Doom is considered a pinnacle of the first-person-shooter genre. In fact, it defined what makes an entertaining first-person-shooter and innovated on its gameplay design. Doom 64 (1997) was the third official Doom game in the overall series and was developed by Midway Games. It quickly became a staple for Doom, earning itself a following of loyal fans to this very day. I decided to revisit Doom 64 in 2023 to see if it’s worth the hype.
Doom 64 is Fun
Doom 64 is what I would consider to be a genuinely fun game. It does pretty much what it advertises: You spawn in and just start killing demons and other creatures left and right for the duration of the game and that’s pretty much it.
There is a puzzle-like structure to its levels. If you can’t solve the puzzle, you can’t kill the demons, and you can’t advance in the game. You need to think and strategize in some capacity in order to beat Doom 64, which is what makes it a perplexing but fun challenge of a game.
Doom 64 did not provide for you any hand-holding instructions. You’re pretty much expected to find out how the game works yourself. It sort of just hands you a shotgun and tells you to figure out the rest from there.
The Narrative Aspect of Doom 64
Doom 64 has an interesting narrative premise. After the Doom Marine successfully thwarts Hell in the previous installment, a planetary policy is established to quarantine UAC research installations that have apocalyptic levels of radiation.
The installations were basically abandoned, but one suddenly sends a message back to Earth.
Since nobody can do it but the Marine, he is sent in as a one-man wrecking machine to kill off all the demons from Hell. Unfortunately, the demons had planned for this and lured him back to Hell. Still, the demons are no match for a Marine’s rage, and they cannot stop him.
The game actually has a pretty sad ending though. The Marine decides that he can’t return to normal life after all his encounters with demons, so he stays in Hell to make sure no other demon gets out of Hell again.
Sad as it is, I actually like how it ended. It showed just how dedicated the Marine was to his job and to protecting the people of Earth. Not only that, but it also showed just how powerful the will of humans can be when they have to get things done. Really, I think the Marine embodies the concept of “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Why the Doom 64 Gameplay is so Fun
Doom 64 actually has a pretty basic gameplay design structure. There are 28 total story levels and 4 secret levels. Players kill demons, collect keys, unlock doors, and must survive traps along the way.
I played the newer Doom games like Doom Eternal and Doom from 2016 and I found that I was able to surprisingly enjoy Doom 64 just as much.
Yeah, it’s definitely dated and it’s nowhere near as pretty as the new Doom games, but Doom 64 somehow has a charm to it that I think is pretty nostalgic.
Doom 64 provided an experience that I think is relatively fun compared to a lot of games being released nowadays. It created a lot of unique differentiation points for itself compared to other shooter games and it also had the element of suspense and fun.
When you opened a door, you didn’t have any idea what was waiting for you. You had to actually use different weapons to your advantage. Some demons were best killed with chainsaws while others were best killed with your classic shotgun.
Overall Thoughts
In a way, Doom 64 represents the idea of simplicity and complexity all in one video game. The premise of the game is simple and the gameplay is also pretty simple: Use your weapons, kill demons, advance through the story. However, there are elements and twists thrown in throughout the game that do change the way you interact with this game.
Graphically, for its time, Doom 64 was one of the best looking games out there. Yeah, by our modern graphical standards, it’s not advanced at all, but it feels like an arcade game in the best way possible.
It doesn’t need to look pretty and polished by modern standards; most arcade games do not look pretty and polished at all. However, they’re fun. I think that’s what matters most.
To wrap this all up, I think that Doom 64 is certainly worth playing in 2023. If you get a chance to try it out, I certainly recommend it. I believe that Doom 64 offers a proper gaming experience that is still relevant to this day.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
