DOOM Eternal is the Best Rendition of the Slayer to date
From a one-man army to the final boss
Today, I can finally share my experience with DOOM Eternal after completing it, and I have to confess that it is everything I have ever wanted in a game.
I thought DOOM 2016 was packed with action, but DOOM Eternal IS THE ACTION!
From beginning to end, this game did a marvelous job of reminding me that our protagonist is not just a soldier, he is the DOOM Slayer, the one thing they fear, and it all started with the most badass opening scene I've seen in a game so far.
Which, by the way, it didn't just set the tone for the rest of the game, but it also showed me just how bad the situation is and I am quite literally humanity's last hope of survival and it kept that vibe throughout the entire game.
I already had big expectations given how good DOOM 2016 was but DOOM Eternal blew them out of the water.
Angelo Sin
DOOM 2016 review
It does share many features from the previous game though.
For example:
- Weapon Mods
- Suit points
- Runes
- Glory Kills
- Maps
- Platforming (even though there is WAY more of it now)
- Collectibles
- Quick paced gameplay
However, Id Software added more stuff that enhanced the gameplay and gave it more depth.
For example, for the combat, they added:
- A flamethrower - to burn enemies and get armor when you damage them
- Frag Grenades - for crowd control and AoE damage
- Ice grenades - to slow down or immobilize enemies
- A Dash - to get away from enemies, maneuver while in the air, or reach far away places
- The Blood Punch - to break enemy armor and decimate everything in front of you
- Enemy weak points - to target specific areas to weaken enemies
All these additions make the combat more dynamic since now you have to actually think instead of doing the traditional "shoot it till it dies".
Not only that but now you have to pay attention to which weapons you are using when dealing with specific enemies.
For example:
Instead of shooting Cacodemons with any weapons you have, you can just use grenades from your launcher or shotgun mod to immediately open them for a Glory Kill, or you can use the Heavy Riffle to shoot down the arms cannons of the Mancubus so they can't use their flamethrowers when close.
For upgrading the Slayer we now have the Sentinel Crystals (which work similarly to the Argent Cells of the first game) and Sentinel Batteries which let you unlock different secrets in our space base.
Yes...we have a space base and I'll talk more about it in a moment.
Before that, I need to mention that Id Software made DOOM Eternal fun for casual players as well as hardcore fans because you can enjoy it whether you just want to have a good time or are looking for a challenge.
If you want the latter though, DOOM Eternal has various ways to deliver.
For starters, you can pick one of the hardest difficulties when you start your game.
But besides that, you can also do the Slayer Gates and Surprise Encounters which are scattered around some stages as well as the Master Levels after you finish the campaign.
- Slayer Gates - A series of colosseum fights where you have to face a few waves of enemies and some of them have demons you are supposed to meet later in the story.
- Secret Encounters - These are similar to the Gore Nests of DOOM 2016 but instead of getting waves of enemies, you get a small group of demons that you have to kill under a time limit.
- Master Levels - A harder and more challenging version of some of the levels you previously completed on the main campaign.
On the other hand, if you just want to enjoy the game more casually, you can do that too, but you need to keep in mind that DOOM Eternal is not going to hold your hand.
You will die...a lot.
To stay alive as long as possible you will have to take advantage of everything at your disposal and most importantly, keep moving. Staying still for too long is a sure way to meet your end so remember that.
It's a fun challenge and I love it.
But besides that and the gameplay, there are 3 things that I liked the most.
The 3 things I liked the most
The Story
While DOOM 2016's story was more direct and lacked depth, it was good enough since gameplay is its main focus.
On the other hand, DOOM Eternal showed us the origin of the Slayer's power and even introduced us to new characters and factions, like the Knight Sentinels, their world Argent D'Nur, the Khan Myker, the angels, Heaven, and the Father ultimately adding more depth to the lore.
But they didn't just do that.
They also showed us via cutscenes, audio logs, and broadcasts the Slayer's impact on regular humans.
Scientists and soldiers cowered in fear the moment the Slayer stepped into the room, all flinching, and backing away when they got too close.
Video by AFGuidesHD
The broadcasts from the ARC Resistance Network kept us and the citizens updated on the conflict, exposed the UAC's attempts to deny the Slayer's existence, and showed the effects of some of our actions.
From reducing demonic activity globally to inspiring survivors to keep fighting.
Video by WoW Quests
Lastly, the audio logs gave us a clear picture of how relentless, brutal, and terrifying the demons truly are for the regular human. That and it was also hinted that the Slayer has pretty much his own religion now.
Video by WoW Quests
All of these things made the whole story and game more interesting and intense because now the DOOM Slayer is more than just a "big green man too angry to die" he is now a warrior and a hero and I'm all for it.
The Design
The look and design of the stages, the demons, the weapons, to even the Slayer himself are some of the things Id Software nailed in the previous game, but in DOOM Eternal they stepped up their game.
The environment is more grotesque in the Earth stages with all the blood and guts thanks to the corruption of the demons, and there are also these sections that show the torment the captured humans are going through nailing the savagery of the demons.
In the hell stages, we can see the remains of the Sentinels' mech armor after their war against the demons which was completely unexpected. Until you read the codex entries about the war between the Sentinels and the demons.
Speaking of the demons, they look more menacing and dangerous.
Some of the enemies from the previous game got a rework while we also got introduced to demons from the classic DOOM games like the Archvile and Pain Elemental and a few new ones like the Arachnatrons and they all look great.
Also, the fact that they lose chunks of their bodies when we damage them is a great indicator of how hurt they are and it makes the combat more visceral than before.
The Slayer also got an upgrade.
Even though he already looked strong before, the new armor makes him even more badass and his weapons look and sound more powerful too.
The music also got better. I thought it couldn't go harder than in DOOM 2016, but it was even more aggressive than before. Mick Gordon outdid himself this time and created one of the hardest OSTs in gaming.
Just listen to this:
The Only Thing They Fear Is You by Mick Gordon
Everything in DOOM Eternal looks and feels great and this wouldn't have been possible if either the music or art design were not as good as they are.
The Fortress of DOOM
As mentioned before, the Slayer has a space base.
This place is called the Fortress of DOOM and it's where he goes to prepare for the next fight. If you know about DC Comics, I guess you can think of it as the Justice League Watchtower but more gothic, cool, and with very little room for an actual team.
However, what I liked the most about the DOOM Fortress is the things we can find here.
I'm not just talking about the collectibles, secrets, and albums. I'm referring to the Slayer's personal room because we can learn more about his personality by just looking around.
For example, he has a portrait of himself with Daisy, his pet bunny, which is kinda wholesome.
He is also a gamer, with a pretty cool gaming PC setup
He likes to collect toys and figurines.
He REALLY likes his weapons and showcases them in the corner of his room.
He has a guitar collection.
And he is trying to fix his previous armor.
These are not all the cool things that you can find in the Fortress though.
If you take a little detour you will eventually find the second coolest place in the base - the Ripatorium.
This is literally a prison where the Slayer fights demons he previously encountered to practice, without dying or permanently losing ammo or Extra Lives. It will automatically update new demons as you encounter them.
You can find the entrance near the remains of your giant mech.
The DOOM franchise is certainly filling a spot that most games just can't and I'm going to enjoy this ride for as long as I can.
It's been a blast and I'm sure it will continue to be like that for a long time or at least that's what I'm hoping.
The TWO things I don't like
If it isn't obvious at this point, I love this game in many ways.
However, there are a couple of things I don't particularly like.
They aren't game-breaking stuff and they might look like I'm kinda nitpicking a bit, which to be honest I probably am but either way, here they are.
The skins and weekly challenges
One of the things I never thought a DOOM game would ever have is skins.
Some are cool, and others are kinda goofy, but for the most part, they feel out of place. Even more so the Weekly Challenges, which, honestly, kinda looks like a disguised Battle Pass to me.
They don't look like something that should be in a DOOM game since DOOM is all about slaying demons, not grinding for a skin.
But hey, it's free and there aren't any gameplay mechanics locked behind it so it is not too bad. It's just that I'm not used to seeing something like this in a single-player game.
Even if this is becoming a common practice for certain companies.
The Codex Entries
As much as it was very cool to learn about the lore of DOOM Eternal, I just wished they had a better way to show it than just giving us a Codex Entry to read.
Just imagine how cool it would have been if the story about the Slayer's arrival to Argent D'Nur and the Unholy Crusade were narrated by the Betrayer or King Nuvic.
Also, I'm not a fan of hiding important bits of lore in text.
For example,
I was surprised that the moment we met Samuel again he was somehow turned into scrap and the story never tells us what happened to him, and since he was one of my favorite characters from the first game, this was a bit disappointing.
It's by reading the Codex that you find out what happened after his return to Earth, but if you don't read it you never find out.
Again, these aren't things that make the game unplayable or anything. I just wished they had done them a little better.
Final Thoughts
You might have noticed that I haven't mentioned The Ancient Gods DLC and that is because I haven't finished playing it yet. Life has gotten in the way, but I wanted to get this article out now.
I'll give you my thoughts about the DLC once I finish it, so just wait for me.
OK? Thank you.
Anyway, DOOM Eternal was everything I ever wanted in an FPS.
The gameplay is fun, challenging, and has a depth I haven't seen in other FPS games. The lore was expanded tremendously from DOOM 2016 and the story had much higher stakes.
It was cool in every way and if you haven't played yet, I recommend you do it.
You won't regret it.
See you next time bros!
RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS DONE!
Developed by id Software, DOOM Eternal brings the ultimate combination of speed and power with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat. Get your Steam PC key now!
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