Some video game franchises age gracefully. Others become historical curiosities that are fascinating to revisit but nowhere near as enjoyable as they were when they first appeared. Then there is DOOM, a series that somehow makes more than three decades of demon slaughter feel like one long, gloriously violent party. DOOM Anthology brings together the classic games, the darker experiment that was DOOM 3, and the extraordinary modern revival that began with DOOM (2016) and exploded into DOOM Eternal and DOOM: The Dark Ages. It is an enormous celebration of a franchise that not only helped define the first-person shooter but repeatedly found ways to reinvent what that genre could be.
What makes this collection particularly special is the chance to experience that evolution in one place. You can go from the crude but endlessly imaginative corridors of DOOM and DOOM II to the atmospheric horror of DOOM 3, before jumping into the lightning-fast combat of DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal. Then there is DOOM: The Dark Ages, taking the Slayer into a medieval war against Hell and proving that, after all these years, there are still new ways to make demons regret waking up in the morning.
It All Started With A Shotgun
Playing the original DOOM today is a fascinating experience because it remains remarkably playable. The graphics are obviously ancient compared with what we have now, but the underlying design is anything but. The movement is fast, the weapons are satisfying, and the maze-like levels encourage you to explore every corridor in search of keys, secrets, ammunition, and those wonderfully ridiculous moments when a door opens and you realise something horrible is waiting behind it.
DOOM II builds on that foundation with more enemies, bigger levels, and the legendary Super Shotgun. It is remarkable how much personality id Software managed to squeeze into a game built on such simple foundations. You run, shoot, dodge, collect weapons, and hunt for secrets, yet the combination remains incredibly addictive. There is a purity to classic DOOM that modern shooters often struggle to reproduce, because there is very little standing between you and the fun.
DOOM 64 is perhaps the most interesting stop on this early journey because it has its own identity. It retains the frantic shooting of its predecessors while introducing a darker visual atmosphere and a more sinister tone. The enhanced presentation makes it an excellent way to experience one of the less frequently discussed chapters in DOOM history, and it still feels wonderfully nasty when the Mother Demon starts causing trouble.
When DOOM Got Scary
Then comes DOOM 3, and suddenly everything changes. Instead of running through enormous arenas while blasting everything that moves, the game embraces darkness, narrow corridors and an atmosphere that often makes you wonder what lurks just beyond the next doorway. It is a fascinating departure, as DOOM 3 was not simply trying to make the original formula prettier. It was attempting to turn DOOM into something genuinely frightening.
That slower, more deliberate approach will not suit everyone, particularly if your favourite DOOM experience involves sprinting at ridiculous speeds with a shotgun in one hand and absolutely no concern for personal safety. Yet there is something admirable about id Software being willing to take such a famous formula and push it somewhere unexpected. With Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission included, this chapter becomes an even more substantial part of the anthology.
The Slayer Returns
If DOOM 3 was a detour, DOOM (2016) was the moment the franchise roared back into the spotlight. The modern reboot understands what made the original games so exciting and strips away anything that gets in the way of that simple philosophy. You move quickly, shoot aggressively, tear demons apart, and keep moving, because stopping for too long is usually a very bad idea.
The Glory Kill system is central to that renewed identity. Instead of simply hiding behind cover and waiting for enemies to wander into your sights, the game actively encourages you to stay close to danger. Injured demons become opportunities to regain health, while the chainsaw provides a wonderfully direct solution to ammunition problems. The result is a combat loop that constantly pushes you forward, and it remains one of the most satisfying examples of aggressive FPS design.
The weapons themselves deserve plenty of credit too. Every gun has a distinct personality, from the dependable Combat Shotgun to the devastating BFG, and switching between them becomes part of the rhythm of combat. There is real joy in learning which weapon works best against which enemy and then tearing through an encounter with the kind of confidence that makes you feel considerably more capable than you probably are.
Rip And Tear Forever
DOOM Eternal takes that philosophy and turns the dial almost as far as it will go. It is faster, more demanding and considerably more focused on resource management while you are simultaneously trying not to be murdered by an army of demons. Health, armour and ammunition all need to be managed, and the game encourages you to use Glory Kills, the chainsaw and the Flame Belch as part of a constant combat cycle.
At first, it can feel overwhelming. Once the systems begin to click, however, there is an extraordinary sense of flow to the experience. You are dashing through arenas, switching weapons, targeting weak points, launching yourself across gaps and turning demons into walking supplies before immediately moving on to the next threat. Few shooters make you feel quite so busy while keeping that chaos so controlled.
The inclusion of The Ancient Gods expansions makes the DOOM Eternal portion of the anthology even more substantial. These campaigns are not simply extra levels for players who want more of the same. They push the combat systems harder, introduce tougher encounters and demand considerably more from anyone hoping to survive. For fans who want DOOM at its most intense, this is where things become properly ferocious.
A Slayer From Another Time
And then there is DOOM: The Dark Ages, which somehow makes the whole anthology feel even more complete. Taking the Slayer into a medieval setting could easily have been a novelty that wore thin after an hour, but the concept works because DOOM has always been about giving the player increasingly ridiculous tools to destroy increasingly ridiculous enemies.
The medieval setting gives the series a fresh visual identity while retaining the aggression that defines modern DOOM. Ancient battlefields, monstrous creatures and demonic armies provide a fitting backdrop for the Slayer, while the expanded arsenal and new combat ideas make the game feel like another genuine evolution rather than a simple reskin. It is particularly satisfying to see the modern series continue to experiment, even after DOOM Eternal seemed determined to push the traditional FPS formula to its limits.
The Premium Edition content also makes this a substantial addition to the collection. The Revelations campaign DLC, Digital Artbook and Soundtrack, and Divinity Skin Pack provide further material for anyone who wants to spend even more time in this particularly brutal chapter of the Slayer’s story.
Thirty Years Of Noise
The visual evolution across the anthology is genuinely remarkable. The earliest games are built from pixelated sprites and clever 2.5D environments, yet they remain instantly recognisable. Fast-forward to DOOM 3, and suddenly lighting, shadows and atmosphere become major parts of the experience. Then DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal arrive with enormous arenas, spectacular effects and demons that look increasingly unpleasant in wonderfully detailed ways.
The audio journey is just as impressive. The classic games feature the unforgettable MIDI-inspired sounds and riffs that became part of gaming history, while the modern entries unleash crushing industrial metal that seems almost designed to encourage irresponsible levels of aggression. The music in modern DOOM does more than accompany combat. It feels like another weapon in your arsenal, pushing you forwards and making every encounter feel like the beginning of the world’s angriest concert.
More Than A Collection
What I appreciate most about DOOM Anthology is that it does not make the older games feel like museum pieces. The classics remain enjoyable in their own right, while the modern entries show how many of their ideas trace back to those original experiments. Playing them together makes the connections much easier to appreciate.
You can see the franchise’s DNA running through everything. Speed, exploration, secrets, powerful weapons, terrifying enemies, and a protagonist who apparently considers personal safety an optional extra have remained central throughout the series. Even when DOOM changes direction, it never completely loses that underlying identity.
That is what makes the anthology feel like more than a collection of games thrown into one box. It becomes a history lesson you actually want to attend. There are very few franchises where playing the earliest entry and then jumping forward several decades produces such a fascinating contrast while still feeling unmistakably like the same series.
The Ultimate Demon Slaying Collection
There is an argument that no collection can capture everything that made DOOM important, as its influence extends far beyond these individual games. Yet DOOM Anthology comes remarkably close to providing the complete playable story. From the moment the original Marine picks up that shotgun to the latest chapter in the Slayer’s increasingly ridiculous war against Hell, the package demonstrates why this franchise has endured when so many of its contemporaries have disappeared.
There are certainly differences between the games, and that is precisely the point. Some players will prefer the pure speed of the originals, others will enjoy the horror atmosphere of DOOM 3, while modern fans may happily spend hundreds of hours mastering the combat systems of DOOM Eternal. Rather than pretending every game is identical, the anthology lets those differences stand as part of DOOM’s history.
Final Verdict
DOOM Anthology is an exceptional celebration of one of gaming’s most important and enduring franchises. It offers an extraordinary journey from the groundbreaking simplicity of the 1993 original through DOOM II, DOOM 64 and the atmospheric experimentation of DOOM 3, before culminating in the spectacular modern combat of DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal and DOOM: The Dark Ages. Few collections can demonstrate the evolution of an entire genre quite so effectively while remaining this much fun to play.
Most importantly, this is a collection with a pulse. The games may span more than thirty years, but a consistent attitude runs through them all. DOOM has always understood that shooting demons should feel powerful, movement should feel good, and sometimes the best solution to a problem is simply to find the biggest gun in the room and pull the trigger.
For veterans, it is a fantastic opportunity to revisit some legendary games, while newcomers get an almost ridiculous amount of demon-slaying history in one package. It is violent, loud, occasionally terrifying, frequently hilarious and almost impossible to put down once the music starts and the first demon comes charging towards you.
