Doom Eternal – Review

Doom Eternal is considered the sequel to the acclaimed 2016 Doom, a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software. Action-packed, backed by head-banging heavy metal music, and gory as ever, from its graphics to its soundtrack, Doom was well-received by critics and players alike. Doom Eternal will launch on Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Google Stadia.

Doom Eternal will not only take place on Mars but will be on Earth as well, as previewed in its teaser trailer. The influence of each decision made by a player will impact the gameplay much more than it did in Doom. Doom Eternal takes the background narrative of Doom and blows it up to be more present in the foreground. In Doom Eternal, there will be new locations to explore in this newly built Doom universe. 

Single-player Gameplay

Doom Eternal’s single-player gameplay, as it did with Doom, is all about power and speed. Dubbed “push-forward” combat, Doom Eternal places the onus on the player to engage in combat and retrieve health, ammo, and armor as opposed to hiding behind structures and avoiding action. Doom Eternal has a more intense and comprehensive single-player gameplay when compared to Doom. By popular opinion, Doom Eternal’s single-player mode will take roughly 18 to 22 hours to complete. 

Multi-player Gameplay

Doom Eternal does not have a traditional multiplayer mode. In the world of Doom, this translates to there being no deathmatch mode. Doom Eternal comes however with a multi-player gameplay battle mode. This mode is called “Invasion”. This asymmetrical mode, pitting one against two, allows players to step into other single-player campaigns to fight against these players as demons. In this mode, one player embodies the role of Slayer while the other two players get to pick from a selection of five demons, each with their own movements, attacks, and abilities. As demons, these two players can set traps and call on other AI enemies to aid them in their attack against Slayer. The two demons win by killing Slayer. Slayer, on the other hand, must kill both demons in tandem. Otherwise put, once Slayer kills one demon, a 20-second countdown begins in which Slayer must kill the other demon or else the first demon respawns with half its health bar. 

New Features on Doom Eternal

• Extended dash feature
• Ability to climb walls and wall jump
• Ability to swing, leap and fly from overhead structures
• Addition of new movements such as double jumps and dashes
• Blood punch meter 
• Ability to attack and demolish enemies’ weapons
• Addition of new ammo types
• Addition of a “meat hook” to the Super Shotgun, and other weapons
• Addition of an Equipment Launcher to throw grenades and ice bombs
• Twice as many demon types
• New types of enemies
• Cavernous combat areas