Doom (2016)

Doom (widely referred to as Doom 2016 to differentiate it from the 1993 original) is a 2016 first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. Released in May 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (and later receiving a miraculous, highly praised port to the Nintendo Switch), it served as a massive, adrenaline-fueled reboot of the franchise. After the slow, polarizing survival-horror pacing of Doom 3 and over a decade of developmental hell (including a canceled, Call of Duty-style version known as “Doom 4”), id Software returned to the drawing board and delivered a flawless, hyper-aggressive masterpiece that single-handedly resurrected the classic “boomer shooter” genre.

Core Concept and Story

The opening minutes of Doom 2016 act as a definitive statement of intent from the developers. You awaken chained to a sarcophagus in a Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) facility on Mars. You immediately break your chains, crush a demon’s skull with your bare hands, grab a pistol, and put on the iconic green Praetor Suit.

When UAC Chairman Samuel Hayden appears on a monitor to explain why the corporation was siphoning Hell’s “Argent Energy” to solve an Earth energy crisis and asks for a peaceful resolution, the protagonist (now canonically dubbed the Doom Slayer) simply looks at the monitor and violently smashes it. The Slayer does not care about corporate motives, exposition, or moral gray areas; he only cares about ripping and tearing demons until it is done.

The plot follows the Slayer as he hunts down Olivia Pierce, a corrupted UAC scientist who initiated a massive demonic outbreak, battling across the Martian surface and descending into the depths of Hell itself to close the portal.

Gameplay and Features

Doom 2016 completely rejected the modern shooter tropes of regenerating health, taking cover, and reloading. Instead, it introduced the philosophy of “Push-Forward Combat,” forcing the player to become the apex predator of the arena:

• Glory Kills: This mechanic fundamentally changed the genre. When you deal enough damage to a demon, they enter a staggered, flashing state. If you rush in and press the melee button, the Slayer performs a brutal, lightning-fast execution animation. Crucially, Glory Kills act as health piñatas—the only way to reliably heal in the middle of a massive firefight is to violently execute the enemy. If you are dying, you don’t run away to hide; you charge forward.
• The Chainsaw: Much like Glory Kills grant health, the Chainsaw was completely retooled to solve the ammo problem. Slicing an enemy in half with the chainsaw causes them to erupt into a massive fountain of ammunition for all your weapons, perfectly integrating resource management into the violent pacing.
• The Arsenal and Mods: The classic weapons returned, but with a modern twist. The Plasma Rifle, Rocket Launcher, and the legendary Super Shotgun were joined by the heavy-hitting Gauss Cannon. Furthermore, you could find field drones to install secondary firing modes, like turning the heavy assault rifle into a micro-missile launcher or giving the combat shotgun an explosive grenade attachment.
• Vertical Arenas: The level design abandoned the tight corridors of Doom 3. The maps were massive, multi-tiered “gore nests” built like skate parks. The Slayer could double-jump and mantle onto ledges, creating a chaotic, three-dimensional dance of death.

The Soundtrack

It is impossible to discuss the success of Doom 2016 without highlighting its staggering original soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon. Blending heavy metal, industrial Djent, and electronic dubstep, Gordon created one of the most iconic gaming soundtracks of the 21st century.

He famously utilized 9-string guitars and ran pure sine waves through physical, analog Soviet-era synthesizers (and occasionally actual chainsaws) to create a thundering, rhythmic pulse that perfectly matched the tempo of the gameplay. Tracks like “BFG Division” and “Rip & Tear” became instant gym-playlist legends.

Multiplayer and SnapMap

While the single-player campaign was universally hailed as a masterpiece, the other modes were less celebrated:

• Multiplayer: The competitive multiplayer (developed in partnership with Certain Affinity) felt somewhat disjointed. It tried to blend the classic Quake-style arena shooting with modern Halo/Call of Duty loadouts and the ability to temporarily play as a demon. It failed to capture a long-term audience.
• SnapMap: Because id Tech 6 was too complex for traditional .WAD file modding, id Software included SnapMap—a built-in, highly accessible level editor that allowed players to snap together pre-fab rooms, script logic sequences, and create their own custom challenges and co-op maps. While fun, it lacked the true freedom of classic PC modding.

Quick Note

Doom (2016) was the ultimate return to form, proving that there was still a massive, hungry audience for pure, unapologetic, high-speed violence.

In short: It took the legendary 1993 formula, stripped away the decades of cinematic bloat that had infected the FPS genre, and forged a breathless, heavy-metal power fantasy that reminded everyone why id Software invented the genre in the first place.