The ‘boomer shooter‘ style of fast-paced, action-packed first-person shooters really took off with two popular games in the 1990s: Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. While these games might look old-fashioned today, they remain classics and are still enjoyable, much like the appeal of retro arcade games. This nostalgia led some game developers, both independent and large studios, to deliberately create new games in this classic style – a trend now known as ‘boomer shooters’.
These games are easy to spot – they often look like classic 90s shooters such as Doom, with flat levels, pixelated graphics, and a driving rock soundtrack. While there are variations, standout titles include Prodeus and Ultrakill. But what other games fit this style, and what makes them so enjoyable?
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Mullet Madjack
Keep The Adrenaline Up
Mullet Madjack blends the style of modern cyberpunk games like Cyberpunk 2077 with the classic sci-fi RPG feel of System Shock. However, its biggest inspiration comes from the visuals of 90s and 80s anime – the character designs especially resemble those seen in shows like Ghost in the Shell and Bubblegum Crisis.
Forget about looks – Mullet Madjack is a fast-paced, replayable shooter where you try to go as far as possible before inevitably dying and starting over. Each run features random weapons and powers, making every attempt unique. The key to survival is getting creative with your kills – combining attacks, like a shotgun blast with a well-timed kick, earns more points and keeps your adrenaline-fueled hero in the fight longer. With its fun gameplay, helpful assists, and striking visuals, Mullet Madjack feels like an instant classic.
Wizordum
Hectic Hexes
As a big fan of those classic 90s shooters, I immediately saw the Heretic and Hexen influence in Wizordum – it’s clearly inspired by those magical takes on Doom. But what really grabbed me about Wizordum is how vibrant it is! The dungeons are much easier to navigate thanks to the bright colors, and it really makes the cool weapon and monster designs stand out. It’s got that retro, flat, low-pixel look, but the rainbow of colors keeps everything from feeling dull – it really makes things pop.
In Wizordum, a fast-paced fantasy shooter, players progress through levels, earning upgrades after each one to improve their weapons and prepare for tougher enemies. They can discover powerful magical items like fire-shooting rings, ice-blasting rods, or traditional melee weapons such as maces. No matter what they choose, goblins and other monsters won’t stand a chance!
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
2.5D Space Marines
One of the best things about the Warhammer universe is how well it adapts to different video game styles. Many developers have created Warhammer games in various genres, often paying tribute to classic titles. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a fast-paced shooter clearly inspired by Doom, featuring 2D enemies and levels that aren’t strictly open-ended. It’s also incredibly gory – the pixelated enemies explode in a shower of satisfying red pixels!
The game features a variety of weapons, including bolt-firing pistols, a chainsaw sword, and a top-loading shotgun. It’s a dream come true for fans of Doom and Warhammer, offering even more than they’d expect. If you enjoy Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, you’ll be pleased to hear that a sequel is already in development.
Prodeus
Metal Gear
Prodeus is a game very similar to the original Doom. The story involves humans accidentally unleashing chaos by tapping into the power of portals to the underworld. Players battle demons with high-tech weapons, explore interconnected levels, and search for hidden secrets and keys to progress. Like Doom, Prodeus features a world map that allows players to revisit and replay levels.
The game’s visuals are intentionally grainy, depicting shadowy demons, but you can quickly obliterate them with a wide array of powerful weapons. Expect everything from a devastating four-barreled shotgun to dual-wielded machine guns – and that’s just the beginning! Prodeus is a fantastic, fast-paced shooter that rivals the official Doom reboot from 2016 and is incredibly fun to play.
Ultrakill
Just Keep Shooting
Ultrakill takes inspiration from classic games like Doom, but its core is really about capturing the fast-paced, over-the-top spirit of 90s shooters. It doesn’t focus on a deep story or relatable characters; instead, it prioritizes delivering a thrilling, modern shooter experience with powerful weapons, quick movement, and awesome abilities.
Players will enjoy blasting enemies with everything from powerful machine guns to quirky pistols that bounce coins off skulls. Despite still being labeled as ‘Early Access’ since 2020, Ultrakill is already an amazing game, and whether it ever gets a full release almost doesn’t matter.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War!
I’m Doing My Part
- Developer: Auroch Digital
- Publisher: Dotemu, Game Source Entertainment
- Released: 3/16/26
- Platform: PC
Released in the 90s, the film Starship Troopers offered a surprisingly insightful look at war, despite its focus on battling alien insects. It’s also just a really entertaining movie about, well, killing bugs! That spirit carries over to the new Steam game, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War!, which features a distinctive art style that blends 3D polygons with 2D sprites for a deliberately unrealistic, yet appealing, look.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! feels surprisingly similar to the original Halo: Combat Evolved, with large, objective-filled maps and level design. While it’s different from traditional Doom, it successfully captures the fast-paced feel of 90s shooters, especially the movie it’s based on. It even includes full-motion video cutscenes – a nostalgic touch reminiscent of when PC games often featured real actors instead of computer-generated characters.
Ion Fury
Dukess Nukem
Ion Fury is a new first-person shooter from 3D Realms, the creators of classic 90s games like Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior. Released in 2019, it intentionally captures the fast-paced, action-packed feel of those older games. Players take on terrorists who are wreaking havoc in a city, offering a similar chaotic experience to the boomer shooters of the past.
In Ion Fury, players can freely roam through expansive levels, searching for upgrades like armor and ammunition to fuel their diverse arsenal of weapons – everything from pistols and shotguns to machine guns that can set enemies ablaze. The game doesn’t really reinvent the wheel from the classic 3D Realms formula, aside from featuring a female protagonist, but it doesn’t need to; it successfully delivers a nostalgic experience.
Fashion Police Squad
Put Some Clothes On
Fashion Police Squad feels like the quirky shooters of the 90s, similar to a game called PO’ed where a chef battled living food. In this game, a city is being overrun by people with terrible fashion sense – kids with falling pants, businessmen in sloppy suits, and more. As the Fashion Police, you’ll use stylish weapons to correct these fashion crimes and cheer up the city.
Imagine being able to mend a suit with a sewing gun or hitch up your pants with a belt! Fashion Police Squad is a fast-paced and vibrant shooting game that’s enjoyable for all ages, even kids, because it avoids graphic violence. It shares a surprising connection with the classic SNES game Super 3D Noah’s Ark – a quirky shooter originally inspired by Doom, where Noah used tools to gently put animals to sleep on his Ark.
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2026-04-13 15:06