DOOM Eternal, the highly anticipated sequel to the fantastic 2016 DOOM reboot (and also the IGN First game for February), is heavily influenced by the 1997 Nintendo 64 entry, DOOM 64.
In this month’s episode of IGN Unfiltered, Ryan McCaffrey sat down with id Software Executive Producer Marty Stratton and DOOM Eternal Director Hugo Martin to talk about DOOM Eternal, how it was inspired by DOOM 64, and what the legacy of DOOM means all these many years later.
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Not only is DOOM 64 a primary point of tonal inspiration for DOOM Eternal, but it’s also the first game in the series that Martin ever owned, and it’s his personal favorite. “I had played DOOM prior to that, in the dorms… on other people’s PCs,” Martin said, “but I didn’t have a PC at that time; I was a Mac user. So, when DOOM 64 came out, that was the first time I had a chance to dive in for several hours at a time, into a DOOM game.
“I genuinely think DOOM 64 is my favorite, having played them all… We replay them, all of us, at the beginning of development… always,” Martin continued. “I’m constantly revisiting all of them, just to spot-check and play it again… make sure you keep your finger on the pulse of what really makes a good DOOM game. So they’re all very familiar to everyone on the team.”
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Martin went on to explain what made DOOM 64 stand out to him. “I just like the atmosphere of DOOM 64, I think. It’s a little bit more moody. Obviously, it’s a few years later, [so the development team was] able to do a few more things. I think, honestly, the art that went into it is really memorable. The game constantly feels like it’s messing with you and that was actually something that… translated really well to DOOM Eternal.”
What does that look like, for fans unfamiliar with the Nintendo 64 title? Martin elaborated; “Walking down a hallway in DOOM 64, I mean… you never knew what the level was going to throw at you. Probably a bit more so than the original DOOM. And, I think, that feeling of just barreling down a hallway without a care in the world, versus knowing that the level is keeping me on my toes. That was actually something that we really wanted to get into DOOM Eternal.”
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Brian Barnett writes news, features, wiki guides, deals posts, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).
Source: IGN.com How DOOM 64 Influenced DOOM Eternal