I've played through 2016's DOOM so many times now I've lost count. It is without a doubt one of my favorite games of all time. I've tried to change up each playthrough in some way, so this time I decided to kill the HUD, drop the difficulty to "Too Young to Die," and ignore any sort of hard narrative elements like text logs or story beats. I wanted to see how pure the action was, how well the world resonated without any sort of written narrative, and ultimately how much the complete DOOM experience could be hampered by playing the game in it's lowest powered form on the lowest difficulty in the back of a car with the sound muted. Here's the thing: this game still fucking owns. Its oft buzzed about "scalability" applies not only to it's technical prowess and adaptability, but to its gameplay as well. Any way you want to experience this game, from Ultra Nightmare in 4K to Little Baby Dipshit Mode on your oven clock, it always feels like DOOM. Of the game's countless strengths, this feels like its biggest and brightest.
But for now, I just wanted to appreciate blood, guts, and hell's architecture. Removing all the fuss of the game's HUD and playing through the game at a more forgiving pace has made me appreciate this game's art design so much more than ever before. What stood out more to me this go-round was how much detail was packed into the paths less taken. There are so many areas in this game that could be so easily missed if you're in a hurry that are STILL decked the fuck out with innards. The gentle stroll through hell also revealed far more scenic moments than I ever realized while cooking through the game on higher difficulties. It reveals a layer to the visual storytelling that I didn't realize was there in the previous six or so playthroughs of this game. For now and forever, BOW DOWN ALL HAIL DOOM.
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