A mobile Doom game isn’t such a farfetched idea. After all, Bethesda turned other hit franchises, such as Elder Scrolls and Fallout, into well-received Android and iPhone spinoffs. However, while Mighty Doom occasionally reminds us of what makes Doom so magnificent, this free-to-play top-down shooter is only adequate. It’s no replacement for real ripping and tearing. 

Diet Doom

Some mobile versions of big, popular games try to shrink the entire experience to the small screen. Games like Apex Legends, Diablo Immortal, and League of Legends: Wild Rift are pretty close to their console counterparts. Mighty Doom isn’t like this. Think of it more like Fallout Shelter or Rocket League Sideswipe—a wacky spinoff that in no way competes with the genuine article. If you want true Doom on the go, consider picking up a Nintendo Switch.

Instead of a first-person shooter, Mighty Doom is a top-down title like Robotron or Smash TV, the kind of game that the original Doom essentially recreated in 3D. In fact, Mighty Doom is even simpler than those retro comparisons. The mini Doom Slayer you control shoots automatically, so you only have to worry about moving him to the most advantageous positions. Like in Vampire Survivors, this seemingly stripped-down formula still requires you to make intelligent decisions. The tiny maps occasionally feature boost pads or exploding barrels that reward situational awareness. But this is ultimately a casual mobile game meant to be played with one thumb, although a real joystick would be better than the fiddly virtual one. 

Mighty Doom strings you through its bite-size levels using a roguelike structure. To complete a world, you must conquer its 40 randomized levels in one run. The gauntlet of about nine worlds, taking you from ancient castles to Hell on Earth, should theoretically last you a while. But aside from some background details, levels blur together so much that I quickly got my fill of going back through these same layouts. The core gameplay isn’t bad, just generic, which is a shame considering how exciting and iconic the source material is.

Mobile Mayhem

Fortunately, Mighty Doom does feature some elements that might appeal to new and old Doom fans. Despite the cute chibi aesthetic, the game doesn’t skimp too much on Doom’s bloody violence. Granted, it doesn’t have the same graphical quality as Doom Eternal on a high-end PC, but it’s still delightful to see tiny Doom Guy use his tiny chainsaw to dismember the tiny boss monsters.

Mighty Doom also retains the Glory Kill system, where you can instantly kill enemies to gain valuable resources. Seeing a vulnerable enemy halfway across the map encourages you to play aggressively, to charge through the horde and slay the demon before they snap out of their stupor. That feels like Doom. 

Mighty Doom’s weapon system also feels like Doom, even if it’s doing something traditional Doom games don’t do. Your initial loadout includes your standard gun, a special cooldown weapon like missiles or a shotgun, and an ultimate attack using your magic sword. However, you gain access to random power-ups as you level up throughout your run. Shoot bouncing bullets, multiple bullets at once, or bullets that explode...these abilities all stack on top of each other, making you increasingly lethal and ridiculous in equal measure. Nothing I saw approached the creativity of, say, Hades, but this is the most interesting thing the game has going for it.  

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Slow Slaying

Mighty Doom's weapon combos give you lots of cool upgrades relatively quickly, but its overall free-to-play progression is the exact opposite. Expect all the classic tactics meant to slow you down or get you paying. An energy limit throttles how many times you can play in a day, which is about four runs per day on average. If you die during a run, you can watch an ad to revive yourself once. Purchases are available for upgrading gear, extending your energy, or unlocking loot crates; you can buy bundles for the "best deal."

While recent Doom games let you customize your loadout and upgrade your equipment, they understand that Doom is all about feeling monstrously powerful, even from the very start. So it makes me sad to open up shiny loot crates in Mighty Doom for endless gear and weapons offering marginal stat increases. Doom isn't an RPG or a looter shooter. The last thing I should care about is a slightly stronger chest plate or +2 fire-resistant boots or any other incremental perk that makes my eyes glaze over. I just want to pound demons to a pulp. I still had fun playing Mighty Doom by ignoring this stuff, but presumably you need to somewhat engage with the loot to make meaningful progress in a reasonable amount of time.

Less offensive are Mighty Doom's seasonal events, which are totally fine ways to keep the game fresh and keep players coming back. During testing, I played the Easter event which had me slaughtering zombie bunnies. That was fun and very Doom.

Hellfire on Your Phone

No way in Hell does Mighty Doom compare favorably with the real Doom games, some of the greatest ever made. And even compared with other mobile games, you can do a lot better...but you can also do a lot worse. As a free way to shoot demons with an ever-escalating arsenal, Mighty Doom is fine, but nothing more.

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