Classic Doom is probably one of those games that I love to come back to if I’m in the need for “comfort.” These games are always great to come back to because of their simplicity, and of course, wonderful game design. It’s truly the game design aspect that makes classic Doom so appealing for other players and me to still play this old and beloved series in the year of 2024.
As someone who grew up playing these games, I would’ve never thought I would still continue playing the old Doom games like today. They are truly games that never lost that magical charm. There’s a real reason why former Doom creative director John Romero insisted on still creating content for this game. However, there are still a decent amount of players that still play these games too.
This article is here to explain why the old Doom games are just excellent video games no matter what year you play them in. I have five reasons to share some of the great game design behind the old Doom games, and why they are the main reason that will keep them timeless.
The Mighty Shotguns
There’s no doubt that the shotguns in the classic Doom titles are memorable by their design. The Shotgun is basically the first “real good” weapon you’ll pick up, and you’ll instantly be attached to them because of how multi-purpose it is. The standard Shotgun also got a lot of style in how it looks in first-person, and the animation simply never gets old every time you fire it. Of course, we have the Super Shotgun which is basically the sawed off version.
The modern DOOM’s shotguns have definitely lived up to the legacy of the old games!
It’s definitely a lot better than the standard version in many ways, and in Doom II, it simply replaces the regular Shotgun. The Super Shotgun will always be your best friend against close quarter engagements, and it’s also excellent at taking out the new baddies in Doom II.
Since I grew up playing the old Doom games, I always love it when I play a shooter that has a good shotgun experience. It will instantly remind me of the old Doom games, and it’s basically something I honestly expect. A good shotgun experience will always make any first-person shooter much better to play from start to finish.
A Good Balance of Everything
The old Doom games are certainly known for being highly action-packed and providing the power fantasy experience. However, I do believe they are great games at giving the player a wide range of experiences within their levels. What does that mean? Well, there are some levels that are more straight forward to navigate and are action-packed.
This particular level used to creep me out when I was a kid!
Some levels are going to be more maze-like; requiring the player to explore and puzzle solve their way out. These kinds of design make the levels distinctive from one another, and it just makes the game a lot more enjoyable to replay them. You can tell the level makers put a lot of emphasis in making sure every level will deliver a certain experience to the player. On top of that, there are also levels that are more atmospheric or even horror driven too.
Hiding the Secrets
I’ve always loved exploring secrets in retro first-person shooters. They are always fun to do to mix up from the fast-paced action, but most importantly, they are rewarding. Like most classic Doom inspired first-person shooters, it’s important to balance your overall resources. What that means is you need to have good health, armor, and ammo quantities. If you do happen to want to check out for hidden doors or fake walls, you’re simply rewarded for it.
And that’s great that the old Doom games reward gamers for trying to solve some of the game’s obscure puzzles rather than just focusing on the combat aspect. The combat is certainly something most people would expect from a shooter, but it’s always nice to have a little bit of side activity to keep the game more interesting to play.
Unforgettable Visual Art
As much I love the mechanical side of the old Dooms, the art design is something that should also be discussed. After all, video games are a visual based medium, so you definitely want to look at things that are detailed and artistic. It definitely helps the immersion of the maps especially with the hellish styled textures.
The tech base textures are also very iconic in how they look, and it will forever define a non-hell map visual appearance of the game. The monsters have always been memorable in their visual design. During my younger years, I’ve always loved how evil the Archvile looked to being flabbergasted by the Cyberdemon’s brutality. Killing the monsters is something I also enjoy watching especially the corpse of a Hell Knight or Baron of Hell as you watch their animation.
All of these traits of the visual design of the original Doom and Doom II are things that always left an impression on me as a kid. And to this day, it still is appealing after all those years, and I believe it’s because the game’s overall art direction is just that good.
Respecting and Teaching the Player’s Intelligence
For the final reason of why the old Dooms are so iconic and will forever be great games to play is because they respect the player’s intelligence. There’s no real hand holding in these types of games. You’re on your own, and you basically figuring out how to play the game as you play through it.
I’m sure many first time players got lost fairly badly on Downtown.
However, the game does it in a way that’s also good at teaching the player some of its design philosophies. For example, in E1M3: Toxin Refinery, it is the first level that introduces the player a secret level, and if you find it, you are rewarded for it. Never did the game tell you that this particular map has an additional level for players to play. The second level of Doom II is where players get to use the Super Shotgun for the first time.
The level in a nutshell is basically designed to teach the player that the new weapon is extremely powerful for close range, and it should be used and abused. It’s just the many little nuances that these games have can really impact the playing experience for the player. And it impacts them greatly too, and the game knows you’re smart enough to be able to get its rules.
Those are my five personal game design traits of why the original Doom and Doom II are still awesome to play. You can never go wrong with these types of games. After all, they will always be great games to help game designers want to get better at making their own video games!
