Doom Creator Romero Just Blessed Dusk, and That Means Something

John Romero doesn’t hand out praise lightly, especially not when it comes to shooters. So when the man who helped invent the entire FPS genre says a modern retro-style shooter is “super-cool” and tells its devs they “chose well,” it lands with weight.

Romero streamed Dusk during the latest episode of FPS Fridays, his new Twitch series where he revisits classic and modern first-person shooters. If you’re unfamiliar, Dusk is New Blood’s 2018 breakout hit that helped reignite the “boomer shooter” wave—low-poly, high-speed, brutally precise shooters that feel like they fell out of a time machine from 1996.

Romero, who co-created Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein 3D, took to Dusk like it was second nature. He wasn’t going for 100% secrets, but still showed off just how baked-in his shooter instincts are. Strafing, juking, corner peeking—he made it look easy.

What really stood out, though, was his praise for the game’s atmosphere, sound design, and level flow.

“This game was super-cool, love it,” Romero said at the end of the stream. “The ambience is amazing, the design is super-fun, lots of secrets, tons of classic design in here, really nice. If you don't have Dusk, you should get it.”

He also had specific shoutouts for composer Andrew Hulshult’s soundtrack and the little physics gags baked into the world. At one point, he obsessively threw objects—including the infamous “BIG FUCKIN SOAP”—into a toilet just to see what would flush. It’s exactly the kind of detail Romero pioneered back in the Doom days: absurd but interactive.

"New Blood, son, you did a good job. I approve of your vocation. You chose well."

This hit home for Dusk dev David Szymanski and the rest of the New Blood crew, who responded with everything from reposts to full-on dad jokes. Composer Hulshult shared clips of Romero’s compliments, and studio head Dave Oshry couldn’t help but highlight the soap moment. The official New Blood account simply said: “THANKS DAD.”

This wasn’t just a fun crossover moment—it was a bit of a full-circle one. Dusk exists because games like Doom existed. But to see Romero play it, enjoy it, and call out its design chops is a big nod to how solid the indie FPS scene has become. It’s one thing to emulate the feel of classic shooters. It’s another to get a thumbs up from the person who literally helped invent the formula.

Romero’s Twitch series continues with games chosen by fan votes. In past streams, he’s played the bizarre Doom WAD MyHouse, which became a community legend in 2023. He’s also busy releasing his own hardcore Doom content, like Sigil 2, which launched earlier this year and is playable through Nightdive’s Doom remaster.

That ongoing work is a reminder that Romero isn’t just a legacy name—he’s still building and tweaking shooters today. And even his smallest design choices from the ’90s continue to ripple out through modern devs like Szymanski.

Image: Quake (1996)

For context, here’s a look at just five of the most important FPS games Romero helped design, with their Metacritic scores:

You could argue Romero’s greatest contribution isn’t just a list of games, but a blueprint. The way modern shooters handle secrets, level flow, AI patterns, and even weapon balance—Romero and his collaborators did that first. He shaped the “feel” of the FPS genre more than any other designer.

So when Dusk gets his seal of approval, it’s more than nostalgia—it’s a validation of indie devs still pushing that style forward. In an industry where big studios chase realism and monetisation, games like Dusk keep the spirit of old-school level design alive. And Romero’s still right there in it, soap in hand.

Whether you’re an old-school shooter fan or just dipping your toes into the genre, this stream was a moment. Watch the clip, pick up Dusk if you haven’t, and maybe check out what Romero’s doing next. Because 30 years later, the Doom guy still knows what makes an FPS tick.