If you didn’t know there was a Doom RPG, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Released all the way back in 2005, this game and its sequel have stayed off a lot of Doom fans’ radars. So if you are a fan of id’s shooter or its reboots you might be asking, what is Doom RPG and how can you play it?
Here’s What You Need to Know About Doom RPG
Doom RPG is a Doom-based dungeon crawler, written in Java and released for cell phones. This was a good three years before the first Android phone and two years before the iPhone, when cell phones weren’t the computational powerhouses they are today. It was developed by Fountainhead Entertainment, under license from id Software.
So, compared to the original Doom, it looks more like Wolfenstein 3D, with grid-based, single-floor levels. But it plays like a proper dungeon-crawling RPG, albeit with Doom enemies and plenty of ranged weapons.
You make your way through the game’s demon-infested base, slaughtering enemies as you go. It’s turn-based so the keypad-based controls, as fiddly as they might be, aren’t going to get you killed.
So, while it may have been different to the “main” Doom (released in 1993), it’s still an official game. Is it worth playing? Absolutely — despite the initial shock of it not being the “proper” game, you’ll find it’s genuinely engaging.
It may not be canon but that works in the game’s favor. It has its own story, complete with twists and turns and actual, living human NPCs who definitely won’t betray you at an inopportune moment, honest.
So even if you’ve blasted your way through the original Doom there’s a new tale to explore here. And, unlike some Java games of the era, you’re not going to finish it in half an hour. Doom RPG has some real meat on its bones.
How Can You Play Doom RPG today?
You could hunt down the original Java version and play it through an emulator. But, fortunately, there’s a fan port that lets you play it on PC. You can find the port here, via the Doomworld forums, and install it to your PC.
It still requires the original Doom RPG, but it’s relatively easy to find. You can play fullscreen, blockiness and all, and it’s absolutely worth your time. It’s a fantastic if often overlooked piece of Doom history.
What About Doom 2 RPG?
Doom RPG did get a sequel, released four years later, in the shape of Doom 2 RPG. It was released for iOS and has recently been ported to the PC, Unlike Doom RPG you can still get the original on iPhone, but given the game’s age it’s not guaranteed to run on modern iPhones.
For us, its more modern look doesn’t charm us quite as much as Doom RPG’s blocky aesthetic. But as a Doom fan you should absolutely arm up and wade in. You have nothing to lose but your soul.
If you were wondering what Doom RPG was and how you can play it, that’s all you need to know.
