Doom Eternal takes everything that was in Doom 2016 and amps it up by 10. Within the first few minutes, the game sets the tone with head-banging music, crisp graphics, and reasons to rip and tear. Doom Eternal is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously and is just giving the player a reason to demolish and brutally kill demons with graceful movement and fantastic gameplay. I honestly can’t think of one bad thing about the game. Battlemode is the weakest link of the Doom Eternal, but it does have its moments. I will be reviewing that separately from this review.
Hell On Earth
The story of Doom Eternal picks up some time after the last game. Honestly, I don’t know if I missed a comic or some tie-in but I was confused in the beginning. The last game ended with Doomguy being sent to Hell by Samuel Hayden. Doom Eternal starts with our silent protagonist in control of a spaceship, aptly named Fortress of Doom. Also, he is hunting down 3 priests that are working for the Khan Maykr and trying to stop the demons from taking over Earth.
Doom Eternal’s approach to the story is much like the first game. Go from mission to mission to complete an objective and kill any demon who is dumb enough to try and stop you. There’s apparently a lot of dumb demons. Either way, Doom Eternal’s story is easy to follow other than the beginning that could have had a bit more context. The game just throws you right into shooting demons. That’s not a bad thing though.
Rip And Tear Until It Is Done
I would describe Doom Eternal as a perfect arcade retro shooter. It plays like the old-school fast-paced Unreal and Quake games, but it perfects it for the modern era. From the first moment you gain control of The Slayer, it is almost blissful how silky smooth the game is. Progressing through the game will unlock more mobility options and I did not once blame the game for my deaths.
Anyway, the main reason people play Doom is for slaying a bunch of demons. Well, Doom Eternal has plenty of those. Rip and tear to your pleasure. There are a variety of demons, each one serves a purpose. The fodder demons are always out in plenty, use your trusty chainsaw to gain ammo from these little nuisances. Heavy demons are bigger, but not the biggest, but can still deal big damage while being agile. Super heavy demons do big damage and can take a lot of damage.
Some firepower is going to be needed to fight demons. Doom Eternal’s arsenal is the same as the first game with some slight differences and visual designs. From the chainsaw to the super shotgun, to the BFG, they all make a return. However, the gauss cannon has been replaced by the Ballista. There are two more new weapons unlocked later in the game: The Unmaykr first appeared in Doom 2 and the Crucible sword. However, while the weapons are mostly the same, the mods are different and more useful for certain situations.
Strategy Among The Chaos
Mods can play a big impact on fights. Some demons react differently to certain weapons and mod types. Enemies this time around also have weaknesses and weak points. Hitting these weak points can make them weaker, disable their weapon, or cause an instant stagger, allowing for a glory kill.
For example, there is a demon that summons energy walls, blocking the player’s movement and weapon shots. If there are two of these bad boys, best believe they can ruin your day in an instant. They will block you from dashing somewhere or in my case summon a wall as soon as I shoot a rocket, killing myself in the process. Fun times.
Their counter is either to seek them out early or use the pulse rifle. The pulse rifle does more damage to shields and will also create a small explosion if the shield is destroyed. There are plenty of instances like this where a weapon will need to be changed on the fly to suit your needs.
To play even more with strategy, Doomguy has a new shoulder cannon that can be used for different occasions.
The Gameplay Loop
Doom Eternal’s gameplay loop is revolved around tactically gaining ammo, health, and armor. If you want to gain ammo, then chainsawing an enemy is the easiest way. However, you won’t gain much health. Performing a gruesome and very satisfying glory kill on a demon will give the most health. Finally using the shoulder cannon’s flame belch will set demons on fire and will also make them drop armor shards. Learning to master this simple yet effective gameplay is extremely fun and rewarding.
As I mentioned earlier about the shoulder cannon, it serves many purposes. It can be used to shoot frag grenades, ice bombs, and use flame belch. In the previous game, you had to throw grenades that interrupted your current gun action. The shoulder cannon can now be used in conjunction with whatever action you are currently doing allowing for smoother gameplay.
Much Needed Upgrade
By the end of the game, Doomguy will be a force to be reckoned with. As you progress through the game you will unlock weapon points, weapon mods, suit perks, etc. Weapon points are earned for completing challenges and battles. Use these to make your already acquired weapon mods stronger. Weapon mods can be found in missions or unlocked in the Fortress of Doom.
Praetor suit perks are be purchased with points that are collected throughout missions. Using these points allows you to upgrade the Praetor suit further, such as dashing recovering faster, or being able to hold 2 charges of frag grenades. Some are insignificant but some are a must, especially on higher difficulties.
Runes are also back. Much like the 2016 version, runes allow for more customization. There are a total of 9 runes to collect, but the player is only able to equip 3 at a time. It is best to find what suits your playstyle, the runes can also be changed freely whenever. This makes it much easier to find the ones suitable for you without much hassle.
The Bigger They Are…
The bosses in this game are a bit underwhelming, to be honest. The impact of the bosses is also lost when you realize that the boss you just finished becomes a normal enemy in the game. This doesn’t happen with every boss, only with the Doom Hunters and the game-changing Marauders. Doom Hunters has the same approach plan as other demons, shoot at it until it dies.
Marauders, on the other hand, force you to play their way. They will block every incoming attack until their eyes flash green indicating an opening. At first, they can be annoying, but you will adapt rather quickly and be able to take them out in seconds.
The gladiator boss and the final boss were great fun though. The final boss was epic and required you to use everything you learned throughout the campaign. From pole swinging to fast weapon swapping, the last boss keeps you on your toes. However, I found the 2016 version to have more memorable boss fights. If all the boss fights in Doom Eternal were more like the gladiator boss or final boss, it might have surpassed its predecessor however it doesn’t.
Don’t get me wrong they are still good fun, just not as memorable as they should be. The campaign could benefit from more bosses as well. The last game had 3 I think, this one has 5. And 2 of them become regular enemies.
Toy Collector
Doom Eternal has plenty of secrets to uncover. Some secrets will hold items to upgrade Doomguy, while others will carry cheats codes and toys. Finding toys will allow you to view them on the Fortress of Doom. Also, collecting said toy acts as a model viewer. I love features like this, allowing you to get an up-close and personal look at the demons and see how much work has been put into them. Sadly, as far I can tell, you can’t view them when they are battle damaged.
Cheats codes work as modifiers when replaying a mission. Doom Eternal has the usual infinite ammo, infinite lives, all weapon mods, etc. It gives you a reason to go back into a mission and relieve some stress on demons that might have caused you trouble in the past. Also, cheat codes do not void any challenges or achievements. So if you didn’t collect a secret or get a challenge done with a weapon, feel free to pop on cheats and get it done quickly and easily.
Battle Pass
Doom Eternal features a “battle pass”. I put it in quotations because well, it has a similar design, but it is mostly a free limited time leveling event. It features character skins, icons, and backgrounds. It also has character sets. Character sets are another whole leveling system. Leveling these up will unlock more icons, intros, and victory screens associated with that set.
You can level up pretty fast. If you enjoy playing Doom, it shouldn’t be much of a hassle. Also, each week the game gives challenges to be completed. These can be completed within 30 minutes or so if you activate cheats and know where to farm them. The “battle pass” is a welcoming addition to add longevity to the game, but isn’t necessary.
Summary
In short, Doom Eternal packs a huge punch and sets a new standard for shooters. It offers plenty of fun, mayhem, rocking music, and gore. For a shooter this game can be quite lengthy, even more so depending on the difficulty you choose. With plenty of collectibles and cheats, there is always a reason to just go back into a mission and create destruction.
Be on the lookout for my review of Battlemode.
Originally published at https://gamingnitemare.com on April 12, 2020.
