I haven’t kept up with Brutal Doom too much in the last six or seven years so I don’t know how far Project Brutality deviates from its source mod. I will say that it was a surprise to play through a megawad with this latest PB update (e501bf7) and have enemies start upgrading 9 maps into the campaign. I don’t remember that kind of progression from the last time I played this mod.
It gets fierce quickly, and only on an easier megawad was I able to finish the standard campaign with 4 tiers but it’s quite the ride because as enemies evolve and get trickier and more powerful, so does your arsenal. The gun upgrades are cool even if there’s a few rapid-fire hitscan weapons whose functionality overlaps. I like the autoshotgun the most, especially after the reload upgrade.
Even without the upgrades and progression, this wad is great from the start because of that Brutal Doom carnage. Yeah, it’s a disturbingly violent experience but it’s also quite visceral in a way that most games aren’t. Gruesome, but satisfying. I do think it leans into the joy of violence too much for my comfort, especially with Doomguy’s quips. “Ahhh, chainsaw! The great communicator!” Shut up.
I turned off taunts but occasionally Doomguy would still talk and I hated it. For a video game as brutal as this, I don’t want a lick of any of that fist-pumping machismo. Tonally, I prefer something like Hotline Miami that isn’t making light of something so disturbing. On a positive audio note, the extra roars and mumbles from the enemies– they’re intimidating.
Overall, though: this is a pretty great DOOM mod. It feels incredibly gratifying to play, the carnage is intense, the progression system keeps things fresh, and there are plenty of options to customize your experience.
It gets fierce quickly, and only on an easier megawad was I able to finish the standard campaign with 4 tiers but it’s quite the ride because as enemies evolve and get trickier and more powerful, so does your arsenal. The gun upgrades are cool even if there’s a few rapid-fire hitscan weapons whose functionality overlaps. I like the autoshotgun the most, especially after the reload upgrade.
Even without the upgrades and progression, this wad is great from the start because of that Brutal Doom carnage. Yeah, it’s a disturbingly violent experience but it’s also quite visceral in a way that most games aren’t. Gruesome, but satisfying. I do think it leans into the joy of violence too much for my comfort, especially with Doomguy’s quips. “Ahhh, chainsaw! The great communicator!” Shut up.
I turned off taunts but occasionally Doomguy would still talk and I hated it. For a video game as brutal as this, I don’t want a lick of any of that fist-pumping machismo. Tonally, I prefer something like Hotline Miami that isn’t making light of something so disturbing. On a positive audio note, the extra roars and mumbles from the enemies– they’re intimidating.
Overall, though: this is a pretty great DOOM mod. It feels incredibly gratifying to play, the carnage is intense, the progression system keeps things fresh, and there are plenty of options to customize your experience.