Doom Eternal - Review

 

Any gamer, no matter their experience or skill level knows the name 'Doom'. Doom creator John Romero's impact on first-person gaming is huge and showed that the genre could be more than just a simple shooter.  I feel the same way about Half-Life creator Gabe Newell who mixed puzzles with great storytelling to create something more. In 2016 id Software released a next-generation version of Doom which was a lot of fun, I didn't play the sequel when it was released but recently saw it available on XBOX Game Pass and thought now is the time to play it.

To me buffalo wings with a beer are one of the most perfect snacks, that is until you accidentally order a family size amount of them and decide to eat forty wings in a sitting. I have no regrets, apart from the rapid and explosive bowel movements that followed the next day. Buffalo Wing sauce is amazing, and while normally I am not a blue cheese fan, as a dip it works perfectly. Playing Doom Eternal I found myself asking was ripping and tearing through those wings enough to keep me sated?

Story 

The original story of Doom was based on Mars where humans do what they do best and open a dimension to hell, oops. Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal has evolved the story significantly beyond that point, explaining not only what drives 'Doom Guy' but also so why he is so important. Doom Eternal focuses on the struggle between good and evil, but as always things are rarely black and white and with the fight now being on Earth the stakes are higher than ever before.

Ancient Gods Part 1 and 2

There are two DLC for the game, one of which was only released in the last couple of weeks called the Ancient Gods Part One and Two. The story follows on from the main storyline and answers many questions not only about the Doom Universe but about Doom Guy himself.  

Overall the main story, and that in the DLC is amazing and features a lot of lore which is available in the form of collectables spread throughout the game. I would love to get a book on it but sadly only seems available in the collector's editions which according to reviews online does not always feature it. Right, back on track, amazing story that made me really want to know more about the Doom Universe and find every collectable.

Visuals

Doom 2016's visuals were quite impressive and a serious upscale from Doom 3, Doom Eternal's visuals are on another level. Everything is improved from the backdrops and level designs to the enemies and weapons, all look more well rounded. A big part of the Doom combat are glory kills which are used not only to acquire health but also look badass. There are different types of glory kills that can be performed on each enemy and they all look awesome, some are extremely visceral, others are explosive and some are just fun like pulling out an enemies eyes and hearing them make a satisfying popping sound. There are the classic Doom enemies but there also some new additions, including more bio-mechanical enemies and high powered beings who look like highly advanced robots. The backdrops are really cool, the ones on Earth in particular as it looks and feels like what Earth would be if invaded by a demon army.

Ancient Gods Part 1 and 2

The visuals and backdrops in the DLC are quite different to the base game. The UAC Atlantica Facility brought you a little closer to the survivors of the world, up to this point they are always at arm's length and like a unicorn seems like they may not exist at all.  There are some really cool new enemies that drastically change the gameplay, you also get some great cut sequences and get to the deepest darkest parts of hell.

Overall the visuals are impressive and are so much sharper and greatly improved over the Doom 2016 release, the DLC step things up and certainly give you a bit more of a connection with humanity. I can't even imagine how good the next game will look. 

Music 

The Doom series has always featured a metal soundtrack that suits the gameplay and style of the game perfectly. It pumps you up and gets your adrenaline flowing and really focuses you. The music is created by Australian composer Mick Gordon, his works include the soundtracks for Prey, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, SOMA, Mirrors Edge Catalyst, and Dead Space 3 to name but a few.

Ancient Ones Part 1 and 2

The Ancient One's Part One and Two was created by American Composer Andrew Hulshult rather than Mick Gordon due to fallout between himself and id Software. Hultshult has worked on and created the music for, Prodeus, 3D Realms Anthology: The Re-Rockestrated, Amid Evil, and Dusk (which on my list of games to play later this year).

The base game feature over four hours of music and the DLC features well over three hours created a fairly large soundtrack, especially for a first-person shooter. My favourite tracks between the two soundtracks include:

Cultist Base

BFG Divison 2020

Urdak 

The DOOM Hunter 

The Super Gore Nest 

The Only Thing They Fear Is You

Usuper Gore

Doom Eternal

End Of Level

UAC Atlantic Heavy

Blood Swamps Light

Overall the soundtrack is pretty good but is likely to stay with me, that being said when playing the game it is the music you need.

Gameplay

Let's get on with the ripping and the tearing! The gameplay is immense, intense and so much fun! The weapons feel more balanced than before, Doom Eternal has the addition of a new weapon that offers the same and perhaps even more damage than that of the BFG (a weapon that with just one shot can take out every enemy in a room), the Unmakyr. It offers single and chain shots which are great for some of the larger enemies. The Super Shotgun is great and now has a hook on it that can be used to pull you towards enemies. If that was not enough you know have a shoulder attachment that can be used to burn or freeze enemies and really is a game-changer, additionally, enemies that are burned or set frozen will drop armor for you. Similar to Doom 2016 most weapons can be modded and upgraded providing very different types of damage, once fully upgraded can devastate even the largest enemies. 

Killing demons never gets old, but just in case it does you will sometimes get random harder enemies thrown in or even better an intense boss battle. These battles are tough but you quickly need to get used to them as afterwards, they will appear more often in standard battles.

Need a moment for yourself to escape the crazy? Head to your floating Fortress of Doom, a cross between a castle and a futuristic ship. Here there are unlockable items, including weapons mods, Praetorian tokens (used to upgrade your suit), albums, and toys which can be found on each level and look awesome.

The game is not just a shooter and will require you to figure out some minor puzzles to get to other areas of the game, especially the hidden ones, it takes you away from the combat for a short time but is often a welcome distraction.

Hurt Me Plenty is one of the difficulty types (basically normal), but if that is not enough you can play it on much harder modes including Ultra Nightmare. While I am not bad at first-person shooters there were certainly parts of the game that I found challenging. The game has a great way of pushing to use everything you have, to keep moving and never falter, which feels awesome and every victory feels damn good.

Multiplayer allows you to have three characters, Doom Guy versus two enemies, it is challenging for both parties as while Doom Guy is no push over some of the larger enemies have some great abilities and while AI is good the human element really makes things more intense. While I am not a huge multiplayer head it is hard to deny the greatness of Doom Eternal.

Ancient Ones Part 1 and 2

The gameplay in the DLC felt a lot more hardcore even with keeping the difficulty the same. Most of the time the challenge was enjoyable and the new additions of enemies that need to be killed in certain ways were fun. That being said it did feel a little unbalanced at times, I really felt this way with the final boss. The first three health bars, simple, the last two felt like even a minor mistake would really screw you. Not against a challenge, far from it, but occasional unbalanced gameplay was a little frustrating.

Overall the gameplay is awesome and fairly well balanced with the only exception being the DLC which seemed to be a lot tougher than the base game. That being said the challenge was a welcome one and stopped me from becoming compliant. 

Final Thoughts

So, after over forty hours of playing how did I feel? Pumped up and curious to try the hard difficulties. The story is amazing, and collectable lore in each level expands on everything to provide something really well rounded. The visuals are really interesting and have some really great backdrops and when it comes to the DLC id Software did not leave me feeling short-changed. The music is pretty good and certainly creates a great atmosphere in the game and intensifies the gameplay. The gameplay is amazing, it is brutal, fast and unrelenting, there is so no going slow or taking it easy, go hard or go home - in a body bag. Overall Doom Eternal gets a solid 4 out of 5