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Doom (1993 video game)

Doom is a landmark 1993 video game developed and published by for . In the game, players control an unnamed battling demonic hordes that have invaded the and subsequently , using an arsenal of weapons including shotguns, chainsaws, and plasma rifles in fast-paced, gore-filled combat across maze-like levels. Released initially as in December 1993, with the first episode freely distributed to promote sales of the full version, it pioneered models and quickly became a commercial phenomenon, selling over 1 million copies in its early years. Developed by a core team led by programmers and , along with artist and designer , Doom built upon id Software's prior success with (1992), evolving its technology over approximately 15 months of production. The game's innovative introduced advanced features like variable-height floors and ceilings, and smooth scrolling, rendering pseudo-3D environments at high speeds even on modest 1990s hardware, which set new standards for immersive gameplay. It supported single-player campaigns across three episodes (with a fourth added in 1995's The Ultimate Doom), cooperative multiplayer, and modes, fostering a vibrant community after id Software open-sourced the engine in 1997. Doom's impact extended far beyond its technical achievements, popularizing the first-person shooter genre and influencing countless titles such as Half-Life, GoldenEye 007, and Halo through its emphasis on fluid movement, intense action, and level design. The game's shareware approach demonstrated the viability of free-to-try distribution, reshaping how PC games were marketed and sold, while its graphic violence sparked national debates on media effects following events like the 1999 Columbine shooting. Inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015, Doom remains a foundational work in gaming history, spawning a enduring franchise now owned by Bethesda Softworks and continually re-released on modern platforms.

Gameplay

Core Mechanics

Doom utilizes a pseudo- rendering system based on (BSP) trees to efficiently draw walls, floors, and ceilings of varying heights, while employing two-dimensional sprites for enemies and items to simulate depth and interaction in a three-dimensional without relying on polygonal models. This approach allows for dynamic viewpoints and sloped sectors, fostering an immersive first-person perspective that emphasizes rapid navigation through labyrinthine spaces. The technique prioritizes performance on hardware, enabling smooth gameplay at resolutions like 320x200 while maintaining the illusion of full 3D exploration. Player movement is designed for fast-paced action, with forward and backward motion controlled by the up and down arrow keys, turning via left and right arrows, running achieved by holding the shift key during forward movement, and strafing enabled by holding the alt key while pressing left or right arrows. Doors open automatically upon walking into them, and switches or interactive elements are activated by pressing the spacebar, promoting fluid and intuitive control that encourages aggressive positioning against threats. These mechanics support high-speed maneuvers essential to the first-person shooter genre, where quick directional changes can mean the difference between survival and defeat. The begins with the at 100 points, depleted by attacks or environmental hazards, and restored through medkits that add 25 points each, up to a maximum of 100 (or 200 with certain power-ups). Armor provides mitigation, starting at 0% and capping at 200%, with green armor absorbing 30% of incoming before is affected, and blue armor absorbing 50%; both types degrade upon impact until depleted. This layered protection mechanic rewards strategic pickups, as maintaining armor alongside is crucial for enduring prolonged combat. Navigation is aided by the automap, toggled with the tab key to reveal an overhead, top-down of the explored level layout, including walls, doors, and the player's position marked by a green arrow. Followers indicate unexplored areas, while computer area maps fully reveal the entire level, including hidden sections, upon collection. Secret areas, which offer bonus items like or , are uncovered by shooting suspicious walls that conceal passages or activating obscured switches, often identifiable by subtle texture variations or misplaced lighting. These discoveries enhance replayability, as finding all secrets contributes to completion metrics without altering core progression.

Weapons, Enemies, and Items

Doom features a selection of eight weapons that form the core of its combat system, each with distinct firing mechanics and damage profiles suited to different combat scenarios. Players begin with the fists, delivering basic punches, before acquiring others. The is a that fires bullets at a moderate rate, serving as an early armament. The delivers a spread of 12-gauge shells for close-range , while the chaingun provides rapid-fire bullet barrages ideal for suppressing multiple targets. The fires explosive projectiles that deal both direct impact damage and area-effect to nearby enemies, enabling effective use against clustered foes but risking self-damage if fired too closely. The plasma rifle emits streams of energy cells as high-speed bolts for sustained ranged fire, and the BFG9000 unleashes a massive sphere that explodes on impact, releasing secondary tracers for widespread devastation across rooms. The offers unlimited attacks, rapidly shredding enemies in close quarters without consuming . Weapons are selected using number keys (1 through 7) or cycled via or inputs, with automatic switching to the most powerful available option when runs dry for the current . is categorized into four types—bullets for the and chaingun, shells for the , rockets for the , and cells for the plasma rifle and BFG9000—each with maximum carry limits such as 200 bullets, 50 shells, 50 rockets, and 300 cells, which can be doubled by picking up a . Pickups restore limited quantities, for instance, a pickup grants 8 shells while clips provide 10 bullets (20 on I'm Too Young to Die and skill levels), emphasizing during prolonged engagements. The game's enemies, collectively referred to as monsters, exhibit varied behaviors and attack patterns drawn from demonic and themes, forcing players to adapt tactics based on threat level and mobility. Zombified former humans, including basic pistol-wielding variants and tougher shotgun-armed sergeants, serve as early-game fodder that advance methodically and fire straightforward projectiles. Imps, brown-skinned one-eyed demons, hurl fireballs from mid-range and claw in , requiring precise dodging due to their agility. Fast-charging pink demons and their phasing, nearly invisible specter counterparts engage exclusively in rushes, demanding quick footwork to evade. s are floating, large-mouthed spheres that spit fireballs while hovering out of reach, testing vertical aiming and kiting strategies. The of Hell, a massive red-skinned brute, withstands heavy punishment while launching rapid fireballs, often appearing in pairs for intense duels. The cyberdemon, a towering boss, barrages the arena with rockets, combining high health with relentless aggression to culminate major encounters. Combat encounters leverage enemy AI behaviors such as infighting, where monsters will turn on each other if struck by friendly projectiles or , allowing players to exploit chaos by positioning foes in crossfire— for example, a rocket's can provoke imps and demons into mutual assaults. Lost souls, flaming flying skulls that charge in swarms, add unpredictability with their speed but continue careening through the air until they strike a or other object. Items scattered throughout levels provide essential pickups for survival and enhancement, restoring , granting protection, or conferring temporary abilities. Health bonuses incrementally increase vitality by 1% up to a maximum of 100% (or 200% with certain power-ups), while stimpacks and medikits offer quick +10% and +25% restorations, respectively. Soul spheres dramatically boost health by 100 points, pushing the cap to 200% for extended endurance. packs set health to 100% and empower melee attacks (including the and fists) to ten times normal strength, turning the screen red for its duration and enabling rapid enemy dismemberment. Radiation suits shield against damaging hazardous areas like nukage pools, tinting the screen green for a limited time. These elements, often hidden in secret areas, encourage exploration to maintain combat readiness without delving into broader movement systems.

Level Structure and Multiplayer

Doom features an episode-based structure consisting of three distinct episodes in the full 1993 release: Knee-Deep in the Dead, The Shores of Hell, and , with the first episode distributed as to promote the game. Each episode contains eight primary levels plus one secret level, for a total of 27 levels across the campaign, accessed sequentially via an intermission screen that advances the plot. While episodes progress linearly, individual levels adopt a non-linear design with interconnected maze-like corridors, allowing players multiple paths to objectives and encouraging for full completion. Levels incorporate environmental mechanics to enhance navigation and challenge, such as lifts that raise or lower platforms upon activation by switches, enabling vertical exploration and access to elevated areas. Teleporters, depicted as glowing pads, provide instant transportation to distant map sections, often used for shortcuts or puzzle-solving. Progression relies on collecting colored keycards and skull keys in red, blue, and yellow variants to unlock corresponding doors and barriers, with keys retained only within the current level. Environmental hazards include damaging floors like radioactive slime and molten lava, which inflict continuous health loss unless protected by temporary rad suits, adding risk to open traversal. The game tracks a secrets percentage for each level, calculated based on the number of hidden areas discovered—typically marked by illusory walls or concealed switches—which often house extra ammunition, health, or weapons to reward thorough exploration. Achieving 100% secrets can significantly ease survival by providing superior resources, though some require precise timing or observation to uncover. Five difficulty levels scale the challenge from "I'm Too Young to Die" (easiest, with reduced enemy health and damage, doubled starting resources, and slower foes) through "Hey, Not Too Rough" and "Hurt Me Plenty" (standard balance) to "Ultra-Violence" (more enemies, increased health and speed, higher damage) and "Nightmare!" (extreme, with all prior escalations plus enemy respawning). Higher difficulties reduce health and armor pickup values while amplifying enemy aggression, demanding strategic play over brute force. Doom pioneered multiplayer with and modes, supporting up to four human over local area networks or two via / connections, using the same levels as single-player with shared environments. In play, team against enemies with enabled, requiring careful positioning to avoid harming teammates; is a free-for-all where respawn upon death to compete for kills, a format that popularized intense, competitive sessions. The development team, led by , coined the term "deathmatch" to describe this mode, which revolutionized multiplayer gaming by integrating it seamlessly into the core engine.

Plot and Setting

Background and Setting

Doom is set in a dystopian near-future where humanity has colonized Mars, with the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) operating extensive facilities there for disposal and classified research projects. The story unfolds primarily on Mars' moons, and Deimos, which serve as remote outposts for the UAC's most secretive experiments in inter-dimensional technology. These gateways, initially tested by sending objects between the moons, devolve into unstable portals that unleash a demonic invasion from an alternate dimension identified as . The protagonist is an unnamed U.S. Marine, later dubbed by fans, a battle-hardened reassigned to the UAC's Mars as punishment for assaulting his . This incident occurred when the officer ordered troops to open fire on civilians during a on , leading to the marine's demotion and isolation on the red planet, far from any immediate support. Stationed at the Phobos facility, he receives a garbled warning of "something fraggin' evil" emerging from the gateways, shortly before Deimos mysteriously disappears from , severing all communications. Thematically, Doom blends horror with elements, portraying a lone soldier facing overwhelming odds in isolated, high-stakes environments reminiscent of military outposts overrun by otherworldly threats. The settings evolve from sterile, high-tech laboratories and barracks on —complete with computer systems, decontamination chambers, and storage depots—to the increasingly corrupted structures on Deimos, and finally to Hell's nightmarish domains featuring jagged , rivers of lava, fortified castles, and ritualistic altars adorned with demonic iconography. This progression underscores themes of technological leading to apocalyptic invasion, with the 's journey symbolizing desperate survival against an infernal horde. The game's atmosphere draws direct inspiration from films such as Aliens (1986), evoking the tension of a marine squad battling xenomorphs in confined space colonies, and (1987), capturing the chaotic, gore-filled confrontation with undead forces in a remote cabin. , co-founder of , described the concept as "Aliens meets " in a 1995 interview, highlighting the fusion of militaristic sci-fi isolation with grotesque, .

Plot Summary

The plot of Doom is conveyed primarily through the instruction manual's backstory and brief, text-based intermission screens that appear after completing episodes, with no or cutscenes. The centers on an unnamed , a tough soldier reassigned to the Union Aerospace Corporation's (UAC) bases on Mars' moons after assaulting a superior officer who ordered fire on civilians during a . The UAC's experiments with teleportation gates between and Deimos have torn open portals to , unleashing demonic forces that overrun the facilities and cause Deimos to mysteriously vanish; the marine, armed only with a after his is slaughtered, must fight through the to prevent it from reaching Earth. In Episode 1, "Knee-Deep in the Dead," the marine lands on amid the demon outbreak and clears the UAC's lunar bases, culminating in a battle against the episode's bosses, the Barons of . Upon victory, an intermission screen describes the expected reward turning sour: "Once you beat the big badasses and clean out the moon base you're supposed to win, aren't you? [...] It stinks like rotten meat, but looks like the lost Deimos base. Looks like you're stuck on the shores of . The only way out is through." This transports him to a hellish landscape fused with Deimos' remnants. Episode 2, "The Shores of Hell," sees the marine navigating the warped, infernal facilities on what remains of Deimos, now hovering above itself, as he combats escalating demonic hordes and ultimately slays the Cyberdemon, a massive cybernetic lord ruling the lost moon base. The intermission text celebrates the triumph but reveals the dire situation: "You've done it! The hideous cyber-demon lord that ruled the lost Deimos moon base has been slain and you are triumphant! But... where are you? [...] Deimos floats above itself! [...] Quickly, you rappel down to the surface of ." He descends into proper to press the fight. In Episode 3, "," the delves deeper into 's fiery domains, facing nightmarish architecture and creatures in a bid to escape, ending with the defeat of the Spider Mastermind, the demon orchestrating the . The concluding text offers a false sense of relief: "The loathsome spiderdemon that masterminded the of the bases and caused so much death has had its ass kicked for all time. [...] You've proven too tough for to contain, and now at last plays fair—for you emerge from the door to see the green fields of ! Home at last. [...] It's good that no hell-spawn could have come through that door with you..." This open-ended finale implies the has already spread to , setting up potential continuation, though ends here. The shareware version of Doom, distributed freely to promote the full release, includes only Episode 1, allowing players to experience the initial invasion on before purchasing the complete game with all three episodes.

Development

Concept and Early Work

was founded on February 1, 1991, by programmers and , game designer , and artist (no relation to John), who had previously collaborated at on projects including the 2D platformer series . The company's early focus on side-scrolling adventures shifted dramatically following the 1992 release of , id's breakthrough that introduced pseudo-3D gameplay via raycasting and achieved massive commercial success through a distribution model. Buoyed by this momentum, the team envisioned Doom as the logical evolution, aiming for expansive, multi-level worlds that surpassed Wolfenstein's constrained, grid-snapped environments, along with smoother, non-grid-based player movement to enhance immersion and speed. Pre-production for Doom began in late 1992, with Romero pitching a high-octane action concept centered on a lone battling demonic hordes invading the , directly inspired by a campaign where his character unwittingly unleashed hellish forces on a planetary scale. Hall contributed foundational story elements, including a detailed "Doom Bible" outlining the narrative and character lore, though creative tensions led to his departure from in July 1993 amid disagreements over design direction. Romero assumed the role of lead designer, overseeing level layouts and flow, while spearheaded technical innovations and handled visual assets, drawing collective influences from for monstrous foes, heavy metal aesthetics for the soundtrack's intensity, and B-movies like Aliens and for the blend of sci-fi horror and over-the-top gore. During this phase, the team developed early prototypes to refine raycasting techniques, building on Wolfenstein's engine to support variable-height floors, ceilings, and multi-story structures for more dynamic environments, all while committing to the model to maximize accessibility and viral spread. These tests validated the core vision of fast-paced, demon-slaying combat in vast, interconnected spaces, setting the stage for Doom's revolutionary impact.

Technology and Engine

The , formally known as , was primarily developed by at and represented a significant advancement in real-time for personal computers in 1993. Designed as a system, it simulated three-dimensional spaces using two-dimensional maps while supporting features like variable-height floors and ceilings, though it lacked full geometry such as overhanging ledges or sloped walls in its initial implementation. This architecture allowed for immersive first-person perspectives without the computational overhead of true polygons, making it feasible on era hardware like 80486 processors. Central to the engine's efficiency was its use of (BSP) trees to manage static level geometry. Levels were preprocessed offline by a node builder tool, which recursively split the map into convex subspaces (sectors) along lines, creating a hierarchical that encoded visibility information. During runtime, the engine traversed this BSP tree starting from the player's position, rendering subtrees in front-to-back order to minimize overdraw and ensure correct occlusion on low-end VGA displays. This approach enabled complex, multi-room layouts with connected sectors while avoiding the need for expensive . Although early prototypes included support for sloped sectors, this feature was removed before release to maintain performance on contemporary hardware. Rendering combined BSP traversal with scanline-based wall drawing, eschewing the pure raycasting of predecessor in favor of edge-following algorithms for textured surfaces. Walls, floors, and ceilings were drawn per column on the 320x200 VGA screen, with floors and ceilings rendered as flat spans at varying heights per sector. Enemies and objects appeared as billboarded sprites, scaled and depth-sorted relative to the player, contributing to the illusion of without actual polygonal models. The targeted 35 frames per second on a 486DX2-66 MHz PC, achieving smooth through assembly-optimized code and avoidance of floating-point operations. Levels were structured around a sector-based format, where enclosed areas (sectors) were bounded by linedefs—tagged segments that could trigger actions like opening or activating lifts by altering adjacent sector heights. This system supported dynamic elements within static BSP-defined geometry, such as moving platforms, but required manual tagging during creation. was simulated through precomputed colormaps: lookup tables that progressively dimmed palette indices to create 32 discrete brightness levels, applied uniformly to sectors and updated in for effects like flickering or phased changes via linedef triggers. These gradients provided atmospheric depth without per-pixel calculations, enhancing the ambiance on limited hardware. The sound system employed digitized 8-bit PCM samples for effects, sampled at 11.025 kHz and limited to about six seconds per clip to fit memory constraints, played via the , , or AdLib cards. No positional audio was implemented, resulting in non-spatialized playback regardless of in-game location. Music consisted of MIDI tracks adhering to the General MIDI standard, sequenced for hardware synthesizers to generate looping atmospheric scores, with the engine handling playback through a simple without advanced mixing. Key limitations stemmed from the era's environment and 4 MB typical of target machines, including static trees that prevented destructible or modifiable environments, and hardcoded caps such as 128 visible sprites per to avoid on VGA rendering buffers. These constraints enforced fixed enemy counts per and precluded features like variable lighting per object, prioritizing reliability and speed over flexibility. The engine was tightly optimized for with 256-color VGA output, leveraging Watcom C and inline for peak performance on 486 systems.

Design and Content Creation

The art direction for Doom was spearheaded by , who crafted the game's sprites for enemies and items, drawing from clay models he personally sculpted and photographed from multiple angles to create rotatable views. These sprites typically measured 32 to 64 pixels in height to suit the game's low-resolution display and performance constraints. Wall textures, such as those depicting , rusted metal, and organic hellish surfaces, were sourced from scanned photographs and hand-sketched concepts by Carmack, then pixelated and optimized within the game's 256-color VGA palette to ensure vivid yet efficient rendering. Level design fell to , , and , who constructed the game's maps manually using the Doom Editor Utility (), a specialized tool for placing sectors, lines, and objects. Their approach prioritized non-linear layouts that encouraged exploration, sudden ambushes to heighten tension, and Romero's hallmark "Romero rooms"—expansive arenas packed with clusters of enemies for chaotic, high-stakes battles that tested player reflexes and . Bobby Prince handled the audio, composing heavy metal-inspired MIDI tracks using tracked music software, with standout pieces like "At Doom's Gate" (also known as E1M1) driving the game's aggressive pace through riff-heavy sequences adapted to PC sound hardware. Sound effects for weapons, impacts, and enemies were digitized from real-world recordings, including layered animal vocalizations—such as slowed pig squeals for the pinky demon's growls—to evoke visceral horror without relying on synthesized tones. The content creation pipeline integrated digital tools like Deluxe Paint II for sprite and texture editing on MS-DOS systems, allowing artists to refine details pixel by pixel before importing into the engine. Levels underwent repeated iterations for gameplay balance, with playtesting to adjust enemy placement, ammo scarcity, and pacing; this process also embedded secrets and Easter eggs, such as hidden developer messages in unreachable areas or texture-based puzzles, to reward thorough exploration. id Software intentionally structured the shareware episode, "Knee-Deep in the Dead," as a standalone demo encompassing a complete narrative arc, core mechanics tutorial, and escalating challenges to captivate users and prompt registration for the remaining episodes.

Release

Initial Distribution

Doom was initially released as on December 10, 1993, with the first made freely available as a 2 MB file uploaded to an at the University of Wisconsin, from which it rapidly spread through systems (BBS) and groups. The model provided players with the complete first , consisting of nine levels, to experience the game's core mechanics before purchasing access to episodes 2 and 3 ("The Shores of Hell" and ""). The full version, including all three episodes, was available immediately via direct mail-order from for $40 plus shipping and handling, ordered by phone at 1-800-IDGAMES or through an order form. The game launched exclusively for on IBM PC compatibles, with handling all initial distribution directly without a traditional publisher, allowing them to retain full control over sales and updates. Retail distribution through stores began later in 1994 under GT Interactive Software, which packaged the full version in boxed sets with floppy disks or CDs. This approach, combined with the low barrier of the free episode, facilitated widespread adoption among PC users connected to early services. Marketing for Doom relied entirely on organic word-of-mouth spread via online communities, BBS, and , without any paid advertising or traditional promotional campaigns from . The strategy proved extraordinarily effective, with estimates indicating that 15 to 20 million people had played the version within two years of release by late 1995.) In 1994, released Thy Flesh Consumed as a free add-on episode for registered users, providing nine additional levels via a downloadable WAD file compatible with the full version. This was followed by The Ultimate Doom in 1995, a commercial expansion published by GT Interactive that integrated Thy Flesh Consumed as the official fourth episode into a new retail package. Legally, maintained ownership of the Doom engine's and , licensing it selectively to third-party developers for ports to other platforms while prohibiting modifications to the levels to encourage registrations.

Ports and Re-releases

Following its initial release, Doom was ported to various platforms in the mid-1990s to expand its accessibility. The Macintosh port, developed by and released on November 4, 1994, closely mirrored the PC version with all original maps and content, offering high performance and customizable controls on systems. In 1994, also created an in-house port for the , which included 24 maps—22 adapted from the PC version and two originals—along with two-player cooperative multiplayer, though it omitted bosses like the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind, and featured no in-game music. The (SNES) version, developed by Sculptured Software and released in 1995, was censored to replace blood with green liquid, reduced enemy counts for hardware limitations, included only 22 maps across three episodes, and ran at a slower without multiplayer support. Console ports often required alterations to accommodate hardware constraints, such as simplified controls and reduced content. The port, developed by and Williams Entertainment and released in 1995 (often bundled with ), expanded to 59 maps combining Ultimate Doom and Doom II content, added colored lighting effects, and supported two-player split-screen play, but excluded the Arch-Vile enemy and featured slower gameplay to fit memory limits. The version, handled by and released in 1996, incorporated (FMV) cutscenes, used a mapset similar to the port with 24 levels, allowed adjustable window sizes for gameplay, but suffered from choppy performance and lacked multiplayer. These adaptations prioritized playability on less powerful systems, sometimes at the expense of fidelity to the original experience. Starting in the late 1990s, community-driven source ports emerged after released the game's in 1997, enabling enhancements while maintaining compatibility with original WAD files. Boom, initially released in 1998 by TeamTNT, introduced generalized linedefs for more precise sector effects and served as a foundation for later ports like PrBoom, though it did not add slopes until subsequent derivatives. ZDoom, evolving into the actively maintained GZDoom, added dynamic lighting, scripting support for advanced modding, mouse-look controls, and compatibility with other id games like Heretic and , with ongoing updates as recent as 2023 for modern WADs. For purists seeking vanilla accuracy, Chocolate Doom recreates the original experience with low-resolution 4:3 aspect ratios and authentic setup tools, avoiding modern enhancements. PrBoom, derived from Boom, emphasizes high-resolution rendering, demo compatibility across versions, and audio improvements like ALSA support, though its development has concluded. DOOM Retro, a refined source port, received its v5.8 update on October 14, 2025, adding immediate music updates via console commands and UI tweaks for enhanced retro play, followed by v5.8.1 on November 5, 2025, with minor fixes and improvements. Modern re-releases have brought Doom to contemporary hardware with quality-of-life improvements. The Ultimate Doom appeared on in 2006, providing downloadable access with updated controls for users. In 2019, released a Unity-based port for consoles including , , and , as well as mobile devices like and , which supported touch controls and higher resolutions but faced criticism for bugs like input lag. Addressing those issues, launched Doom + Doom II on August 8, 2024, using the KEX Engine for platforms including , , , and PC via , , and . This version targets 60 at across all platforms (up to 120 at on next-gen consoles and PC), includes cross-platform online multiplayer for up to 16 players, mod support with an in-game browser, and the new episode by , alongside the enhanced IDKFA soundtrack composed by .

Reception

Sales Figures

Upon its release, the shareware version of Doom—which included the first episode—was rapidly distributed via systems and early services, reaching an estimated 15–20 million players within two years. This unprecedented viral spread through the model prompted approximately 2–3 million users to register for the full version. Immediately following launch, these registrations generated around $100,000 in daily revenue for , with the full game priced at about $40 per copy. By the end of 1993, Doom had sold over 100,000 units, demonstrating the viability of for professional game marketing. Cumulative retail sales across PC and console ports exceeded 3 million copies by 1999. The 1995 re-release The Ultimate Doom, which incorporated a fourth into the original game, was commercially successful and contributed to these totals. Long-term, Doom's success drove id Software's annual revenue to $7.7 million in 1994 and $15.6 million in 1995, primarily from the game and its immediate sequel. The shareware approach established a blueprint for digital distribution, enabling Doom to outperform rivals like Duke Nukem 3D, which sold 1 million copies despite similar first-person shooter mechanics. Developed by a small team of six with a modest budget—estimated at under $100,000 for hardware alone—Doom yielded exceptional return on investment, transforming id Software from a niche developer into an industry leader.

Contemporary Reviews

Doom received critical acclaim shortly after its December 1993 release, with reviewers highlighting its revolutionary first-person perspective and fast-paced action as major advancements over predecessors like . In its March 1994 issue, Computer Gaming World lauded the game's "dazzling" 3D graphics, fluid animations, detailed textures, and strategic depth in combat, where monsters could infight, creating engaging and believable environments; the publication also appreciated the model's accessibility and easy configuration options, including adjustable difficulty and customizable controls. Other major outlets echoed these sentiments, praising the addictive gameplay loop, technical innovations in rendering textured walls and floors, and the thrill of multiplayer over , which many described as a . PC Zone's 1994 review scored it 96 out of 100, calling it the best arcade-style ever produced and commending the diverse of monsters, weapons, and level designs that kept combat varied and intense. Similarly, international magazines like (96%) and Hyper (96%) in early 1994 celebrated its , atmospheric horror elements, and high replayability through multiple episodes and skill levels. Scores across publications such as PC Player (85%) and (87%) averaged over 90%, reflecting broad consensus on its prowess as a genre-defining . Criticisms were relatively minor amid the enthusiasm but focused on the game's unrelenting violence and gore, which some outlets like Computer Gaming World noted as a departure from less graphic titles, potentially limiting its appeal amid emerging debates on media content. Reviewers also pointed to repetitive level structures in later episodes, minimal depth beyond a simple marine-versus-demons premise, and a steep on higher difficulties that could frustrate newcomers; hardware demands, requiring at least a 386 for smooth performance, were another occasional complaint. Edge magazine's outlier April 1994 review gave it a 7 out of 10, critiquing its one-dimensional "kill or be killed" mechanics and lack of deeper interaction, famously quipping, "If only you could talk to the monsters." The game's success led to multiple awards in 1994, including Game of the Year from and Computer Gaming World, recognizing its influence in elevating PC gaming's arcade credentials following . By 1995, as full commercial versions proliferated, critics increasingly viewed Doom as the definitive , though concerns over its graphic violence persisted in broader cultural discussions.

Reception of Ports and Versions

The port of Doom, released in 1995, received mixed reception for its technical achievements amid notable compromises. Critics praised the port's impressive adaptation to the console's hardware using the chip, but frequently criticized severe slowdown during intense action sequences, with frame rates often dipping below 15 , and alterations including censored where blood was recolored green and satanic imagery removed to meet Nintendo's content guidelines. Average review scores hovered around 7/10, reflecting its playability for console audiences despite these dilutions of the original experience. In contrast, the Atari Jaguar port, also from 1995, was lauded for its fidelity to the PC original, delivering smooth 30 gameplay and near-identical visuals that made it the most authentic console version at the time. However, reviewers noted bugs such as occasional issues and the absence of in-game music, which detracted from immersion. Scores averaged around 8/10, positioning it as a standout among early console adaptations. The 1995 expansion Master Levels for Doom II garnered mixed responses, with praise for its 20 additional levels crafted by community designers but criticism for repetitive layouts and uneven difficulty spikes that felt unpolished. Review aggregates placed it at approximately 7.5/10, viewing it as a solid but inconsistent add-on that extended playtime without matching the base game's innovation. John Romero's return to the series with the 2019 expansion Sigil, an unofficial fifth episode for the original Doom, was widely acclaimed for its challenging level design and atmospheric storytelling, earning scores around 9/10 and celebrating the game's roots through intricate, enemy-dense maps. The 2019 Unity port of Doom Classic, aimed at modern consoles and mobile, faced backlash for control scheme limitations, input lag, and bugs like inconsistent framerates, resulting in average user scores of about 6/10 and perceptions of it as inferior to free source ports. In 2024, the KEX Engine re-release of Doom + Doom II addressed many prior shortcomings with enhanced visuals supporting 4K at 120 FPS, improved mod compatibility, and quality-of-life features like a weapon wheel, earning high aggregate critic scores around 9/10 on Metacritic and praise for revitalizing the classics. Some players still favored open-source ports for greater customization and fidelity to the 1993 original. Community perspectives highlight how ports broadened accessibility to non-PC users but often diluted the raw intensity of the source material through hardware constraints or modern simplifications. Romero's Sigil II, released in to mark Doom's 30th anniversary, was lauded with scores near 9.5/10 for its brutal, adrenaline-fueled levels that pushed the original formula to new extremes. Overall, these ports and expansions prolonged Doom's relevance across decades, with the 2024 re-release particularly filling long-standing gaps in official modern support by balancing preservation with contemporary enhancements.

Legacy

Genre Influence and Clones

Doom's release in 1993 is widely regarded as the pivotal moment that defined and popularized the (FPS) genre, establishing core mechanics that became industry standards. The game introduced fast-paced, immersive gameplay with fluid movement, intricate level designs featuring multi-level environments and secrets, and a focus on relentless combat against demonic enemies, moving beyond the grid-based limitations of predecessors like . Its innovative use of keyboard-and-mouse controls provided precise aiming and navigation, serving as a precursor to full mouse-look implementations in later titles, while the built-in mode enabled multiplayer chaos over , fostering competitive play that influenced subsequent multiplayer-focused shooters. These elements not only set a template for FPS design but also inspired diverse adaptations, such as the console-bound 007 (1997), which adapted Doom's run-and-gun intensity to split-screen multiplayer, and (1998), which built on its environmental storytelling and pacing to emphasize narrative depth. The game's success triggered a surge of imitators, often dubbed "Doom clones," which replicated its formula while introducing variations to carve out niches in the burgeoning genre. Rise of the Triad (1994), developed by Apogee Software (later 3D Realms) under the direction of id Software co-founder Tom Hall and other id alumni, exemplified this trend with its over-the-top humor, power-ups like missile launchers, and vertical level design, using a modified Wolfenstein 3D engine as a direct competitor to Doom's pseudo-3D style. Raven Software's Heretic (1994) and Hexen: Beyond Heretic (1995) licensed the Doom engine from id Software, adapting it for fantasy settings with inventory systems, class-based characters, and hub-world progression, thereby extending Doom's technical framework into role-playing-infused shooters. Similarly, Duke Nukem 3D (1996) from 3D Realms rivaled Doom using the proprietary Build engine, which supported destructible environments, interactive sprites, and expansive sectors, infusing the genre with satirical humor and pop culture references while pushing hardware limits in non-licensed competition. Doom's technical legacy further amplified its genre-defining role through its open engine architecture, which encouraged a boom via easily editable WAD files that allowed community-created levels, weapons, and even total conversions, democratizing game development and influencing engines in titles like . This accessibility not only prolonged the game's lifespan but also popularized the demand for graphics acceleration, as Doom's software rendering strained PCs, paving the way for advancements that enabled more sophisticated visuals in mid-1990s FPS games. Overall, Doom catalyzed an industry shift from platformers and adventure games to immersive, action-oriented shooters, dominating PC gaming charts and inspiring a wave of titles that collectively solidified as a cornerstone genre by the mid-1990s.

Franchise Continuation

The Doom franchise continued with direct sequels that expanded on the original game's premise of demonic invasions. Doom II: Hell on Earth, developed and published by id Software, was released on October 10, 1994, for MS-DOS, shifting the action to an invasion of Earth following the events on Mars' moons. Final Doom, published by id Software in 1996 and featuring levels designed by the fan group TeamTNT, was released on June 17 for MS-DOS, compiling two 32-level episodes—TNT: Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment—as community-driven extensions to the Doom II storyline. Doom 64, developed by Midway Games in collaboration with id Software and released on March 31, 1997, for Nintendo 64, introduced a new engine and continued the narrative with the protagonist returning to battle demons on a re-infested Phobos, incorporating exclusive levels and enemies. The series saw reboots beginning with , developed by and released on August 3, 2004, for Microsoft Windows, which reimagined the story in a style set on a Mars research facility overrun by demons. In 2016, , now under , revived the franchise with Doom, released on May 13 for , , and Windows, emphasizing fast-paced, aggressive combat against Hell's forces on Mars. This was followed by , released on March 20, 2020, for the same platforms, expanding the action to multiple dimensions with enhanced mobility and weaponry, and including two expansions—The Ancient Gods – Part One on October 20, 2020, and Part Two on March 18, 2021—that delved deeper into the protagonist's origins. The most recent entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, developed by and released on May 15, 2025, for , , and Windows, serves as a set in a medieval era, depicting the Doom Slayer's early battles against demonic hordes. Expansions like , created by original Doom designer and released on May 31, 2019, as a free megawad serving as the unofficial fifth episode for the 1993 Doom, were integrated into official releases; its sequel, Sigil II, followed on December 10, 2023. The 2024 re-release bundle, Doom + Doom II, launched on August 8 by and , incorporates both Sigil and Sigil II as Episodes 4 and 5, alongside other expansions like . Narratively, the protagonist—known as Doomguy in the classic era—evolves into the Doom Slayer in modern entries, with Doom Eternal introducing multiverse elements that connect the timelines, portraying the Slayer as an ancient warrior traversing dimensions to combat Hell. id Software's ownership shifted when ZeniMax Media acquired the studio on June 24, 2009, bringing the Doom IP under Bethesda Softworks' publishing umbrella. In 2021, Microsoft completed its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media on March 9, integrating id Software and the Doom franchise into Xbox Game Studios, with no additional major releases announced beyond The Dark Ages as of late 2025.

Cultural Impact and Controversies

Doom became a cultural icon shortly after its release, influencing various media forms and academic discourse. Its fast-paced, immersive gameplay inspired visual styles in films, such as the lobby shootout scene in The Matrix (1999), where characters wield dual weapons in a manner reminiscent of the game's mechanics. The game's hyperkinetic action rhythms also permeated television and cinema, establishing a template for high-intensity first-person perspectives in popular entertainment. In music, Doom left a mark through direct references and sampling; for instance, the Smashing Pumpkins incorporated the game's explosion sound effect into their 1995 track "Where Boys Fear to Tread" from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Academically, Doom has been analyzed for its role in player immersion, with studies highlighting how its 3D environments and responsive controls fostered deep engagement and cognitive flexibility in first-person shooter players. One such examination compared Doom (1993) to its 2004 sequel, finding that the original's realism levels affected attention and retention during gameplay. The game sparked significant controversies, particularly in the late , when it was linked to real-world . Following the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, media reports highlighted that perpetrators were avid Doom players, leading to widespread blame on the game for promoting aggression. This prompted U.S. Senate hearings in , where senators scrutinized violent video games, with Doom frequently cited as a catalyst for youth . Families of Columbine victims filed lawsuits against and other companies, alleging that Doom contributed to the tragedy by desensitizing players to killing. defended the game as harmless fantasy, with co-creator later reflecting on the "horrid" scapegoating, emphasizing that Doom predated the incident by six years and was not intended to incite real harm. The lawsuits were ultimately dismissed in 2002, with courts ruling insufficient evidence of causation. Amid the broader "Satanic Panic" of the and , Doom faced rumors of embedding messages and promoting devil worship due to its demonic themes and imagery. These claims were debunked by representatives from the , who stated that the series was horror science-fiction with no direct ties to actual , as the protagonist fights infernal forces rather than revering them. In , the game's graphic violence led to a ban on sales to minors from 1994 until 2011, when it was removed from the index of harmful media after assessments deemed it no longer a risk to youth. On a positive note, Doom empowered a vibrant culture by providing accessible tools for , fostering creativity and -driven evolution in . This helped broaden 's appeal, challenging stereotypes about its audience and promoting diversity among creators through distribution and modifications. A 2023 PC Gamer retrospective on the game's 30th anniversary described Doom as "eternal" for its enduring , crediting the for sustaining its relevance through ongoing play and innovations. Post-2020 developments, such as models like GameNGen simulating Doom gameplay in , underscore its continued cultural resonance in and events at .

Community and Modding

The modding scene for Doom emerged rapidly following its 1993 release, driven by the game's WAD file format, which allowed users to package and replace levels, sprites, sounds, and other assets without altering the core engine. Early enthusiasts created custom levels shortly after launch, with notable archives like the Doom Wad Station compiling and distributing thousands of user-generated WADs by 1994, fostering a vibrant exchange of fan-made content. Tools such as the editor, an open-source utility for editing WAD files, became essential for modders, supporting tasks like map design, texture replacement, and scripting integration across Doom variants. Prominent mods exemplify the community's creativity and longevity, including Brutal Doom, first released in 2010, which enhances with realistic , dismemberment mechanics, interactive environments, and upgraded weapons while maintaining compatibility with most map packs. This mod, developed by Sergeant Mark IV, has influenced subsequent projects by emphasizing immersive, tactical combat and earning recognition for revitalizing classic Doom experiences. Source ports have significantly expanded modding possibilities by addressing original engine limitations and adding modern features. , received Vulkan renderer support in 2019, improving performance for complex mods on contemporary hardware. Crispy Doom, based on Chocolate Doom, focuses on bug fixes, limit removal, and enhancements like higher resolutions and uncapped framerates while preserving behavior. DOOM Retro's November 2025 update (v5.8.1) includes subtle improvements such as mirrored monster death animations and fullbright lighting, aiding preservation and accessibility through refined controls and visual clarity. Communities centered on Doomworld have sustained the modding ecosystem, with forums dedicated to help, resource sharing, and discussions amassing over 100,000 posts on technical advancements. events highlight ongoing engagement, particularly in UV-max categories requiring completion of levels on Ultra-Violence difficulty with 100% kills and secrets; for instance, Episode 1 records stand at approximately 19 minutes, showcasing optimized routes and engine exploits. The game's 30th anniversary in 2023 featured Sigil II, a nine-level episode developed by and , distributed free via official channels and compatible with source ports, reigniting interest in custom content creation. Preservation efforts trace back to id Software's 1997 open-source release of the under a non-profit , later relicensed as GPLv2, which has prevented technological obsolescence and enabled ports to run on modern systems. Recent 2024-2025 advancements include ongoing improvements to GZDoom's integration for smoother mod rendering and emerging AI-assisted tools, though the latter sparked when AI-generated code was incorporated into GZDoom, prompting forks like UZDoom to maintain open-source . These developments underscore the enduring, collaborative nature of Doom's fanbase in evolving the game's legacy.

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