It’s somehow already been three years since DOOM Eternal first launched, and I am really beginning to itch for more new DOOM. The Ancient Gods was solid DLC that wanted to put your ego in its place, but even that is starting to become a bit blurry in the rearview mirror. Aside from the ability to crank on some kids in Fortnite, DOOM fans have been left hungry for something new in the DOOM universe. Mighty DOOM is absolutely something at least.
After pre-registering for it on Android what feels like years ago, the game is now finally available as a free-to-play release in the United Kingdom and other regions, with other regions soon to get it too. While there’s no denying that it’s a fun little distraction, anyone hoping for anything more meaningful than a mobile game with all the worst parts of mobile games might want to replay Eternal or finally give DOOM 3 another chance.
Billed as a run and gun top down arcade shooter, Mighty DOOM feels more like an auto-shooter similar to Vampire Survivors, though without the same inherently addictive hook. Your Mini Slayer (basically a Funko’d version of every rabbit’s best mate) automatically shoots their primary weapon, with you controlling where they move and their timed secondary weapons, such as a rocket launcher. Players can even use glory kills against vulnerable enemies to regain health, which even includes the same satisfying sound effects from Eternal. While a bit thoughtless, there’s some simple fun to be had with dodging bullets and zombie grapples while you punch walls and make your way through progressively more challenging levels. It’s just a pity, then, that cynical mobile game design rears its ugly head before long.
Players can unlock extra gear to make their Mini Slayer more capable in battle and then upgrade that gear, but rather than just being a simple, rewarding system, it just feels like one big, confusing exercise in FOMO. Mighty DOOM’s actual gameplay is simple and extremely straightforward to explain, but everything else feels like it’s been designed by Pepe Silvia.
Different gear has different rarities and can be upgraded with what feels like a dozen different materials, but you will also need coins to complete upgrades, which can either be earned for free or bought with crystals, which the game sparingly doles out to you or can be purchased in batches that cost as much as £94.99. Of course, this being a modern mobile game, the first lot of crystals are free and seemingly numerous, but it isn’t long before they dry up.
Then there’s the fact that you have to spend energy to even start runs, which can be refilled by buying more with crystals or just waiting. Once a run is over, you can sit and watch an ad or, you guessed it, spend crystals. Chuck in featured “deal” pop-ups, one hundred things to tap on screen from the main menu, loot boxes to unlock gear, and all kinds of waiting games and yep, you have one mobile ass mobile game. You can even spend £10 just to get a better version of the Mini Slayer, which is a wild proposition when you realise that Eternal can now be bought for around that amount of money.
The basic idea of DOOM on the go (or toilet) is a solid one, and there’s admittedly a great deal of mindless fun to be had in short bursts as you lay waste to chibi demons. It’s not going to fill the void of no “true” DOOM, but the general gameplay will at least elicit a little chuckle at a nod here, a Glory Kill there. A premium version where you pay one flat fee and just play a video game without all of the mobile FOMO guff likely would have done well, though probably not well enough considering just how effective that aforementioned guff has proven to be for the industry.
It’s clear that Mighty DOOM has been designed to turn DOOM Slayers into Payers, and it’s really just a mighty shame.
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