I’ve never played Doom 64 before and despite hearing that it was not just a port of the original Doom or it’s sequels or expansions, I never really cared to play it either. Partially because I was never as big into id software FPS titles. Partially because, well, it’s Doom again, even if the levels are new, right? And that’s where I was somewhat wrong as Doom 64 feels different. So I’m really glad that it got officially ported to newer systems and PC.
Despite being a yet another adaptation of the Doom engine and the gameplay you usually associate with the classic Doom, Doom 64 has a distinctly more horror look and feel to it. The lighting is far more dramatic than in the classic PC Doom titles, with some rooms being completely pitch black until you flip some switch, use of harsh contrasts, lots of coloured lighting that actually still looks good and not flat and simplistic as you’d expect from an FPS on an engine this old. At the same time, the game never really suffers from this darker more horror inducing design the same way Doom 3 suffered. It’s still classic Doom as you remember it and it flows fantastically fun.
Another absolute standout of this game is the soundtrack. And I implore you to listen to it. Unlike the original PC soundtrack that was all metal-inspired midi files, Doom 64, just like the Playstation ports of Doom (same composer), have a very dark moody ambient soundtrack. It is insanely creepy and good and fits the game really well. From harsh distorted metallic noises to warbled voice lines and baby crying over haunting ambience – this soundtrack has it all. The game wouldn’t be as good without it.
But the game itself – yeah, it’s just lots of good classic Doom levels. With this new remastered port adding several new levels in its new little campaign on top. Most of the levels are genuinely good, in my personal opinion topping some of the levels from the old officially released expansions that often relied too much on utter bullshit trickery and insanely high and often unfair difficulty. And even some of the more bs levels in the game, available via passwords or after beating an honestly bs level, are in reality fun to play. Dumb but fun. While the main levels are almost consistently good with only a few ones that have really obscure ways of progression.
This is somewhat unexpected, but after finishing Doom 64 I feel like it might actually be my favorite classic Doom. Maybe it’s the darker mood of the game, maybe it’s the speed of super shotgun (it’s faster than in the PC games), maybe it’s something else, but I really loved playing Doom 64 in this new updated release. To be completely honest, probably loved it more than DOOM Eternal that got released the same day. If you like Doom, definitely give this one a go.