This Doom 64 is an enhanced version of the original that was released in 1997. I never got to play it as a kid as it was considered “violent” and not “educational.” It turns out this would have been the perfect game for me. Along with a lot of hot first-person shooter action. There is also problem-solving to get through 28 levels not including any secret levels.
Enhanced Version
Even without playing the original back in 1997, I can tell from playing older games that there appear to be some amazing enhancements in this version. There is also some stuff you hate to see pushed on gamers.
I was expecting the controls, mouse, and keyboard to be a bit chunky. That was not the case for the most part. Movement is so buttery smooth (unless you are taking a screenshot) that it feels like your character will even slide around a little bit in certain trickly situations adding an extra challenge to the game.
It is also nice to get some higher frame rates than what the original could have been running at back in the day. Things feel crisp enough without them losing that 1997 feeling. People put a huge amount of passion into the special edition over at Bethesda which I know I’m shocked to even say that.
There are however some things I was not thrilled about. The game is listed as a single player yet they wanted me to connect my Epic Games account. On top of that, they then asked me to log in or make a Bethesda account. Thankfully I could skip over that last part and it has yet to bug me to create an account.
Other than that modern-day nonsense of games wanting to have some kind of connectivity displaying my online status in a game listed as single player. This game feels like it takes me back to that amazing era of gaming without ruining it.
Doom 64
The game is all about killing demons and solving the level's puzzles of unlocking your way to the exit. Where you get a score screen showing what percentage of kills, items, and secrete you found. While that sounds like quite a basic concept it seems to have held up well after all these years. It is also a lot more engaging and complex than that.
I found the first couple of levels in Doom 64 to not be that overwhelming or confusing in trying to solve and kill my way to an exit. Some levels certainly took me a bit longer to discover whatever new game mechanic was being tossed at me as I ventured deeper and deeper into this game.
You start slowly such as needing to find a color-coded key to unlock a door and it progresses at a reasonable rate from there. It did not take long before keys started to interact with a lot more than just doors and the game started to open up in how complex something even from back then could get.
I loved the fact that this game feels like it’s missing an entire dimension some of the time when shooting weapons. You do not have to so much aim up or down as you are in having to shoot in the more general direction of your target.
That is of course unless they wanted the height to be some kind of factor in a particular situation. Some moments you find you are blasting demons up on ledges and the next you notice you are not hitting them at all. Making you realize that zone mechanics and puzzles to get to the end have started to reveal themselves.
Some levels appear to be so straightforward the more senior gamer could overlook such a basic solution to moving forward in a level. You almost feel stupid once you realized what you missed. While other times I had head-scratching moments wondering what did I miss? It turns out on some levels quite a lot.
I do love that old game feeling where any section of wall you pass could be a hidden door or have a non-collision wall hiding some kind of secrete. This is something I’ve missed in more modern-day games where they appear to be playing to the masses making it just ridiculous in how easy it is to spot a fake wall or other clues that might as well just be an arrow pointing to them.
This old-school game left me checking everything. Every wall I passed by I wanted to press E. Anytime I ran into an object I circled it making sure I could not interact with it in some way from a switch or having it move. While still makes me wonder what new game mechanic it was going to toss at me next.
I was somewhat shocked and pleased with how quickly right away I unlocked a couple of different guns after a short time of playing. I favored using the shotgun more than anything unless. That was till I got much deeper into the level count and found something even more thrilling to use.
While some guns like the mini-gun, chainsaw, rockets, and a whole host of other weapons were fun to play around with. Excluding a couple of moments where it felt more right to use one gun or another, it felt like the game was letting me use the weapon of my choice for my style of combat.
It is shocking how much a game from 1997 that could teach more modern-day games. Many times simple was better. It was nice having a health and armor system to use to try and survive whatever demon or trap I would run into next.
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Even better they did not overcomplicate things either. I could pick up extra health or armor for a single-point increase instead of its usual boost. There were no gimmicks or extra game rules added in trying to give the game depth that frankly it did not need regarding these systems.
It is amazing what a game can accomplish and the enjoyment you can have from something that at least for me came rather initiative. There was no need for a tutorial, giant flashing text, or any other nonsense to explain anything to me.
When I encountered something new it was easy to break down what just occurred and react the next time it happened. Sometimes learning has a consequence of death and I sure did die a couple of times requiring me to start a zone over or from my last save.
I often wonder how modern-day convene like video walks thoughts and websites end up taking away from people who no longer have the capacity of delayed satisfaction and the confidence to problem solve something themselves without imminently having to go look for the answers alone.
Final Thoughts
There are certain things games back then taught you as both a gamer and a person. This sadly feels quite lacking in a lot of today’s modern-day games. It is a shame I did not get to enjoy this when I was younger in the original environment that encompassed that decade of gaming.
I had an amazing time slaying demon, getting stuck missing something critical to only realize I passed by it half a dozen times. Along with the occasional death to remind me that even with all my years of playing games an older game like this still has something to toss at me.
Information
Screenshots were taken and content was written by @Enjar. Screenshots are from the enhanced version of Doom 64. If you are thinking about getting this game and are looking to support me further consider using my Epic Games creator code: enjargames at checkout or using this referral link to be sent to the store's page.
Disclosure: As a creator of the Epic Games’ Support-A-Creator Program, I may receive a commission from certain purchases.
Disclosure: I received this game for free.
Originally posted on Enjar Games. Hive blog powered by ENGRAVE.