Doom RPG

Doom RPG from 2005 is one of id Software's oddest experiments: the legendary action brand translated into turn-based play on mobile phones. Deliberation replaces reflexes — movement happens on a grid, and combat resolves in turns.

The idea was smarter than it sounds. Mid-2000s button phones could not handle fast action in either controls or horsepower, so instead of fighting the hardware, id translated Doom's essence into a form the phone could carry: step, shoot, take the enemy's answer, step again. The shooter's rhythm survived — merely slowed into turns.

This catalogue files the title in its computer section, but the game belongs above all to mobile gaming history — specifically its pre-smartphone chapter, when games were sold through carriers and played on numeric keypads between two bus stops.

For id Software it marked a remarkable expansion of territory. The studio that defined speed on the PC showed that its world of demons on Mars could bear an entirely different tempo, and the mobile detour served the brand well enough to earn a sequel.

This chapter of Doom history keeps its own card on OldGame.cz, complete with the release year, the creator credit and screenshots.