one might expect after the early levels, which gradually become far more complicated.
Production Values
The graphics are wholly, clearly outdated, but the game itself has been ported to the Switch well. Since Doom II: Hell on Earth is such an old game, the fact that its visuals look horrendously unrealistic by comparison to the graphics of many modern games does not mean they looked terrible at the time of release. However, it may be very jarring for players accustomed to recent video games to see Doom II's graphics if they have never played or seen the game before. The audio is still clear, though the soundtrack has a very "retro" style.
Gameplay
One of the aspects of Doom II that is most likely to stand out to a modern player is that the gameplay is far more simplistic than what many are accustomed to. That is not to say that it is a bad game or that it offers no potential enjoyment to modern gamers, but it is distinctly from another era. Numerous gameplay mechanics that are now commonplace are completely absent. You cannot even look up or down! In fact, shooting in the same direction as an enemy--if you are close enough--hits them even if they are above or below you. There is no jump mechanic, but sprinting can help you get across small gaps.
Worthy of mention is the loss of all weapons except for the pistol upon death--save at key intervals, and load saved games rather than restart a mission with no heavy firepower. If one can tolerate archaic features like this, one will find that Doom II remains a fine shooter with plenty of pixelated brutality, classic weapons, and keycard searches. Yes, the old graphical limitations do not stop the marine from inflicting major visual damage on the demons of Hell using everything from shotguns to a plasma rifle to the BFG, otherwise known as the "big fucking gun." Ammunition is abundant and the demons are many!
The level design is unfortunately not as consistent as the combat, with the environmental complexity gradually increasing for the most part until level 19, which one might be forced to use internet walkthroughs to complete. The inability to look up and down can be a major obstacle when standing on certain heights, as you simply cannot see what you might be about to fall down into on onto. Because some of the item pickups require landing below in precisely the right location, players who are not used to the more limited camera range might become very frustrated at specific parts.
Story
There is not much of a story to spoil, so I will not use my typical spoiler disclaimer. The campaign of Doom II opens with no exposition or dialogue and immediately thrusts players into a series of environments infested with demons. The difference between the settings of the first and second Doom games is that the second takes place on earth, as the name suggests, while the original only has to do with Mars, its moons, and Hell.
Intellectual Content
The hardware and software limitations of gaming at the time of Doom II's initial release certainly hinder the platforming, exploration, and general intellectual nature of the game. Nevertheless, there are secrets in each level that can be found by luck or by careful observation.
Conclusion
While waiting for Doom: Eternal, Switch players who can handle playing far older games might find Doom II makes them appreciate newer Doom games all the more. Doom II is far from the most creative, deep, emotional, or intellectual game ever made. The creators did very little to give it a story, much less to build the franchise's lore in any significant way. Despite these flaws, Doom II is still a fine example of what early gaming was like and a potent reminder of how far Doom has come.
Content:
1. Violence: The animations may look ancient, but plenty of blood appears when an enemy is killed.
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