Hell Beneath: The Making of SIGIL II

by David L. Craddock

Twenty-five years after Doom's landmark release in 1993, lead designer John Romero returned to his most iconic game with the release of SIGIL, a brand-new episode spanning nine levels of intricate maps and grueling battles. In 2023, Romero celebrated Doom's thirtieth anniversary by unleashing SIGIL II, the game's sixth and most challenging episode to date.

Bestselling author David L. Craddock plunges readers into the darkest pits of Hell to reveal the design process that guided development of SIGIL II's diabolical levels—and the driving force behind Romero's tireless journey to challenge himself in the industry he helped pioneer.

88 pages, ebook

Published December 10, 2023

About the author

David L. Craddock lives with his wife in Ohio. He is the bestselling author of Stay Awhile and Listen : How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book I, and Heritage : Book One of the Gairden Chronicles, an epic fantasy series for young adults. Please follow along with him on his website/blog at DavidLCraddock.com .

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less of a "Making Of" and more of a surface-level survey/walkthrough of Sigil II's levels and behind-the-scenes production for Doom fans, but the book still includes many good anecdotes from John Romero and some fun bonus content (just not much that isn't covered or printed elsewhere). More technical, art, and design notes and less self-aggrandizing would have been appreciated here. Probably not a very useful text for aspiring level designers looking for mapping insights and tips; actually playing and studying Sigil II will still prove valuable for that purpose thankfully.