DOOM Eternal: A Review

DOOM Eternal had very big jump-boots to fill. Being the latest entry in a video game franchise which practically invented one of the most prevalent genres in gaming to this day is no easy task. Combined with needing to be a follow up to the much-acclaimed DOOM (2016), one of the most celebrated franchise reboots in gaming history, it’s easy to see that Eternal had room to fail. DOOM has been pleasing gamers and getting fundamentalist knickers in a twist since the early 90’s, but the 2004 entry DOOM 3 proved to be a bit of a let-down to long time fans. After a long and skeptical development process, the planned fourth edition to the franchise went full reboot and became DOOM (2016), which was met with roaring success and critical acclaim. Thankfully for them, Eternal takes everything that was so well-received about DOOM (2016) and simply builds upon it, creating a wholly unique experience which still perfectly encapsulates the magic of the originals.

The Gameplay

Eternal’s primary gameplay loop is still heavily focused on fast movement and knowing which tool is right for the job at any given time. There’s no taking cover and tactical reloading like most other modern First-Person Shooters, all replaced by a highly aggressive playstyle signature of the 90’s roots of the game. What’s different this time, however, is a heavier focus on resource management. Returning from the 2016 reboot is the Glory Kills, a cinematic coup de grâce on stunned demons that both refill your health and fulfill your ever-growing blood-lust in all their gore-filled glory. This time around, however, managing both your ammunition and armour is also added to this violent juggling act.

Gone is your infinite ammo pistol to use in a jiffy, and much reduced is your pool of ammunition. Your chainsaw, which when used on an enemy would instantly give you a bounty of ammo, has now been given one constantly refilling charge rather than the limited uses it had in 2016. Constantly whipping it out to top yourself off in combat is now vital. On top of this, you’ve also been given a miniature flame-thrower, which releases a puff of flames which will cause lit enemies to spew out armour pickups for you to take. All of this combined leads to much more to think about during your combat sessions, adding even more frenetic energy to the already white-knuckle action of modern DOOM.

Consistent use of your chainsaw is vital to keeping your ammo reserves up. It's also really gnarly and cool.

To add to all this tactical carnage are a few new demon varieties for you to engage in this blood-soaked ballet with. Still returning are everyone’s favourites: plenty of Cacodemons, Mancubuses, and Revenants to strife with. Added, however, are lots of enemy types designed to keep you on your toes: The snake-like Wiplashes, which try to sneak behind and gank you when you least expect it; Carcases, who love to pop up shields in between you and valuable targets at the worst possible times; and a wide spread of high-level dangerous threats like the Archville, Marauder, and Doom Hunter all designed to really test your skill and reaction times. Those seeking a challenge will find the new demons to be worthy adversaries.

From left to right: A Whiplash, a Possessed Soldier, and an Arachnotron. You'll love to hate them.

As far as other gameplay changes goes, there’s a few new mobility options for the protagonist to use: Namely, a dash feature and the ability to both climb on walls and swing off of poles. The latter two are mainly used for the few platforming sections scattered around the levels, testing your ability to time dashes and jumps while you move from clingable wall to clingable wall. These sections weren’t entirely memorable, none so difficult they proved any more than a minor challenge, but they at least serve as a way to break up the gameplay somewhat. As DOOM as a whole never really had much to offer other than fast-paced demon slaying, a few palette-cleansing sections can be welcome. Overall, they didn’t seem much more than complicated ways to traverse the level, but I can see their appeal.

Presentation

As far as presentation for the game, I very much enjoy the added level variety in Eternal as opposed to DOOM (2016). The latter mostly took place in either heavy industrial settings, or in the somewhat livelier yet still disappointingly drab Hell. Eternal, thankfully, shakes things up quite a bit: Some levels take place in the ruins of Earth after the demonic invasion has spread, some take place on other planets, and Hell this time around is much more surreal, twisted, and vibrant.

The series made an important discovery: There's more colours than red and grey out there.

The game looks and runs fine, even on my admittedly slightly lower-end build PC. I’ll admit I ran into a few bugs here and there: A few faulty textures here and there, certain sounds continuing to play long after their source has been dealt with, enemies occasionally glitching out of the blocked-off arena causing me to need to load a checkpoint. Nothing game-breaking, thankfully, and pretty few and far between.

You can’t talk about either DOOM reboot without mentioning the intense, driving soundtrack. Mick Gordon returns in Eternal to pump out more heavy, glitchy, industrial techno-metal sounds that will give you the urge to bang your head while you slaughter your way through Hell’s forces. Just check this shit out. Hell yeah. Even the more ambient, slower songs in this game still perfectly fit the tone for the few moments you’re not locked in heated combat: plenty of ritualistic chanting, eerie drones, and other fitting soundscapes for a long, arduous quest against darkness.

If story is something you really care about in your DOOM games (which I wouldn’t blame you for not really giving a shit about), well, it definitely exists. It’s a lot more expanded upon than the first reboot’s rather basic ‘evil corporation lets science go too far’ plot. We learn more here about the gap between the classic 90’s games and this new continuation, expand upon concepts laid out in the first reboot, and there’s even plenty of fanservice for those hardcore DOOM lovers. Though, it almost feels like there’s some kind of gap between the events of the last game and now that go unexplained, such as how our protagonist got a hold of a massive floating fortress in space. But, hey, the game is self-awarely cheesy enough I’ll forgive a few transgressions like this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, DOOM Eternal is a wickedly fun entry in the longstanding franchise that proves to be a worthy successor to the mighty DOOM (2016). Fans of the original game will likely love the added complexity and increased difficulty. If you haven’t played the first reboot in the series, I’d recommend checking that one out first to wet your feet before you really dive into Eternal in full.

I give this game a 666/700.