Its main selling point, other than a well-hidden secret, is that it acts as solid foreshadowing for the mazes to come. For the most part, Romero seems to clearly delineate secret areas and the main thoroughfares of his levels this maze, however, is primarily just for you to explore for a few kills and some extra ammo. That sense is heightened by the fact that, for such a large optional area, it largely seems to have few major benefits. It is common practice to have large secret areas in DOOM, but to have such a vast but inessential area so openly on display next to the – slightly lacking – main path makes the latter seem slight. The level is slightly undermined, though, in that beyond its opening area and search for a key, it feels a little linear. It is a big level, but only feels as such when you explore: perhaps the most interesting part of the level, a pretty large maze, is merely optional.
Acting fast is a skill that players needs to be comfortable with early on, before the all-out chaos of Episode 2. When you take an elevator down to an enemy-filled room, or enter a tight landing full of zombies, it tests your ability to act fast. (C) ID Software/Zenimax, via Į1M2 wants you to be on your toes, and it most certainly doesn’t let you sit back at all. Even more important I think, though, is it familiarises them with the chaotic combat to come. Romero pointed out in Devs Play that it teaches players about accessing secrets and other, more vital, elements of the game such as keycards and lifts. The level also introduces a lot of new concepts. Here, the lack of orientation in this level would leave a player feeling vulnerable, especially in the first room, and unsure what to expect.
Part of the way the level achieves a sense of openness and scale, too, is by making the you unable to judge quite how big the level is. In E1M1, seeing the entire length of the building it’s set in is technically impressive, and the expected linearity from that engenders surprise when you encounter the different spaces within it. Whilst it was, indeed, already clear that variety is the name of the game in DOOM, it becomes evident here that the game has more to offer than a relatively easy sprint to the exit. It features a wide open first area, elevators, a claustrophobic and overlooked rectangular battleground, and several secrets and optional areas. The most notable aspect of the level’s ‘ramping’ (Romero uses the term a few times in Devs Play) is in the combination of openness and variety. If the level had a tagline, it’d be ‘We’re not in Kansas any more’. Enemies are all around and able to easily flank you. The former gave you a bit of breathing room to begin in in the latter, you’re thrown into a combat scenario from the start. If E1M1 is a mission statement, then E1M2 is the first real mission.
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