DoomExhumed

DoomEXHUMED grew out of old work on the Pharaoh's Wrath project and turned into a full-fledged tribute to the cult shooter PowerSlave Exhumed by Lobotomy Software. The author skillfully combined the best elements of the console (PS1/Saturn) and PC versions of the original, porting them to the GZDoom engine.

Gameplay and level design

Unlike Doom's usual linear playthrough, DoomEXHUMED's gameplay is built around exploring the world. You need to travel between maps and return to previously completed locations to find quest items and progress further.

Visually the game looks great: the developer skillfully used the original's assets, supplementing them with GZDoom's graphical capabilities, among which the atmospheric day/night cycle, weather conditions, and underwater levels with characteristic image distortion beneath the water stand out. The levels are built with verticality, so you'll have to actively use jumping and platforming elements.

Mechanics and equipment features

Surviving in Egyptian tombs requires attentiveness, and resources here are obtained in special ways:

• Ammo isn't just lying on the floor — it's hidden inside ancient clay jars that need to be smashed.

• Mana is required to use magical weapons and can only be knocked out of enemies. Power spheres let you activate a powerful alternate firing mode for the magnum, shotgun, and M-60 machine gun.

• On the maps you can find ankhs (permanently increase maximum health by +10), lungs (increase your underwater air supply), and dead soldiers' backpacks, which expand ammo capacity.

• Collecting multicolored scarabs grants a random amount of armor, and instead of healing wine you might randomly drink poisoned wine, which takes away 25 health points.

For those who find the standard difficulty too easy, the game features a Hardcore+ mode. It randomly replaces ordinary monsters with shadow versions — accelerated, empowered, and far more dangerous enemies — making every new playthrough unpredictable.