id on Doom 4's violence: "when youre doing it with demons, the gloves are off"

If we took anything away from the new Doom's E3 reveal, it was holy crap that game is violent. According to Marty Stratton, Doom's executive producer at id, that's partly because it's all happening to demons and not people.

So this:

Demon. It's fine, chill out Poindexter.

"I wouldn’t do that necessarily with humans but when you’re doing it with demons, the gloves are off," Marty explains. Although, even in a game where you can chainsaw things off at the waist, there are limits: "we do have the filter internally, where we’re coming up with something, or an idea is presented, or somebody does an animation - if we look at it and we kinda chuckle when it happens, then we’re on the right track. If you’re like ‘Ooh, I don’t know’ and cringe then, okay, let’s adjust".

I'd love to see what doesn't make it through the filter when this gets a pass:

One big thing with the gore is that it isn't just for looks. "With the execution moves, they obviously, visually, play a big part in the tone of the game," says Marty, "but they play a big part in the actual gameplay. That is really what comes first". So, it's not just about looking horrific, it's about using them to string the combat together. "They’re very fast," he points out. "There’s almost a rhythm or a cadence to to them. So when our animators are putting them together you almost got this ‘dada-dada-boom!’ and you’re out. And if they have that rhythm and cadence then we know we’re on the right track with them".

So, remember. It's okay as long as it's demons.

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Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.