Doom Eternal Review

Rip and tear until it is done. Or in my case, leave it two years since your initial review, play the game again, and reassess.

RIP AND TEAR!

A playable heavy metal album, Eternal picks up the baton from DOOM 2016, delving further into the history of the Doom Slayer as he rips and tears his way through a frankly staggering amount of demons. It’s an amazingly gruesome and crazy ride, dialling up all the things that make ’16 one of my favourite FPSs.

My initial move into playing DOOM in 2016 set some extremely high expectations. I was all ready to play DOOM ’16 2. Eternal isn’t that, and several aspects – namely platforming, menus, and Marauders – wound me up a treat.

So now I’ve come back to it after some time, are those aspects still problems?

Platforming – Still occasionally awkward, but considering the sheer array of movement options (double jump, dash, meathook, swinging bars), it’s a positive now overall. So mobile, much wow.

Menus – There are several screens of upgrades, each with their own currency. At first bewildering, I grew accustomed to it as time went on. There could be a more cohesive design between the pages, but in my head it’s all part of DOOM Guy having his own base of operations and having somewhere to work on things.

Marauders – I HATED these motherfuckers the first time, with their “defensive powerhouse” stature giving me no end of grief and stopping the game dead. This time though? Just another bitch demon that needed taking out. Clear some space, stay a bit nearer than feels right, and wait for the green eyes. Like every other enemy in DOOM, suss out the pattern, persist, and you’ll be OK.

Both modern DOOMs use ‘push forward’ play, urging the player to keep moving and keep shooting. Much like its main character, Eternal is all about utilising aggression to your benefit. There’s no cover and no regen. Everything you need is ahead of you, in those demons. This time around you’re not given a basic pistol, instead using pooled ammo resources and various means of gaining more.

It’s great fun, especially as it becomes even more clear that the DOOM Slayer doesn’t give a fuck. His rage goes unsatiated. His thirst remains forever unquenchable. Through Eternal I felt like that, glowering at scientists as they ask me dumb questions and generally giving everything the finger. Marine, Guy, Slayer – Whatever you call him, he’s faster and more violent. He looks cooler too , with his new Praetor suit a cool visual improvement that not only harks back to the original DOOM design, but always looks less like Master Chief whilst screaming “IDGAF” with its exposed biceps. The equipment launcher and DOOM Blade add both design interest and cool game play.

There is some real crazy metal shit going on here, with the whole thing feeling OTT and suitably insane. I can’t get enough of the lore. I just love how it’s all written; flowing prose that draws you in and paints a vivid picture of technology and hell and everything in-between.

Then there’s Mick Gordon. I bow at the altar of the man who gives new DOOM it’s soul. The Only Thing They Fear Is You is an amazing piece of music. It’s mystifying how id could treat Gordon so poorly, but this is another piece of suitably dark and heavy and grindy awesomeness.

There’s a clear move back to the designs of the original games, with some big changes to the weapons and demons. Since the first playthrough of Eternal I’ve played the original trilogy, so with that knowledge in hand, I like the changes.

So I think it’s fair to say I really like DOOM Eternal now, but do I like it more than it’s predecessor?

Fortunately I’m an adult and don’t have to say one is better. They’re different, and I can appreciate that. 2016 is extremely focused and tight with little extra to think about. Eternal asks for more but gives you more in return. Managing expectations is key to making the most of either experience. I’m happy I revisited Eternal, and I’m extremely happy that I came way appreciating it far more second time around.

And my goodness, the Super Shotgun is still so cool.

Played On	PS4 and PS5
Time Spent	40 hours across two plays
Pros	+ The movement + The shooting + The music + Move to a more classic aesthetic
Cons	– Platforming can be a bit much?
Overall	DOOM, but more. Yay!