DOOM levels are pretty straightforward: kill demons, find the exit. But there’s a lot hiding beneath the surface, and though it’s optional, I’ve become obsessed with finding everything before moving on. I don’t usually do this in games!
Collectibles are usually bullshit, time wasters meant as padding. I’m not against collectibles as a concept, though — they’re just used badly in most games. Collectibles that hook me are ones that have me playing the game differently.
DOOM is one of those games, and I’m enjoying it nearly as much as the shooting.
Combat is DOOM’s main draw, but when it comes to the secrets, it’s about exploration, puzzle solving and keen observation. It rewards players who get creative with the game’s geometry, and it’s satisfying to find a hidden path.
The paths aren’t hidden in the traditional sense, though. Take Uncharted 4, for example. I just finished that game, and tried to pick up as many of the game’s hidden treasures along the way. I found maybe… half? The problem with Uncharted 4 — and collectibles in most games, really — is that you’re asked to scour and nitpick in a way that’s frustrating and unsatisfying. Should I move on from this area? Do I have to replay this chapter to find all the treasures? The game doesn’t make that clear. In DOOM, you know exactly where you stand.
Image Credit: SplatterCatGaming
I know how many secrets there are left to find, what secrets are left to find and, if I spend a few upgrade points, the map will even give hints on where they are.
(I highly recommend investing in all the radar upgrades ASAP. If you end up digging around for secrets, you’ll have more than enough upgrade points.)
Enemies don’t endlessly respawn in DOOM; once they’re gone, they’re gone. So while clearing out a map is violent and loud, there’s an eerie calm when it’s all over. You can then quietly explore the map and see what you missed. If you’re like me, you missed most of them, which means the level is really half over.
Those are the kinds of incentives that give me, someone who tends to rush through games, second thoughts. Four levels into the game, it’s totally worked.
It helps, of course, that many collectibles enhance your play. Runes, earned by completing trials of skill, enable you to collect items from further away or extend the stun duration of enemies. Field Drones give out weapon mods to make your arsenal more powerful. There’s others more, too. It’s a long list! But you don’t have to get those collectibles. You can beat the game without them.
It’s possible to sprint through DOOM‘s campaign in 10 hours or so, but I suspect it’s going to take me longer. At my current pace, that number’s gonna double.
Comments
14 responses to “DOOM’s Approach To Collectibles Is Smart, Fun And Satisfying”
Souls is where I get obsessive with finding the secrets. I know everyone I miss will cause me to miss items, which weaken my build.
Makes life that much harder – I’m not good enough at Souls to make life harder for myself..
Early levels are totally open and can be back tracked from start to finish. It gets a bit more annoying as later levels lock out out of fully backtracking so be aware of this if you’re new. Scour the areas as you explore them as you don’t know if you can go back.
I lost a couple of upgrades due to thinking I could go back later and couldn’t as a door had sealed and I couldn’t go back.
EDIT: And don’t worry. If you miss stuff you can go back and replay levels when the game is finished in the same style as Wolfenstein: TNO.
Yeah that got me. I spotted some on the map and though na gotta go further ahead to get there and I was wrong then couldn’t back track.
This game reminds of the Wolfenstein remake in all the right ways, has solid gameplay that reminds you of the past, with enough upgrades and secrets thrown in to make it a worthwhile investment of time and money, good job iD, three thumbs up!
That’s not a third thumb pointing up dude….
Finally someone picked up what I was laying down….
With rubber gloves…
probably safer that way…
I never went too far out of my way looking for secrets, but I did go looking when I noticed something nearby on my map. I do like how that you can completely ignore that whole aspect of the game if you choose to and not have it be detrimental to the overall experience. Had enough upgrades points to fully kit out one of each of the weapons alt fire modes
“Kill demons, find exit”…. really? lol Levels are way more in depth then that, and collectibles just take it to a whole new level, especially the old doom rooms, finding those bloody switches is real hard
So I’m not the only one who would walk diagonally on every wall for half an hour to make sure there are no hidden corridors?
hahaha no no you are definitely not! Wouldn’t be doom without running along every wall hitting the door open button lol
I only found my first one by accident. Pulled the lever and didn’t notice anything then layer on found a door that was previously closed open.
I only found my first one by accident. Pulled the lever and didn’t notice anything then layer on found a door that was previously closed open.