Game Review--Doom (1993) [Switch]

"Looks like you're stuck on the shores of hell.  The only way out is through."
--Episode 1 completion screen, Doom


One of the original first-person shooter games, and therefore one of the vital steps taken towards popularizing the genre, was Doom, ID Software's violent start to a largely successful franchise.  The shooting and exploration that has come to define the Doom series started in 1993.  Now, as with Doom II and Doom 3, the first Doom is now available on the Switch (and other consoles).  In honor of the latest new release within the Doom franchise, I wanted to revisit the first entry in the series to highlight just how far the franchise and genre have come.

Production Values

Much of what I wrote about the graphics in my review of Doom II applies to its predecessor as well.  The visuals are the opposite of impressive by modern standards, and yet they were the starting point for a series that now enjoys excellent graphics on the most recent consoles.  As for the audio, the weapon and enemy noises work, but there is no dialogue.  This is somewhat fitting, given both the technical limitations of the day and the almost complete lack of a developed story.


Gameplay

The gameplay is by far the strongest aspect of Doom, as the gunplay and exploration take the center stage.  Indeed, everything about the game is built around these two aspects first and foremost.  Each of the 30+ levels provides enough ammunition to decimate demons with weapons like a chaingun, an energy rifle, and a shotgun (yes, the "big fucking gun" or BFG also makes its debut here).  Some of the levels have complex layouts that might confuse players in between fights--if this happens, the map, which does not prevent in-game movement, can be very helpful in some cases.

Story

Doom, being so old and having such a minimal story, has little narrative to spoil that isn't familiar to gaming historians, but the premise involves a demonic invasion of bases on Mars (and its moons Phobos and Deimos) owned by a company called the Union Aerospace Corporation.  An unnamed marine fights his way into Hell, the dimension from which the demons emerged, and defeats a mechanically enhanced spider-like being.


Intellectual Content

Like its sequel Doom II, Doom has little to no thematic or narrative depth.  There are still secret areas and pickups scattered throughout each level despite the absence of philosophical or storytelling complexity.  Secrets are not always easily distinguished from random pickups or mandatory sections, however, but the screen at the end of a level displays the percentage of secrets found in that map, so completionists could return to specific levels to find everything if they desire so.


Conclusion

Even though it has clearly been surpassed by many later games in scope, depth, and quality, the original Doom is one of the most important games of all time, helping make first-person shooters the mainstream entertainment experiences they are now.  The 2016 reboot effortlessly towers above it in terms of lore development and multiple other categories, yet the impact of the first game in the series remains enormous.  Because of this 1993 release, Doom Eternal is here.


Content:
 1.  Violence:  Killing possessed humans or demons results in bursts of highly pixelated blood.  Demon corpses can be seen on the ground, torn open by gunfire.