Doom is my favorite FPS game. I’ve been playing it since I was about 10 years old. I am always curious about Doom-related developments, artwork, mods, I’ve owned Doom posters, and even exercise to the tracks from legend Mick Gordon that accompany this absolutely fantastic game. But every now and then, someone will take my favorite title and turn it into an unholy thing. And that's what modder Kinsie did by adding Mario legs to the infamous Cacodemons. Yes, Mario legs.
I don't exactly hate Kinsie for this. After staring at my screen for several seconds while laughing in confusion, I had questions. I am more fascinated and curious to understand the "why" behind this bizarre artistic choice. On Twitter, Kinsie wrote, "May the Devil forgive me for this, because God certainly won’t." This is true.
In Kinsie’s shared video, the Cacodemons are seen skipping over to the Doom guy with Mario legs on. You can’t take the protagonist seriously as he tries killing the monsters with his shotgun because the Cacodemons’ shoes even have a small squeaking sound straight out of Mario 64.
In defense of the Cacodemon —
It's possible that when you see Kinsie's modded design, you'll think the Cacodemon is an easy, breezy affair. No, not even remotely. The Cacodemons appear in all Doom games and actually are based on the Greek word, κακοδαίμων, which means malevolent spirit. The one-eyed menacing blob floats mid-air, spits balls of fire, has bile and blood coming out of its mouth, and is considered the carnivorous mascot for hell in Doom. If you're familiar with the Doom comic, the marine calls Cacodemons “big-mouthed floating thingies." The Cacodemon in Doom from 2016 is a psionic nightmare and direct proof of id Software’s creativity when it comes to freaking adventure-hungry Doom fans out.
A simple beginner-level firearm won't kill the demon. It takes several shotgun bullets to put one beast down. In my personal experience, however, the most entertaining way to annihilate a Cacodemon is with a plasma gun. That or a cheat code like IDDQD should enable God Mode for you and make punching these hellish creatures a lot more fun.
In defense of… Mario-legs-having Cacodemon? —
This is where Kinsie’s modded Cacodemons make Doom pretty hilarious. And artistic. I’m imagining Luigi as our marine guy, facing Cacodemons with Mario’s legs and chunky boots. Once he manages to shoot one of these, the Cacodemon doesn’t explode like in the original series. In this Doom-verse, the demon jumps in the air, shrugs, and hops off-screen.
