Demon-slaying in DOOM has always been something of a man's game, but id Software’s Hugo Martin has revealed that the team behind the series has been discussing bringing a female Slayer to the franchise.
Speaking via an official Twitch stream this month (thanks, VGC), Martin explained:
I’ve thought about it. I think if we did it, I’d want it to be lethal. I think it’s interesting how it would impact the Glory Kills and the weapons that she would have. The fighting style [would] certainly [be] all aggression, absolutely, but a different type of aggression. I would really strive to have it impact the gameplay in a way that was meaningful. I’ve definitely put a lot of thought into that, actually!
He adds that he wouldn't want this to be a simple model swap, but something that impacted how the game plays:
Tonally, when it comes to designing the action, you think about, ‘if The Slayer is a Ferrari, then what would a female Slayer be? What would a Medieval slayer be?’ How would that effect things and what sort of analogies would you draw from that to allow it to influence the experience? It definitely would be cool.
The video games may not have had female leads yet, but 2019's Doom: Annihilation – a straight-to-video follow-up to the much-maligned 2005 Doom movie – featured lieutenant Joan Dark as the main protagonist (no relation to the lead of Perfect Dark, we should note).
DOOM Eternal is the latest instalment in the long-running series, and it launched on Switch at the end of 2020. We awarded it 8/10.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 54
Really worked well for Doom Annihilation
They could always do a Samus. The DOOM Slayer was a woman all along!!
Oh my god yes. I'd be up for it
Thats just Samus :^)
"if The Slayer is a Ferrari, then what would a female Slayer be? What would a Medieval slayer be?"
What would a male slayer be?
So like a doom slayer but someone who only specifically targets females? I don't get it.
@Expa0 Somehow I don’t think Jack the Ripper Simulator 2021 would be approved.
As long as it adds something unique & different to the game and you can play as both to see the difference like RE2 ... and she doesn’t turn out like that Wolfenstein game 🙈
Already exists. Look up a character named "Crash" from Quake 3.
@Muh-ario You know what, I'd clean forgotten about that (as had most people, I dare say). I'll add that in - cheers!
Now this makes me really wanna see a female slayer! They should see if they could collaborate with Nintendo to bring in Samus in as as DLC character. It'd give people an extra reason to buy the Nintendo console version and help the Metroid franchise which needs all the help it can get.
I would rather have iD Software create a new female character and leave the doom slayer as he is. That would be more interesting and authentic IMO. The Doom Slayer is an aggressive jacked up dude. Yes I know we are talking about fictional characters.
I'm sure most people would rather have Samus left alone as a female. Her gender is part of her identitiy.
Isabelle? In doom? Take my money
Just as long this hypothetical character isn't physically objectified, I'll be down for it.
@Elvie Like how doom slayer is? Dude is jacked and also is showing off his bare arms and junk.
They could use Crash from Quake 3
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/quake/images/9/93/P_crash.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20110517010455
Stupid idea.
It would literally just be a man but with long hair. You couldn't "portray" a woman in any meaningful way.
No problem at all.
@pepepopo I guess if they wanted they can go the Samus route. Slimmer armor, mostly.
That'd be cool! I don't think they necessarily need to play or act differently, just the option to play as a female character would be welcome.
@Kalmaro Showing skin and having physical properties are not what makes a character objectified. It's about the way the character is portrayed. Doom slayer is not objectified.
If it makes sense, sure I'm all for it. Just don't make it political. Doom needs to remain pure, WHO actually does the killing, doesn't matter that much.
In a first person game where you barely see the character, whose face is covered with a mask and body completely covered by armor, what's the point? Samus is far cooler, by the way.
I'll stick to the classic releases. Doom Guy is better than Doom Slayer, anyway.
NINJA APPROVED
I'd be down with it if it was a new character and not shoehorned in. Would be cool.
@Ogbert I guess maybe I don't get it then. I'm not sure how they'd objectify a female Slayer.
If they do not gender swap the current Doom slayer(guy) I would be happy to have a DooM game with a female lead.
I don't see the need to change it, if they however had a different gameplay style then sure, but otherwise it wouldn't matter.
If this is happening, can we get Brie Larson as VA?
*Disclaimer: This comment is meant for humorous purposes.
I'd think it'd be cool if they added a female character so there could be a two player story mode.
Considering how clumsily Bethesda handled female protagonists in Wolfenstein Youngblood, this does not fill me with confidence in the slightest. Having a female protagonist in the genre is no longer something that subverts expectations. That was done away with 40+ years ago with Alien. Whatever sex the protagonist is, just shut up and get on with it.
What I liked about my lady-lead games of the past was that there was no emphasis on the female-ness of the protagonist (just as there is no incessant emphasis on occasions where a protagonist may be male). They just happened to be games with a female hero, and they didn't need to parrot political/sexist rhetoric or forfeit their femininity in the process.
We don't need DOOM turning into Ghostbusters 3.
One of the cool things about Doom and Doom 2016 is that any lore or character background could be literally ignored in favor of constant demon genocide. Doom Eternal went more direct with its story than 2016 which put me off a little, but those were still in between great demon-slaying action. If they went a female slayer route my only concern is that it would get too heavy-handed in politics and it would get in the way of the gameplay. Not saying they can't or shouldn't do a game like that, but it's just not what I play Doom for. If they go that route, I personally hope that they would just make her like Samus, a galaxy-saving action hero that just happens to also be a woman. After all, it's not like it matters that much who exactly is doing the slaying.
@popey1980
Two separate stories for the Doom Slayers that overlap would actually be pretty cool.
Could be cool. I'm picturing a more acrobatic Slayer. More parkour stuff but also for combat. Like glory kills would be contingent on player momentum instead of having to stun enemies first. More aikido looking moves too, using enemy weight against them, as opposed to just punching hearts up through their face.
Still a shooter, but take some cues from Mirror's Edge and Dishonored.
Okay that's cool and all... where's the Ancient Gods DLC for Switch?
Or instead of “what if doomguy was doomgal” they make a new series with a great female lead and unique story of her own?
It was fairly already done in Quake 3 Arena.
Would be good though.
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DelectableDamagedLiger-size_restricted.gif
How about we leave the identities of well establish characters alone, and make an entirely new character (possibly in her own game) instead?
(Edit: Worked well for Bombshell and Ion Fury in the Duke Nukem universe.)
@Ogbert "I don't think they necessarily need to play or act differently, just the option to play as a female character would be welcome."
It's an FPS so you don't even see yourself so if nothing plays or acts different then what is the chuffing point? I am sick and tired of this crap. People are so self-obsessed that they need to be 'represented' in everything. I play games and watch films to experience or see something that isn't my life, not to see myself in it. I love Metroid, Perfect Dark and plenty of other games where you play as a woman, do I want to play them as a man? No. It was an original design choice, there's no need to change it in a future version just to pander to some real world narrative.
@judaspete we need a male Bayonetta
It's MA'AM!
(this part is too add more to the content of this comment, I couldn't post with out adding more nonsense to the discussion)
Thinking of rebooting it already are they?(sarcasm)
I don't know why I scrolled through the comments. Sounds fun. People will always find a way to call it a political move or pandering but it's really not. It sounds like a way to keep the series fresh. I trust these developers to always stick to the CORE of what makes DOOM fun. It's slapstick. Gory slapstick. Quick movement and open level designs too. If a female slayer happens, as long as they remember the core principles of what makes DOOM fun, I say why not? Keep those glory kills quick and fluid, and this is a recipe for a valid DOOM sibling.
@BloodyMurder Lorelei Chen, Thi Barret, Kira Morgan
@GrandScribe I say she'd be better in a Turrican crossover
What I’d REALLY like to see is a discount for DOOM Eternal on Switch...
If only Final Fantasy had female leads. Worst Finale Fantasy game ever! All dude sausage fest. Bayonetta is my favourite game, if it would be male it would destroy the franchise completely since the whole thing is about Cereza (Bayonetta) the umbra witch. It could be done like some warlock friends of her goes to save her from whatever Hell place she fell into for example, kidnappen, dragged, doomed. Im not a fan of the Doom games but a female version would be nice to play, since Doom is not based about one guy, it can also pass to a female lead like the latest Gear of War 5
@Automated_Unit_4937 Basically Devil May Cry with more crotch shots? Sure, I'd play it.
@The-Nate Turrican?
Bad idea. I for one would never play it or even look at the videos/trailers, but then again if they want to ruin the game completely for millions go right ahead.
@Silly_G I think the blame for Youngblood's mediocre female protagonists lies with Machine Games and Arkane Studios. Whether or not id Software can handle a female hero well in the DOOM reboot series remains to be seen.
On a side note, if you want to experience a real Ghostbusters 3, try out The Video Game. It's pretty solid.
@GrandScribe One of the greatest games of all time, it hit Switch a few weeks ago
Cool. We are a little less than half the global population yet companies often act like we are invisible. Kait Diaz pretty much made me go back and finish all the gears games. Bring on the rip and tear.
Not against it generally, but please don't market it in a boy vs girl thing, keep it about killing demons.
Who gives a toss? It's a demon killing grunt, the game won't change either way.
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