Doom Eternal: A Worthy Representative of the Series?

I started familiarizing myself with the DOOM series back in 2000. Yes, it was late, but even at that time, the first part was played energetically.

In 2004, the third part turned out to be controversial on all fronts. People expected something similar to what had been before. It’s silly to compare the first part with the sequel after 11 years, but the horror genre didn’t suit the game.

The series stagnated, ID Software was working on Doom 4, but it didn’t lead to anything. In the end, the company completely rebooted the franchise, and we got… Doom of 2016 The game turned out to be extremely successful, it had everything that people were waiting for. The developers took the right direction.

Juicy graphics, excellent optimization, and dynamic gameplay. Can there be anything better?

Yes, if it’s Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal is primarily a continuation of the ideas from 2016. But the developers have gone further. Perhaps the main innovation is the platforming. It may sound wild for this series, but it actually works in its favor on the battlefield. The character becomes mobile and controllable, now doing exactly what you want from them. Speaking of gameplay, the game has become insanely fast. If in the previous installment you acted quickly but thoughtfully, in this one everything is several times faster, and you can’t even understand where to go, what to do, and how to get out of this mess.

The music sets the mood, pace, and, of course, the atmosphere. I fell in love with this music from the first trailer. It’s chaotic, energetic, and fits the gameplay perfectly, although, of course, not everyone may like this kind of music. In my case, the composers hit the mark, and during the demon-slaying, I heard exactly what I should be hearing. But towards the end of the game, the music starts to get a bit repetitive.

Location design

The locations are magnificent, the landscapes in them are truly stunning.

The game is linear with a couple of branches that will definitely lead you to Easter eggs.

Because of these branches, the game has become more confusing. As I mentioned earlier, they added platforming and almost all locations, it’s a series of jumps, timing, and attentiveness. Sometimes after a long battle, you look around for a long time, where to jump to move on. Of course, the map helps here, but let’s be honest: I opened it 2-3 times throughout the game, and it is more needed for those who are looking for goodies in the levels.

Ammunition… Where are all the cartridges?

Many complain about the small ammunition that the main character carries… The Executioner of Rock! However, not everyone understands that this aspect was designed for people to use the chainsaw more often. Where would Doom be without a chainsaw? It reloads quickly and, of course, adds that same meat that we all love. From demons killed in this bloodthirsty way, the same ammunition and lives spill out.

The character has access to upgrades for both weapons and himself.

It’s frustrating that not all of them are useful and you won’t notice any significant difference. Weapon upgrades, apart from adding an alternative attack, don’t really bring anything special. Yes, it adds variety to the game, but I would like to see more variations in the upgrades for what you’re slashing through.

When the first part came out, the storyline was weak, but now the situation is different. Players have changed: they want a good storyline. This game is a continuation of the previous one, and if you haven’t finished that one yet, it’s better not to start the new one. The storyline itself is interesting, it’s enjoyable to watch. There are no unexpected twists, no drama, just a pure action game.

Demons… Tear them to pieces

The level of detail in enemy hits has appeared: you can actually see their severed parts and how demons get mutilated. After all of this, you can no longer perceive other games without this feature.

New types of enemies have appeared, and perhaps the most annoying of them is the Marauder. He will be able to get on your nerves, considering his ability to defend against everything and anything, and the window to hit him… That’s his own attack.

Doom Eternal seems to run smoothly, but unfortunately, the frame rate drops from time to time, and it affects the overall experience. Throughout the gameplay, the game only shut down once without any notification as to why. It was an unpleasant moment, but considering it happened only once in 10 hours of gameplay, I believe it is more of a problem with my PC rather than the game itself.

So what can we say about Doom Eternal?

As a representative of the series, he is good. In all aspects. People come here for the action, for the thrill, and everything else takes a backseat, or even a third place. It still retains what we loved about this series, and that’s pleasing, although, of course, not without controversial innovations. I recommend trying it, but only if you have played the 2016 game.