Introduction
Having lost an old childhood friend, Veddge visits their hometown for the funeral and later receives some old belongings. Amongst them is a floppy disk containing an unreleased DOOM project. Driven to complete this work as a tribute to their friend, countless nights were spent polishing the map and adding some modern amenities. Progress is made despite some strange occurrences during development, eventually the map started to form a life of its own and grew beyond the original concept.
Review
The “my house” level has always been a staple part of the mapping experience, especially amongst classic shooters, as they’re a good stepping stone for learning how to use level editors by recreating somewhere familiar such as your home, school or workplace. Making these can also serve to benchmark your current capabilities after working hard through tutorials. Otherwise it’s just plain and simple fun having those locations realised within your favourite video game. Both DOOM and DUKE3D have had dozens upon dozens of these efforts, they were a common first release and often an author’s only output. Each creative depiction varies in terms of quality and accuracy, yet no matter how abstract the level might appear, they become a tangible memory of somewhere lost in time for others to unearth decades later. MYHOUSE arrives onto the scene tapping into this nostalgic aspect of making and playing user maps whilst also branching off to create a wholly unique experience. What appears to be an unassuming level based on an old childhood friend’s home turned out to be something more than meets the eye. Doomworld’s release thread would see pages upon pages of replies as members tried figuring out this bewildering puzzle box, further speculating upon its themes and narratives using every droplet at their disposal. Most surprising of all was the sheer amount of attention it received from outside the DOOM community, going viral across many circles including news publications and popular streamers who otherwise never put much of a spotlight onto modding. The wad blew up and all eyes were on it.
How the level came to fruition probably helped draw interest, a personal story about loss is easy to empathise with while involving a piece of mapping almost lost to time. A separate journal was also included detailing events leading up to its release day, from sleepless nights and strange dreams, to the level taking a form of its own unbeknownst to the author. How much truth remains regarding the whole ordeal is uncertain, adding a whole meta-narrative layer transcending the core package as it applies various sources of references and influences, including those taken from the House of Leaves novel. There has already been a ton of media coverage going into depth about its technical and narrative details, digging deeper into the rabbit hole regarding MYHOUSE’s themes and ideas. These do far better than I could muster together, so from that perspective I held back from writing about this project wondering what else I could possibly add to the discussion. But just like countless iterations of a “my house” level old and new, I had no obligation to be any grander. My own journey started out of simple curiosity. Why was a quaint map based on someone’s house receiving this many comments? Seeing those numbers grow and grow was enough to jump onboard thinking there might be something special about this one, making sure not to read any comments so I wouldn’t be spoilt. I’ve played a fair number of house interpretations across different games before and this one wasn’t too out of the ordinary in terms of gameplay, but did an excellent job on visuals compared to most. It was a cute rendition of a real building complete with classic DOOMisms as doors open into ceilings and the silent teleport tricks were a nice way to split different floor levels. Took me around ten minutes to snatch up all keys and exit into Underhalls.
I was not convinced this alone was the entire reason MYHOUSE had caught so much attention within a short timespan. There had to be something else or an alternate route that had gone unnoticed during my first attempt because I was treating the level as your typical DOOM run and gun experience. With that in mind I booted up a new game, remaining inquisitive of everything during the second run. Using a fine tooth comb when passing from room to room, that’s when I looked out a window and saw a soulsphere just sitting outside. That wasn’t there before. Having nothing else in mind I went out to fetch the powerup, but found it had completely disappeared from sight. It was then I took note of the house rooftop, what was once just a flat skyline edge had now become a full fledged construction using sloped sectors. Looping around the building some more revealed additional windows showing two floors at the same time, rooms above and rooms below, inhabited by a fresh flock of demons within areas I’d already dealt with. I resigned from my search and returned inside to see doors now swung inward, complete with new sound effects! At some point during this attempt the house converted from its largely classic structural design and adherence to some of those limitations, to taking full advantage of UDMF features for a more three dimensional appeal. This soon lead to various new discoveries and I grew an obsession from that point forward. MYHOUSE isn’t a level that is played straight despite how it may seem and those who are observant get to peel back the layers of another world beyond the veil to spend hours upon hours tying all these knots together. Every stone unturned become another vital piece of the process and may find yourself restarting runs to avoid undesirable outcomes, all in an effort to reach some closure that feels right for you. This wad is best experienced having no prior knowledge and enjoying each journey however those unfold to see where they may lead.
Download Mirrors
Spoiler Section
Unveiling the House
The haunted house has always been a fascinating setting for its numerous iterations within horror, whether its about a classic ghost story or surviving a zombie infested estate. In the case for MYHOUSE, it concerns what should be a normal building is anything but, appearances can be deceiving and is in fact much larger on the inside than its size suggests. The house exists outside the bounds of normality, indifferent to the concerns of anyone who chooses to delve further within. On a whim its shape and layout could change seemingly at random, doorways appearing out of thin air, corridors leading into impossible spaces and strange points of entry into the unknown. Starting an adventure with a regular home to then only allude to possible changes was a great method to instil self doubt, when your memories are recent enough to call into question whether or not you had the facts straight this entire time. Did that exit barrier always require a blue skull key to open? I had moments of pause whenever something didn’t align with what I remembered, chalking it up to not yet being familiar enough with the level to know for certain. Do your eyes play tricks or is the house playing trickster? Once the changes became distinct enough I couldn’t ignore them, any doubts were soon withered away and in their place grew curiosity if anything else had gone amiss and what else awaits further ahead.
Pinpointing what sold me into obsessing over all the details up until completion wasn’t an easy one to narrow down, there were several areas of subtle and intricate significance that caught my attention. Surrealism is great with substance lurking behind the curtain, a psychological tease where you can’t even trust the environment to be truthful as if you’d simply imagined the whole thing only to waltz into stranger and stranger scenarios. Many fascinating worlds exist here but became obvious progressing through it won’t as clear cut up until now. Of significant importance were the musical additions. Not replacing D_RUNNIN with an alternative becomes apparent once certain conditions are met. The composition soon breaks apart, off tune and out of order, leaving behind a fragmented version of an iconic track, Entryway at the end of Time by James Paddock takes over. Given how often older releases wouldn’t bother switching out the default MAP01 music is vital for understanding why this works perfectly here, not because it’s a recognisable DOOM track, but for being an ingrained part of user maps in general. Having heard the original melody numerous times over the years, there’s no doubt you’d be tempted to IDMUS on instinct. Yet to my surprise Veddge considers this response by preventing a music change, leaving behind a message to reassure you to hold out a little longer. Eventually even the new rendition will find itself warping further apart and in response to finding one of the many bizarre sections of MYHOUSE. Now entirely broken from the chains of D_RUNNIN, in its place is a sombre and haunting, eight minute melodic ambient; memory=entryrrrr///// by Sarah Mancuso is an essential part of the entire experience. I’d argue MYHOUSE would not have been anywhere near as memorable without the effectiveness of this track, itself being so tied deeply into the atmosphere and narrative flavour. The music is an inseparable component. After some quick digging around it is revealed that both tracks take inspiration from an album by The Caretaker titled Everywhere at the End of Time, known for exploring the themes of dementia through ever deteriorating loops, abstraction and melancholic ambiance. No coincidence considering the similarities shared between projects.
Clear progression is essential for non-linear or free flowing levels and DOOM has helpful signposts built into its core design using coloured keys, as picking one up nudges you to seek out the door it unlocks. MYHOUSE does this no different than any other wad during its initial phase right up until opening the front gate that exits into Underhalls. After that is when your reliable breadcrumb trail ends. Discovering anything beyond the obvious route won’t be bound by prior rules any more, turned on their head putting a bigger focus around noting points of interest and paying attention as to how the new areas intertwine. Gaining knowledge becomes a replacement for keys, biding your time when to properly utilise all that information. There’s little incentive tied to traversing beyond normal progression either, no fanfare or trophy to show off, simply for your own curiosity to find a satisfying end before saying goodbye and moving onto another wad. Nothing physically stops you from just leaving during the first house iteration once its key has been acquired. Delving far too deep into the second iteration and performing the exact same song and dance however will cause a deviance. In reponse all doors leading outside vanish, denied a clean exit as if acknowledging that leaving is no longer a valid option. Instead of running away and being stuck in a perpetual loop, find commitment to see this through regardless of what the outcome might be.
The journey embarks across various connecting chains to figure out what this house represents and a purpose behind why you are here going through the motions. It’s through your own actions and findings that those too become an important part of the answer as very little is ever outright spoken. There’s no convenient documents sitting around to explain plot details or a conclusive summary served at the table, leaving much of the work itself to be further speculated to formulate your own interpretation. Exploring unfamiliar places we don’t belong in, caring little for extending a helping hand are often where I find the most immersion from. Piecing together every nugget of knowledge to make additional headway toward new goals I’d otherwise miss out is another thrill I seek from gaming. Especially rewarding is when an environment shifts away from serving as just a means for travelling to and fro, becoming a character in its own right that you’ll gradually find comfort within. From growing familiar navigating the Spencer Mansion’s dangerous roads in Resident Evil or learning how all of Lordran interconnects painting a bigger picture for Dark Souls. MYHOUSE delivers on a similar front by keeping a mysterious outlook from start to finish, driving me onward to gain better understanding how discovered areas relate while searching for new routes and other possibilities within them.
When I play games, simply finishing up the main campaign and reaching its ending isn’t usually where I gain satisfaction from. The journey itself is far more important and should be an involved process in order to reach said conclusion, be it robust combat or thoughtful puzzles. Neglecting this for bog standard and by the numbers monotony is never a good sign, often leading to forgettable experiences where I’d move on without any post session reflection. I’m always on the lookout for that special something, wholesome and integral. My main source for enjoyment from games are those with more loose goals where exploration serves to gain a better insight about a setting or process, learning secrets from within the environmental design and using those clues towards obscure solutions. Many games don’t quite hit those highs, where I’d often find exploration exists to tick arbitrary checkboxes and achievements, or to shove pointless collectables in my hands as congratulations for taking a detour no one could possibly miss. It fascinates me when the heavy lifting is placed upon the player’s shoulders, trusting them to figure out whether or not there’s more brewing under the surface. Less hand holding forces paying careful attention, taking all the subtle nods crafted by an invisible guiding hand. Perhaps these lead to nothing but dead ends and endless cycles, only for one small notion to drop your jaw when said solution pans out in unexpected ways. Figuring out the cryptic riddles in La Mulana, peeling back the hidden layers of Void Stranger or learning how to interact with the world of Tunic were all memorable experiences. These games involved meaningful exploration into worlds we must break apart before understanding how they work to progress deeper into their roots.
Realms of the Haunting would perhaps be a more accurate game for comparison however, itself beginning within grounded boundaries before twisting in ways that seem unrelated and almost dreamlike. The journey too centres around a mansion hub with spokes into other worlds each having their own internal rules to seek out answers and solve puzzles together with allies and enemies made along the way. While MYHOUSE by design lacks a convoluted narrative told through characters and cutscenes, these aspects have instead been implied as part of the environment based around how realities are represented. This ties well into navigation. Given the objects in question, there’s enough logic and structural consistency behind how puzzles function in order to make steady progress. There’s no reason to feel forced into humping against random walls and hoping for the best. Take for example any empty sink dotted around the house, clues implying some importance here can be found as their counterparts during the initial iteration of the house are already full. Interacting with one fills it with water and if you then happen do so while the bathtub is visible from a mirror, you may see its own water level rise by a small amount too. Perhaps this provides enough information to connect the dots, or at least probe if other sinks can also be tampered with. Diving into a full bathtub then takes you to a waterlogged house variant as it segues into the Poolrooms. For a second example, removing the blanket from an attic mirror reveals an unobtainable bauble not visible from this side suggesting there must be an alternate dimension. Performing this action allows access between dimensions via one of the bathroom mirrors. I chanced upon this entry point seeing as it was the only sink counter with a mirror I could climb onto, but had my suspicions after several discrepancies not matching up. You have no reflection despite how everything else does and dead enemies are still visibly alive on that side. There’s also the accompanying journal that serves as an extended introduction to several ideas strewn around, hinting at solutions and upcoming locales. Conquering this navigational puzzle box became a delightful process, I would keep an ongoing list concerning all oddities, locked paths and any unobtainable trinket. As new events occur around the house I could check back on these, yet despite being as thorough as possible I’d always find something just out of reach and new goals to attain them.
Beyond the House
There was much to unveil across the MYHOUSE experience, but one common thread tied everything together. Tucked away in special rooms and odd niches I’d find these unrelated trinkets like a soda can, pumpkin or rubber duck, each attached with unique message once picked up. I had no idea at the time what these were intended for and wouldn’t surmise until much later into my run. Back inside the main house are two picture frames hung up near the kitchen, depicting nothing but suspiciously empty squares which stuck out like a sore thumb. Later on it turned out those items were known as memories and were being tracked here after being found, meaning a total of eight icons were needed for something to happen. No, wait. That didn’t add up, I’d certainly grabbed more than were being marked here. Moments before confusion could settle in, a strange thought came to mind and I rushed over into the mirror dimension to be blown away with confirmation. The same pictures found beyond the mirror track the second half of memories, meaning a total of sixteen to be sought out! What a devious surprise twist, now I had a clear focus besides wandering around blind and that helped put into perspective the scope this journey would partake. Not only was it necessary to take extra care searching for dimensions I haven’t yet been to, who knew how many existed, but I’d also learn the hard way these entryways have limited access. Should one area remain unresolved and trinkets left behind, there wouldn’t be another opportunity beside reloading a save or starting over. This might bother completionists who prefer doing everything right the first time, but I don’t believe MYHOUSE needs to be solvable in a single playthrough. Finding an optimal order to avoid these pitfalls is what makes this whole thing tick, no matter how often you’ll have to retry. It’s like retracing through distant memories and finding a missed detail or realising you had the whole timescale out of order, then putting all that back into proper sequence and trying again.
One of the more curious design decisions about these dimensions is how they utilise similar layouts to the house, creating an incomprehensible familiarity amongst the unfamiliar, coaxing you into a false sense of security having not yet determined that each reality is haunted. Of all these sections, the Brutalist House stood out for taking on such a contrasting appearance. What was otherwise a well furnished home with rich colours is now barren and concrete. Where outside views once boasted an expansive horizon has been boxed in from all sides by massive structures and deep voids. Rows and rows of windows all point toward the central structure, each apartment leering at your every action from behind curtains. Discomforting yellow glows and a scattering of green carpets are the only solace from cold stone surfaces. Normality is disregarded while latching onto a mild resemblance of home. Further digging reveals that another layer is wrapped in parallel, pathways intersecting to somewhere twice its scale and then back again. One side houses a friendly pup that follows you around uncaring of the world around them, while on the other side a savage two headed monstrosity is ready tear apart intruders. With these components all mashed together, the Brutalist House makes for a curious concept based around the differences of perception between adulthood and childhood. I imagined roaming around the larger version is similar to a small child seeing the world around them as this enormous playground. Everything is unreachably tall and everyone else no matter their difference in age seem so mature with infinite knowledge. With many common aspects still unknown, a first impression can matter a lot and this can extend to poor introductions with pets. I’ve known dogs who’ve growled at children because they can’t be bothered with their erratic behaviours, or larger dogs getting far too excited and causing a few accidental scratches or falls. I remember visiting grandparents and their dog used to terrify me as a young child. The adults around me would often hiss warnings not to bother him if we didn’t want to be bitten, which only fuelled the fire of potential danger. Anywhere he loitered were areas denied to my presence and his rabid snarls playing with toys seemed to have a viscous intent. Looking back he was really all bark and no bite, a scapegoat for keeping visiting children in line, but in many ways these prior memories aren’t too dissimilar concerning how the Cerberus is represented; an unyielding force guarding these sections that will punish naughty children.
Even the unsuspecting could serve as a source of fear and cause nightmares. Somewhere along the road you’ll be pulled into a children’s nursery, a colourful interior scattered with toys, doodles and there’s even ball pit with tube slide! Set during the late evening when nobody would be around and outside having an eerie fog swallowing up the scenery, being here felt hauntingly abandoned. What makes it all the more unsettling is when a wall drawing of Shrek later vanishes out of thin air, only to later creep up and attack while grabbing another memory beside a swing set. At first I thought this idea was leaning too much onto meme humour, which I admittedly don’t enjoy because I find them an overused comedic crutch, especially considering the character in question utilised for the task. However after contemplating further it eventually dawned on me that any popular character from children’s media could work within the same context. Mascot character designs have been trending in horror for a while, using appearances that should appeal to children for use in animation, theme parks or food brands, then tapping into their inherit creepiness beneath a friendly facade. Big, furry creatures with a big smile hiding razor sharp teeth and claws that they’ll use to hunt down human prey during the night. I used to be scared of characters that were depicted in ways that didn’t look right to me during my early childhood. Steam trains having realistic human faces was not something my mind was prepared for at first, it took some time before warming up to the idea. I’d also have strange dreams where characters based on cartoons or toys would tormet me or people I knew for no reason besides malice. Even as an adult I find some discomfort looking at those shows aimed at toddlers running at high framerates and hideous characters having unnaturally polite conversations amongst each other. I’m not surprised a whole subgenre emerged to exploit these aspects for horror. Shrek emerging out from the shadows and attacking without a word for MYHOUSE then isn’t much different in retrospect. The only means for escape is by striking down a cause for nightmares, shattering the manifestation for what it really is and moving forward having already pushed passed this obstacle years ago.
MYHOUSE takes a lot of influence from liminal spaces for many of its settings. It’s another trending theme within the horror scene when locations evoke a surreal familiarity and feel like real places, but remain at odds with being detached from reality. They can be unnervingly peaceful and tranquil, yet crowds of people would typically be going about their day to day activities walking through malls or waiting for flights at an airport. Others only take a grain of semblance that doesn’t quite understand the purpose of its source, only able to imitate appearances and the vibes those places create on their own. The Poolrooms section in particular is one of those stranger sights, further emboldened being the only few scenarios taking full advantage of reflections and fog looking unlike anywhere else, a fidelity almost too modern for DOOM that alone makes it all the more weirder. It’s a perfect recipe for environmental immersion while working in bizarre aspects like infinite hallways and views overlooking nothing but a bright blue sky, as if this whole dreamlike zone is suspended up in the clouds. Falling off the edge here brings you to a never ending staircase, a simple yet effective mapping trick we’ve seen before that messes with your orientation whether going up or down. I’m reminded of SCP-087 and expected something would happen if I kept descending. Maybe I stopped one flight of stairs too soon, I’ll never know. Speaking of getting lost there’s a rare chance somewhere in the house to discover a hidden maze. One look was enough to ring alarm bells, not wanting to venture here for long due to how dark it becomes making navigation that much more tedious. Curiosity killed the cat as they say. What shook me to the core was an ominous dead silence cutting out the music and nothing but black fog ahead of you. Bare hallways leading to hallways. Empty rooms connected to empty rooms. There was no logical route, no purpose and no role to these spaces. Everywhere weaves and loops back upon itself. I couldn’t find the way back and the automap never revealed anything. Then a distant noise breaks the monotony, until nothing but deafening silence once again. I don’t know what I heard, it could have been a simple ambient sound or perhaps a creature stalking me, but didn’t want to stick around to find out. Attempting to noclip only causes a worse situation and I find it hilarious that a reaction for cheating like this was ever considered. Instead I loaded up an old save just before entering this hell and carried onward as if nothing happened.
The house always remains indifferent, an entity with underlying deception as par the course to its unnatural existence. Many secrets are tucked away just out of sight, but its the red herrings and false endings where care needs to be taken not to be misled. Those won’t become apparent for some time meaning, so a lot of opportunities could be missed the first time around. Sometimes it’s like someone or something is out there with an intent on pulling these tricks, the fake Discord notification sound caught me the first time even though I have most of those disabled. Making additional discoveries during new runs kept me guessing about areas I’d thought to have scoured from top to bottom. Every player will have different stories of their travels to tell based on what they see first, where they go next and what they’ve since acquired. One notable detail about MYHOUSE is that the SSG isn’t obtainable by normal means unlike what you’d expect for a single map release. Instead you take a roundable route by leaving MYHOUSE, beating Underhalls at least once and then looping back into MYHOUSE upon exit with the weapon now in hand. Grabbing this before doing anything else then becomes the earliest checklist routines, perhaps serving as a perfect place to throw down a permanent saved game to cut the hassle during new runs. Avoid taking anything for granted either. While it may seem the initial house iteration becomes redundant in favour of rushing toward the UDMF alternative, the blue keycard still finds relevancy for grabbing a Plasmagun within the Brutalist House. It’s always fascinating when prior means of progression are retooled for later purposes, meaning everything placed into the editor has significance beyond one and done deals. Funnily enough these weapons won’t find too much use during a majority of playtime, even when up against the scattering of new enemies as the action remains light, but will pull their weight during those final stretches. Your biggest roadblocks up until then are certain points of no return that prevent completion of the memory paintings. Perfect example would be the sparking power box that beckoned for my attention and just like a moth to a flame, I simply had to investigate further should another branching point became available. Once the entire upstairs portion erupted into a fury of fire and screams, an abrupt tonal shift unlike prior scenarios, there was a moment of regret seeing the house burnt down and a looming blood red sky. Not that you could have foresaw these events serving as another reminder to keep multiple saves for a quick retreat if something backfires. Leaving the house at key moments when the house has gone through a significant change of state like this will cause it to disappear, leaving nothing behind besides a “SOLD” sign and a feeling that I’ve failed to find proper closure.
After struggling to track a few illusive memories I could only have assumed were still within sections with no further access points into them, starting over so close to the end was a gut punch but needed to be done, mistakes already made during the earlier portion of my run. Losses turned into boons as it gave me an opportunity to snatch up the Plasmagun along the way. Having tied up loose ends and with all memories on hand, returning to the paintings revealed one final task to achieve. You’ll be pointed toward a whole new area out by some countryside road, crossing a clearing through the trees is a lonesome gas station surrounded by thick woodlands. This wouldn’t feel too out of place in something like Duke3D or Half Life, perhaps one of the most normal looking areas so far. Triggering the ending phase makes one last gameplay diversion for MYHOUSE. We began with a simple house romp fetching keys with some light action, alluding to an earlier point in mapping history. Jumping into advanced mapping features gave way for technical marvels and slower, more thoughtful focus on exploration as if DOOM can offer more beyond shooting demons. The third shift however leans back into what makes DOOM tick, throwing down big hordes and slaughter action similar to how many modern WADs approach combat. Much like how MYHOUSE feels like a passage of time and reminiscing memories, similar aspects have been reflected using the historical changes across the mapping scene. Grabbing all those powerful weapons along your journey will now prove their usefulness here, enemies acting out more like thick walls to be demolished and the darkness obscuring your way forward, both attempting to slow progress while an invulnerable Archvile variant gives chase. Stepping onto that beach and looking out toward the sunset was a reprieve I very much needed after the long haul. No longer was I being hunted. No more puzzlebox to route. No more house. Just the sound of ocean waves and seagulls singing in the breeze. There is no official end screen for the level, you’re free to just sit here and chill out. While it felt good I’d made it this far, within minutes after knowing it was all over it soon became disheartening, knowing how much I’d miss this journey. MYHOUSE has the courtesy to let us decide where we’re ready to quit after reflecting on the many hours spent toward our goal.
Conclusion
Even as I’ve reached this point there’s still so much remaining to be discussed and explored, which goes to show the density at which your journey could experience. Peeling back every single detail however wouldn’t make for a compelling read as you’re better off venturing into the house one more time. MYHOUSE should persist within the community’s minds for years to come, a type of release that becomes an influential source of inspiration for upcoming projects and an example of possibilities using DOOM’s engine and its modern mapping features. You can find similar concepts presented here from some older works released over the years, some examples include 2010’s Unloved’s haunted house taking you across alternate dimensions, 2017’s glitch distorted nightmare from lilith.pk3 or 2022’s The Thing You Can’t Defeat also tapping into memories and dementia. MYHOUSE is like an amalgamation of various pieces seen from projects like those, woven together with care while considering its own themes and narrative. As a result the exploration worked exceptionally well for me because there’s always something else to follow up on, searching for a new branching path or contemplating the sights. Each alternate dimension is a focused bubble while contributing to the puzzlebox as a whole, routing out a successful run to grab all memories and weapons was a satisfying way to round off the finale. The haunting atmosphere and melancholic comfort is thanks to the excellent music direction, MYHOUSE probably wouldn’t have been as memorable if not for the efforts of Paddock’s and Mancuso’s contributions.
