The first thing you notice about Doom Eternal is that the combat is reshaped compared to the earlier titles; you no longer have a vast resource of ammunition; instead, you have to calculate and evaluate every combat you step into.
This might seem like an aversion to Doom’s chaotic fun aspect, but in a weird sense, the limited supply of resources challenges you to be better at the game. Doom Eternal will always keep you on your toes, and speed is the best strategy to use in this game. If you are fast enough and have a good idea of the map that you are on, taking down enemies is more like solving a puzzle.
Doom Eternal Review
Gameplay
Doom Eternal will bring out your deepest, chaotic desires. It feels good to be in touch with these basic survival instincts as the first couple of hours will have you run from one demon to another while trying to either glory kill them for resources, cover, or simply explore, the best thing about the Eternal is the fact that you get rewarded for everything that you do and having multiple styles of playing will enhance your experience.
The most significant difference you find in combat is that every weapon serves a different purpose, and finding it is half the fun; once you know where and how to use a specific fun, you will start wreaking havoc unlike you have ever seen. Hordes of demons are turned into ash in the blink of an eye and master that with perfect mobility, and you become a demon-killing machine that knows no boundaries and fury like hell has never seen before.
You can hear in the dialogues that the bosses in the game, especially the priests, will surrender in fear and send legions to defend themselves, only to be disappointed and obliterated at your hands.
Doom Eternal gives chaos a different perspective; sometimes, it feels like it has no method. Instead, you want to finish off the demons to catch a breath. There are tons of Easter eggs in the game, which suggests that Doom Guy isn’t a heartless killing machine as portrayed, but when you see what your powers combine to effect, it becomes hard to argue on that front.
Music
While Doom has been renowned for its graphic violence and exuberant gameplay, one element that wraps everything into a perfect product is the music. It can only be described the fuel that will keep you going, there is a sense of complete chaos and as Doom Guy you are constantly battling demons, all these elements demand a symphony of destruction and Doom Eternal delivers on it better than almost any other game has.
Story
Now we come down to the story of Doom Eternal, while there aren’t moments that will have you feeling for Doom Guy, Demons or even the people of the earth, the progression and the structure of the story is something that you’d expect out of this title. It tells the simple story of an ex-military guy hellbent on destroying the demons, and nothing can stop him. This works perfectly for Doom Eternal, and there isn’t a need for more than this. However, the recurring theme of defeating Icon of Sin, otherwise known as Baphomet, doesn’t surprise you.
Gameplay
The final battle is a tale for legends, a classic David versus Goliath, but with sheer perseverance and rage, nothing can stand in Doom Guy’s way. Maybe this is why the developers decided to bring on the added challenge of fewer resources while you still can farm them easily in the game, having to go that extra step makes it that much interesting.
You can spend hours playing Doom Eternal and not feel tired as there is a constant theme of repeated action and the need to save the world will have you logging more hours than you initially intended, but with that, you will often find yourself climbing into every crevice in the wall to collect a trophy or get a 1UP. This will have you log in more hours than the campaign and is a good departure from the chaos when the dust has settled.
With everything Doom Eternal brings to the game, there is a significant limitation behind it. The game pushes you along a certain way, and this restriction works in both ways; you get a classic arcade feeling, but when compared to newer generations of the games, it feels like you should have the ability to explore everything the developers have designed and have a moment to take it all in.
While Doom Eternal isn’t a 40-hour game that will keep you stuck in front of the console for a week, it will undoubtedly help ease the discomfort of the current global pandemic and have you release much tension and get a sense of relief.
