DOOM II followed the immensely successful DOOM just a year later in 1994. The thirty-two-level campaign takes the player from Earth to Hell on a rampage against the demonic forces of evil, following on where the Ultimate DOOM's Thy Flesh Consumed Episode left off.
The title is home to many iconic levels that are just as beloved today as they were in the 90s. However, DOOM II is rather notorious for featuring almost as many underwhelming maps as incredible ones, and five of them clearly stand out as the worst of the bunch.
Underhalls isn't a terrible, irredeemable map, but it is incredibly bland. The level amounts to walking through dark corridors and shooting Zombiemen with little else to stand out. Given how creative and experimental many DOOM maps can be, especially within DOOM II, Underhalls sticks out like a sore thumb.
In MAP02's defense, the opening area is the most visually appealing one of the level, setting the stage for the map as a sort of sewer system. Unfortunately, this kind of memorable imagery is not present anywhere else on the map, bar arguably the small house bizarrely constructed in an open area on grassy terrain. This stage receives some props for introducing the iconic Super Shotgun, but that is down mostly to the weapon, not Underhalls.
Calling MAP23 Barrels of Fun is a cruel joke. This stage revolves entirely around the exploding barrels featured throughout both classic DOOM games. The level is loaded with them and walls will continually lower to reveal enemies to destroy the barrels and ruin your day. MAP23 features an abundance of Chaingunners and a splattering of Pain Elementals, two of the game's most irritating enemies.
The level eventually opens up into a more traditional map, albeit a very challenging one. Barrels O' Fun is one of a handful of levels to include a Spider Mastermind, and this one is flanked by Arachnotrons. The level devolves into a barrel gimmick once again just before the exit with some random Chaingunners. This map is an interesting concept but ultimately feels too gimmicky and one-note to leave any impression other than "the level with all the barrels."
MAP26 is a level with a fascinating concept. The abandoned mineshaft is represented right from the get-go as players must take a lift down into the dark tunnels below. In practice, however, the stage proves an exercise in irritation. The Abandoned Mines is home to several nasty traps, as well as an abundance of the irritating Chaingunners attacking from a long distance; players can be expected to be pelted with fire from the monsters from the very start of the map.
Visually, The Abandoned Mines has moments of greatness. The opening section and the brief excursion to the outside of the mine are charming little moments that elevate the experience, but the amount of time spent dealing with distant Chaingunners can spoil those moments of greatness. The difficulty of MAP26 is exacerbated by its narrow passages limiting movement, while enemies a free to attack from outside of those passages.
Downtown is a sprawling, visually unappealing level that will see players constantly backtracking and getting lost on first playthroughs (and possibly many more after that.) It is evident that iD Software believed the map to be needlessly confusing as well, as Downtown features a giant arrow on the ground to direct players to a building of importance, an immersion-breaking inclusion that is rarely if ever seen elsewhere in DOOM.
The buildings of Downtown appear more like cardboard boxes placed in a row than liveable structures. While much of this can (and in fairness should) be blamed on the technology used at the time and the sheer ambition of the stage, other levels in DOOM II portray buildings and other structures in far more appealing ways. To top everything off, MAP13's buildings are filled with demons in windows and on roofs, which will continue to attack the player as they struggle to find their way around this labyrinth.
The Chasm is infamous among players of DOOM II. The game occasionally features fiddly and unintuitive platforming segments that can be nightmarish to traverse effectively due to the inability to look up or down. MAP24 is a map almost entirely devoted to this type of play. The player must constantly walk across extremely narrow ledges above poison pools with no escape at all. Many of these tightrope walks are accompanied by a myriad of demon spawns that will attack the player and attempt to knock them off balance.
The speedy action associated with DOOM is lost within The Chasm. Players must step forward slowly and carefully, constantly stopping completely to deal with Lost Souls and Cacodemons, lest they fall to an inescapable and unfair death. While other maps on this list could reasonably be argued to be unworthy of a spot on this list, MAP24 is near-universally reviled.
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