There is no shadow of a doubt that Doom is a cultural phenomenon that has shaped video games, and in particular, first-person shooters to this day. Despite releasing in 1993, it’s still played and revered amongst the community, and the modern Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal still managed to challenge modern conventional norms, sometimes forgoing lore and narrative to rip and tear until it’s done… to great success mind you. Today at Quakecon, Bethesda announced the Definitive Doom & Doom II Package in a single download. What’s it Like? Lace up those boots, load the shotgun, and rip and tear until we’re done with our review on the Definitive Doom & Doom II Re-release.
Let’s start this review by addressing the Cacodemon in the room when it comes to value. This re-release is actually free to existing owners of Doom 1 & 2, and also comes separate from those versions for those who don’t wish to upgrade. To me, this is a great way of respecting the consumer by 1, not forcing a monetary purchase and 2, not forcing a version upgrade. For those who don’t own the original games on Switch, this pack comes in at a very reasonable $18 AUD, and comes packed with a horde of new additions and upgrades.
The Doom and Doom II package comes with *deep breath*: DOOM, DOOM II, Master Levels for DOOM II, TNT: Evilution, The Plutonia Experiment, No Rest for the Living, Sigil, Legacy of Rust (which is a new episode created in collaboration by individuals from id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames,) as well as a new Deathmatch map pack featuring 25 maps (to accompany the existing 18) bringing the total Deathmatch levels to 43. The content in this pack alone is staggering, but Bethesda made further improvements to the pack including an optional remastered soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult, 60 FPS locked framerate on Switch, Mod support and Mod Browser, as well as online, cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players.
For the uninitiated, the Doom series follows a space marine called “Doom Guy” who must fight off hordes of demons after a science experiment opens a portal to hell. It’s fairly light on the story during gameplay, and focuses on delivering a fast-paced first-person-shooting experience we’ve come to love from id software. Despite the story being light in gameplay, the series has garnered a lot of deep and rich lore for those looking to dive deeper, but those looking to blast away will feel right at home here. Levels have secret areas to uncover, interesting enemies to fight, and some tricky puzzles to solve. There’s a plethora of weapons to help you get the job done, ranging from more grounded firearms like a pistol or shotgun to iconic sci-fi blasters like the plasma cannon and the infamous “BFG” which destroys pretty much everything on sight.
Graphically, the Doom and Doom II re-release still preserves the classic look of the Doom series iconic pixellated engine. It looks sharper by default, without losing the original charm, but purists can make it go back to mimic the original look and feel by turning the texture sharpening off completely. You can turn off widescreen support, and adjust bobbing, and lighting, and performance still stays locked at 60 FPS regardless of what options you decide on.
It’s clear that the Doom and Doom II re-release is all about the fans, giving players the option to experience the new or original soundtrack, sharpen textures or keep them as original, and modify the game as they see fit with the mods browser… something missing from a lot of Switch ports. There are only featured mods on the Switch due to platform restrictions, which is to be expected. The new multiplayer allows for some crazy co-op or deathmatch online, with split-screen options for local play, and 16 players online. Now, I might draw some ire here but multiplayer did seem to be a chaotic mess, blasting clumsily away while constantly moving. It’s very fast-paced and I’m not sure if it will appeal to all players, but it’s nice to have the option there. During my playtime, I did find the experience to be laggy in some areas, and I’m not sure if that was due to cross-play network issues, or my internet connection. I will update this review after some more thorough testing over the next week or so.
Another new addition takes a huge step forward in game preservation in the form of the “id vault,” a collection of the original artwork and sprites that players can browse through. It covers all the enemies, items, textures, and weapons, even allowing players to scroll through the animations frame by frame. I found it fascinating looking through these and reading the notes that contained some interesting trivia on designs and functions, as well as seeing early HUD concepts that never made it to the original games. It helps paint a picture of what never came to be, and how the original vision evolved into the fantastic series we have today. There’s also an achievement list for players who love achievements and trophies, which is a nice touch.
For my vision-impaired Doom Slayers, I’m pleased to announce that this new package offers some well-thought-out accessibility options like high contrast text, changing the font to be more legible, the ability to soften or harden full-screen effects, text-to-speech for multiplayer, and the option to allow the game to “speak for you” converting chat to audible dialogue for other players. I should add that for some reason, text-to-speech isn’t available for menu selections, but changing the typeface for said menus is a nice touch. There’s “additional lighting” to brighten dark areas without washing out the textures which usually happens while turning the brightness up. The game also features Gyro controls for moving left and right, which wasn’t for me but might appeal to some players.
This package is a love letter to the series, and I know that’s a trope that gets thrown about a lot. The Doom and Doom II re-release is all about the player, customizing their Doom experience to what suits them. It’s a complete collection with new experiences thrown in, and free to owners of the original. This could have been a chance to get some quick cash from fans, instead, it is a meticulously thought-out and carefully put-together package that’s essential for fans of the Doom series. The Doom and Doom II re-release is a What’s It Like “Certified Exceptional” game, now rip and tear until it’s done.
So, What’s It Like? Doom is the grandfather of all shooters, and there’s nothing else quite like it.
