The mid 1990s were a rough time for parents as they found a new scapegoat for their belief that society was going to Hell in a hand-basket as video games became more realistic, depicted gratuitous violence, and made many question what would happen if kids took these games too seriously. “Doom” was at the forefront of the rally cry against gaming for a while, but the gameplay set a precedent for the first-person shooting genre that wouldn’t be challenged or surpassed for years. After over a decade of dormancy, “Doom” returned in 2016 with a vengeance and delivered on the hardcore fun the series became known for during its heyday. Now, Hell is coming back to corrupt a new generation and I was excited to be the world’s barbaric savior.
Did I Complete “Doom Eternal”?
With Earth once again corrupted by Hell and the rising of demons both big & small, it’s up to the Doom Slayer/DoomGuy to strap up & save the world from utter damnation. Across thirteen levels, the player is taken to the task almost from the word “go” thanks to hordes of enemies. After nearly twenty hours of gameplay both in the single player & the game’s sole multiplayer mode (the latter being the main reason why I won’t be getting a platinum trophy due to the grind connected to the online portion), the final credits rolled to complete my original goal of simply finishing the campaign. But with a great amount of secrets to discover and special fights including hidden encounters, I’m encouraged to take part in the game’s most enjoyable aspects by replaying missions while activating some of the throwback cheat codes found during my travels.
Did “Doom Eternal” Live Up to the Hype?
Rather than copy & paste the gameplay of its 2016 predecessor, “Doom Eternal” redefines what it means to go through Hell and live to tell everyone about the Doom Slayer’s harrowing moments of survival & brutality. The game’s overall gunplay is as fluid & rewarding as ever; feeling loose enough for the player to quickly react during hectic situations and tight enough for those clean headshots. Speed is a major factor as to why the combat is so exhilarating. The player will be double jumping & dashing across arenas both large & small while firing off rounds and trying to burn demons alive. But blowing holes through an enemy’s chest or pulling off a sick execution/“Glory Kill” on an adversary that has reached its limit are the gameplay modifications to make sure the Doom Slayer is always fighting for his life. The chainsaw returns with its automatically refilling fuel tank (though there are gas cans littering certain arenas for an immediate refill) to not just provide gratuitous violence, but also resources.
Lower tier demons sawed in half produce a plethora of ammunition to offset the fact most areas lack enough ammo for the player to survive. Another tool in the Slayer’s arsenal is a flamethrower known as the “Flame Belch”. Like the chainsaw, the Flame Belch is rechargeable in nature while providing bits of armor from the demons suffering third-degree burns for the player to pick up. “Blood Punch” is an exaggerated version of the relatively weak normal melee option. When the player executes enough kills to fill up the Blood Punch meter, the next melee attack will create a shockwave of death & destruction that could be the difference maker in regards to a low health situation.
With the game refusing to hold the player by the hand, learning how to time & balance all the tools available is stressful at first; but becomes second nature by the game’s midway point including when facing the much infuriating Marauder that is essentially everything you wouldn’t want in an enemy from high speed strikes to projectiles following a mad dash behind the Slayer. But even disrespectful foes like the Marauder has its flaws; and that is one of the most impressive features of “Eternal’s” gameplay: enemy weaknesses. Each enemy the Slayer must slaughter has a particular point of interest that the player can take advantage of if they want to avoid some long-winded confrontations. The aforementioned Marauder’s eyes glow green when preparing to attack; leaving it prone to a well-timed shotgun slug. Other enemies are more vulnerable to certain weapons or weapon modifications such as using the base shotgun’s sticky grenades to blow off the rockets of a flying Revenant, or freezing the slithering Whiplash. The game does a masterful job making each battle unique mostly thanks to the enemy variations coming at the player in massive hordes featuring impressively aggressive AI.
Upgrades are both vital and rather unremarkable. On the beneficial side of things in regards to upgrades are the weapons-based offerings. A majority of the weapons can be upgraded thanks to a mixture of “Weapon Mod” robots found throughout several levels & the home base (“Fortress of Doom”), “Weapon Points” earned by killing enemies, and specific quotas to master a majority of the deadly instruments. The base shotgun can go full-auto, the rocket launcher has an option for midair detonation rockets, and the Super Shotgun’s “Meathook” grappling hook can set enemies on fire if the weapon is mastered – all weapon modifications can be switched in mid-battle with the tap of the d-pad.
With most of the weapons being necessary to overcome the great amount of enemies it’s a necessity to continuously upgrade the Slayer’s weapons (a special collectible can bypass the requirements for weapon mastery as long as the weapon’s other upgrades have been purchased). The Slayer can also find “Runes” that provide passive & active abilities such as making it easier to perform “Glory Kills”; while “Sentinel Crystals” also produce extra abilities (faster Flame Belch restoration or being able to pull resources from further away) as well as upgrades to the overall health, armor & ammo. The collectibles specifically connected to improving the Slayer’s suit are some of the most underwhelming. While certain suit upgrades like being able to throw two frag grenades at a time instead of one is beneficial, a majority of what can be unlocked in the suit-specific section isn’t required for success.
Beyond the collectibles solely connected to upgrading the Slayer are the stereotypical extras including toy variants of enemies, vinyl records of the metal songs played throughout every battle that makes up one exceptional soundtrack, and even cheat codes that can be activated when replaying missions. The player can also pick up “Extra Lives” to ensure that the next time the Slayer falls the player won’t have to restart from the most recent checkpoint. But of all the collectibles available, nothing compares to the extra fight scenarios. “Secret Encounters” are timed battles that usually last upwards of thirty seconds to a minute. While finding a “Secret Encounter” allows for the player to immediately enter battle, “Slayer Gates” can only be activated by the necessary key. “Slayer Gates” are the ultimate test of attrition with wave after wave of enemies including ones that show up much later in the game that the player may or may not be prepared for. The reward for completing all the “Slayer Gates” is a little underwhelming, but the action that comes from each “Slayer Gate” is reward enough. There are also “Master Levels” to give the player re-envisioned versions of the stages already completed.
The other mode is multiplayer focused:“Battlemode”. In a two-on-one, PVP set up, one player takes control of the Slayer while the other two are one of the five special demons seen through the game including the Marauder. “Battlemode” can get incredibly hectic mostly due to the smaller arenas used. During the best of five series players on both sides can attain mid-match upgrades that can mean the difference between a great round or a blowout. While not the most exhilarating multiplayer addition to a mostly single-player game, “Battlemode” provides an okay distraction for those who want to get something different from the overall gameplay; though experienced Slayer players will wipe the floor with Demon players no matter what.
Unfortunately there are some flaws including the implementation of platforming. While some areas present rather underwhelming first-person platforming, there are many a moments where the Slayer will plunge to the darkness below; losing armor or health in the process. Even the developers knew just how annoying some of the platforming sections were by providing health kits and/or low tier demons afterward. While the game definitely has a great amount of enemy types, the same can’t be said about the boss quantity. There are only three official bosses that show up during the game’s thirteen levels with two of said monsters appearing during the game’s final two missions.
The other “bosses” like the Marauder and the Doom Hunter just become normal adversaries after their first appearances. Though the number is rather low in terms of level offerings, some of the stages are a little too long; padded with many horde battles including ones utilizing “Buff Totems” that continuously spawn tougher adversaries until said totem is destroyed. And then there’s the story – while not the worst, it’s ultimately forgettable even with some emphasis on what makes the Doom Slayer who he is and what he could become. From a technical aspect the game rarely had any framerate drops and never crashed on a full playthrough on the PS4, though there were some graphical glitches here & there.
“Doom Eternal” doesn’t knock it out of the park in all areas, but succeeds where it matters the most – during the crazy, visceral battles. There are few better examples of what the franchise can be about and what its potential sequels could provide than “Doom Eternal”.
Should You Play “Doom Eternal”?
While there will be some who may pass this off as another twitch-centric first-person shooter connected to a long-running series, others will find it as a true adrenaline rush when the hordes come for blood. The plethora of collectibles including extra fight scenarios really buff the overall experience; though the story and its multiplayer aspects are ultimately forgettable, as are some of the platforming sections. Those who are easily frustrated need not to apply even on the easiest difficulty. Fans of challenging first-person shooters and “Doom” fanatics alike will walk away with a level of satisfaction that only comes thanks to the glory of stabbing a Marauder through its horrible skull head.
