Sega sure is smart!
The premise of Doom is simple; you’re trapped in an area similar to hell, and the only way off is to kill everything that moves. So you will be moving room to room, killing countless demons and zombies while looking for keys so you can unlock doors that lead to the next area, and eventually the end of the level. You’ll start off with only a weak pistol but along the way you’ll find better weapons to use, such as a shotgun, rocket launcher, chaingun, and the devastating BFG 9000.
It’s too bad the SNES can’t deliver the same experience the PC version did. This is because the SNES’ hardware is very limited compared to the PC’s. Throughout the game it will show, and badly hurt what would’ve otherwise been an enjoyable experience.
Our first problem is because of the SNES controller. Since there is no mouse (SNES mouse isn’t compatible), it is much harder to strafe (the L and R buttons don’t work so well) and it is impossible to turn around quickly. So if a demon is blasting away at you from the back, you’re in trouble. There’s no way to instantly turn around, so you’re guaranteed to take a lot of damage.
The game’s speed has also changed from fast and frantic to slow and boring. It is so slow running around killing demons just isn’t fun anymore. Sometimes it will take up to a second to execute simple commands, such as a weapon change or open a door (which is almost instant on the PC version). Sometimes the game will screw you by not executing the command at all. Because of this something simple is made into something very difficult. Don’t forget about the enemies firing at your back while you struggle to move.
Not only is the gameplay much worse than the PC version; the graphics are absolutely the worst I’ve ever seen in a videogame. Everything is extremely blurry; it is very hard to make out certain objects on the screen without starring for a while, which can easily give you a headache. When you move the graphics are so blurry it looks like you are traveling in hyperspace in Star Wars (except hyperspace looks cool). The floor and ceiling textures featured on the PC version are also removed, making them look extremely bland.
Not everything in Doom is horrendous; the sound, music, and AI are just as good as the PC version (which is pretty good), as well as a few other areas (but still no multiplayer!). But Doom for the PC is a classic, which makes the SNES version just as hard to recommend as it is to make out a blurry object in the corner of the screen. Do yourself a favor and play the PC version instead. Avoid this trash.