• News

Doom preview uncovers new single-player details

Gun capabilities, story's role in single-player, and more.

David Craddock

April 27, 2016 2:56 PM

11

We know about  graphics options in the PC version of Doom, and opinions on multiplayer are... divided, to put it mildly. But what about the game's single-player mode? A live-stream given by id Software creative director Hugo Martin and executive producer Marty Stratton dug deep into Hell and revealed that that chunk of Doom, coming to PC and consoles in May, is shaping up quite well.

Players wear a type of armor known as the Praetor Suit that can be upgraded by investing points in different attributes. Dropping points into dexterity facilitates bloodier Glory Kills, the game's Fatality-style finishers, while upgrading other attributes give you more control over movement.

Guns. Doom's all about guns, right? Indeed, and id Software's new regime knows it. Every gun has a base capability, and you can augment them to introduce new abilities by way of supply drones.

Stratton and Martin fragged fast and furiously in three levels: a wing of the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) facility, a slice of Hell, and a Lazarus compound. The presenters cherry-picked levels from all across the game's campaign in order to demonstrate a wide range of features and abilities, and said what any old-school Doom fan needed to hear.

"We don’t put story front and center at all," Stratton said during the stream. "Doom is about doing this, fighting demons, using awesome guns. It hasn’t been a huge focus necessarily, but as I mentioned, we’ve tried to infuse a lot of mystery and a story that will keep you kind of playing and digging, if you want it. We kind of say we keep it pushed out of the way a little bit and have you diving into trying to figure it out."

As you mow down enemies, you'll fill out a codex that logs info on weapons, monsters, and other tidbits. This should enable players who give a hoot about story to dig deeper, and simultaneously free players more interested in speed and frags to focus on those things.

Doom launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on May 13.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.