Why DOOM Won't Be All About The Story

The upcoming DOOM is in a rather odd position right now, with gamers wanting to know for sure if the first-person shooter will focus more on the single-player or multiplayer following an unimpressive multiplayer beta. Well, one thing id Software made clear is that the single-player won't entirely be about the story.

IGN captured some interesting quotes from executive producer Marty Stratton in a recent live-stream, where Stratton explained that the story comes second to shooting demons in the face with awesome guns...

We don’t put story front and center at all, […] 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.

So it sounds like it might be like DOOM 3? Although, I would say it sounds like it might be a little less story oriented than DOOM 3, since certain parts of the third game really pushed for and focused only on the story. So I'm assuming in this case the story is something that will just loosely connect the levels but if players want a more in-depth look into the game's lore then they'll have to find audio logs and other bits of information to flesh out the story.

Something fast and loose like the first two DOOM games is fine with me, just so long as the game is fun and replayable. It does sound as if id Software will be addressing replayability given the new upgrade system for the main Praetor Suit that the DOOM guy will be wearing, as well as the ability to find and upgrade/customize the arsenal throughout the game will give players plenty of reasons to play through the entire game and then maybe play it again with the new upgrades.

They mention that the Praetor Suit upgrades will allow the player to upgrade various attributes that will do things like speed up the Glory Kills or allow for quicker environmental scanning.

According to the article, Stratton mentioned in the live-stream that throughout the game players will be able to utilize supply drones to mod abilities onto the weapons in addition to the base abilities they start with.

And just like with the original DOOM, players will start at the Union Aerospace Corporation facilities and then eventually journey further into the more twisted areas that eventually leads to Hell. They don't mention if the enemies will change as players make the progress through the game's levels or if their placement and difficulty will simply change later into the game?

One thing they do note is that if you do manage to beat the game rather quickly there's an Ultra Nightmare mode where players will have to deal with perma-death if they bite the dust. That sounds promising.

There will supposedly be a codex filled with info on the various monsters, weapons and story elements, along with a plethora of collectibles and other unlockable secrets scattered throughout the game.

If this reboot of DOOM happens to deliver on the challenge, secrets and replayability that id Software is promising, then it just might end up being the Dark Souls of FPS games this generation.

DOOM is due for release on May 13 next month for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.