In the 90s I didn’t even know what an Amiga was. You heard vague references to the computers here and there, but outside of the Commodore 64 I don’t think I ever actually saw one. During it’s time in the market first person shooters saw their rise. Doom was absolutely huge on Microsoft Windows, but it wasn’t available on any other OS. It’s pretty clear that the Amiga needed something that could match it. That’s where developer Black Magic Software came in. Doom had its fair share of clones, but none so obvious as what was created for the Amiga. Heck, they called it ‘Gloom’ for heaven’s sake. I’m not a big fan of Doom, or it’s many clones, but when I got a copy of Gloom for the Amiga CD32 I had to try it. To my surprise I actually kind of like the game. Let’s take a look.
Gloom has a really vague story told through still frames in between each stage. From what I can gather you’re a member of a military force fighting against other people. Yeah, I know it’s vague but honestly it’s all I’ve got. It’s pretty uninspired and I wish they took the more fantastical approach. Gloom doesn’t offer the novelty of killing aliens, nor does it offer the historical references of Wolfenstein 3D. Instead you’re just up against a futuristic military force. We aren’t off to a good start, but let’s move on to the gameplay. It’s very similar to Doom or Wolfenstein 3D at its core. You move through small corridors to larger rooms shooting enemies to defeat them. You progress by hitting switches that unlock the way forward. When you reach a specific door you move on to the next level.
That’s simple enough, but there’s a bit more to it. I’m a little disappointed that you don’t actually see your gun on-screen. That’s probably because there’s just one weapon to use. This fires a green circular burst of energy forward. Enemies all have the same attack. Gloom is very basic in gameplay. Almost to a fault. With each new room you enter you’ll encounter groups of foes that you have to shoot down. From here you look for the switch, and then proceed to the next area. Rinse, lather, and repeat until you’ve made it to the end of the stage. When that happens you simply move on to the next with the same goal. It may sound repetitive, and it is, but somehow it’s enjoyable. I think it’s the level designs.
While a lot of your journey through Gloom takes place in simple corridors I did enjoy the layouts of the larger rooms. These often have barriers or other constructs that limit your point of view. I’ve found these to be smartly placed despite being such an old game. My skills were really put to the test when it came to figuring out how to lure enemies out but still maintain adequate cover. It’s things like that where Gloom shines. It’s highly derivative, and gameplay is basic, but it gets level designs right. Gloom even knows how often it can re-use these assets before they overstay their welcome. I found myself in the same exact scenario multiple times, but it never really felt repetitive. It was enjoyable to play through these same scenarios with varying amounts of enemies countless times.
When I say you’re stuck with just one weapon I mean it. Gloom would have benefitted greatly from a wide and diverse arsenal. Instead you just fire the same green energy beam from start to finish. There are however a few upgrades that you can acquire. The first few of these just increase the strength of your attacks. The final form of your shot however fires off three bursts of energy. This is extremely useful and is the only means by which you can increase the spread of your shots. Unfortunately this ‘mega shot’ only lasts for a set amount of time, and it takes a lot to actually reach this power-up. Fortunately Gloom is fair even when you have the single burst. It’s an easy enough game, but you still have to stay on your toes.
Controls are okay here. It’s clear right from the get go that Gloom was originally released for the computer. You move in a very clunky fashion using the directional pad. Moving forward with up, backwards with down, and turning with both left and right. It does feel a bit clunky to be honest. Gloom simulates footsteps which while more realistic is not the best method for video games. The thing I most liked about the controls is the fact that you can strafe both left and right with the should buttons. Due to how the controller is shaped this isn’t the most comfortable arrangement but it’s still quite useful. Moving and firing is decent but it never feels fluid. Despite this movement is decent with a controller, and I found no major issues with controls.
Unfortunately, because this is an early 3D PC title, there’s no higher areas or even any changes in elevation. The entire world of Gloom is flat as can be. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles in basic gameplay. Despite this Gloom offers a ton of options. It’s clear that this originated as a PC game. There’s a two player mode with which you can tackle the main campaign with a buddy (I wasn’t able to test this because I couldn’t find another player.) Aside from this you have several options related to graphics. You can change the resolution, as well as change the window size. These can be used to make the game run more smooth but honestly I ignored these settings and still found Gloom playable. There are also options to eliminate the floor, as well as the ceiling. You can also control the level of gore.
Gloom isn’t the best looking game considering the era in which it was released. The characters and environments are super blocky. Everything has a distinct pixel appearance which some love and others hate. Personally I enjoyed it. The art style in the still screens is remarkably bad. Clearly it was meant to appeal to 90s kids so I can’t fault it too much, but it’s rather garish in modern times. I do like how many options you have. Turning down the resolution results in a higher framerate, as does controlling the window size. You can even turn off the ceiling and floor which helps too. Personally I enjoyed Gloom the most with everything turned up to maximum. Even then there are multiple enemies on-screen you won’t find a ton of slowdown. There’s not a lot of music, and most of the audio is relegated to the great sound effects.
