Everything
The video game franchise, DOOM, first launched in 1993. Back then, the first-person shooting adventure followed the role of a space marine known as ‘Doomguy’ who fought his way through hordes of invading demons from Hell. For 27 years, the nostalgic game has garnered a loyal and dedicated fanbase. After many adaptions and the 2016, award-winning revival from Bethesda Works, a new sequel is dropping soon. Dubbed DOOM Eternal, and powered by id Tech 7, the forthcoming release promises a pumping new soundtrack, brand new demons and untouched worlds.
All Hell has broken loose on Earth, and the DOOM Slayer must return to rip and tear his way through the invading hell-spawn. Travel to never-before-seen locations, discover more about the Slayer’s origins, and raze hell along the way. Equipped with the DOOM Slayer’s advanced Praetor Suit, master new tools to become the ultimate Slayer, including a shoulder-mounted Flame Belch, Ice Bombs, and the visceral new Blood Punch – a supercharged melee attack. Upgraded guns and mods, such as the Super Shotgun’s new distance-closing Meat Hook attachment, and abilities like the Double Dash make you faster, stronger, and more versatile than ever.
More features include:
- Master an engaging and aggressive combat puzzle using new abilities and resources that allow you to take what you need from your enemies. Glory kill for extra health, Flame Belch for armor, and chainsaw demons to stock up on ammo. These tools are the key to unlocking the ultimate power fantasy and surviving against near-insurmountable odds.
- Obliterate more demons than ever before, each with unique attacks and abilities. Fan-favorite classics such as the Pain Elemental, Archvile, and Arachnotron make their return, while a horde of totally-new demons join the roster including the DOOM Hunter, Marauder, and the Gladiator. Rip apart your favorite demons to the core with DOOM Eternal’s “destructible demons” system and take your power fantasy to new levels.
Behind the thumping soundtrack is Mick Gordon and speaking with the creative, he reflected on composing the tracks, saying, “I think my role on the music side is to really connect emotionally for the player.” ICON caught up with Gordon for an insight into what really goes on behind-the-scenes to create one of the industry’s most recognised game franchises.
ICON: Firstly, had you always wanted work in gaming sound design? How did the opportunities first start?
Mick Gordon: “When I left school I was terrible at everything, the only thing that I could half-do was play guitar. And what I was doing was playing in cover bands and teaching guitar which was a lot of fun but I kind of wanted to make a bit more of a career. I guess I was looking for different opportunities and one of the opportunities I was really lucky to have here in Australia was there was about 40 companies at the time making video games. These were big games, but locally here, nobody was doing music and sound design.”
What is the process for composing the music to a video game?
MG: “Generally, I like to get in with developers really, really early. So with DOOM Eternal, we were in there two years back from today. At first I just like to sit down and chat to the developers and get to know them and who they are and what they like and what sort of thing they are trying to achieve with the game…”
Is this the same process every time?
MG: “It’s always different. What is the same thing across every studio that I’m very fortunate to work with is the passion that I find with everybody. Everybody wants to do new things, they are always super creative people that are trying to push the boundaries. Video games as an art form is based on breaking the mould and pushing the boundary and trying to find out what new and cool and fascinating things are. That’s what fans expect when they get one of these games, they want to experience what they’ve never experienced before. The process is always evolving and always changing. Games are different from when I first started 14 odd years ago.”
DOOM is so nostalgic and the next instalment is highly anticipated. What was the pressure like to make sure it sonically lived up to its glory?
MG: “The biggest mistake I made on DOOM Eternal when I started was thinking that I knew what I was doing. We all sat down, and they said, ‘We want this to be bigger and louder and faster and more aggressive.’ And I was like, ‘Great, I know exactly what to do’, and I went back to the studio and did this insanely fast metal track, it was like 264 beats-per-minute, so it was really quick. And we threw it into the game and it just sucked… DOOM Eternal explores a lot of realms of the DOOM universe that have never been explored before. We’re going to ancient DOOM areas, we’re going to the software’s version of heaven, we’re travelling to all sorts of different areas and each one needed a music identity that needed to fit and was new.”
You are said to be inspired by the connection between the audience and the experience. What can fans expect from the forthcoming game?
MG: “I think my role on the music side is to really connect emotionally for the player. There is a big gap between the television and where the player is sitting right, and I feel that gap is filled by sound. It’s the speakers that are pushing that sound out and they’re filling that space. It is our role to create that emotional bond there and with DOOM it is all about that super aggressive and confident [sound], being obnoxious and the feeling that the player can walk into any battle and take ownership of that battle and musically, that’s all I’m trying to do. To give that player the confidence – the music has to feel like the 300 spartans behind that player, they’re all edging the player on to complete whatever they need to complete.”
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