Doom Eternal: A Shooter With Character

The Slayer is back and is again slaughtered in Doom Eternal by countless demons, zombies and other creatures from hell. The game builds on the strengths of the predecessor released in 2016 and above all expands the popular glory kill system. 

What is Doom Eternal?

Doom first appeared in 1993 and is now considered the grandfather of the shooter genre. Then as now, the brand stood for uncompromising action games, accompanied by a blaring soundtrack. One of the most important turning points in the series was Doom (2016) in which the so-called glory kills were introduced: opponents can be eliminated in a different melee animation. This action rewards the player with life and ammunition and is, therefore, a good reason to plunge into combat rather than seek and cover, especially in dangerous situations. 

Doom Eternal now extends this principle and gives the game even more tactical depth: you earn life energy from glory kills, ammunition from attacks with a chainsaw. New is the so-called flame spout, which fills up your armor. In addition, the levels in Doom Eternal are much more vertical, which not only means that you often attack your opponents from the air in heated battles, but also have to complete jump passages and similar climbing stages every now and then on the way to the next battle.

Riot with style

Do you remember the manuals that came with the games in the past? There was a piece of advice on the first page, but people chose to “overlook” it. In Doom Eternal, however, the advice is definitely appropriate, because the game is really challenging. The target accuracy is only half the battle here, blunt shooting won’t get you far. Instead, you have to evaluate the current situation every second and make the right decisions: Which opponents should you focus on first? Which weapon is the most effective right now? How much ammunition do you have left? Do some of your opponents have weak points that you can exploit? Can you still collect power-ups and life energy in your area?

The longer you play Doom Eternal, the better answers you will find to these questions and the harder challenges you can face as a slayer. For example, in many situations, it is advisable to first focus on more difficult enemies and ignore harmless zombies and grunts in order to use them as literal cannon fodder in an emergency – be it to refill ammunition or much-needed life energy. A total of 13 levels await you, in which you can put your skills to the test with an ever-growing arsenal of weapons and skills.

It is quite normal that you will not master all challenges at first attempt: Ideally, the missions of Doom Eternal are made to be played several times. So you can return to missions you have completed later in the game to catch up on missed collectibles or previously unconquered challenges. Since you have properly leveled up your slayer compared to the first attempt at this point and there are even more powerful weapons available, this return to areas already visited is accordingly entertaining.

After the credits: let’s go!

The so-called master levels are particularly demanding. These are particularly difficult versions of missions already completed, in which you will be faced with even more and nastier opponents. Overcoming these master levels is Doom Eternal’s endgame challenge, which, depending on your ambition, will keep you going for a while after the credits of the original campaign flickered on the screen.

The master levels are not the only allusion for veterans, because the plot of the Doom Eternal (yes, Doom has a plot) also has all kinds of surprises and allusions for long-established series fans. Of course, the story of the game is not a literary revelation – and it is narrative for miles behind the sister series Wolfenstein, but can still provide one or the other highlight with the descent into hell and a few other scenes.

Conclusion

Anyone who has already enjoyed Doom (2016) will be happy with Doom Eternal. Although the series has the reputation of a blunt shooting gallery, the battles in Doom Eternal are as demanding as ever. Every second, decisions have to be made, weapons changed, resources managed and situations analyzed so that the creatures from hell don’t overwhelm you.

This is a lot of fun again, but can also be overwhelming. Although the action is occasionally interrupted by climbing and jumping passages, you shouldn’t be surprised if you need a break more often than when playing Doom Eternal than with other games. 

This is a good choice of a game if you’re into that type of action, but of course, everyone has their specific taste. Some people prefer action video games, some prefer card games, others prefer playing games in a UK casino because they’re also featuring fascinating characters and imply interesting graphics. Regardless of the taste, every game has its history, but Doom Eternal is a legend amongst all.