Xander Walther, Head of Video
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Malek Sidani Walther, Reporter
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The forces of Hell have made their way to Earth and transformed into a demon-filled landscape. Now it’s your job to save what once was known as humanity. In 1993, id Software in cooperation with Bethesda Game Studios, Austin released the first ever Doom game. A year later, Doom II was released, followed by Doom III in 2004. Many longtime Doom fans were happy when Bethesda announced the release of DOOM, which sold 3.6 million copies in 2016 alone.
DOOM Eternal was first announced to be released in November, but was later pushed back to Friday, March 20, 2020. Despite the unfortunate wait, in the United Kingdom alone, over 500,000 physical copies of DOOM Eternal have been sold as of March 23. Worldwide, DOOM Eternal is the second highest grossing game of March, only behind Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
DOOM 2016, and all its predecessors for that matter, were shoot-’em-ups. That’s not to say they were generic or bland, but they weren’t complex either. You have an arsenal; you have enemies on which you use the arsenal, you get the idea. DOOM Eternal takes the franchise to a new level. Upon first glance, it is still the Doom we know and love; you and your enormous array of weapons and gadgets, versus demons of all shapes and sizes. But the thing is, DOOM Eternal is more strategic. Try as you might, you simply cannot shoot your way through every level. It isn’t possible.
You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies, what weapons work on who or what, how to move around the map, which demons to target first, the list goes on. DOOM Eternal requires acute focus, which is why the experience is so fun. Along with intense battles, the game hosts puzzles progressing in difficulty as you continue to reclaim Earth. Not only is everything very visually pleasing, finishing a particularly hard fight feels especially rewarding, but you really do feel yourself improving as you play.
As challenging as everything may sound, the game offers a number of different levels of difficulty to choose from as you complete the campaign, which ranges from, “I’m Too Young to Die” to “Nightmare”, with “Hurt Me Plenty” and “Ultra-Violence” in between. For people who have minimal experience with shooter games, the first two difficulties are a great place to start. In contrast, avid Call of Duty or Rainbow Six Siege players would be more prepared to take on the harder difficulties. However, that’s not to say you should avoid the challenge! There is an unlimited amount of deaths, and you can change the difficulty at any time without affecting your progress.
Another new addition to DOOM Eternal that was not featured in any of its predecessors is the fun yet challenging parkour section. The doom slayer can latch on to climbable walls and swing from trapeze bars, all while avoiding various hazards, such as lasers, flamethrowers, and death. Pair these with bounce pads, a double jump, and a dash, and the slayer becomes more mobile than ever before.
Doom Eternal stands out because of the detail that went into it. The developers took a great game, and made it perfect. They subtracted redundant features, added in better features, and in the end, produced a product that is truly a sight to behold.
