Players Can Battle Margaret Thatcher In Wildest DOOM Mod Yet
Thatcher, Thatcher, demon snatcher. Just when you think you've seen everything there is to see when it comes to id Software's DOOM (you can even play it on a pregnancy test), one sneaky Scot has created a whole new way to play - featuring a very famous lady that's not for turning.
It's been 28 years since DOOM blasted us in the face with a shotgun and helped define the first-person shooter genre. While the franchise once slipped into the obscure realms of lacklustre sequels, id returned to form with the 2016 reboot and last year's DOOM Eternal. For the latest reinvention, we're going back to the start for some politics and Pinkies.
How can you battle Margaret Thatcher in DOOM?
We imagine Margaret Thatcher is spinning in her grave, as Thatcher's Techbase adds a brand new questline to the classic shooter. The storyline takes Doomguy to the United Kingdom and Northern Island - which are referred to as the Tenth Circle of Hell. Here, you lock horns (literally) with Maggie herself.
The project apparently started as a joke, when a Tweet mentioned that if someone went to Hell, they'd spend eternity scouring it for Margaret Thatcher. During lockdown, creator Jim Purvis said he was playing a lot of the OG DOOM and started fiddling with the Doom Builder. Voila, Thatcher's Techbase was born.
More than just a tiny fan project, there's some impressive talent on board. Paradise Killer composer Barry βEpochβ Topping is part of Thatcher's Techbase, while Hades voice actor Laila Berzins has also lent a hand. If this wasn't enough, it's even caught the attention of DOOM designer John Romero. Not bad for an idea that was born from the hatred of a divisive political figure.
If you want to play Thatcher's Techbase, it will be free to download from GitHub on September 24. Although the game is free, Purvis has suggested fans make a donation to charities like the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, Stonewall, and the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation.
Why can you battle Margaret Thatcher in DOOM?
Discussing his reasoning behind the mod, Purvis told NME it's a very personal story. Enjoying the hype surrounding the Mod, he explained, "I was hoping [Thatcherβs Techbase] would do alright with my Scottish pals and other known Thatcher-haters, but I never imagined it would end up on the big gaming sites or be analysed by professors at Manchester and Liverpool University.
"The response outside the UK has been shockingly huge, too β Argentinians and Brazilians have been going mad for it, and Iβm now rushing to get Spanish and Portuguese translations into the game before release, courtesy of some very nice guys across the Atlantic who dislike Margaret Thatcher as much as I do".
According to Purvis, his reasons for creating Thatcher's Techbase come from his childhood. "Iβm from a town called Coatbridge β just outside Glasgow β that was badly affected by Thatcherβs infamous policies on heavy industry and social housing in the 1980s", continued Purvis.
"I was born the year Thatcher left office, but her presence was felt throughout my childhood and even into my twenties and thirties. Almost everyone I know was affected by the decisions of the Thatcher government in some way or another, and weβre still seeing her ghost all over the place in our current socio-political situation. She was a satanic figure in Scottish culture well before I turned her into a cybernetic demon."
The question is, with Thatcher's Techbase sure to be a massive hit, could there be a sequel? Purvis refused to spoil the surprise, but told players to hand around for the post-credits scene. We're guessing some sort of cybernetic Ronald Reagan could set up the next chapter. If not, we can only hope DOOM's 2016 remake gets a souped-up Thatcher's Techbase.
