DOOM, you surely know it, unless you’re under 13 years old. This famous first-person shooter (FPS) game is a true classic from the 90s.
And even after all these years, it continues to be appreciated by fans, especially thanks to ports on modern machines. Among these ports, DOOM Retro is undoubtedly the most accomplished you can find on Windows.
Released in December 2013 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of John Carmack’s game, DOOM Retro is actually a fork of the Chocolate DOOM port. But over the years, it has really separated from the initial code, becoming a very different software today. With its minimalist approach, this port offers unique features that clearly distinguish it from other basic and crude ports.
DOOM Retro is designed to be played in single-player mode and supports all maps and mods compatible with the original engine (vanilla), the “limit removing” versions, BOOM, MBF, and MBF21.
The application is coded in C and is available under a free license. With its approximately 100,000 lines of code, compiled versions of DOOM Retro are available for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Although support is limited and no compiled version is offered, the DOOM Retro source code can also be compiled and run on Linux and macOS. If there are any volunteers willing to give it a try, I’m interested.
DOOM Retro features an intelligent WAD launcher. It offers a resolution of 640×400, which is twice the original resolution of DOOM (woohoo), allowing it to adapt to all screen sizes while maintaining the game’s 4:3 aspect ratio. It also offers an optimized 256-color rendering, and each image is scaled on the screen using OpenGL or Direct3D hardware acceleration.
A full-screen mode is also available at any time by pressing the “+” key, with a choice of two different heads-up displays. Windowed and full-screen modes can be toggled at any time by pressing ALT + ENTER.
A discreet console is always available by pressing the “~” key. You can see all the messages and all the settings that can be modified. Obviously, the framerate is unlimited, and you can apply motion blur when turning quickly.
DOOM Retro also supports MUS, MIDI, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, FLAC, and MOD files. It also has several transparency/translucency effects, etc.
In short, by playing DOOM Retro, you’ll relive the experience of the 90s, except that there will be even more blood spilling everywhere. You psychopaths.
Even the bodies of dead enemies will react to barrel explosions and projectile damage, leaving bloodstains everywhere on the ground. You’ll also feel the impact of every blow you receive with fairly realistic screen shakes.
In conclusion, as you may have understood, DOOM Retro is an excellent port for genre enthusiasts who want to relive the classic game experience with modern improvements and fewer bugs!
If you’re interested, you can download it here. (And yes, you’ll need the original game’s WAD files, as usual).”
