CRISP. Gaming: DOOM Eternal Review, XBOX One

Hellishly good fun.

Well, we’re back. And this time it’s Hell on Earth.

Four years (and a slight delay) after Bethesda’s reboot redefined modern first-person shooters, Doom Eternal delivers more story, variety, labyrinthine map design and a bewildering array of power-ups and perks to create one of the best games of the year.

A decidedly single-player experience, Doom Eternal’s campaign delivers a selection of brilliantly devious levels designed to confuse and torment, but enables the tight, mechanically sound combat to truly sing.

 

Story

Picking up a number of years after the first game, Eternal sees the Doom Slayer returning to a ravaged Earth on a mission to dispatch three Hell Priests in an effort to topple the Khan Maykr – the new big bad.

Drip-feeding choice information between cut scenes, lore pick-ups in the world and a smattering of audio files, everything from Doom Slayer’s origins, the original invasion of Earth and Eternal’s overarching revenge plot are all explored and remain fairly engaging for the 15 to 20-hour playtime.

It’s definitely tenuous in tying disparate maps together – the usual videogame narrative detours hamper progress but it’s self-aware enough to be entirely fun, and the gallows humour serves more than enough purpose in driving the plot forwards.

 

 

Gameplay

Doom Eternal is hard.

Despite choosing to play on Ultra-Violence, it is just as brutal and relentless on Normal – with the freedom to toggle difficulty at any point in the campaign.

Challenging and cleverly crafted kill rooms force map traversal, mixing up long-range and close up combat as well as enemy prioritisation and constant weapon switching.

Thankfully, those weapons are a blend of old and new to take down the denizens of Hell in new and exciting ways.

Classic references abound as the Super Shotgun, Plasma Rifle, and Rocket Launcher make a return, with every single weapon sporting alternate-fire mods, upgrades and a unique challenge mode to unlock even more variety.

New weapons like the Ballista – a laser crossbow – have inventive alts like a charged horizontal scythe of energy, cleaving an entire screen of demons in two. There might even be a bit of melee combat in there…

Suit stats can be permanently upgraded in numerous ways from unveiling map layouts to beefing up your grenades with Praetor Tokens, a Call of Duty-esque trio of customisable perks can also be found with Runes.

The third path to power is Sentinel Crystals found in the levels, combining two of which can bring permanent stat boosts to your health, armour or ammo levels…there’s a lot.

 

 

Then a new secondary weapon set which enables combat puzzles to be even more tactical – the flame belch enables you to immolate enemies and force them to drop armour, whilst glory kills remain a way to induce health pick-ups out of demons.

The first hour of the game is admittedly an intense experience where a ton of exposition, fresh gameplay mechanics and tutorials are piled upon each other – even fans of the original might find the staccato opening a tad jarring.

Slowly the non-linear levels begin to make sense and you fall into a rhythm of favoured weapons and perks – then the true depths of Eternal’s gameplay come to the fore.

Levels swiftly branch out from linear corridors to complex and interweaving levels handsomely rewarding exploration with a legion of secrets.

Map design often possesses shades of a first-person Super Mario as elaborate platforming sections require every fibre of concentration in managing the new air-dash, double jump and wall grab to navigate effectively.

 

Many controllers and keyboards will be destroyed in the path to Salvation, as some routes are less than clear at first glance.

Every single level has at least one section which leaves you grinning at its devious inventiveness – whether it’s a sneaky secret remaining just out of reach until you think more laterally, or a map that concertinas on itself to reveal a new path in a place you least expect.

Yes, coloured key cards are still very much present and correct.

Thankfully you’ve got your own hub world to take a break in every so often – the open map of the Fortress of Doom.

Here you can hone your shooting skills in the Ripatorium, unlock perks and new areas with Sentinel Batteries found during the main levels, and even get a bit of story foreshadowing if you look explore closely enough…it’s yet another area that has been impressively elaborated over the original.

Novelties in gameplay (unfortunately not live at time of review) include the idea of enemies that kill you invading other gamers’ campaigns, with the promise of extra goodies if defeated.

Even without that Doom Eternal is a refined and honed experience, taking and expanding upon what made 2016’s effort so great and exploding it out in every direction to make for unadulterated carnage.

Multiplayer takes on an asymmetrical demon-versus-slayers component, where you’re able to spawn grunts to take on multiple opponents. Once again, wasn’t quite ready for launch (so we might come back and review this separately when servers are up), but the tutorial makes it seem surprisingly strategic and a far cry from the relative afterthought of 2016’s arena-based combat.

 

 

Graphics

Doom Eternal looks incredible. The variety of vistas in just the first few levels – destroyed cityscapes and snowcapped mountains giving way to classic gothic architecture – ensure the game remains visually fresh and exciting throughout.

A silky 60 frames per second and (upsampled) 4K in HDR without a hint of slowdown on the XBOX One X means the frenetic pace of the gameplay is maintained, regardless of the number of enemies and pyrotechnics on screen – an essential element of the Doom experience.

The enemies now have destructible bodies, meaning shotgun blasts flay chunks of flesh and reveal bones and gore in a way that is actually pretty harrowing.

Sound

Yes. Another area which doesn’t disappoint is Mick Gordon’s dynamic, pounding soundtrack punctuating your acts of violence. An integral key element of Doom (2016)’s success was getting your blood pumping with the audio, and it’s great to say that this is still the case in Eternal.

The variety of tracks isn’t quite as broad in the first few hours, but things ramp up dramatically as levels become more aggressive and the stakes become higher, making for an aural feast of chugging chords and guttural riffs.

The weapons all have that hyper-realistic punch that makes the shotgun one of videogames’ most satisfying, and those with a surround sound setup will find numerous occasions when a rear-audio demon growl can cause you to spin around and give it both barrels.

A feast for the senses, and on a par with the awesome visuals.

Summary

Doom Eternal is decidedly more Doom, and that is far from a bad thing.

More clever map design, more exploration and secrets and more story – both through cutscenes and interspersed in gameplay. More of an incredible and visceral soundtrack that elevates the moment-to-moment gameplay as few can.

There are some decidedly 2020 trappings of XP and an odd ‘season’ of unique missions and challenges tied into persistent online progression, but these are mere diversions in what is a fantastically crafted and deliciously executed sequel which delivers on all fronts.

In a world of battle royales and multiplayer grinds, Doom Eternal stands alone – both as a testament filled with Easter Eggs and homages to the great solo FPS experiences of the past, and as a technical showcase of modern gameplay and graphics.

Doom Eternal is hellishly good fun and serves as one of the best – and most punishing – releases of the year to date.

Available on PS4, Xbox One and PC – review code supplied by Bethesda.