Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Gloom delivers a relentless, run-and-gun experience that apes the core thrill of early 3D shooters. From the moment you load a level, enemies come at you from every corridor and alcove, demanding quick reflexes and constant movement. The decision by Acid Software to downplay key-hunting mechanics in favor of pure firepower makes each encounter feel immediate and satisfying, with no dead time spent searching for colored cards.

Controls on the Amiga 1200 are surprisingly responsive, especially when using a two-button joystick. Despite the platform’s age, strafing, turning and firing never feel sluggish; the game world scrolls in real time with minimal input lag. Weapons range from a rapid-fire blaster to a more powerful shotgun that really shakes up tight corridors, and you’ll need to master each armament to survive the escalating hordes.

Level design emphasizes speed and adaptability. You’ll charge down winding passages, leap over pits, and weave around corner blocks as gore-soaked monsters rebound off the walls. While the absence of complex puzzles means you never have to backtrack endlessly for a missing key, it also reduces variety—each stage is a gauntlet rather than a maze, making replayability hinge on memorizing enemy spawn points and optimizing your route.

Graphics

On the Amiga 1200’s AGA chipset, Gloom pushes the machine close to its limits. Levels are rendered in a 320×256 window, with a 32-color palette that delivers surprisingly rich textures. Walls show tiled stonework and industrial panels, while floors and ceilings carry repeating patterns that, though modest by PC standards, remain impressive on Commodore hardware.

Sprite work in Gloom is the game’s true highlight: each demon and mutant has a distinct silhouette and a palette-swapped animation run for damage and death. The sense of depth created by enemy scaling and simple perspective tricks feels surprisingly convincing, even if you occasionally spot pixel artefacts at far distances. Frame rate dips can occur in busy sections, but Acid Software’s optimization means it rarely drops below a playable pace.

Lighting effects are limited—there are no true dynamic shadows—but colored floors, wall decorations and flickering “torches” impart an atmospheric glow. Although not as vivid as later PC titles, Gloom’s graphical choices create a moody, claustrophobic environment perfect for fast-paced shooting. In an era when many Amiga titles resorted to static 2D sprites or sluggish engines, Gloom stands out as a technical achievement.

Story

Narratively, Gloom keeps things simple. You play a lone marine tasked with clearing out a derelict base overrun by inhuman creatures. There’s no deep lore or branching dialogue—what story exists is outlined in the manual and a brief intro screen. This bare-bones approach mirrors the early FPS ethos: pick up your gun, follow the corridors, and don’t look back.

Between levels, you get only minimal text updates: mission objectives like “eliminate all hostiles” or “find the exit.” The lack of cutscenes or voiceovers may frustrate players craving a richer tale, but it also keeps the pace unbroken. Every second you spend reading is time you’re not blasting pixelated demons, reinforcing the game’s action-first philosophy.

While Gloom’s narrative framework won’t win awards, it effectively sets the tone. The sense of isolation implicit in silent hallways and the constant echo of distant gunfire creates a bleak atmosphere. If you approach Gloom as a pure adrenaline rush rather than an epic storyline, the modest storytelling hardly diminishes the overall excitement.

Overall Experience

As a 1995 release for the Amiga 1200, Gloom was a statement: the platform could handle first-person 3D mayhem. Even today, it remains one of the Amiga’s most enjoyable shooters, offering fast reflex challenges and unrelenting combat. Its streamlined design, free of key hunts and puzzle delays, keeps the heart racing from start to finish.

Technically, you may need a fast accelerator or a good emulator setup on modern hardware to get the smoothest performance. The original floppy disk load times and occasional screen tearing can remind you of the hardware’s age, but community patches and WHDLoad installers have largely ironed out these wrinkles. For retro enthusiasts, Gloom is a shining example of what a dedicated team could achieve on the Amiga’s later hardware.

Ultimately, Gloom is a must-play for any Amiga owner or retro shooter fan. Its focus on action over puzzles, solid controls, and commendable graphics make it an engaging trip down pixelated corridors of chaos. If you’ve ever wondered how close the Amiga 1200 could come to capturing the magic of Doom, Gloom delivers an experience that’s both nostalgic and surprisingly fresh.