Hell is eternal. Thankfully for humanity, so is the Doom Slayer. Doom Eternal, developed by id Software, is the bloody sequel to 2016 Doom. The series rebooted itself to a more run and gun style of play. The results were impressive and the sequel adds even more carnage this time around. Some cool new additions make your path of vengeance more fun. The story, however, leads you this might not be the reboot everyone thought it was.
Earth has been invaded. A few years after the previous game, billions have died and demons have started to convert the Earth into a new Hell. Doom Slayer, or Doom Guy if you prefer, arrives with a whole lot of ammo and a big chip on his shoulder. Khan Maykr, the leader of Doom Slayers’s society who has gone evil, tries to prevent him from kill three Hell Priests which will end the invasion. Doom Slayer will travel around Earth and other worlds as he seeks to stop this demonic invasion.
Doom Eternal knows what works. Put the player in the middle of all the demons you can fit on screen and let them go to town. New features are a hand spike that can let you stab demons if they get to close. A grappling hook allows for a quick retreat or a blitz attack. One of the best additions is new glory kills, the instant death moves if an enemy is stunned. The first game had limited animations so you felt like you saw all of them by the second stage. There are a ton more, all depending on which direction you attack from.
Doom Eternal also brings new demons to the fight. While the first game only had one new enemy, the sequel gets many more. The landscape know has huge demons roaming around. They are so big that they do not even react if the player shoots them. There are more characters that the Doom Slayer can talk to. Coming from Mars where only Dr. Samuel Hayden talked to the player, this gives fresh insight about how the demons work and the other worlds that have fallen to them.
After playing Doom (2016), you would be forgiven if you think the series has rebooted for a new experience. This game sheds light on the Doom Slayer’s past and it is a very familiar one indeed. Taking from the previous games, including Doom 64, the player learns that Doom Slayer has been at this for a long time. If the first game was about “rip and tear” this one is about why. It is surprising as you find out why things are happening. The Doom Slayer has always been a mystery, and it is refreshing that the game tells you more without spoiling what makes the character great.
Doom Eternal is a great game that follows the rules about what makes a sequel worth playing. Keep what works, add in some new layers and continue the story. The ending sets up a sequel, much like the first game, and it seems the Doom Slayer will keep fighting until all of Hell is put in the ground. If you are sleeping on this series, it’s time to pull out your chainsaw and join the fight.
9/10
Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox
Coming Soon to Switch.
