Now Playing: DOOM Eternal

I really wanted to take more screenshots of Doom Eternal. The game is a veritable visual feast, with gorgeous environments and stunning backdrops. Unfortunately, taking screenshots proved to be the one technical hitch I experienced with Eternal – every time I tried to take a screenshot, the game would crash.

I wasn’t alone with this problem and I tried various fixes suggested online, but nothing would stick and nothing would work, regardless of which screenshot utility I tried. So the screenshots you see accompanying this review are all I was able to get and all I have to work with. It’s a damn shame because Eternal is a beautiful game and none of these shots really do it justice.

They also include elements of the UI I later switched off or scaled down because they’re far too intrusive. The UI in Eternal is, thankfully, fully customisable and you’ll likely want to turn much of it off because the default settings are far too cluttered. Despite this one irritating issue, I had no other technical problems with Doom Eternal. The game ran smooth as butter regardless of how crazy things would get on screen – and things can get pretty damn crazy.

If you’ve played Doom 2016 then you’ll feel immediately at home in Eternal – it doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel and many of the systems and mechanics of that game continue here. The weapon selection is practically identical, with each weapon possessing two alternative fire mods, each with combat challenges to complete.

 

The ‘glory kill’ system also returns, as enemies enter a weakened state in which you can ‘rip and tear’ them apart in a gloriously gory animation and spawn additional health – but only health. Unlike 2016, you now need to use two other specific abilities to spawn additional ammunition and armour – the chainsaw for ammo (which requires fuel) and the flame belch for armour (which requires a period of cool down). You do, of course, still find regular ammo, health and armour pick ups scattered throughout each level, but you’ll also need to juggle these abilities as you fight in order to keep yourself stocked and alive.

Whereas 2016 ramped up the action more as it progressed, Eternal kicks off in high gear and never lets up for a single moment. The visuals, as I’ve already mentioned, are fantastic, and the music is absolutely perfect. Purely in terms of moment to moment gameplay, Doom Eternal is very nearly perfect. The combat is exceptional with a wide variety of weapons, mods and abilities in addition to a strong, if mostly familiar selection of enemy types. Like 2016, Eternal allows the player to be creative in how they approach every fight – you can switch weapon mods on the fly, mixing up your style of play depending upon what the situation requires.

And every weapon and every mod, although always useful in a pinch, also has an optimal use against particular enemies. The combat is fast and frantic, but you always feel in control and you soon learn to make split second decisions as to what weapon or mod will be most effective as you string a chain of kills together, one demon to the next. 

If there’s one aspect of the combat I wasn’t totally enamoured with it was the inclusion of the ‘empowered totems’. These boost the health and attack power of demons in a combat arena and continually re-spawns them until the totem is destroyed. It creates a silly situation in which you charge about the arena, attempting to locate the totem because fighting the demons in this situation is a waste of time until it’s been destroyed.

Thankfully, there’s only a handful of areas that do this. The game does introduce an enemy later on which has the same abilities as the totem – boosts demon stats and spawns new enemies. But this is a target you have to track and fight, not just an annoying little totem you have to hunt down because it’s tucked away in some small corner of the map.

Another minor annoyance is the ‘sticky floor’ type which, as part of a larger arena as a hazard to avoid I’m totally okay with, but there are a few moments when you’re forced to trudge your way through this shit and fight enemies at the same time. One of the joys of combat in Doom Eternal is how mobile you are, so when that’s taken away from you, it becomes a lot less fun.

In terms of campaign length, Eternal is fairly comparable to 2016, so you’re looking at about 15-18 hours to complete if you also want to scratch off all of the challenges and discover all of the collectibles. The maps are varied in terms of environmental design and thanks to the expanded movement options, now offer a basic, but fun range of platform style puzzles. You can now swing from bars to reach higher points and grip certain walls to climb. It is, admittedly, a little weird at first, but you soon get used to these new abilities as you traverse the maps and seek out the various secret areas.

There are a handful of boss fights in the game, although this is one area I was a little disappointed by. I really wanted a few more, including some mini-boss style encounters to help mix things up. The game relies very heavily on a repetitive rotation of demon spawns in later combat encounters, so you always know what’s coming next.

 

And that lack of surprise also extends to the maps in general which helpfully mark every combat arena before you’ve even encountered it – including the handful of boss fights. It seems a strange design decision to warn the player of every fight that’s coming. As a result, the game never really takes you by surprise and forces you to think fast to survive – you’ll always be prepared.

I don’t want to sound too nitpicky about Eternal because the game is, overall, pretty damn fantastic and one of the best shooters you’ll ever play. There were just these little annoying design choices that sadly hold the game back from being pretty much perfect. 

There’s a new Multiplayer component in Eternal, but I really have no interest in it, just as I had no interest in the pretty bad MP of Doom 2016. I guess they think it’s a way of keeping the game active and the player base engaged, but I can’t say I care for it. I am pretty interested in future single player expansions, though.

Overall, Doom Eternal is an absolute blast of a game and those few minor annoyances don’t detract too much from what is easily one of the best shooters you’ll play. Compared to 2016, I’d say Eternal is a more refined game with more variety to explore. The story delves more deeply into the lore of the slayer which is neat for those who care, but never intrusive for those who don’t. It’s a great sequel but you certainly don’t need to play 2016 to enjoy it. If you enjoy first person shooters, it’s a must buy.

9/10