Doom transcends gaming once again.
Legendary first-person shooter Doom has once again proven it can be played in the most unexpected places.
This time it’s appearing on robotic lawn mowers from Husqvarna, the huge Swedish manufacturers of outdoor power tools. What a versatile game.
Released in 1993, the first in the series of demon slaying carnage revolutionised the first-person shooter.
In fact, it was so widely associated with the genre in those days that every FPS was labeled a “Doom clone”.
Since then, is has spawned numerous successful sequels, and a so-bad-it’s-good 2005 film starring The Rock.
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The games remain popular today, with 2020’s Doom Eternal appearing on multiple Game of the Year lists.
However, the very first release has stood the test of time in the strangest of ways. Not through remakes or remasters, but by spreading to hardware that, until then, had nothing to do with gaming.
From playing on pregnancy tests to appearing within other games like Minecraft, the first Doom game has been given a second life by cropping up in the most absurd places.
And this tradition is being kept alive by Husqvarna, as they plan to make Doom playable on their robotic lawn mowers coming out this spring. Check out the trailer below:
You use the control knob to turn left and right, the start button to run forward, the stop to strafe and open doors, and the control knob is pressed to fire.
Björn Mannefred, the robotics software engineer at Husqvarna, has said the following: “The original team at id Software boasted some of the greatest developers ever. What they created in 1993 with Doom was world class, and set the stage for many of today’s great games.
“They are also a big inspiration for us at Husqvarna. This is one hell of an update that both highlights the pioneering spirit that characterises the engineers at Husqvarna and serves as a tribute to the originators of Doom.”
Marty Stratton, studio director at id Software, added: “The list of ‘things that run DOOM’ is absolutely incredible, and we’re thrilled to see robotic lawn mowers finally added to the list. The engineers at Husqvarna have done a terrific job.”
For those of you wanting a more traditional gaming experience, you can play Doom Eternal on the Nintendo Switch, as well as the PC and current and previous generations of PlayStation and Xbox. Or you could always blow the dust off your PS1 and play the original.
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