Minidoom 2 is a 2D Action Platformer and a sequel to the original 2016 release. It seeks to up the ante on everything that made it fun with improved gameplay, 17 new levels, and so much more to make it a feature-rich experience. Starting off the game we are given various modes to choose from which range from Standard to Hardcore. These effect things like the amount of lives you have, whether you can go back to older levels to find the secrets you’ve missed, alongside other factors for an added challenge. I’d recommend starting with the Standard mode for your first playthrough. While the first levels seem innocent enough, the gloves will soon be off and you’ll be knee deep in the dead.
Once we are in the game proper we are introduced to the plot via a cutscene featuring some really nice pixel artwork. The events that occur follow the original Doom storyline, from fending off an invasion near Mars to taking the fight to hell itself. True to its source, said story is brief and to the point, as you are immediately tossed into the Mario 3 styled overworld. After selecting the single level available to us, we can choose the difficulty that we want that will affect how much damage you receive and how tough the demons are. We are free to select what we want on each level or even back out of one you already started and retry it on an easier difficulty if you picked any mode other than Hardcore upon starting the game.
As soon as you load up the level your ears will be greeted with an amazing reimagining of the ever iconic E1M1 song, aka At Doom’s Gate that will immediately get you pumped. Our only weapon is a pistol at first, but it won’t be long before you get your hands on a shotgun to thoroughly paint the walls red with the enemies satisfying gib animations. The first stage is all about getting you familiar to MiniDoom’s features such as crouching being an effective way to dodge gunfire and that some walls appear solid, yet may be a pathway leading to a secret. Most importantly is your roll that allows you to phase through obstacles be it a laser or a shotgun blast unharmed. It is a vital skill to learn in an attempt to avoid needless damage and looking plain badass as you dodge gunfire then returning the favor with some of your own.
The best way to think of this fangame is as a combination of Doom and Metroid alongside a dash of Mario. Being outside of the FPS genre this may not be every Doom fan’s cup of tea, though for those into action platformers, you’ll definitely be in for a treat. Each level is just chock full of secrets to discover, the controls are tight & responsive, and the combat is a ton of fun. One can choose to simply mow down all in their path should they please, while on the other hand, the gamer that likes to explore will definitely reap some nice rewards. The secrets on offer here can gradually make you stronger as they give you abilities like carrying more ammo or increasing your overall health and armor. At times, you may even find secret temporary weapons lifted from other titles such as Unreal or even a full-on tribute to them in the form of a small playable zone.
Over the course of your journey, you will get your hands on a wide variety of weaponry. You’ll have a plasma gun, chaingun, rocket launcher and a ton of other tools of destruction. Some share ammo with one another like the chaingun and shotgun, though each weapon has their own uses with none ever becoming a defunct waste of space in your arsenal. Whether it be due to range, rate of fire, or stopping power, everything has a situation in where they’ll shine. An example being the plasma gun. Sure it’s already a good weapon in its own right, but when you discover that their projectiles slope down, it opens up a whole new strategy to take down foes you otherwise couldn’t reach since there is no diagonal aiming. Even going in running and swinging a chainsaw like a madman is incredibly useful as killing enemies with it guarantees an ammo drop for your other guns.
Each individual situation can have multiple approaches and is like a blank canvas you can get creative with. It gets that much more fun when you get the double jump ability early on that allows you to quickly change your direction mid-jump, easily reach the high ground, and outmaneuver your foes. You’ll always be outnumbered since you are the sole surviving space marine and the last line of defense against the demonic invasion, but you have more than enough tools and skills at your disposal to even the odds. Rolling and jumping your way around a crowded battlefield will soon become second nature, and for those moments when your back is against the wall, the good ole BFG 9000 will annihilate everything that stands against you.
Later on, you also receive the Doom 64 exclusive weapon known as the Unmaker which shares ammo with the BFG. It is a great weapon to wield that uses less ammo, but can only shoot a narrow beam either left or right and takes a moment to charge before firing. This can lead to you missing a shot completely if you are not careful, while the more costly BFG would still wreck everything in the vicinity even if you miss. It is also another great example of weapon balance as both are extremely powerful, share ammo and yet coexist instead of one being objectively better. An interesting combat feature is the ability to consume your enemies souls for one of two reasons. You can use it as ammo for a dark magic spell or collecting 10 will allow you to throw a homing orb that then expands its spinning blades Painkiller style. Useful for enemies on a different elevation and since regular grenades take up rocket ammo, it is a nice object to have once you find it.
You can have all the guns in the world but it wouldn’t be fun without decent enemies to fight. Luckily, there are a ton of demons all too eager and efficient at trying to end your life. Much like the weapon selection, enemies are not bound to any specific Doom game. They come from every entry, from the first to the third and even its 2016 reboot. There are different variants for the same enemy for those that appear in more than one title. Take the simple Pinky demon as an example. It is fairly simple to take down due to its steady jogging speed, though facing it’s Doom 4 variant that can charge at you and is armored is a far more difficult task. On occasions, you may run across a demon with a flaming halo over its head and while it appears exactly the same as the rest of its kin, they are powerful foes with deadlier modified attacks.
There are plenty of boss fights to burn through the ammo you’ve been saving for your best guns. Demons don’t believe in a fair fight, you’ll never encounter a boss alone as they will always have a slew of grunts to hunt you down and keep you on the move. Once you step into their domain, there is no going back. The doors will lock behind you and will remain shut until you kill every single one of them. Dying will take you back to the last checkpoint which is rarely far from their rooms with the added perk of all of your ammo being filled to half their capacity. If you had more ammo than half, you won’t if you die, so best make use of it while you can. Most of the bosses are high tiered enemies with the aforementioned halo buffing them up even more. There are only two unique boss fights through the campaign and they are truly battles to behold.
After each level you conquer, you are rated for multiple things such as the time it took you, the difficulty you played it on, your kill count and more. It also shows you how many secrets you missed to further make replaying an irresistible temptation. There is a good variety of differences in each stage with all of them feeling unique and memorable in some way. Some may have simple puzzles to complete while others might have you quickly making your way through toxic sludge before your hazmat suit breaks down. It’s progression from simple to challenging is also pretty solid. You may think you are ready for the worst but will likely be shocked by what hell has in store. It is a seriously cool transition that I will not spoil by going into more detail.
Scattered throughout the overworld are levels known as trials which as the name may imply, will challenge you to degrees far higher than a regular stage. Getting through one will reward you with an armor piece that is a nice boost on its own, though collecting all four will unlock their full potential whatever it may be. Collecting the hidden runes found throughout regular stages will also yield a prize well worth the effort. Merely defeating every level on its own will take a fair amount of time so all this extra incentive to replay them is icing on the cake. It is so jam-packed with content and attention to detail that it is easy to forget that this is a free fan game. Most of the titles I’ve played recently don’t even offer as much as MiniDoom 2 does.
About all the negative I have to say about it is that you can only change the control scheme from the main menu, so do so beforehand if you want to use a controller. MiniDoom 2 is a clear project of passion by the three people behind it. From all the cheeky nods to other games to the ‘give every weapon’ cheat code being the same as the original Doom, it is filled to the brim with a playful humor you can’t help but appreciate. Even if you have never played any Doom title nor are not old enough to understand the many references it makes, this game is one you should not miss out on. I wholeheartedly recommend anybody reading this to give MiniDoom 2, at worst you’d waste 86mb of bandwidth with the more likely outcome being that you’ve found a title you will happily put many an hour into.
Link to download: MiniDoom 2
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