Even Doom's developers can't finish its permadeath hard mode

Isn’t it reassuring when a game’s hardest mode is even too tricky for its own developers? Speaking to IGN, id Software’s executive producer Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin have admitted that no one on the team has managed to complete Doom’s Ultra-Nightmare mode.

But it turns out that there’s pretty good reason for that. Ultra-Nightmare is Doom with added brutal permadeath. Die once and it’s back to the start for you, leaving only your helmet as a sad memorial of your valiant attempts. Stratton and Martin said that there’s now a competition running in the studio to see who can get further and no one has even come close to finishing the game.

So if you’ve always wanted Doom to be more like The Binding Of Isaac, you’re in luck. Don’t worry though, if you don’t fancy the stress of permadeath, you can always play the secret retro Doom level hidden inside the new game.

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Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.