SIGIL
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SIGIL | |
---|---|
Logo of SIGIL | |
Author | John Romero |
Port | Limit-removing |
IWAD | Doom |
Year | 2019 |
Link | N/A |
SIGIL is an episode WAD for Doom and Ultimate Doom that was released in limited editions on May 22, 2019, with the free release scheduled for May 31, 2019. It was announced at Doom's 25th anniversary on December 10, 2018 by its designer, John Romero.
Although billed as a megawad with 18 maps, Romero clarified in an interview[1] that each of the nine single-player levels includes a separate deathmatch arena, making it a standard episode. The levels were created using Doom Builder 2.
Contents
Story
SIGIL continues from the fourth episode, Thy Flesh Consumed, with the following story line:
Limited editions
Along with the free WAD, two limited edition fan boxes by Limited Run Games were announced that were available for pre-order until December 24, 2018, and began shipping in May 2019.[2]
Inspiration and development
John Romero decided to create SIGIL in December 2017 after the positive reception garnered by his previous releases of Tech Gone Bad and Phobos Mission Control.[3]:3
The difficulty level of the episode aims to exceed the bar set by Episode 4. According to Romero, his design choice required each level be "really hard for [him] to finish". The name of the episode, based on the central artifact in its story, is a nod back to the title of Doom itself in being a simple single word.[3]:4
A conscious decision was also made to greatly play up the aspect of Satanic imagery. As part of this effort, John's wife Brenda Romero found existing artwork of Baphomet by Christopher Lovell, which John then obtained permission to use as the cover art. The logo for SIGIL was created by Romero Games lead artist Denman Rooke, and incorporates the Number of the Beast, 666, by stylizing the "G" in SIGIL.[3]:4
The high quality MP3 soundtrack available with boxed versions of SIGIL incorporates new and existing music by Buckethead, whose works Romero listened to while creating SIGIL's maps (in particular, each map's assigned track was used during that map's editing). The new track, "Romero One Mind Any Weapon", was composed by Buckethead specially for SIGIL after Romero made the request to license his music, as Buckethead is a long-term fan of the Doom series.[3]:5
SIGIL is intended to be widely compatible with a range of source ports. A second version of the WAD file named sigil_compat.wad has been provided which replaces episode 3 for those ports which cannot load episode 5 maps.[3]:5
Content
Levels
- E5M1: Baphomet's Demesne
- E5M2: Sheol
- E5M3: Cages of the Damned
- E5M4: Paths of Wretchedness
- E5M5: Abaddon's Void
- E5M6: Unspeakable Persecution (Exit to secret level)
- E5M7: Nightmare Underworld
- E5M8: Halls of Perdition (Spiderdemon and Cyberdemon are the bosses)
- E5M9: Realm of Iblis (Secret level)
Contributors
- John Romero, producer and designer
- Brenda Romero
- Denman Rooke, lead artist
- Boris Klimeš (dew), playtester
- James Paddock (Jimmy), MIDI soundtrack
- Christopher Lovell, cover art
- Brian Patrick Carroll (Buckethead), MP3 soundtrack
External links
- Official site with press release and interview
- Announcement trailer on Youtube
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Romero Games (10 December 2018). "SIGIL Interview with John Romero." Romero Games. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ↑ Romero, John (16 February 2019). "SIGIL Update." rome.ro. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Craddock, David (12 April 2019). "Icon of Sin: Doom and the Making of John Romero's Sigil." Shacknews. Retrieved 25 May 2019.