This review contains spoilers
DOOM is not a franchise which stands out or draws attention especially for its story, and it's understandable knowing where the franchise is headed. Doom 2016 didn't inundate us with too much information but it did give us enough to understand where we were and motivate us to stay hooked on the game. But in Doom Eternal this is different. expanded in an abysmal way, Here we find an extensive amount of history, lore, of events, etc. now necessary to understand why things things things in the campaign, although it has its little problems.
The plot deals with how the Doom Slayer has to make his way through the depths of hell to finish it it, as it swallows everything in its path, it is like an extradimensional plague. Hampered by new antagonists and other problems in between, which makes this a very difficult task.
It took me by surprise that this game has so many gameplay elements and high difficulty. This game teaches you the hard way how to play it and you have to practice, otherwise... you're going to suffer. But once you get the hang of it you will get used to it and at a certain point, if you master the gameplay, even on the last difficulty it can be a breeze.
In this installment a fortress is added through which we will pass between levels, with improvements, armor points, secrets, events throughout the game and even a room to train your skills, among others.
Each mission takes place in different locations, most of them very different from each other for plot reasons, which adds an immense variability of environments, gameplay, lore and greatly expands the artistic section.
The gameplay is very well thought out, it is frenetic, fluid, requires you to be strategic and several movement options were added such as the Dash, the meathook or tubes in the environment that you can use to your advantage, as well as modifications, having 9 and being able to choose only 3 at the same time, allowing many different ways to play. it is fun and gives you the space to experiment.
The platforming is a good section very important in the gameplay, besides giving great variability and fun, gives much room for exploration, serves as an intermediary between fights and is also included in them, leaving platforms, grappling points or (TAG exclusive) points for the butcher hook in strategic places.
The game rewards exploration, although we can not find weapons ahead of time as in previous installments, you can find collectibles, lore notes, modifications, costume upgrades and music (can only be played in the Fortress of Destiny) and keys which give us access to 6 special challenges hidden in some levels.
The weapons are much better worked, with more variety in their modifications and some are more convenient for certain situations, weak points or specific enemies, which makes the player can give them more use. the ammunition is quite limited and it is very important to use the chainsaw, which in this game recharges itself. also you can make a quick switching with many combinations and modifications with which you can do a lot of damage in a short time.
Of course, many demons from previous games are still present, with changes in the design and new weak points, such as the Aracnotron's turret or the Revenant's rocket launchers. The new enemies in the campaign go hand in hand with the gameplay and are very well balanced.
The game is graphically beautiful, very well refined and very well worked technically, if your pc could run DOOM 2016 it can definitely run Doom Eternal.
A very important and characteristic point of the game, the soundtrack. it is HEAVY and furious, it fits perfectly with the gameplay, it is very well used, it is varied and has different tones for each situation, and besides, it has many references to previous tracks of the saga. Thanks Mick Gordon.
If there is a weapon that I have to criticize, it is the very unique Crucible Sword of Doom Slayer, which left me a big disappointment, mostly because it is a weapon that does not have a single necessary use in the game, you can beat the game just the same way with the Crucible or without it, it doesn't even have an important or obligatory use in a boss fight. It has 3 charges and does only Instant Kill to a specific enemy. It's only there for a hurry and the BFG does a better job at that.
Something similar happens with the Betrayer's hammer in TAG 2, although this one has more utility, rather than a weapon you can wield, it is a skill that is executed with a button.
Few important characters are present in this game, and one of the most important is Dr. Samuel Hayden, who plays a very important role in the previous title. In this installment after rescuing him he is relegated to an encyclopedia that tells you where to go, what to do, gives explanations and some lore.
As expanded as the lore has been, the game does not do much to help you understand, throughout the game you are told several elements, but the vast majority is found in the large number of extensive lore notes that we find, making the classic of leaving them lying around for you to read on your own, throwing you out of the experience. It follows John Carmack's philosophy despite the care he puts into his story. I'm not complaining too much about it anyway, it's the DOOM philosophy.
The plot deals with how the Doom Slayer has to make his way through the depths of hell to finish it it, as it swallows everything in its path, it is like an extradimensional plague. Hampered by new antagonists and other problems in between, which makes this a very difficult task.
It took me by surprise that this game has so many gameplay elements and high difficulty. This game teaches you the hard way how to play it and you have to practice, otherwise... you're going to suffer. But once you get the hang of it you will get used to it and at a certain point, if you master the gameplay, even on the last difficulty it can be a breeze.
In this installment a fortress is added through which we will pass between levels, with improvements, armor points, secrets, events throughout the game and even a room to train your skills, among others.
Each mission takes place in different locations, most of them very different from each other for plot reasons, which adds an immense variability of environments, gameplay, lore and greatly expands the artistic section.
The gameplay is very well thought out, it is frenetic, fluid, requires you to be strategic and several movement options were added such as the Dash, the meathook or tubes in the environment that you can use to your advantage, as well as modifications, having 9 and being able to choose only 3 at the same time, allowing many different ways to play. it is fun and gives you the space to experiment.
The platforming is a good section very important in the gameplay, besides giving great variability and fun, gives much room for exploration, serves as an intermediary between fights and is also included in them, leaving platforms, grappling points or (TAG exclusive) points for the butcher hook in strategic places.
The game rewards exploration, although we can not find weapons ahead of time as in previous installments, you can find collectibles, lore notes, modifications, costume upgrades and music (can only be played in the Fortress of Destiny) and keys which give us access to 6 special challenges hidden in some levels.
The weapons are much better worked, with more variety in their modifications and some are more convenient for certain situations, weak points or specific enemies, which makes the player can give them more use. the ammunition is quite limited and it is very important to use the chainsaw, which in this game recharges itself. also you can make a quick switching with many combinations and modifications with which you can do a lot of damage in a short time.
Of course, many demons from previous games are still present, with changes in the design and new weak points, such as the Aracnotron's turret or the Revenant's rocket launchers. The new enemies in the campaign go hand in hand with the gameplay and are very well balanced.
The game is graphically beautiful, very well refined and very well worked technically, if your pc could run DOOM 2016 it can definitely run Doom Eternal.
A very important and characteristic point of the game, the soundtrack. it is HEAVY and furious, it fits perfectly with the gameplay, it is very well used, it is varied and has different tones for each situation, and besides, it has many references to previous tracks of the saga. Thanks Mick Gordon.
If there is a weapon that I have to criticize, it is the very unique Crucible Sword of Doom Slayer, which left me a big disappointment, mostly because it is a weapon that does not have a single necessary use in the game, you can beat the game just the same way with the Crucible or without it, it doesn't even have an important or obligatory use in a boss fight. It has 3 charges and does only Instant Kill to a specific enemy. It's only there for a hurry and the BFG does a better job at that.
Something similar happens with the Betrayer's hammer in TAG 2, although this one has more utility, rather than a weapon you can wield, it is a skill that is executed with a button.
Few important characters are present in this game, and one of the most important is Dr. Samuel Hayden, who plays a very important role in the previous title. In this installment after rescuing him he is relegated to an encyclopedia that tells you where to go, what to do, gives explanations and some lore.
As expanded as the lore has been, the game does not do much to help you understand, throughout the game you are told several elements, but the vast majority is found in the large number of extensive lore notes that we find, making the classic of leaving them lying around for you to read on your own, throwing you out of the experience. It follows John Carmack's philosophy despite the care he puts into his story. I'm not complaining too much about it anyway, it's the DOOM philosophy.
Yep, this is doom 2016 but even more. I wasn't a fan of the more cartoony approach at first but eventually I fully got into it and this game might be even more intricate in term of game design while still being good simple fun. It's like you have to be more involved but in a good way. I can see why some would be put off by the more present management aspect of stuff in this game but I dig it personally, I like both approaches and the music is still just as fire
All I can say is thank god I've now finished Doom Eternal. Even on easy difficulty I found it so stressful. DOOM (2016) was fun and provided fast-paced action alongside an amazing soundtrack. Doom Eternal adds loads more mechanics as well as really patchy platforming, they were just a massive pain.
I know this is me just getting old and grumpy but I could tell this game was targeted at a modern day audience with shiny neon colours and the ability to buy skins etc. That just made me roll my eyes and reminded me this is not the Doom I grew up with and loved. There are some cool nods to the original game like the super shotgun, returning enemies and the original marine suit.
Later in the game there were a few puzzle sections which I quite enjoyed as it broke away from the typical, here is a room, here are loads of demons, fight demons, next room….rinse and repeat. There is plentiful supply of secret rooms to find and I found some of them fun to look for but ultimately I gave up quite quickly towards the end and just ploughed through.Even the sections where you could initiate a timed challenge I thought “na, cannot be arsed with that”. My gaming style is about having fun and enjoying the journey, most of the time I cannot be bothered with challenging myself. As you may have already guessed I’m not a completionist earlier, nor am I a trophy hunter and I am glad I am not.
As many people have said they prefer the 2016 Doom over this and I agree. Doom 2016 added cool features and made it fun to dart around, shooting and getting glory kills but Doom Eternal just adds too many mechanics to the game to keep track of it all.
Playing Doom Eternal I could only do a mission at a time as I found it so mentally draining and stressful. I’m feeling drained thinking about it and tired writing this review
I know this is me just getting old and grumpy but I could tell this game was targeted at a modern day audience with shiny neon colours and the ability to buy skins etc. That just made me roll my eyes and reminded me this is not the Doom I grew up with and loved. There are some cool nods to the original game like the super shotgun, returning enemies and the original marine suit.
Later in the game there were a few puzzle sections which I quite enjoyed as it broke away from the typical, here is a room, here are loads of demons, fight demons, next room….rinse and repeat. There is plentiful supply of secret rooms to find and I found some of them fun to look for but ultimately I gave up quite quickly towards the end and just ploughed through.Even the sections where you could initiate a timed challenge I thought “na, cannot be arsed with that”. My gaming style is about having fun and enjoying the journey, most of the time I cannot be bothered with challenging myself. As you may have already guessed I’m not a completionist earlier, nor am I a trophy hunter and I am glad I am not.
As many people have said they prefer the 2016 Doom over this and I agree. Doom 2016 added cool features and made it fun to dart around, shooting and getting glory kills but Doom Eternal just adds too many mechanics to the game to keep track of it all.
Playing Doom Eternal I could only do a mission at a time as I found it so mentally draining and stressful. I’m feeling drained thinking about it and tired writing this review
This game is easily one of the greatest video games I have ever played. The combat is very fluid with great enemy variety. Plus, unlike in Doom 2016, here, I'm actually incentivised to switch between all of my weapons and combo them together. Another amazing part of this game has to be the soundtrack made by Mick Gordon. I wish that the producer of this game didn't fuck Gordon over because I'd love to listen to this soundtrack on Spotify because it's easily an S Tier soundtrack.
This game gets a 10/10.
This game gets a 10/10.