Doom was released in 1993 and it’s as if it hasn’t aged a single day. People still play it, its influence remains tremendously evident, and modders continue to work on it as if there were no tomorrow. Between WADS, total conversions, and other works, you could play no other game but Doom for the rest of your life. And we are going to show you that this is not a bad idea with this series of mods for the original Doom that literally turn it into a completely different game.
Brutal Doom
The classic among classics. 32 levels of pure madness that take the level design of the two original Dooms and elevate it to a new level by making it even harder, even more brutal, and just as fun. With tons of secrets and optional challenges, it is the mod you must play if you haven’t played any Doom mod. An absolute must-have.
Space Cats Saga
We start the madness with one of the most recent mods for the game. A total conversion of the game in four chapters that puts us in the shoes of a cat girl who must investigate an abandoned spaceship on Mars. With new weapons, a more anime aesthetic, and a pace as frantic as one would expect, it’s everything you expect from classic Doom, plus something new: excellent melee combat.
Ashes 2063
Something we will have to mention twice is that a Doom mod is going to have an independent version becoming a full video game. This is the first one. Ashes 2063 is a total conversion that turns Doom into a much more serious and darker kind of Fallout, with small RPG elements, featuring some of the best-designed weapons we have seen in a Doom mod. An absolute must-have that has a sequel and another sequel on the way.
My House
In 2023, this Doom II map made a huge noise even outside the Doom community. And it’s no wonder. Inspired by Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, the premise of this map is very simple: we have to clear a house of demons that is bigger on the inside than on the outside. Except that it quickly turns into a narrative journey between dimensions, with a constantly changing house that hides many more things than you could imagine. A whole journey that still holds surprises, two years later.
The Inquisitor
Shadowman is one of the great level designers in Doom, and he proved it with the trilogy The Inquisitor, one of the largest and absolutely unique levels in the history of the game. Making use of numerous visual effects, filled with undead and featuring many new weapons, its medieval-style setting grows with each installment to become one of the deepest and most underrated RPG Shooters in history in the exquisite The Inquisitor III.
Total Chaos
Few survival horror games are as scary as Total Chaos. Being able to compete on equal footing with any AAA game, we will have to manage our inventory, consider our stamina, and the breakage of our weapons, which are not exactly abundant. All of this in a tremendously gloomy atmosphere and against enemies that will never leave us in peace. If this sounds good to you, it will be released independently as its own video game this year. Something well-deserved that we can’t wait to experience.
BLOOM
Doom is great, but Blood is the other great shooter from the early 90s that we shouldn’t forget. BLOOM knows this, and that’s why it is the fusion of both concepts: an adventure where we can choose the protagonist from Doom or Blood to confront an adventure that is absolutely unique, like a sick nightmare that is a pleasure to be living, with absolutely masterful level design.
Sonic Robo Blast 2
To finish, nothing beats the craziest ball imaginable. Because you might think that Doom is only good for FPS. You might think that the best 3D Sonic should have been made by SEGA. But if you think that, you would be wrong on both counts. Doom can also be used to make 3D platform games, and the Sonic Team Junior, which has no affiliation with SEGA, created with its engine Sonic Robo Blast 2, the best 3D Sonic game. An absolute delight that you shouldn’t miss, even if you don’t care about Doom at all.