I was pretty sure game developers were running out of ways to creatively kill people in video games. Then I played some Doom multiplayer at QuakeCon 2015.

Here’s a thing that can happen during a round of Team Deathmatch.

In the loadout menu, you can choose to carry around a personal teleporter instead of a trusty frag grenade. After throwing the device, you tap your equipment button again to warp yourself to its location. If you’re lucky or skilled enough to land the teleporter directly beneath an enemy, well… something’s gotta give – and it’s the fleshy body of the unfortunate person you just warped into.

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Doom multiplayer seems to have a great dual identity. It borrows the fun, arcade-like spirit from shooters like Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters and mixes it with the speed and gore of classic Quake. My teleporter example from above doesn’t exist in a vacuum. One special weapon sees through walls, which would probably be considered “OP” in most other shooters. Another weapon becomes more powerful the more you move, giving you a good reason to run and gun like a maniac.

The version of Doom I played was a very limited build, so I can’t wait to eventually see what other ridiculous death machines developer Id has dreamed up.

“ I can't wait to see what other ridiculous death machines Id has dreamed up.

My match lasted six minutes. The map, Heatwave, was some sort of factory or refinery with lava pits (avoid those), dangling chains, and other spooky mechanical parts. Its larger open areas are connected with a maze of tight, winding tunnels. From what I saw, lines of sight were extremely short, so I abandoned my sniper loadout quickly for one that included a rocket launcher and a shotgun.

Perhaps other levels are more accommodating for long-range weapons. When I play the map again tomorrow I’ll see if I can make the sniper work. For now, it seemed like the best strategy was to load up on close-quarters weapons and rush headlong into battle, which will feel fast and familiar to arena-shooter fans.

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While the match never lacked action, every minute or so new power-ups spawned, drawing all of us armed soldiers into one space. Only a few ever walked back out. Power-ups include the classic Quad Damage, Invisibility, and the Demon. Each of these, especially the Demon, is so powerful you’d be foolish not to try and take them.

The player who picks up the Demon becomes a huge creature that can fire two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, jetpack around the environment, and take a significant beating. If your team is fortunate enough to nab the power-up, the pace changes from a frenetic shooter into something more like a “protect the VIP” mode. I enjoyed the variation in pacing, and the way certain power-ups kept all players on the move.

For more Doom, check out IGN’s QuakeCon 2015 coverage through July 26.

Brian is an Editor at IGN. You can follow him @albinoalbert on Twitter.