1993’s Doom is getting an add-on pack from John Romero himself
If you bought a copy of Doom in 1993, you’ve got to say you’ve had some excellent value from it. Not many games can expect support a quarter of a century after release, but the original Doom is getting a fifth episode to celebrate its 25th year: Sigil.
It’s not an official episode, but given it comes straight from the desk of co-creator John Romero, it’s about as official as you’re ever likely to see. It’s designed to fit alongside the original four episodes – the fourth of which itself was an add-on made for 1995’s Ultimate Doom.
I'm excited to announce the project that I've been working on: SIGIL, an unofficial spiritual successor to The Ultimate DOOM's 4th episode! Read about it here: https://t.co/bVDrRntSqG #johnromero #romerogames #sigil #doom#pcgaming #pcgames #buckethead #retrocollection
— ???? ?????? (@romero) December 10, 2018
“I worked on it part time during 2017 and 2018, mostly while I was on vacation or in the evenings,” Romero wrote on his website. “For me, making this whole episode was a labor of love and a reminder of all the amazing times that we had at id working on the original. I was fortunate to be a part of such a great team and a foundational game.”
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The add-on pack features nine brand-new levels that can be played alone, cooperatively or in deathmatch modes. “I wanted the levels to feel like they belong to the original game as if they were a true fifth episode,” Romero wrote. “I believe that people playing Sigil will recognize my design style, but see new things I’m doing because this episode does not take place on a military base – it takes place in Hell, which is new to me within DOOM®’s design space. There’s a massive room in E5M6 that is the coolest room I’ve created in any map.”
If the idea of paying for an add-on for a 25-year-old game leaves you cold, then you can relax: Romero is actually releasing it free of charge as a .wad file that can just be dropped into your current installation of Doom. If you don’t have Doom installed, it can be downloaded on Steam for £3.99.
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True fans and collectors can send some money Romero’s way, and they’ll get quite a lot extra for their trouble. Not only will the game come on a 3.5-inch floppy disk-shaped USB drive, but the $166 “beast box” edition comes with a booklet and print, an XL shirt and “a pewter statue of John Romero’s head on a spike.” That sounds like a weird gift – and it is – but it does make a little more sense if you know a little bit about the original game’s Easter eggs. Most temptingly of all, the paid versions come with a brand new track to shoot monsters to, penned by metal guitarist Buckethead.
However you decide to play, Sigil will be available in February 2019.
Will you be playing Doom’s add-on pack, or does the game feel too dated nowadays? Let us know what you think on Twitter: @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
