As if Doom 2016 wasn’t enough to make you feel like a demon-slaying demigod, Doom Eternal takes it much further. Eternal retains everything from its predecessor and adds a lot more to the gameplay mix to make you feel like a badass demon slayer. Of course, it doesn’t mean that Doom Eternal is flawless. There are a few ups and downs. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at what you can expect from Doom Eternal.
Initial Impressions
Unlike most other story-driven games, Doom Eternal doesn’t make you wait long enough to pull out your combat shotgun and begin ripping through hordes of demons. The first level mostly serves as a tutorial that gets you familiar with the movement, weapons, weapons mods and glory kills.
Plot
Doom Eternal is a direct sequel to Doom 2016, which means that after surviving hell, the Doomguy has earned the title of Doom Slayer. While the Slayer is resting at his fortress on Mars, he learns that Khan Maykr from the City of Urdak is drawing Argent Energy (Human Souls) to protect the people of Urdak. As we all know, Doom Slayer, being a human, returns to Earth to kill Khan Maykr and protect his people.
Gameplay
Doom Eternal retains just about everything from Doom 2016, but also adds a lot more that makes the game even more fun to play. Unlike in Doom 2016, double jump is unlocked by default and you soon gain the ability to double dash. These two movement techniques completely change how you take on demons and traverse through the world. Traversing the arenas is much more fun since the Slayer now has the ability to climb walls. Just like Doom 2016, Doom Eternal will present you with room after rooms full of demons waiting to be slain. Sometimes the game will also throw previously defeated bosses at you as regular enemies and it can sometimes get overwhelming. Nonetheless, by the time you complete the game, you’ll have known how to take down these boss demons without even trying.
Demons
You’ll see several demons making their return in Doom Eternal from Doom 2016, including the Hell Knight, Pinky, Cacodemon, Mancubus, Cyberdemon/Tyrant, Baron of Hell, Cyber-Mancubus, Imp, Lost Soul, Prowler, Revenant, Icon of Sin, and Sceptre, among others. Additionally, you’ll also see some classic and new demons debuting in the sequel, including the Pain Elemental (classic), Soldiers (classic), Cherub (classic), Archville (classic), Arachnotron (new), Marauder (new), Doom Hunter (new), and Whiplash (new). All of these demons offer a unique challenge to the Doom Slayer and some of them even arrive as bosses. Speaking of bosses, let’s take a look at how Doom Eternal handles boss fights.
Boss Fights
Unlike in Doom 2016, boss fights in Doom Eternal require you to strategize and create openings to attack the enemy. Rushing in to land some shotgun shells is like inviting death early. However, taking your time to learn moves and attack patterns can actually make the fight feel more like a dance. I recommend that you invest some time in learning everything you can about bosses as some foes that you encounter will also reappear as normal enemies after you have defeated them.
Graphics
What I loved about Doom 2016 is that not only does the game look spectacular, it also plays smooth as butter. The same is true for Doom Eternal. The graphics have been ramped up quite a bit, but the performance is still excellent. Some locations in the game are simply breathtaking and I never imagined that Doom could work so well in such settings. But with id Software behind the title, it isn’t surprising. If you play on PC, you’ll have plenty of graphical settings to control and optimize according to your preference or computer’s limitations. However, if you’ve got an RTX 2060 graphics card or above, you can blindly crank the settings up and enjoy 60+ FPS at 1080P.
Music
Doom Eternal’s music is put together by the same man behind phenomenal scores of Doom 2016, Mick Gordon. The heavy metal is back to complement the fast-paced gameplay. However, this time around there are some beautiful slow background tracks that set the tone for some of the stunning locations. There isn’t much to talk about Doom Eternal’s music except that the scores complement the ripping and tearing actions quite well.
Multiplayer
Doom Eternal gave up on the more traditional deathmatch multiplayer mode and replaced it with an all-new Battlemode. The Battlemode is a PvP experience where one Slayer fights against two player-controlled demons. The match consists of three rounds and at the end of each round, both the Slayer and player-controlled demons can choose a buff or add-on to change the course of the fight in the next round. The mode is absolutely fun to play as the Slayer, but I could never beat the Slayer while playing as a demon. Moreover, certain demons are too overpowered, and since two players can choose a similar demon, I have encountered two Marauders in a single match.Needless to say, I did not even survive 15 seconds. Although the Battlemode is a great addition to Doom, it definitely needs some work in making some balancing change on both the Slayer and Demon sides.
Extras
In addition to all of this, Doom Eternal also offers several cosmetic elements that can be unlocked simply by staying online while playing either the campaign or the multiplayer. These cosmetics include Slayer suits, weapon skins, Slayer poses, demon skins, and much more.
While playing the campaign, you’ll also come across many secret combat encounters, which essentially are timed challenges requiring you to destroy demons before the timer ends. Finishing these challenges rewards you with weapon points.
There are also six Slayer Gates throughout Doom Eternal’s campaign. Behind these gates lie some of the toughest challenges. To unlock these Slayers Gates, you’ll need Empyrean Keys that are hidden within the same levels. Beating all six Slayer Gate challenges rewards you with a powerful weapon called the Unmaykr.
Doom Eternal also has a photo mode, which is turned off by default and you’ll have to manually turn it on under the Gameplay section. The photo mode lets you take cinematic screenshots from different angles, control depth of field, the field of view, and even change the Slayer’s poses. Currently, the photo mode is in a beta phase and I’ve noticed a few bugs while using it. Nonetheless, I think it’s a great addition to the game because of its artistic opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Doom Eternal was one of the most anticipated games of 2020, with fans having high hopes for the sequel. It is amazing to see that id Software not only addressed our expectations, but also went way beyond, setting a new benchmark for FPS games. Doom Eternal shows that games can look and play exceptionally well, thanks to the id Tech7 game engine. There are no microtransactions in the game and every cosmetic item can be unlocked by simply playing the game and staying online. Id Software has also claimed that Doom Eternal is going to be supported throughout the year with additional content launching sometime in the future.
If you’ve played Doom 2016 and enjoyed the massacre, Doom Eternal will take that experience to the next level, which means you’ll have double the fun. In case, you’re new to Doom video games, we’d recommend that you first play Doom 2016 before jumping into Doom Eternal. This is because Doom Eternal feels significantly smoother and more fluid than Doom 2016 and once you’ve played Eternal, you’ll not want to return to Doom 2016.
Finally, even though Doom Eternal is a great FPS game, it’s not perfect. Doom Eternal can sometimes feel overwhelming when it throws previously beaten bosses at you as regular demons. However, once you complete the campaign and replay the levels, all these boss level demons become easy dummies to deal with.
Ultimately, once you have completed the game, what’s going to stay with you is the wholesome experience of shredding through endless demons, and not a few ups here and downs there.
