Doom II: Hell on Earth | DOOM2.WAD
id Software
On December 10th, 1993, id Software would change video gaming forever with the release of Doom, which, alongside Mortal Kombat, challenged traditional notions of what video games should be and who they were for. There’s been a lot of ink spilled about that venerable classic, as happens every year on the anniversary. More broadly, people tend to talk about “Classic Doom” (that is, Doom and its “2.5D” sequels) as a collective platform for modding, creativity, and just plain nostalgia. Somewhere lost in the shuffle is direct discussion of the original game’s immediate sequel: Doom II: Hell on Earth.
The original Doom was a product of the shareware era; Doom II is the franchise’s first genuine retail product, beating out both The Ultimate Doom and the quasi-official (but really just shovelware) Lost Episodes of Doom. More importantly, it’s the true basis for the last 30 years of modding. Final Doom started as a fan-made mod before getting a publication deal by id Software. Twenty years of Cacowards likely wouldn’t be possible without it.
While I was preparing to write this article I posted a thread on Doomworld asking how important Doom II was, both to the community and the gaming industry at large. The broad consensus seems to be: to the industry, not very/indirectly/in subtle ways, but to the community, life-changing. And that does seem to ring true with my own recollections; Doom II, being a retail product (and still coasting on a wave of hype from the original) was common in gamers’ libraries at the time, the spearhead of a wave of competitors of varying quality. While it used the same engine as the original game, it had more features, bringing a much more well-rounded gameplay experience that attracted modders. Many of the people who populated the community in the mid to late nineties would go on to work in the industry. And, for all the flak that the game’s level design gets, the more open layouts would lay the groundwork for everything from more interesting deathmatch design to the likes of Serious Sam.
So. Doom II had a pretty big impact; maybe it wasn’t as seismic as its predecessor, but it had a more subtle influence that wouldn’t be as immediately apparent for at least a few years. But what is it like as a game? Pretty decent, actually.
If you’ve played the original Doom, Doom II is, on its surface, more of the same, just bigger, meaner, faster. Gone is the episodic structure; instead, it’s 30 straight levels (plus two secret ones exactly halfway through) of mayhem. The plot is as straightforward as it gets: our hero, the Doomguy, has arrived on Earth after his ordeal in space, and the demonic invasion is already in progress. A mass evacuation is underway, but the starbase from which the population would make its exodus is currently under demonic control, and a desperate assault to retake the starbase has failed, leaving only the Doomguy to finish the job. Easy enough, right? Of course, that’s only a third of the game; though the episodic structure is gone, the game is still split into three themes, with the middle “episode” being urban warfare, and the third being one more venture into hell to stop the invasion for good.
Let’s talk monsters, shall we? All of the original cast return — the zombies, the imps, cacos, and so on — but the cast roll is doubled in size for the sequel. The zombies get a new third variety, armed with a chaingun, though he’s still only about as tough as an imp; the Baron of Hell now has a weaker cousin in the Hell Knight, about as equally dangerous but far less of a meat wall. The Cacodemon’s significantly more annoying cousin, the Pain Elemental, is here to ruin your day with a seemingly unending supply of Lost Souls. Even the Spiderdemon gets some babies with the Arachnotron, a cute l’il thing who spits green plasma balls at you.
And there’s some entirely new monstrosities too, from the Revenant, a giant screaming skeleton who fires homing missiles, to the Mancubus, a bloated, dual-flamethrower-packing douche whose corpse collapses under its own weight when you kill him. At the top of the mid-tier, and arguably significantly more dangerous than the rest of the monster roster put together, is the Arch-Vile, a freaky alien-looking bastard who can set you on fire with his mind so long as you’re in his line of sight, and when he’s not doing that he’s resurrecting all the bad guys you just killed. There’s also SS Nazi guys straight outta Wolfenstein 3D, though they only appear in the secret levels, which are themselves recreations of Wolfenstein 3D maps. And topping it all off is none other than the severed head of John Romero himself, the true final enemy… sort of. The actual final boss is a lot of different parts put together, consisting of several specialized wall textures that together form a giant demonic goat skull with a hole in its forehead, which your job is to pump rockets into, destroying the severed Romero head within, all the while it’s spitting out floating skull cubes that generate more monsters indefinitely.
Of course, with this vast expansion of the demonic threat, you’ll need a little extra help, and you get that in the form of the Super Shotgun, a simple double-barreled death device that pumps out three regular shotgun blasts’ worth of pellets. It’s loud, it’s slow, and it’s lethal, and god if it ain’t fun. It will absolutely carry the game for you in a way even the original shotgun never did in Doom 1. And rounding out the powerups is the Megasphere, a strange grey-white artifact that maxes out your health and armor.
Doom II doesn’t really bother with the kind of maze-like level design of its predecessor. With so many new monsters to play with, the fights are bigger, monster counts are frequently in triple digits, and the maps are significantly more open to account for it. This is, after all, a war for Earth, and you are a one-Doomguy army tearing up the battlefield. In terms of the design team, despite the presence of John Romero and American McGee (with a little bit of Tom Hall’s leftovers and a single level from Shawn Green,) it’s pretty much Sandy Petersen’s show, and as such it’s a mixed bag. Sometimes you’ll come across some room or setpiece that kinda looks like something or other but for the most part it’s the same old abstract design that so defines most Doom maps, then and now. The starbase levels are straightforward techbase, with little in the way of any sort of defining features to make it look like a place people might want to be. The one exception is MAP10, “Refueling Base,” which was a rejected map from the first game and has Tom Hall’s touch with little attempts at realism here and there, such as the large dormitory. McGee’s levels do have a few touches of realism here and there, which sets them apart both from John Romero, who has begun to indulge in his fetish for deep chasms (ironically the infamous level actually titled “The Chasm” is Sandy’s) and Sandy’s, whose levels grow increasingly abstract, culminating in the outright puzzle-centric MAP23, “Barrels O’ Fun.” (For his part, Shawn Green’s sole level, MAP25, “Bloodfalls,” is pretty straightforward with a central blood gimmick that remains consistent throughout.)
While some of these levels are just weird, or confusing, or outright bad, a few stick out. A lot of the middle levels rank among my favorites, for example MAP13, “Downtown,” is a multi-tiered urban romp with a lot going on. You’ll get to explore most of the buildings and it’s always fun. It may not look like a city, but who cares? Use your imagination. And believe it or not, I actually quite enjoy MAP24, “The Chasm” these days — though I suspect having decent mouselook (something the old doom2.exe did not offer) plays a role in that. Just makes it easier to navigate those narrow paths, you know?
Okay, so, sure, on its surface Doom II isn’t much different from its older brother. It’s the same engine, same kinda bodged-together art design, Bobby Prince returns to do music but it only covers about half the game before it starts repeating itself. But it might be the more important game, not because it broke new ground but instead laid the foundation for the future. A lot of famous names grew up in the post-Doom II community, like Iikka Keränen, who now does level design at Valve, and the Casali brothers, one of whom also worked at Valve until 2022, and the other has done some design work for Ubisoft. And those are just a couple of the big names! Doom II has for almost 30 years been the basis for a mountain of creativity. The vast majority of projects are for Doom II. Ultimate Doom Builder uses Doom II as the asset framework — if you want to map for the original game it requires a little extra work. And of course, the Super Shotgun is the iconic Doom weapon — not even the BFG gets top billing!
Should you play Doom II? I’d have to say yes. Obviously, compared to the many, many, many mods being made for it since, Doom II doesn’t always compare, but sometimes it can be fun to just shoot your way through the original 32 levels to get back in touch with your roots. As a game it might be more important than anyone could ever have known back then; as a mapset, I think it’s a decent romp still.
MAP01: Entryway
Sandy Petersen
Sandy starts us off simple with a pretty linear map. The opening room has an interesting aesthetic to draw the player in, but the level is otherwise just a small taste of what's to come. It's all zombies and imps, though if you know where to look you can get a rocket launcher very early.
MAP02: Underhalls
American McGee
McGee has a fairly unique style that serves him well throughout the game. Here we have a short little sewer loop with an outbuilding and some control rooms, including a SSG in plain sight, though zombies and shotgun guys might catch you unawares in the dark. It's a surprisingly distinct little level.
MAP03: The Gantlet
American McGee
McGee's second outing is another sort of infrastructure area for the starbase, but in practice it's just a place to give chaingunners good lines of sight to mow you down.
MAP04: The Focus
American McGee
More starbase infrastructure. The shutter repeatedly opens and closes, giving the jerks behind it some cover. Cool little feature with the light switch in the hallway.
MAP05: The Waste Tunnels
American McGee
What is it with McGee and sewers? If you count The Gantlet this is like his third one. Anyway, this is a dark little maze with a nasty fight in the courtyard and one that's almost bad in the hidden torture room. Lots of danger down in the dark tunnels, too.
MAP06: The Crusher
American McGee
Partly a gimmick map with the giant crusher waiting to be activated to squish a Spiderdemon (if you can get to the button without being perforated, anyway.) Otherwise a series of fun firefights, from the multiple ambushes in the dark starting room to the circus in the southeast corner.
MAP07: Dead Simple
American McGee
Supposedly Sandy worked on this one too but he disavows it. It's a straight-up arena fight with your first encounter with the Mancubus; survive that and the walls fall away, introducing you to the Arachnotrons. Hectic, straightforward, and iconic enough to get ripped off repeatedly, including by Doom 64.
MAP08: Tricks and Traps
Sandy Petersen
Classic Sandy. Eight doors, each one going to one piece of bullshit or another. The Cacodemon nest in the north is most memorable to me, but the disconnected room in the southeast is one hell of a tough fight.
MAP09: The Pit
Sandy Petersen
Sandy gets vertical with this level, a multi-tiered survival map with hordes of enemies and a few very nasty traps. Toughest fight is probably the ambush in the southwest, which is pretty much bait unless you're properly equipped.The three-switch room in the north and its offshoots are annoying to navigate, but you can get some decent gear if you're quick.
MAP10: Refueling Base
Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen
Tom Hall may be gone, but he's not forgotten, which this rejected map from the first game seeing new life in a sprawling maze with several distinct areas. I most like the sleeping area in the upper right, but there's all sortso f nasty suprises throughout the southern half of the map, including a cyberdemon.
MAP11: Circle of Death
John Romero
Romero likely started developing his fetish for toxic pits and chasms with this level, which places you on a narrow circular catwalk with little cover from enemies on all sides. It's not too difficult if you're quick, but if you've never met an archvile before you're in for a rude surprise. Fun fact, this is titled "O of Destruction!" in the automap because Romero is an Ultima nerd. Nobody's perfect.
MAP12: The Factory
Sandy Petersen
From here on out it's almost entirely Sandy's show, but I rather like most of his levels in the city episode. The Factory is a small complex that consists of a large building with some rooftop installations. You'll be under threat from arachnotrons and the like until you can get on the roof, but the interiors are most dangerous. Honestly the cacodemon cages are worse than the mancubus maze in the south.
MAP13: Downtown
Sandy Petersen
Sure, it doesn't look much like a city, but who cares? This is a sprawling war zone with tons of imp snipers to keep you on your toes while you deal with the emplaced Revenants and Arachnotrons who occupy the southern portion of the block. Toughest fight might be the ambush in the northwestern building.
MAP14: The Inmost Dens
American McGee
McGee drops a level that seems to anticipate Quake in aesthetic. It's a complex of little fortresses, all individually sealed off from one another. Aesthetically pleasing with some cool fights but I remember it more for its look than its gameplay.
MAP15: Industrial Zone
John Romero
A sprawling, open-air complex with an enormous firepit in the south tells us that this is a Romero level. Every building insertion involves a fight in tight quarters. Finding the secret exit is a rather convoluted deal that involves first finding several secrets and then revisiting an area you've likely already cleared.
MAP31: Wolfenstein
Sandy Petersen
Look familiar? This and the next level are straight up just Easter eggs, not to be taken seriously (except for the fact that clearly the Nazis are in hell.) It's a straight up recreation of the first level from Wolfenstein 3D, though everything is wildly outsized. There are tons of SS Nazis running around and they might actually be a threat. If you remember the secret exit from Wolf3D, though, you'll access...
MAP32: Grosse
Sandy Petersen
Yup, it's a recreation of E1L9 from Wolf3D, though instead of a giant chaingun-packing German you get a Cybie. The end of the map is the strangest part: four instances of Commander Keen, strung up in nooses. Mutilate them all to open the exit switch. Sometimes I think id Software did the world a favor giving Adrian Carmack a job and keeping him off the streets. Yeesh.
MAP16: Suburbs
Sandy Petersen
Welcome to the House of Sandy. You think I'm joking, but literally the very first myhouse.wad and it's a recreation of Sandy's house. People dunk on this map but I like it. I like the big ambush coming at you after you grab the blue key, but it's clearing Sandy's house that is the most fun to me for some reason.
MAP17: Tenements
John Romero
Finally, a normal John Romero level, sort of. Much of the level is flooded in toxic goop; the toughest fight is probably the cave ambush to the southwest, but the chaingunners in the east wing might catch you off guard. Aesthetically it's pretty interesting; gameplay-wise I'm not sold on it.
MAP18: The Courtyard
Sandy Petersen
This is probably the map that most defines how much Doom II's gameplay has changed over the original -- an emphasis on open space with lots of monsters to fight. Don't get baited by the soulsphere in the grey building if you don't wanna deal with the surprise moshpit. I like the weird burning blood maze to the east.
MAP19: The Citadel
Sandy Petersen
An all-out assault on a sprawling fortress with loads of bullshit to clear out. Actually navigating the place is a huge pain; more straightforward is the weird outbuilding in the northwest, with hordes of zombies and imps to deal with. The courtyard takes up a huge portion of the fort but you won't actually be seeing it that much.
MAP20: Gotcha!
John Romero
I think John Romero was drunk when he made this one. His fetish for sprawling toxic chasms is on full display here, as most of the map is made up of difficult-to-access islands that you'll need to teleport to and from. The gimmick of getting the cybie and the spiderdemon to fight each other is funny, but the most notable fight is probably the big ambush at the exit. Don't really like this level -- it's weird and ugly and feels more like a parody of Sandy Petersen than any of Sandy's actual maps in this game.
MAP21: Nirvana
Sandy Petersen
Say what you will about the game's Hell episode, but Sandy's weird little map here really stirs the imagination for what a city falling into Hell might look like. Nevertheless, this is otherwise a classic Sandy map -- ugly, mildly confusing, and full of traps and ambushes.
MAP22: The Catacombs
American McGee
McGee's trademark semi-realistic style makes an encore appearance with this quick, but nasty little puzzle box with a central platform in a small toxic pit that's under watch by several baddies. Clearing that out will probably make up the bulk of your work here, but once you figure out the trick of getting around you should be able to finish things in a hurry.
MAP23: Barrels o' Fun
Sandy Petersen
Sandy gets in a gimmick map of his own with what's essentially a straightforward obstacle course. Your task: get to the end of the hallway before the explosions do. Now do it a couple more times. If you're looking for rocket ammo, the imp cave in the northeast will give you as much boomboom as you could ever want, but mind the spiders, including a big one on HMP or higher.
MAP24: The Chasm
Sandy Petersen
I'm going to confess something: I actually like this level. Yes, the narrow walkways are bullshit (but I feel like they got infinitely more navigable once we all started using WASD and mouselook) but it's got a cool aesthetic, some great fights (especially in the control room) and finishing it is satisfying.
MAP25: Bloodfalls
Shawn Green
Shawn Green's only contribution to Doom II is thematically distinct: a dark maze of blood rivers and a whole blood fountain in a courtyard full of bullshit. Zombies and imps are your biggest threats here but mind the archvile in the exit room.
MAP26: The Abandoned Mines
John Romero
Romero's most normal level for this game, though he does like to put you on exposed catwalks still. The opening fights are a steady war of attrition as you deal with fire from all angles, but if you can make the opening crosspath quiet you'll be able to strike out west and east in relative safety. Just be careful of the barred walkway to the south as it poses nastier threats.
MAP27: Monster Condo
Sandy Petersen
This one sticks out to me as one of Sandy's better maps. It's aesthetically more interesting than what he usually does, a dark complex consisting of two large rooms and several side rooms, each with their own unique threats. I especially like the ambush-laden library in the southeast corner, but the big slaughterhouse room in the northeast may be a bit of a shocker since the game doesn't typically treat us to such gorey vistas.
MAP28: The Spirit World
Sandy Petersen
Sandy goes for naturalistic designs with a pair of massive caverns, one of which possesses multiple baby spiders and at least one big momma. Turn around at the start if you want some crazy ambushes, or push forward past the spiders to find what must be Satan's throne room. Huh, he could stand to decorate. 
MAP29: The Living End
John Romero
Appropriately enough, the penultimate level is Romero's, one that most reflects some of his later aesthetics in SIGIL: an enormous cavern that you must gradually circuit by navigating the side tunnels, with a big portal to the final level sitting in the massive rock in the center of the room. The marble pathways in the east will take some time to clear, given how little room you have to maneuver. The exit is guarded, though on lower difficulties you may find it a bit of a pathetic barrier compared to the cyberdemon on HMP and higher.
MAP30: Icon of Sin
Sandy Petersen
You did it! You've made it to the final level! Sandy dumps a bunch of goodies on you to prepare for the shitshow that is to come, the most unique encounter you've faced yet. If you're playing with mouselook this fight is trivial; I prefer to approach in good faith and at least get on the column in front of the boss before I pump rockets into his brain. Play the victory music from Contra, you're done.
Part of a series on Classic Doom
| Doom |
The Ultimate Doom |
| Doom II: Hell on Earth | |
| The Master Levels | No Rest for the Living |
| Final Doom | |
| TNT: Evilution | The Plutonia Experiment |
| Doom 64 | The Lost Levels |
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