497 Words About: Classic DOOM’s Chainsaw
I’ve played Episode 1 Mission 2 (E1M2) of Classic DOOM more than any other level except E1M1 because I’ve played E1M1 at least a hundred times. E1M2 was frustrating because, for half a year I could only ever see the chainsaw from behind a barrier, I couldn’t figure out how to get it.
Once I got it with the help of the r/DOOM subreddit, I expressed the sentiment, “Rip and tear” to its most literal degree possible.
I ripped.
I teared.
And it was, “Groovy.”
There isn’t anything more cathartic than shoving a chainsaw into a Pinky demon's gaping maw and turning that creep into hamburger meat. Ripping through twenty possessed soldiers, shotgun jerks, and imps follows pretty close behind. Using a chainsaw on Cacodemons is fun, I suppose, but it feels too much like trying to slice through a meatball. I hardly use it on Barons of Hell because they’re big bullet sponges and they drain my health before I can finish carving them in twain. And as for Lost souls, well, I never enjoy killing them so it’s a moot point.
The chainsaw is just one of the eight weapons players can use in Classic DOOM, and while DOOM Eternal would transform this weapon into a functional(and necessary) item in its game design, the original weapon was just flavoring. I was able to progress through the first nine missions of Episode 1 without acquiring the chainsaw at all.
And I had a blast while doing so.
As a tool, DOOM’s chainsaw dramatically alters gameplay. When the player is using guns, even just the pistol, the flow of the game is largely going to be strafing behind cover, or circling the enemy from a distance and pumping round after round into them. DOOM is a first person shooter(fps) so this strategy makes sense.
As soon as I equip the chainsaw though that strategy dissolves, and the game becomes more tactile.
I have to charge into enemies.
I have to hold the action button.
The chainsaw will fight against the flesh and some enemies will bounce off of the attack forcing me to shove the saw right back into them. I’m not immune from taking damage which means I could be gunned down or attacked by Imps halfway through killing one Pinky demon.
Despite these drawbacks, the chainsaw is my favorite weapon in DOOM after the shotgun because it so dramatically alters the experience of battle. It forces me to change my gameplay strategy, and affords me the chance to role play. I can be a crazy Evil Dead protagonist working through the invading hordes of hell, and all this bloodshed eventually melts into slapstick comedy.
The image of Doomguy chasing demons with a chainsaw through the halls of the ARC facility is as face-meltingly awesome as it is absurd. Ripping a Pinky apart and leaving a bloody mess behind isn’t exactly an episode of Loony Tunes, but the comedic sentiment ain’t that different.
Joshua “Jammer” Smith
3.24..2025
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