DOOM Eternal is a first-person shooter game developed by ID Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is the direct sequel to the 2016 Doom and the fifth main installment of the Doom series. In the game, the player once again controls the Doom Slayer, an ancient warrior facing off against the forces of Hell. DOOM Eternal takes place sometime after the events of the previous one and features new gameplay mechanics, which include new monsters to slay and improved traversal mechanics. The game received positive initial reception and was hailed a worthy successor of the Doom series.

The Doom Slayer’s return

In DOOM Eternal, the player is put in the armor of the Doom Slayer. Very little is known about the past of this ancient warrior. Through Codexes found in 2016’s Doom, the player might gather some information on the Doom Slayer. Both forces of the Damned and the Union Aerospace Corporation recognize his skill. The armies of Hell fear him and treat him as an ultimate threat to their expansion. The UAC recognize his demon-killing talents and utility in fight against the forces of the Damned. Clad in armor that could withstand the infernal fires, the Doom Slayer is the perfect weapon against the demons who had overrun the world.

The Story of the Apocalypse

Some years after opening the portal to Hell on Mars, Samuel Hayden returns to Earth with the Crucible, an ancient blade recovered by the Doom Slayer. Using the Crucible to fuel his research. Hayden leaves the Blue Planet vulnerable to the assault of demonic forces. Meanwhile, the Doom Slayer, sent away by the scientist to an unknown location, manages to find his way back to Earth, only to find it overrun by Hellish legions. Now it is up to this ancient warrior to once again battle against the forces of the Damned, this time with the fate of the entire world at stake.

The Infernal Gameplay

The gameplay of DOOM Eternal remains mostly the same in comparison to the previous title in the series. The game is still a first-person shooter with an emphasis on fast-paced gameplay and “push forward” mechanic. The enemies spawn endlessly in the area, forcing the player to plow through them, gathering health and ammo, and moving on forward.

DOOM Eternal introduces a system of lives. Picking up green helmets scattered across the maps gives the player an additional life, which will revive him at the place of death instead of at the nearest checkpoint. The game also improves on traversal by adding a grappling hook, which the player can use to move to higher spaces or against the enemies.

The Armies of Hell

The main type of foes the player will encounter on their way through the Hellish landscapes of Earth are demons. In comparison to the previous title, the game contains twice as many of the damned fiends. The demons in DOOM Eternal will include possessed humans, equipped with various types of weapons, spider-like Arachnotrons, hulking Mancubuses and Doomhunters and super shotgun and ax-wielding Marauders.

The game features monsters some of the monsters returning from the previous games, such as Arch-Vile, Hell Knights and Pain Elementals. The player will also encounter bosses and mini-bosses along the way. These monsters are stronger and harder to kill, which ultimately leads to more satisfaction when the player manages to bring these beasts down.

The Weapons of Doom

DOOM Eternal features an entire arsenal of new weapons the player can unleash on the Hell forces. The weapons at the player’s disposal include arm blade, excellent in close combat, Super Shotgun, a hallmark of the Doom series, now equipped with a meat hook that can grapple onto enemies and elements of the environment, a plasma rifle, redesigned to resemble its counterparts in Doom 1 and 2, as well as more powerful toys like a ballista, firing explosive projectiles that can lodge themselves in enemies and blow them after few seconds, rocket launcher, and a fan favorite from the previous installment, the chainsaw. Each weapon can be upgraded and modified to sow even more destruction among the enemy ranks.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets blown to pieces

Doom Eternal features a new multiplayer mode, called “Invasion”. In Invasion, other players will assume the roles of demons in the player’s single-player mode. The game will also feature traditional multiplayer modes, where players can face each other or cooperate online.

Reception

DOOM Eternal received a positive initial response from the critics. Early reactions praised the familiarity of gameplay as well as some of the revamped mechanics. Special accolades went to the grappling hook attached to the Super Shotgun, which changed the mobility mechanics and the Invasion multiplayer mode.