Greetings folks, and welcome to an LGR Doom Thing!
Ahh finally, it feels like an eternity since Doom 2016 came out and blew away expectations,
our preconceived notions exploding all over
the place like so many gory demonic entrails. And now the folks at id Software are back
with Doom Eternal, the follow-up to Doom that isn’t called Doom II, thank god. Having
to call Doom 2016 Doom 2016 was confusing enough, so let’s hope that kinda naming
scheme is over with. Besides, as it turns out Eternal isn’t only a sequel to Doom
2016, but rather a follow-up of sorts to several Doom games and spin-offs of the past. Back
in my Doom 2016 review I said it was a series reboot, but after playing Doom Eternal I don’t
think that holds true anymore. That being said, this review will not be diving into
plot spoiler territory, not even boss fights, so don’t worry about it. In fact, since
I received an early review code, I had to agree not to spoil a whole list of spoilery
spoilers. But the rest of what I’m about to say is entirely my opinion, and neither
id Software or Bethesda are looking at this beforehand, they’ll be seeing it for the
first time same as you.
With that nonsense outta the way, AUGH DOOM ETERNAL! This game ****ING RULES.
If Doom 2016 was the best shooter I played that year,
then Doom Eternal has to be one of the best
shooters I’ve played, period. No exaggeration, this game is top-notch single player bombastic
first person pandemonium from start to finish. It picks up some time after the end of the
previous game, with the Doom Slayer headed back to planet Earth in a massive spacefaring
building, known as the Fortress of Doom. But just like the original Doom II: Hell on Earth,
it turns out Earth has a rather serious problem regarding Hell, on Earth. In short, 60% of
the world’s population has been wiped out by demonic forces large and small, with the
tendrils of evil spreading out from major metropolitan areas threatening to destroy
all that remains. It’s up to you to find some Hell Priests and kill ‘em! And just
like that, you’re tossed into the nightmare world of Doom Eternal, shotgun at the ready,
and demons just asking for a good beatdown.
[a good beatdown commences]
Yeah that’s right, in this game, your starting pistol is a shotgun! [chuckles] Or more accurately,
there’s just no pistol anymore, with the first weapon slot being claimed by the combat
shotgun instead. And I am all for that really, since the last game’s pistol sucked, and
in even in classic Doom games it’s really only there until you find the shotgun or you’re
in an incredibly desperate situation. Here it’s just like nah man, here's a shotgun,
have at it! Oh and the chainsaw too, why the hell not.
[copious chainsaw carnage]
Then hey, why not upgrade your shotgun with sticky grenades or a fully automatic buckshot
chaingun? Fuse that with the return of glory kills to use when an enemy staggers and yeah.
Within the first minute of Doom Eternal you're already well-equipped to take down any of
the half dozen most common enemies in the game, it's truly wonderful in how much it
does not wanna waste your time. Well, except when it's wasting your time when you've got
the tutorial on. Honestly, if you've played Doom 2016 you can turn this right off and
ignore the incessant pop-ups for the first couple hours. Besides, there are codex notifications
on the left side of the screen, so I just left those on for new features and it was
fine. Otherwise, it’s too easy to become overwhelmed at the sheer mass of CONTENT™
being revealed every few seconds. Piles of guns, lots of special moves, like twice the
number of demons as before, and the upgrades. So many upgrades. There’s a set of collectible
rune upgrades, a set of Praetor Suit upgrades, a set of weapon upgrades with a set of upgrades
for those upgrades followed by mastery upgrades. A set of attribute upgrades that turn into
more upgrades once you merge upgrades. And a set of upgrades on your space station that
help unlock cosmetic upgrades, like weapon reskins and player models. But yeah it’s
all just a lot. This “stop and read” approach is doing the game a disservice, since the
lifeblood of Doom Eternal relies on maintaining momentum through combat and learning how to
best deal with each enemy’s attacks on the fly. So I say just play the dang game, the
best way to learn here is by doing. And by doing, I mean engaging in absolute non-stop
slaughter by way of the Doom Slayer’s menagerie of finely-tuned firepower. An immensely satisfying
act considering the way demons crumble apart now into a mess of bones and bowels. The aforementioned
shotgun and chainsaw make a return from 2016, as does the heavy assault rifle, now known
as the heavy cannon. Along with the plasma rifle, the rocket launcher, the super shotgun,
the chaingun, and the legendary BFG-9000. Each one functioning more or less the same
as they did before, but with some fresh upgrade paths and mastery end goals here and there.
For instance, the assault rifle still offers an endless micro-missile launcher and a sniper
rifle when upgraded, as seen in the last Doom game. But the new Ballista is more of a remix,
sliding into the spot previously occupied by the Gauss Cannon. It’s an absolute beast
of a weapon, basically a railgun that can also shoot explosive bolts, as well as throw
out substantial charged blades that slice their way through any and all hordes of nastiness.
The classic Super Shotgun shoots off two shells simultaneously, and its secondary attack is
a devilish little thing: a grappling hook module Scorpion would approve of, known as
the Meat Hook. Fire this deep into some demonic flesh and hold on for a ride as you’re thrust
straight at ‘em, setting you up for a point blank double barreled barrage or a well-time
melee move. The latter of which often makes use of the new Doomblade, a wrist-mounted
attachment popping out to slice open torsos and skewer eyeballs on demand. You’ve also
got the Blood Punch, something you charge up to make the Doom Slayer’s overpowered
fist even more overpowered, violently combusting just about anything in the general vicinity.
But yeah both are a perfect pairing with the Meat Hook, which can itself be upgraded to
another level so that each time you use it, it sets everything on fire. A most excellent
addition that I recommend unlocking sooner rather than later, since fiery enemies drop
piles of armor shards while they rapidly burn to a crisp. Speaking of flame-broiled giblets,
attached to your shoulder is another new weapon: the Flame Belcher. And ah, it’s never been
easier to set something ablaze at the press of a button, being assigned its own hotkey
along with grenades and the chainsaw. Mighty useful stuff, since armor is always at a premium
and it’s quickly depleted by the more deadly demons. So always try to remember: burn first,
shoot later. And get good at those grenades too, especially the ice bombs, since they’re
one of the most effective ways to stop the assaults of low and mid-tier monsters. I was
having a rough time with a few of these jokers before I started switching from frags to ice.
My go-to siphon grenades from the last Doom are no longer a thing, so yeah, ice bombs
are a dear Eternal friend. And finally, late in the game you receive one more power tool
of pain: the Crucible. A massive glowing red blade only able to hold enough charge for
three swings at any given time, but it’s an ultra-heavy instakiller so eh, who cares!
It’s like a BFG in the sword form, doesn’t get much better than that. Regardless of your
preferred setup it’s gonna be tough to keep the heart rate down while blasting your way
through the 15 to 20 hour campaign, especially with another Mick Gordon soundtrack keeping
you company. It’s even better than the 2016 score in my book, with a bit less of the glitched-out
chaos and more melodic ambience and guitars than before, and even some choir vocals performed
by various metal musicians. Just excellent stuff.
[chaos, sheer chaos]
That being said, which enemy you attack, when you attack them, and in what way matters immensely
here, an equation that remains in flux from moment to moment. More than ever, this incarnation
of Doom is an FPS combat strategy game, a blood-soaked chessboard littered with demon
guts and spent shell casings. Each encounter is a puzzle to be solved at a moment’s notice,
like if you need a health boost? Whittle a dude down to perform a glory kill and spawn
some health. If you need ammo, it’s all about that chainsaw, spewing gobs of ammunition
with each viscous dismemberment. As mentioned, the Flame Belch and other fire attacks provide
armor drops in copious quantities. And glory kills also help build up Blood Punches, granting
an effective way of chaining together other moves so you can keep the combat flowing without
missing a beat. All worth remembering since the old enemies have been buffed up to become
more effective at both defense and offense, being faster, angrier, more armored, and more
unrelenting in their urge to slay the Slayer. It’s all mighty vicious stuff, when even
seeing a pinky demon means you’re in trouble, you know they did something right. And that’s
not even mentioning all the new enemies, with all their own counters, defenses, immunities,
and special moves easily offsetting yours. Carcasses, gargoyles, cueballs, prowlers,
dread knights, doom hunters, marauders, tyrants. These satan-spawn are out for all the blood
you have, and they’re designed so that if you get too close without them being staggered
or frozen first, they’re just gonna clobber you to death in a fraction of a second. No
more running up to every other demon point blank with the super shotgun, half the time
that’ll get you knocked back or killed. Instead you’ve really gotta use the right
tool for the job. After a little practice, each confrontation turns into a rhythmic exercise,
playing out beat by beat as you switch from weapon to equipment to special move, with
every monster playing its part as they dance to their death. It also requires such split-second
accuracy at times that I have no idea how you play this on higher difficulties with
a gamepad, a good mouse and keyboard setup is crucial in my opinion. I whipped out a
controller just to compare, and nah man. Yeah, however you’re controlling it, this game
can be downright brutalizing later on. I began playing on Nightmare difficulty and did so
happily for the first several hours, but went to Ultra-Violence and then to Hurt Me Plenty
at one point. And that point was when multiple Marauders start showing up at once, those
things are insane. For me at least, this difficulty spike happened at a point where my arsenal
and skillset just didn’t match the abilities of the new demons and ugh. Yeah, my kill/death
ratio was more of a death/death ratio of negative nothing, it was pathetic. There are still
plenty of checkpoints in each map, but no quicksaving, so failing at any point sends
you back to the start of the area. However, this can be alleviated by the addition of
extra lives, enabled in the options menu, and while I was highly skeptical of this in
the gameplay trailers I now understand why they’re included. Not only are they few
and far between, often hidden in secret areas or just around a corner you can’t reach
without a conscious effort. But they provide a way to respawn during some of the most infuriating
encounters in the later parts of the game. Usually involving Archviles and again, in
my case, multiple Marauders. At least you rarely see Lost Souls anymore, they mostly
only show up when Pain Elementals are tossing them out like boney baseballs. Anyway yeah,
extra lives exist now, and even if you never use ‘em it’s still fun to figure out where
they are and how to reach them. Cuz yeah, secret places man, and collectibles! Doom
2016 had plenty, but Eternal goes utterly bonkers. Many of these are clearly-labeled
with a glowing question mark, acting as a tease that they exist but with few clues as
to how to get to ‘em. Usually it involves angrily punching something. But yeah you’ll
find extra lives, berzerk and supercharge power-ups, collectible figurines, sentinel
crystals, 3.5” floppy disks with cheat codes to use when replaying the game, various instant
upgrade tokens, even vinyl records with music from past id Software games. You’ll also
run across secret encounters and combat arenas, activated by smashing demon hearts. But these
are hidden, more optional experiences compared to the ones in Doom 2016, unlocking bonus
items and keys that you don’t entirely need but are nice to have on down the line. Oh
and hey, Dopefish! That... is terrifying. Anyway yeah, collectibles and secrets are
everywhere and it’s good fun snapping them up for display back at your Fortress of Doom,
home sweet home. Described by the devs as “the Doom Slayer’s man cave,” it really
is a place to unwind between levels and take a gander at what you’ve collected. And dude,
as a lifelong id Software fan, there’s a whole lotta nifty crap here, it’s easter
eggs and references galore. I especially love this little DOS PC over in the corner, with
even more stuff to unlock once you collect all the different floppy disks. Also dig the
records and their companion posters. They let you play music from games like Commander
Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom III, Quake Champions, all sortsa good stuff. Really sets the mood
for wandering the fortress, admiring your spoils of war, and taking part in the game’s
“practice moooooode” down in the ship’s Ripatorium. Because of course that’s a thing.
Rip and tear folks, rip and tear!
[downright delightful demon-slaying]
Combine this with the classic Doomguy skins, centered weapon models, and original Sound
Blaster sound effects? [chuckles] Yeah it’s pretty much peak fanservice, but I admit I
enjoy some quality servicing every so often.
[classic Doom sounds, demon deaths]
Even without the direct references to old school sensibilities, to me the whole experience
feels more like a Doom game than I’ve seen since, well, Doom II from 1995. Despite the
modern upgrade systems and flashy combat, there’s an array of little touches and broader
brushstrokes that evoke classic Doom. From the floating red, yellow, and blue keycards
you pick up, to the massive winding levels full of traps and secrets, to the more vibrant
color palette making use of bright reds, purples, and greens reminiscent of the DOS games’
256-color graphics. Addressing another of my critiques from 2016, the hellish landscapes
and setpieces here are far more vibrant and surreal, with a wider variety in locations
compared to before. I was psyched to see the whole “Hell on Earth” idea fully committed
to, with skyscrapers, shopping malls, and industrial complexes overtaken with satanic
insanity oozing from every crack and crevice. And the horrific torture dungeons of hell
are truly an awesome sight to behold, this is exactly what I was hoping for in a modern
Doom game. It takes those original textures and blocky rooms from the 90s and reiminages
them in unsettling detail, I love it. Really is like strolling through a heavy metal cover,
it’s all horns, fire, corpses, and teeth, props to the artists for going balls-out.
I’m glad they’ve included a photo mode as a result, I’ve already spent far too
much time posing my Doomguy in front of all that
delectable fire and brimstone nightmare fuel.
I also really appreciate how they designed the maps in such a way that they feel more,
I dunno, Doomlike, and less of a string of obvious combat zones. A complaint I had about
the last game was that so many levels relied on locking you into a room while enemies spawned
in waves, then a door opens up and you move to the next section to do it all again. This
time around there’s much less of that, and when it does happen it’s presented in a
less predictable way. You’ll often wander into a new area and see demons just hanging
around doing their thing. Patrolling, in-fighting, talking politics, whatever demons do. Often
the exits are still locked until you clear the infestation, but levels are overall more
conducive to wandering around, even during combat. Many are also significantly more wide
open than in 2016 too, with even more verticality and nonlinear exploration involved. And some
even evoke Half-Life’s Xen with how many hovering platforms and jump pads are floating
around. Thankfully it’s much easier to navigate than Xen since Eternal features all new traversal
mechanics. Grappling onto ledges and double jumping and such, yep, that stuff’s still
here. But so is a button for dashing, helping you speed along the X-axis to strafe around
projectiles and hit far off platforms, especially useful in finding secrets. And I guess the
Doom Slayer has a bit of that radioactive spider blood cuz he can stick to certain surfaces
and climb up and around them like it’s nothing. Mix all that together with the yellow poles
and monkey bars found on any given level and you’ve got a quite the athletic stew going.
Just jump or dash onto a bar and you’ll go flying out at an angle like the buff shotgun-wielding
gymnast manbeast that you always knew you were. Once again, I haven’t had this much
fun swingin’ around virtual worlds in a long time now, it’s like a demon-slaying
Mirror’s Edge meets Uncharted and it’s fantastic. No question, sometimes it’s tricky.
But it’s not super punishing either, even with all the bottomless death pits. Drop to
your doom and you simply respawn with a small health penalty, no lives lost.
And yeah, that’s the gist of the Doom Eternal. Which I keep wanting to call Eternal Doom
for some reason. Probably because I’m used to saying Final Doom and Ultimate Doom, so
Eternal Doom just sounds right but anyway. About the only other thing I’d wanna touch
on are the story details and the boss battles, which I won’t do cuz spoilers. What I will
say though is that the story most certainly exists, with more meat on its bones that it
did in 2016. Yet when it comes to the villain of the game, well, it’s hard to say if there
really is one in particular? There are some big bads, but they weren’t the primary focus.
If anything, one could argue that you are the villain, a fitting narrative considering
the Doom Slayer lore set up in the last game. And there are a surprising number of cutscenes
too, whipping the camera out to third person and then back to first person kinda like it
did in Doom 3. You’ve still got endless codex entries and audio diaries scattered
around as expected. Personally I got more outta the cutscenes though, so if you’re
into Doom Slayer lore then I think you’ll be pleased. All the Doom wikis are sure gonna
have their work cut out for them. But yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed the campaign the whole
way through, with only a few overly frustrating moments taking me out of the experience. Which
was alleviated once I improved my skills, better-equipped my guy, and went back to revisit
the levels I sucked at before. Which you can do at any time using the Mission Select computer
terminal in the Fortress of Doom, allowing you to replay any map to grab things you missed
and redo battles that previously ruined you. Any progress made applies to your overall
save file too, so you can really just have fun whenever you first play a level and don’t
have to worry about grinding for gear since you can essentially jump into New Game Plus
any time. There are also Master Levels to try out, which are tweaked versions of regular
levels but with harder and more numerous baddies supplying a greater challenge and upgrade
opportunities. And finally, there’s multiplayer, which I can’t talk about yet because it
hasn’t gone live. The most I can do is show some of the offline tutorial for the 1v2 competitive
game, called Battlemode. It’s an asymmetrical multiplayer mode where one person plays the
Doom Slayer and two others play as demons. Each player demon can either attack directly
or spawn in more demons to try and overwhelm the Doom Slayer, while the Slayer player attempts
to fend off the demons using the same moveset seen in single player. Interesting idea, but
I can’t play it yet so who knows. The other online option set to arrive in the future
is Invasion, one of those deals where someone can jump into your campaign as an enemy to
try and give you a hard time. Can’t say I’m typically a fan of that kinda thing
in other games, but again, it’s not available yet so whatever. Fine by me, since single
player is still a radically wonderful time, presuming you’re into this flavor of chaos
and have the PC to run it. I mean it’s also on consoles but yeah, like I said earlier,
mouse and keyboard is the way to go if you can. It does require a somewhat beefy system
if you want 4K at 60+ FPS, but on mine running an 8086K CPU and an 8 gig RTX 2080 SC I had
zero problems as you'd hope. No stutters, no crashes,
nothing but silky smooth demon murder.
Y'know, looking back on the last twenty-odd minutes, I guess I really haven’t had much
to critique, huh? I dunno, I loved the vast majority of Doom Eternal though I suppose
I do have a few little things. As I mentioned a while ago, I think it teeters on the edge
of having too many upgrades and unlockables. I think some of the upgrade options could
be simplified or combined into one skill tree instead of two or three. There’s also no
SnapMap anymore, or any kind of level editor or official mod support at all at this point.
Which, yeah, I guess they’ve promised to release single player DLC to try and make
up for it, but I’d rather have the option to download fan-made stuff too. And then there’s
the multiplayer, and sorry, old man mode fully engaged here. But this is a Doom game, one
that evokes so many old school Doom ideas. So I’d love to see proper deathmatch available
and maybe some other classic multiplayer modes. Doom Eternal LAN party anyone? I’d be down.
I’ve already got it running in 640x480 on a CRT dude, just gimme some Bawls energy drinks
and an ethernet cable and I’m good to go. All right old man mode disengaged, because
no matter what Doom Eternal is such a solid single player shooter that I can’t help
but gush about it. Once again, no one paid me, this isn’t sponsored. Frankly I’ve
no idea how I ended up with a code for this. But yeah, I just really enjoyed my time with
Doom Eternal if you can't tell, I can’t wait to play some more of it. It goes without
saying, but I absolutely recommend the hell outta this one.
[combat chaos, sad death]
[Mick Gordon music is Mick Gordon music]
And if you found this review informative or enjoyable, then great! You’d probably like
the others I’ve done on older Doom games, or any number of computery things I cover
on LGR. Either way though, thank you very much for watching!