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junegloom3d · 5 months

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DOOM

Doom is one of the greatest games ever made, a whirling dervish of heavy metal, sci-fi horror and ultraviolence. The original release, sold by mail order from the offices of id Software, featured three episodes of nine levels each (always with one level being a secret, usually with its own gimmick.) That's twenty-seven levels of mayhem from id Software's mappers: John Romero, Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen.

The full review of the game is available on my Medium account.

Episode One: Knee Deep in the Dead

Back in the day, many PC games were sold on the shareware model, in which an often generous portion of the game was distributed for free or relatively cheap. Many games, such as Doom, were thus divided into thematically distinct episodes, with the first episode intended as an extended teaser. "Knee Deep in the Dead" is almost entirely John Romero's show, with a tightly managed design ethos that allowed for a consistent experience. Maps with contributions by the other two, or in the case of E1M8, done entirely without Romero, stick out like sore thumbs from Romero's particular flow.

E1M1: Hanger (John Romero)

The coveted E1M1 slot is the most important level in a game like Doom. It's the level you use to sell the game, the first impression; if your first level isn't fun, how can players be expected to keep playing? This isn't anime. "Hangar" is short and sweet, a linear little teaser for what's next, with a courtyard you can access if you know where to look.

E1M2: Nuclear Plant (John Romero)

Romero's freewheeling design ethos is most apparent here, a much larger offering divided into two wings. The east wing is where most of the shotgunners are, if you can find a way out into the yard. The west wing is much larger, though the bulk of it is an entirely optional maze of computer panels and strobing lights that hide a large hunting party of zombies and imps.

E1M3: Toxin Refinery (John Romero)

On a superficial level it's the same conceit as "Nuclear Plant," with two separate wings to explore. But when you actually play it you'll see the sheer genius of it with its varied setpieces and tantalizing secrets. Being able to open the secret path across the pit from the starting point is supremely satisfying.

E1M9: Military Base (John Romero)

One of the odder offerings from Romero, "Military Base" is a set of about ten plain, boxy rooms in a grid pattern. The central cage full of imps will keep you busy while you mow down the zombie hordes, but the biggest threat is the horde of monsters teleporting in when you pick up the rocket launcher.

E1M4: Command Control (Tom Hall and John Romero)

If you looked up "techbase" in the dictionary you'd see this map. The basic framework from Tom Hall is clear in the sprawling maze of corridors and big rooms, full of zombies and other beasties to kill. The central pagoda is the most interesting setpiece, but I'm partial to the elevator that only goes up once and the maze in the southwest. Infamously this map had a chamber with computers arranged in a swastika pattern in tribute to Wolfenstein 3D; later versions of the map wisely rearranged this to a less controversial symbol. Romero would eventually go back and do a more completely Romero take on the level with Phobos Mission Control.

E1M5: Phobos Lab (John Romero)

This one feels curiously industrial compared to Romero's other levels, with its sprawling pit of toxic goo and the catwalk you have to raise up to get to the yellow key. The horde of zombies and imps that come after you in the west room will be an unwelcome surprise, and even after all these years I still sometimes get caught out by it.

E1M6: Central Processing (John Romero)

This and the following level are my favorites of the episode, the moment where Doom truly comes into its own with a sprawling, three-winged complex. What to highlight? Perhaps the massive ambush early on in the red key room? Or the maze of toxin storage chambers to the east? Perhaps the sheer wall of demons and spectres that are unleashed upon you in the penultimate encounter?

E1M7: Computer Station (John Romero)

The pièce de résistance of the episode is an enormous dark maze of computers and vast chambers of toxic goo, divided into distinct sections. In true survival horror fashion, you'll sometimes have to backtrack, only to bump into newly-unleashed monsters who were hiding in closets before heading off to look for you.

E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

The only level in the entire episode without any contribution from Romero, "Phobos Anomaly" is as straightforward as it gets, and utterly, irrevocably Sandy Petersen. The big finale has you fighting not just two Barons of Hell but also a horde of spectres in a dark, star-shaped chamber. Survive and the walls fall away, revealing a sinister teleporter. Step onto it and face the famous final ambush. And if you crave a more complete John Romero experience, he would reclaim the E1M8 slot for himself years later with Tech Gone Bad.

Final thoughts

"Knee Deep in the Dead," as the shareware episode, is a great showcase of what Doom can offer. While the limited bestiary means you'll be fighting mostly hordes of zombies, the freewheeling level design and strong theming makes for a memorable first outing.

Episode two: The Shores of Hell

For all that everyone praises John Romero's level design, he disappears entirely after "Knee Deep," leaving Tom and Sandy to take over. Tom hardly has a single level to himself; his design philosophy was largely at odds with his fellows, and their fraying working relationship, in part driven by Tom's lack of enthusiasm for the project (Tom is a big kid at heart and preferred the softer, more humorous vibe of Commander Keen) eventually led to his ouster at id Software. Nevertheless, his influence is clear in many levels given his predilection for big, semi-realistic complexes.

E2M1: Deimos Anomaly (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

"Shores" gets things started with a bang. Far less sedate an opener than "Hangar" ever was, it strikes a different tone with dark grey brick walls, hordes of zombies and imps, and sinister architecture like the inverse cross right around the corner from the start point that damages you as you pass through it. This is also the first level we really get to see teleporters in, jumping around the various parts of a disconnected map. If you're clever you'll find an early plasma rifle, but be warned that it's guarded on higher difficulties by what's likely to be your first cacodemon.

E2M2: Containment Area (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

Years ago, the nerd culture site Old Man Murray had a running joke about the time it took from the start of a game to when you saw a crate or barrel since they were such common features. You can probably blame "Containment Area" for starting this trend with a sprawling crate maze full of imps, but storage wars are only part of the story. An optional armory has some goodies for you, but opening the supply closets means freeing the monsters within. It's a pretty fun Tom Hall joint, with Hell's corruption making itself felt in large parts of the map.

E2M3: Refinery (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

An odd level to say the least, this one feels like an intermission on your way to the next big thing. It's positively crawling with cacos, but in spite of that it's relatively flat and cramped without much room for them -- or you -- to maneuver. The big toxin chambers are pretty tricky with the narrow center walls making it tough to cross quickly. "Refinery" also marks the arrival of the Baron of Hell as an ordinary enemy; short of Cybie and the Spiderdemon, every enemy in the game is represented in this.

E2M4: Deimos Lab (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

Doom has always been pretty spooky but the back half of "Shores" is where the game is arguably at its scariest, with a moody soundtrack and lots of tough monsters. Much of the early part of the map winds around a toxic river, but as you work your way deeper into the lab you get to see some more sinister chambers like the red-light room in the north west, or the vine-choked circular room with the staircase leading to a teleporter.

E2M5: Command Center (Sandy Petersen)

It's not a Tom Hall level, but it sure feels like one, an enormous complex of winding paths and dead ends. The Baron and caco fight in the central room doesn't give you a lot of room to maneuver; brave explorers will likely stumble upon the optional toxin vat in the northwest, but you'd have to make a trip down a long, poisonous hallway to get there. The secret level is really easy to find, it's just a matter of knowing what switch does what.

E2M9: Fortress Of Mystery (Sandy Petersen)

A pure gimmick map, consisting of two chambers, one with Barons and one with cacodemons. Savvy players will get these two groups to fight each other, and then pick off the survivors (usually the Barons.) Once they're all dead you can grab all the stuff and get out of there. The caco corpses and tortured Barons ought to tell you how they feel each other.

E2M6: Halls Of The Damned (Sandy Petersen)

Probably my favorite level of the episode, "Halls of the Damned" is an ominous complex of setpieces, each with their own vibe. Sandy employs his tabletop roots to the fullest with all sorts of DnD fuckery, from the disappearing floor in the courtyard to the fake exit that drops you into a nightmarish chamber of blood and guts to be jumped by an ambush squad of monsters. The dark, wooden maze full of monsters is like E1M4's imp-and-pinky warren on steroids.

E2M7: Spawning Vats (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

Tom Hall's stamp of realism is most apparent in this level, with the sense that we're really exploring some sort of twisted, corrupted laboratory. It starts you off on the run with some demons on your tail, but the rest of the map is a sprawling survival horror show. The shiny chrome lab area in the south central will tease you with the yellow key, but first you'll have to deal with the horde of pinkies in the storage room. Great stuff -- it'd be my favorite if not for "Halls of the Damned."

E2M8: Tower Of Babel (Sandy Petersen)

An even more straightforward boss level than "Phobos Anomaly," "Tower of Babel" teases itself all throughout the episode as you can see it being built on the end-of-level screen. When you finally get to it, it can seem a bit underwhelming: a simple boss arena. And then you hear the roar of the Cyberdemon and the mechanical thumping of its hooves...

Final thoughts

People like to talk up "Knee Deep in the Dead" thanks to its tight design and their own fond memories of playing the shareware, but I think "The Shores of Hell" is a more complete picture of Doom in a nutshell. It's darker, scarier, and meaner; its disordered design ethos and wild mishmash of textures that don't always gel together speaks to the game's somewhat haphazard development, but also enhance the unreality of a human installation being subverted by a dimension of pain and fear.

Episode three: Inferno

Welcome to the Sandy Petersen show. While Tom Hall does have his contributions to this episode, the majority of the design is Sandy's, and it shows. It's weird, ugly, full of traps, and leaves you with a sense of being hunted. You're in the devil's domain now, kids. Saddle up.

E3M1: Hell Keep (Sandy Petersen)

We kick things off with the memorable moment of rising up from a field of -- is that supposed to be innards? tentacles? Whatever it is, it's unsettling. Imps wander the field, but it's the cacos just behind the front door that provide the real threat. Grabbing the shotgun and surviving the imp encounter beyond requires some fancy moves, but by that point you should have enough footing to deal with the rest of the level.

E3M2: Slough Of Despair (Sandy Petersen)

Sandy's penchant for idiosyncratic level design is at its most obvious here with a map in the shape of a grasping hand. There's a sense of a hellish wilderness in this blasted moonscape, with each of the "fingers" forming a cave with their own mysteries to discover. If you can take down the zombies and other threats lurking the rocky canyon maze, you'll be well on your way to arming yourself for the dangers ahead.

E3M3: Pandemonium (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

What began as a control center in Doom's early alpha days (back when it was much more similar to System Shock) is now a lost techbase, with much of it not even having been converted, but it still maintains both its Tom Hall-esque sprawling layout and its Sandy Petersen-esque unsettling aesthetics. The optional area to the east has some nice goodies, though be warned that it's heavily guarded.

E3M4: House Of Pain (Sandy Petersen)

No, not the rappers. A complex of torture chambers and other horrors, crammed to the brim with monsters. On an aesthetic level I like the chamber full of tormented souls chained to pillars, observable through a window in the far west; more relevant to the player are the "lungs" and "stomach" rooms by the starting point to the north, the latter having a pair of crushers guarding items you may want.

E3M5: Unholy Cathedral (Sandy Petersen)

Ugh, I hate this level. While the appearance of flaming runes have implications about Hell's language and culture, the actual map is a teleporter nightmare that's difficult to navigate and full of high-level threats, especially the hot room to the northwest and the skull pit in the east from whence a horde of monsters arise, baying for your blood. Cool atmosphere if nothing else.

E3M6: Mt. Erebus (Sandy Petersen)

Hell finally opens up again with a level that would anticipate the sprawling open complexes of Doom II, but be ready to be beset by swarms of cacos flying in over the burning lake and other threats wandering the island. Most any building you break into will trigger a siege from the hordes who want it back, but it's the Y-shaped building in the northwest that induces the biggest response. Getting to the secret level requires a little planning, or at least some luck with straferunning.

E3M9: Warrens (Sandy Petersen)

Wait, isn't this just "Hell Keep?" It plays out exactly the same, though if you're playing continuous you should be significantly better armed than you were the first go-round. Find your way through and step into the teleporter... only for the walls to fall away and reveal the truth about this level, with an angry cyberdemon staring you in the face. It's a gimmick map, but it's a good gimmick.

E3M7: Gate To Limbo (Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen)

One last maze, awash in seas of toxic blood. For the size of the level, the relatively low monster count might seem like no big deal, until you realize just how much of the level is dangerous to stand in. More than anything though what stands out to me is the vibe, huge disconnected chambers with locked teleporter coffins, feeling a bit like some kind of hellish crypt complex.

E3M8: Dis (Sandy Petersen)

Along came a spider... "Dis" is a boss arena that doesn't give you much protection against the withering fire of the spiderdemon's hitscan attack. If you're feeling brave you can try to use the central pagoda as cover, but honestly if you have the BFG and you're quick you can just dance on up to her and squash her before she's had a chance to unload.

Final thoughts

Episode 3 is something of a mixed bag. Sandy's vision of Hell doesn't have a consistent theme; it's a mishmash of ideas and aesthetics, leaning towards a traditional fire-and-brimstone look as opposed to the more gothic, even medieval aesthetics as seen in the likes of Quake, Hellraiser, and even later Doom games. I suppose the heavy metal soundtrack plays a part in that. Regardless, it's still a fun ride with a lot of cool traps and weird shit to see.

#doom #classic fps #30 years of doom

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