“Rip and tear, until it is done.”
With these immortal words and the heaviest of metal riffs, “DOOM Eternal” sends you into battle against the legions of hell.
It’s good to be home.
“DOOM Eternal” is a sequel to 2016’s “DOOM,” in which the protagonist, the Doom Slayer, rips apart the hellish host invading Mars, only for the demonic forces to set their sights on Earth.
The sequel picks up sometime after the events of the first game, with the invasion of Earth beginning in earnest.
The 2016 installment in the “DOOM” series bucked first-person shooter trends with a game design more akin to games such as “Quake” or “Duke Nukem” by ignoring modern genre standbys.
No longer will players prioritize finding cover and reloading. Instead they’ll focus on frenetic gunplay and a mob of demons out for your blood.
“Eternal” continues the pedigree the series is known for, but adds flourishes to the formula that make it feel like an evolution of the genre rather than a simple tribute.
The combat is still a kinetic dance of bullets and gore, where standing still means death at the claws of the legions of hell.
But, all sorts of mechanical checks and balances mean that you can’t turn off your brain for even a second.
The “Glory Kill” mechanic comes back, allowing players to instantly kill weakened demons in grisly fashion, causing them to drop valuable health pickups.
The chainsaw does the same for ammunition, which runs out much faster than in the previous game, meaning judicious use of it will keep your weapons from running dry.
“DOOM Eternal” adds a “Flame Belch” move, which sets demons aflame and causes them to drop armor, keeping you alive in your battle against the unholy horde.
Balancing these gameplay elements means that every encounter feels less like a shooting spree and more like chess at 90 miles per hour, a high wire balancing act where the wrong move means getting torn to shreds by Satan’s army.
Each of the elements of gameplay and the weapons acquired are briefly introduced by text and a hands-on tutorial demonstrating how it works.
“Eternal” also provides tutorials for the tougher enemies that have weak points you can exploit.
These short demonstrations mean that players are prepared for the challenges that await them, without belaboring the point with a long-form tutorial, allowing players to get back to the demon slaying.
However, don’t mistake these tutorials for hand-holding, because the game will splatter you if you get complacent or fail to use your tools properly.
Indeed, be prepared to get familiar with death, because uncompromising encounters will likely lead you to the loading screen time and again.
Mercifully quick loading times and generous checkpoints allow you to get back to the action in record time.
Well-designed fights ensure that the deaths never feel cheap, even with the ultra-hard “Slayer Citadels” found hidden in some of the levels.
Not content with a game full of just demon guts and explosions? Exploration also plays a big role in the game’s design.
Cleverly hidden secrets pepper each level, ranging from neat things such as monster tchotchkes or audio vinyl records to useful things like power-ups or even cheats that allow you to break the rules of the game.
For a brand that has made its name with first-person shooter games, “DOOM Eternal” has a surprising amount of platforming, giving the game a Metroidvania-like feel between the gunfights.
However, some parts of the game don’t indicate where to go very well, which can leave players stuck with admiring the scenery until they bumble their way to the right place.
“DOOM Eternal” has plenty of replay value, so if you’re sheltered in place, there is still plenty to do after the credits roll.
Aside from higher difficulty levels for the campaign, you can find missed collectibles or conquer the “Slayer Citadels.”
The latter of which unlocks the ultra-powerful “Unmaykr,” a reference to the classic “Doom 64.”
Not happy to store all the collectibles behind a menu, “Eternal” keeps everything you find in the game’s staging area, where you can look at all the neat things you find in the campaign and find even more secrets.
“DOOM Eternal” introduces “Battlemode,” a multiplayer experience in which players are either the Doom Slayer or a team of two campaign demons such as the “Pain Elemental” or the “Mancubus.”
Each of the different demons that you can play as have unique play styles and skills you need to use to hunt the Doom Slayer.
A warning for the faint of heart: playing as the Doom Slayer can be an exercise in frustration as the deck is firmly stacked in the demons’ favor because they have more health and if both are not killed in quick succession, the fallen demon respawns to terrorize you once more.
Winning as the Doom Slayer in “Battlemode” requires masterful use of every skill you’ve learned in the campaign against two other players who can adapt to your strategies and a horde of non-player demons out for your blood.
All-in-all, “DOOM Eternal” is just shy of gaming perfection with a few minor flaws that hold it back.
