From Hell – Brutal Doom Review

It’s odd when you look back at the 90s – just why did everyone went into such a copious moral uproar over Doom? It was dubbed the ultimate ‘mass murder simulator’ by concerned parents, teachers, servicemen and anyone else who felt the game’s then revolutionary representation of gun violence would spark legions of kids to blast away with bloody abandon in real life as well.

Doom fans couldn’t care less – they were too busy shooting up demons at the time, and some have been doing so for a full twenty years since the original came about. But just when you thought that chaingun was light enough to drop and do something productive, you get something as insanely bloody and addictive and over-the-top as “Brutal Doom“, a mod seemingly ripped straight out of the lower bastions of Hell and programmed by Satan himself. Just imagine how those whinoes would have reacted if they’d seen this:

Brutal Doom enhances the game in numerous ways, primarily increasing the amount of red stuff splattered everywhere. You can do all manner of nasty things here, including, but no limited, to blasting off limbs, sawing foes apart, blowing them to pieces, setting them aflame, shredding them into bloody pulps with the Super Shotgun or performing spectacular third-person executions (which temporarily renders you invincible so you can enjoy the show). The amount of blood, death and misery you can inflict is increased tenfold, and the virtual carnage provides a damn good time if you’re not too squeamish.

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Executions have that hint of creative sadism.

Most spectacular is how it implements modern first-person shooter norms while still keeping true to its roots. This is also thanks to the ports it can run under – Zdoom is a common choice. You can crouch, jump, run, use melee attacks in close quarters (your mighty foot), reload your guns or aim down their sights for precise shots. Yet at the same time every level object is basically a 2D sprite. The weapons, some old and some new, are also 2D cutouts painted onscreen, but they’re animated so convincingly that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every bit of the game, from the armory to the hellish opposition you massacre, is remarkably well recreated. It’s just the perfect combo of old and new.

What’s even better is that Brutal Doom is compatible with all versions of Doom, including the original, Doom II and Final Doom. If it’s wad-powered, it works. If you’re anxious on trying the game out, here’s what to do…

How To Install Brutal Doom

Here’s a quick list of installation instructions. You will need three things:

1. An original Doom, Doom II or Final Doom Plutonia or Evilution wad file.
2. A Doom port, like Zdoom – download here.
3. Brutal Doom, which you can download here.

(Latest version here – www.moddb.com/mods/brutal-doom)

After having downloaded these, simply:

1. Extract Zdoom, a Doom wad file and the Brutal Doom pk3 file into one folder.
2. Drag the Brutal Doom pk3 file into the Zdoom executable to start the game.
3. Make sure you configure the game beforehand, taking note to change the controls (specific Brutal Doom controls are way down on the list), enabling mouse look, adding a crosshair and choosing your preferred resolution.
4. Rip and tear, rip and tear, RIP AND TEAR!