Hard as it is to believe, there's more to Doom than reducing demons to beef jerky. The barnstorming shooter comes packaged with an extensive customisation suite called SnapMap that transcends mere level editing, allowing players to create entire games using insanely versatile tools, from music generators to farming simulators to multiplayer racers. It's only been out a week and already Doom’s community is blowing our puny mortal minds. Our puny mortal minds are fairly good at recognising greatness, however, so we’ve hand-picked the best right here. If you want to create your own, or even download someone else’s hard work and iterate on it, just head to SnapMap mode from the main menu. But not before you’ve read on...
Ultra Pinky Protection Squad... By HamAlt
Escort missions are the worse, in that we are all agreed. But there’s something adorable about this Pinky stomping around with his tongue wagging. Perhaps it’s the fact he’s not trying to kill you for once. Instead, you’re saving him from death. Best played with a buddy, prevent a barrage of hostile demons getting at the Pinky, and take turns to duck away and purchase better weapons. It’s a bit like raising a child together, only this one has tusks.
Pokedemon Battle Arena... By ColloseusX
Have you ever wondered who would win in a scrap between a Mancubus and two Imps? Or a tag-team matchup between Revenants and Pinkys? This is your chance to find out. Spawn your desired demons from the consoles in the corner, then interact with the terminal in the middle to watch the ensuing mayhem safe from harm like the coward you are. Turn this into a drinking game if you have problems.
Harvest DOOM... By Bears
Author Bears is a double-barrel genius. Not only has he/she made an actual farming game out of a shooter about chainsawing things, they’ve thought up a most excellent pun to go along with it. Here you must purchase plots of land, water them, harvest crops, and sell them for more plots. Sleeping in your bed heals you, and there’s even a Hell Knight shopkeeper from which to purchase supplies. He uses phrases from popular video game vendors. “What’re buyin’?” etc. Lovely stuff.
Onslaught! ... By id
Nothing against Harvest DOOM, but we can’t really see ourselves playing it a second time. Onslaught!, however, is more than a curio. Another map created by some bright spark at id itself, this is co-op tower defence in which the aim is to kill increasingly resilient waves of enemies before they wander into your base. Between rounds you can use the points you’ve earned killing to purchase power-ups and weapons. A compelling and well-balanced change of pace.
Hot Potato: Thy Spud Consumed... By RealSovietBear
There’s really no quick and easy sell to RealSovietBear’s creative gametype, but I’ll give it a go. Basically it’s about seeing how many tokens you can collect before you die. There’s an ever-ticking timer, but each token gives you valuable seconds. Visiting a talkative Cacodemon in the afterlife gives you an option to buy more time, so each life lets you push on a little more, sort of roguelike/parkour hybrid with added potatoes.
Music Maker 9000... By id
If you're grumbling about the state of contemporary music these days, and signed that petition to keep Kanye out of Glastonbury, and keep going around recommending Led Zeppelin and Queen to everyone in a really tedious and pretentious way, just shut up. But if you want a cool little taster of what SnapMap is capable of, try this rhythmic room containing drum sequencer, giant floor piano, and the all-important cowbell.
Hyper-Speed Doom Racer... By hsanders7
For now the closest Doom has got to Mario Kart, this first-person, on-foot racer is playable either alone or with buddies. It’s about following the stark grey metallic track, running through bobbing red holographic doughnuts in order to maintain speed, and avoiding electrified pools of water. Uh, just like Mario Kart? The best part is the room filled with demons and laser beams. Here, all bets are off.
Cartoon Land... By Wreckin
The constant metal and plating of Doom’s maps can be repetitive. Specially made battle map Cartoon Land is here to pep you up a bit with its uniquely cel-shaded aesthetic. There’s nothing particularly special about the layout of this intimate arena, and it’s a bit jarring when you look up and see a drab ceiling made from masonry rather than Looney Toons magic, but it’s a nice palate cleanser all the same.
Easy SnapPoints v2.0... By Osedax
This is the map to play if you want to let off steam. Well, I say steam. It’s more mists of blood, the result of author Osedax giving you a BFG 9000 with unlimited ammo, a corridor containing several Barons Of Hell, and complete invulnerability from their attacks. Feel free to taunt with complete immunity before blasting them to bits over and over again. It’s what the Carlton Dance was made for.
The Memory Game... By id
You don’t murder so much as memorise in this cognitive series of concentration trials. The first is easy: simply enter a room filled with Imps, then enter the next room, and answer the question about how many there were. That question grows in difficulty with the complexity of the room, though, with players needing to pay attention to colours, patterns, and amounts of things, like a first-person version of The Generation Game’s conveyor belt, minus the cuddly toy. And if you’re not a Brit born in the ‘80s, we’re not explaining that reference.
