A fan discovered a cheat code in Doom for Sega Saturn that no one knew about for 27 years

The original Doom was ported to a huge number of platforms, and even after a quarter of a century, enthusiasts continue to find new secrets in some versions. One of these was recently discovered by a user under the pseudonym memory_fallen.

Doom for Sega Saturn. Image source: doomwiki.org

The fan is interested in reverse engineering games for the Sega Saturn – he talks about his findings on the social network X. While studying the code for the version of Doom for this console, released 27 years ago, he discovered a previously unknown cheat code. If you enter the combination “X, right, B, Y, X, right, B, Y”, the ability to see through walls is activated.

A similar cheat code (X-ray vision), but with a different combination, was present in the PlayStation 1 version released in 1995, but it seems that it was added to the Sega Saturn port before Until now, no one has guessed. However, this was not a complete surprise either: the version for the Sega Saturn was created by the Rage Software studio based on ports for the PlayStation 1 and Sega 32X.

On the left is the regular version, on the right is with a cheat code for translucent walls

As Engadget employee Danny Gallagher noted, the secret was discovered so late because of the banal unpopularity of the Sega Saturn version. It came out in March 1997, more than three years after the original release on PC (MS-DOS), and turned out to be extremely poor quality – with poor graphics, low performance and an incomplete set of features. GameSpot journalist Jeff Gerstmann advised to “avoid at all costs” this “meritless” port.

«It’s a pity that the game doesn’t have a cheat code that would allow us to see a better version of Doom,” Gallagher joked.

Cover of the Sega Saturn version

In total, the first Doom was ported to 19 platforms and operating systems, including SNES, 3DO, Game Boy Advance, iOS and Android. On August 8, 2024, the list was supplemented by the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S – on these consoles it debuted with the release of a collection that included expanded remasters of Doom and Doom 2 on the KEX engine with new content, multiplayer, mod support and other innovations and improvements.

The first ports of the shooter (Atari Jaguar, PlayStation 1, Sega 32X) received mostly positive reviews. The versions released since 1995 turned out to be noticeably worse: for example, the version for SNES was criticized for its graphics and controls, and for 3DO it was also criticized for its small screen and stupid enemies.

In April of this year, the speedrunner set a new record for completing the first level of Doom II: Hell on Earth, showing the best result since 1998.