Guts and glory in Doom’s gory Glory Kills

Not only does this video about Doom’s Glory Kills (brutal melee finishers) give quite a bit of insight into their creation and their mechanical justification, but it also gives you a chance to watch some of the animations without the idiotic ‘whooping’ of the E3 crowd. 

Glory Kills were apparently born from some of ID Software’s animators having a bit of a mess around, but they’re now an integral part of the game. With Doom going back to its fast-paced roots, the developers found that players would often end up right next to an enemy, so melee had to be efficient. This being Doom, they also had to be as gross as possible.

It’s more complex than that, though. They’re context sensitive – changing depending on attacking angle and other factors – and unlike most games that have brutal takedowns, Doom is aiming to make Glory Kills only last a moment, never breaking the flow of combat. Think of them as a really rude way of saying “excuse me” when somebody stops in front of you to check their phone when you’re shopping.

Did I mention they’re really gory? I’m convinced “Glory Kills” is a typo.

Listen to some of the team explain it in more detail below: