Given the sheer number of Doom mods that have been and gone over the years, it's amazing that anyone is still finding new ways to play the classic hellscape shoot-em-ups. On top of that, Doom is one of those games that can run on just about any system, which goes to show its versatility, as well as how far gaming technology has come. Yet more than two and a half decades later, there are still fans who are modding the game to breathe new life into this influential series, with some changing the way the game is played almost entirely.
A Doom 2 modder, who goes by the alias edypagaza, has uploaded an add-on for the game which still retains much of the original's fast-paced action and demon slaying, but gives it a bit of a different spin. From the description on the page, and an accompanying YouTube video, "Doom Fighters" effectively turns the id Software title into a beat 'em up game, not too dissimilar to something like Streets of Rage.
The one-minute video shows a third-person view of Doomguy, who has been rendered as a full 3D model for the purposes of the mod, plowing through the game, beating up zombiemen and imps with just his bare hands. At one point, it even shows him picking up and using the crucible, which is one of the best weapons in Doom Eternal. Complete with the classic Doom music, the clip really shows what the pixelated FPS would be like if the main character ditched the traditional weapons, and simply punched, kicked and somersaulted their way through hell.
While it's likely to have taken some inspiration from some of Capcom's best beat 'em up titles, the fact that it's in 3D puts it more on par with things like Devil May Cry or even the Arkham games. It looks like genuine fun, and while it's been designed with some general punch and kick animations, edypagaza also says that players can grab enemies, and even do execution moves, perhaps as a nod to the Doom reboots.
Mods like this show just how much people still care about the original id Software games. From people making it possible to play Doom in Age of Empires, to John Romero himself still working on mods for it, the Doom games still maintain their legacy, and Doom Fighters is just one of many ways that fans and modders can keep the spirit alive while injecting their own spin on things.
Doom 2 is out now on various platforms.
Source: Mod DB