That’s right! For anyone that has been living under a gaming rock, we’ve got The Dark Ages coming in May on the 13th, so what better time to take a look at I.D. Software’s beastly release from 2020. Released just in time for the world to be blanketed by a horrific plague, none the less FPS fans still managed to coat our planet Earth in copious amount of demon gore & viscera, and the bodies continue to be piled up to this day! Before we take a look at the origins of the Slayer, let’s take a look at his return to Earth. So sit back, grab your shotgun, and take a look at my review for Doom: Eternal. Let’s begin!
Story
Taken from Wikipedia:
“In 2163, fourteen years after the events on Mars, Earth has been overrun by demons, wiping out 60% of the planet's population. The Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) has been fully corrupted into a demonic cult. What remains of humanity has either fled Earth or joined the Armored Response Coalition (ARC) resistance movement. The Doom Slayer, having previously been betrayed by Dr. Samuel Hayden, returns with a satellite fortress controlled by the AI VEGA to quell the demonic invasion by killing the Hell Priests: Deags Nilox, Ranak, and Grav. The priests serve an angelic being known as the Khan Maykr, who seeks to sacrifice mankind for her own race's survival. The Slayer teleports to Earth and kills Deag Nilox, but the Khan Maykr transports the two remaining priests to unknown locations.”
That is just one part on Wikipedia, and without giving things away, there is far more going on in this game than one realizes. Because of all of the various pieces of lore, it establishes that the universe of Doom is far deeper than it’s ever been, and further builds upon what began in 2016. John Carmack said back in the day that story in a shooter is like story in a porn: yeah it’s there, but you’re not experiencing the medium for it. In many old school shooters, and some of the modern day Boomer Shooters that’s definitely true, but somehow giving Doom a deeper world than what the bare bones nature of his time in the 90s (With maybe the exception of Doom 64). Speaking of a deeper world......
Setting
A huge plus in Eternal’s favor would be it’s various locales. Doom 2016 for all of it’s badassery, tended to repeat a lot of areas across the entire game, almost making it feel bizarrely like Serious Sam in that regard. Not so with 2020's out, as there are so many more places to explore & fight in. You’ve got your base of operations known as the Fortress of Doom (More on that in a bit), and you do go back to Earth and Hell a couple times, but there are also numerous other alien worlds that have the stench of demons and the Makyrs all over them, and you even go back to Mars in one level. There is so much more variety in terms of how the levels look, what with the enhanced graphics from Eternal’s usage of ID Tech 7, not to mention the increased amount of detail because of the graphics engine used. Because of that, all of the places you visit makes the whole experience come across like Serious Sam 2 weirdly enough.
Characters
One advantage that Doom: Eternal has over it’s predecessor would be the expanded cast of characters, but only just expanded. The game still is centered fully on the Doom Slayer, and in his second outing he’s more expressive. His eyes show every emotion & feeling he’s experiencing, and his physical movements in the cutscenes give the impression that he is a behemoth on the battlefield, but the few quieter parts shows that he is capable of listening & thinking. Outside of the Slayer, the only character from the prior game to make an appearance is Dr. Samuel Hayden, but his role isn’t quiet as significant as it was in 2016. Our antagonists is of course Hell and the 3 main Hell Priests, and in a curious turn, the Khan Makyr of Urdak (The Doom Universe’s equivalent of Heaven). Both characters Samuel & the Khan Makyr have a few surprises, but no spoilers! Outside of the tiny main cast, there’s a few NPCs that we encounter, but have practically no time to get to know them.
Gameplay
For the most part, Eternal’s base gameplay isn’t that much different than what was established in 2016; run, gun, rip & tear, look for secrets & collectables, etc. The Doom Slayer’s second outing at it’s most basic doesn’t try to differentiate what made ID’s return so great last decade.....but there’s also so much more going on here!
For starters, there is the Fortress Of Doom. The base & home of the Slayers, you can find all sorts of things here. From ARC recordings, to unlockables for your suit & equipment, weapons, alternate skins, weapons & art galleries, and even access to all of the music you find in various secrets throughout the game. On top of that, there the Ripatorium (Demon Prison) where you can practice killing hellspawn to your heart’s content, and in your personal room there’s even a computer that let you play a full copy of Doom 2! All of this just adds more flavor to Doomguy’s character, and helps build the world of Eternal in a surprising amount of ways.
Next up are the levels. Compared to what we had in 2016, the levels of Eternal are larger, more complex in design (The later levels especially), and more involved when it comes to interactivity. On top of that, the secrets are placed a bit better, and it takes a little more thinking to find some of them. Without saying too much, there’s one secret towards the end of the game that requires some pretty good timing & being good at spotting things out of the ordinary. Perhaps the best thing about each & every one of the levels you play through also helps tell the story in addition to the lore you find. It’s subtle, but each one shows off how bleak & dire the world of Eternal is, yet also shows the sense of wonder the more fantastical locales are. Definitely a plus!
Next improvement over 2016 would be it’s combat. Now, Doom 2016's combat was good. Damn good, in fact! It felt refreshing at the time when compared to most of the Modern Military titles at the time: you ran around at 90 miles an hour, ripping & tearing every living demon like a crazy person. Within Eternal, you still run around like a loon, but now there is more rhythm & flow when you compare it to 2016. Many of the enemies have weak points on their body that, if destroyed, disable a specific attack they use. On top of that, there is a boss or two that you can only attack at just the right time. Sure, those moments are telegraphed, but you do see them coming. This also applies to one VERY specific boss that becomes an enemy half-way through, but not spoilers for anyone that’s reading this for the first time!
If there’s anything negative about Eternal’s gameplay, and even then it’s only for those that aren’t a fan of it, it would be the increased platforming & jumping, along with the Extra Life system. When Doom came back in 2016, you were definitely jumping around & grabbing ledges (Especially once you got the Jump Boots), but Eternal turns the knob up to 11 in that aspect. There are parts in every level where you’ve got platforming of some kind, and it’s incredibly frustrating in the first level where you don’t even have the ability to dash yet! Once you got the ability to dash things let up a little, but even then it’s insane at how much is there! The Extra Life system isn’t as bad as I’m making it sound, as they’re fairly plentiful, and you can build up enough of a supply that dying a bunch of times isn’t painful. Trouble does crop up in the DLCs when it comes to the extra lives, as they’re spread out a bit more thinly, and because of that you gotta be a bit more careful when it comes to dying. The more console-ification of Eternal definitely did rub some players the wrong way (Definitely rubbed my Dad the wrong way), but it not really bad once you understand the flow of everything.
Graphics & Sound
ID Software hit it out of the park with ID Tech 6, and they did it again with no. 7. Things looks a little smoother, environments are more varied, there’s a wider usage of color, and all of the enemies & NPCs move more fluidly than in Doom 2016 (Even though they moved nicely in that game). Everywhere you go to is so much more striking than what was in 2016, to the point where it feels like the transition from Serious Sam to Serious Sam 2. Soundwise things are still fantastic! Your guns still sound like beasts, the demons sound more monstrous than before, and the soundtrack by Mick Gordon is even more metal than ever! Definitely a step up from the year prior.....even though the graphics & sound in 2016 were pretty sweet in it’s own right.
Overall & Rating
Doom: Eternal was a meteor that came crashing down in 2020. More visceral combat & gameplay, more locales, more story, and even more characters all came together, and the end result was a sword that can pierce the heavens! Maybe the more console elements did ruin the experience for some, but to me they added some extra spice to what was already a tasty dish when Doom came back in 2016. I’ve played through this game a few times, and each time it was nothing short of fantastic. If you’ve got the time before the new game comes out, give Eternal one last go through before the new game comes out. You won’t regret it!
Doom: Eternal gets a 10 out of 10.
And that was my review for Doom: Eternal. It was fun to look at this colossus of a game again, especially with The Dark Ages coming in May, and it still holds up half a decade later! So everyone, I will see you all in the middle of this month, when I’ll be reviewing the darkest Paradise Lost album that was ever recorded. Until then, take care!
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If you’d like to see a walkthrough of the game, click on the link below:
Doom Eternal 100% Longplay Walkthrough (Nightmare, No Commentary)
