Rip and Tear until it is Ninten-done!
Back in 2019, for DOOM’s 25th anniversary, id Software’s infamous boomer-shooters came to Nintendo Switch eShop to many fans’ elation. Now, in 2024, the future is no longer a foreign land and the Ultimate way to play the classic DOOM games is here, making the Nintendo Switch system the perfect portable console for all things DOOM!
The D+D2 collection has arrived on Switch, and brings far more than just the hordes of hell that Doom Guy is used to. Sporting not just DOOM (Classic) and DOOM II: Hell on Earth, we’re also treated to 6, yes, 6 expansions, including story additions from the DOOM community itself! But let’s start at the beginning.
The main menu features all 8 playable campaigns, with a little write-up on the side telling you the history of the classic franchise, like where in the story the episodes fit, and a little trailer of the fresh hell you’re throwing the Doom Slayer into next.
DOOM (Classic) has been remastered here sporting all the original content but also the fourth episode: Thy Flesh Consumed and the unofficial, Romero directed sequel/ 5th chapter; SIGIL originally released May 22, 2019 – and of course, DOOM II is here along with the Master Levels. Even Final DOOM’s two instalments are here, and even a relatively brand new episode Legacy of Rust.
The Collection has a full version of each of the games including its own local only multiplayer mode, and an ID vault which lets us look at the various bitmaps of the in-game sprites and animation stills. It’s a really neat feature and almost works like a digital design works from the game, with each image having a write-up beneath it too shared between the games. That’s not the only thing shared across the playable content, as profile achievements are up for grabs for the true completionists, including what may be the hardest challenge; Beat every level, under par time without dying. With over 80 levels to conquer, just as many demons, and a fistful of bullets, it’s an ordeal worth any DOOM-head’s salt.
The games all look good and there’s a nostalgic uniformity to most of these. Sigil and Legacy of Rust sporting more modern enemy and weapon designs, being the newest releases in the “Classic” DOOM series. They are also tough as nails, throwing later game demons at the player from the opening gate. There are difficulty settings on all the games though, so if you’re not as confident with the newer episodes that’s okay, you can warm up to the boiling pot first. Visually it’s almost exactly the same, save for some fancy extra resolution, smoother edges and a little bit of polish.
The gameplay here is largely unchanged so fans of the series can relive the fast-paced, bullet slinging, demon-slaying fun of the timeless classic. The Nintendo Switch version also offers the use of a lateral gyro method for aiming with its own sensitivity slider, but it can get a bit hectic in busier levels. Aggressive, frenetic gun slinging is your best friend in DOOM though with such high speeds, platforming and proper target aligning can be tricky. I will admit I spent most of my time playing holding the “Slow walk” button to stop taking acid baths. The game does run really smoothly though, with consistent 60fps and even though the sprite-work and textures are largely unchanged, they do look a lot smoother and less harsh colour-wise. Even in levels crawling with enemies the Nintendo Switch can easily handle the carnage. A main downside is that the current patch of the collection doesn’t support mods; in fact, accessing the mod menu currently completely crashes out the game, which is a shame especially for long-time players that may want to add in new enemies, maps or weapons. The cheat menu, however, persists and all the original codes work here, and while they don’t halt your achievement progress, they do stop your file from saving your progress. Upon relaunch or re-load, you’ll be at the last level you played before cheat codes were used.
Verdict
It’s not demanding game to run, being able to get around 5 hours of play on airplane mode with sound on and high brightness (which can be needed in some levels), and if you’re playing with wi-fi you’ll get about 4+ hours of constant play. It’s a pretty small game too, with the entire download file costing about 1.3GB. It’s a shame that the 25th anniversary ports of DOOM Classic and DOOM II did get delisted from the eShop, but with a collection this good and with this much value for money, plus the extra content (Minus online capability – at the moment) there’s not much of a reason not to pick this up! Short levels make killing time a breeze. Whether on the big screen, or on the go, DOOM + DOOM II is well worth picking up for your Nintendo Switch.
Where to Buy
- Nintendo eShop
#AffiliateLinks – Prices correct at time of publishing.
Credits
Written by Luke Young
Edited by Mark McAllister and Jen Griffiths
Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell
A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for this review.