Time Tripper

Time Tripper is an experimental first-person adventure shooter for Doom II, developed by Emma Essex on the GZDoom engine. The project started as a learning experiment in BOOM mapping but quickly evolved into a full-fledged total conversion, incorporating the author's vision of what Doom could be beyond conventional boundaries.

The player controls a heroine named Doomelph, who, upon discovering a mysterious portal during a walk in the forest, finds herself in fragmented worlds connected by rifts in time and space. The campaign unfolds as "circuits" of levels, the first of which — Abyssal — includes seven main maps, secret levels, a test zone, and a finale.

The gameplay differs noticeably from classic Doom. The hero starts without a pistol and fists, immediately receiving a shotgun and dual chainsaw, and the arsenal as a whole is closer in spirit to Doom 64, but with original and reworked weapon types. The bestiary is also significantly changed: familiar demons use new attacks and bright magenta-cyan projectiles, creating sensations close to shoot'em up, but without full-fledged bullet hell.

Time Tripper's levels are deliberately eclectic and dreamlike-distorted: abandoned bases give way to moving trains, snowy landscapes in the void, and abstract liminal spaces. Visual effects like flickering skies and "reality noise" enhance the sensation of an unstable world. The arcade character is emphasized by weapon pickups, checkpoints, and a dynamic original soundtrack.

Difficulties in the mod are reworked and range from accessible modes for beginners to extreme variants with instant death and enhanced enemies. Despite its relatively short duration, Time Tripper constantly surprises with new ideas and is perceived as a concentrated stream of creative chaos refined into a cohesive artistic image.