Doom Video Game Series

The full-fledged third installment of the series, Doom 3, was released on PC in August 2004, and in April 2005 on the Xbox console. In 2008, it was officially confirmed that there are works on the fourth main installment of the series. However, after the turmoil of the acquisition of id Software by ZeniMax Media, it was eventually decided to cancel the project and start work on it from scratch.

The result of this turned out to be a reboot of the entire series, started with Doom in 2016. The game was a spectacular commercial success, so striking iron while it's hot, id Software studio prepared its continuation - Doom Eternal released in 2020. In 2024, the studio announced works on the third part of this "new trilogy" - Doom: The Dark Ages which will serve as a prequel.

The series is complemented by various spin-offssuch as Doom 64 (developed for the Nintendo 64 console), Doom II RPG (a mobile entry combining the second part of the series with a turn-based RPG) or Doom VFR, prepared for virtual reality goggles. Over the years, individual games have received add-ons (such as Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil and Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods), as well as various complete editions and remasters (like Doom 3: BFG Edition from 2012).

Plot and gameplay in the Doom series

A common element of all parts of the Doom series is the main protagonist. The nameless hero, who was previously sometimes referred to as Doom Guy, and since 2016 he has been referred to as Doom Slayer, faces off against hordes of demons threatening the human race. Although the plot of the series was only sorted out and developed in Doom 3, Doom from 2016 has added so much to the lore.

In the various installments of the series, the gameplay focuses on fighting the minions of hell by using a wide arsenal including, among others, the legendary double-barreled shotgun and chainsaw, but also more sophisticated tools of murder, such as a futuristic machine gun or a powerful BFG. For the most part, the gameplay is extremely dynamic, and in order to succeed, we have to be in constant motion, avoid enemy attacks and have a good aim. Doom from 2016 introduced finishing blows, which allow us to brutally finish off enemies that have been damaged enough.

Doom 3 is worth a separate mention, as it was a bold attempt to bring the series closer to the survival horror genre. The game forced us to carefully take our next steps and look around for first-aid kits and ammunition. However, in the fourth part of the series, the developers have decided to return to the series' roots. Although the games from the Doom series are primarily single-player campaigns, the vast majority of them offer a variety of multiplayer modes.

Graphics and engine in games from the Doom series

An undoubted achievement of the first Doom is establishing 3D graphics as a standard in first-person shooters. While the first two installments of the series used the proprietary id Tech 1 technology, Doom 3 ran on the fourth version of this engine, while Doom from 2016 and Doom Eternal used the id Tech 6 engine.

Adaptations of the Doom series

Doom is not just a video game. The brand has also recevied, e.g. its own comic book, a novel series (by Dafydd ab Hugh and Brad Linaweaver), a board game and even a film adaptation (Doom from 2005, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, and Doom: Annihilation from 2019).