Review: Doom Eternal

One of the biggest games of 2020 rips its way onto consoles and PCs, as Doom Eternal continues the story of the legendary Doom Slayer’s crusade against the demons of Hell. This time, the action moves from Mars to Earth, with developer id Software upping the ante on the guns, enemies, and scale, but does bigger and louder enhance or dilute the tried-and-tested Doom formula?

While there are a ton of new tricks and twists (we’ll get to those in a bit), the game definitely leans on the foundations set out with the 2016 reboot. You get the same quick-moving, run-and-gun action, with the ability to ‘glory kill’ demons when you deal out enough damage to them. It’s a simple framework, but one which works incredibly well thanks to the varied weapons and curveballs each demon-type throws at you.

One of the more interesting additions is the emphasis on weapon mods, and the alternate-fire modes they offer. From shooting sticky-grenades with your shotgun to turning your plasma rifle into a powerful beam, Doom Eternal gives you a lot of ways to dispose of the demonic hordes, but asks a lot of your agility when doing so, which is half the challenge.

Speed is incredibly important in Doom Eternal. If you stop moving, you die. You’ll easily be overwhelmed if you hold your ground and stay still, so it’s crucial to keep moving in order to survive. Players have to utilise (or essentially master) a handful of traversal moves, including a dash/dodge, to avoid incoming enemy attacks and solve platforming puzzles.

While the guns and demons are sublime to look at, the real highlight of Doom Eternal is the level design. You’ll fight your way through elaborate hallways and giant fortresses, and much like the arenas in Quake III or Unreal Tournament, you’ll find each area to have gravity-jumps, multiple escape routes, hidden spots, and traps to enhance each battle.

Doom Eternal does feature an enhanced multiplayer mode over its predecessor, expanding its asymmetrical 2-v-1 Demons-vs.-Slayer Battlemode, which is a fun spin on the usual deathmatch set-up. However, while it won’t set the world on fire, it is great to see id Software utilising the game’s monsters and doing something different.

id Software delivers a frontrunner for Game of the Year with Doom Eternal. It’s fun, fast, brutal, and challenging to the point where it asks you to be better, rather than punishing your efforts. The new additions on top of the already-slick gameplay formula of its predecessor, makes Doom Eternal a must-buy for any FPS fan.

Doom Eternal is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Find the best price on Doom Eternal and more great prices on Xbox One & PS4 games on PriceCheck!