Tag: Video

Doom:Eternal Single Player [Review]

On By fonsoqIn GamingLeave a comment
  • Doom: Eternal
  • Rated M
  • iD Software
  • iD Tech 7
  • Xbox One, PS4, PC
  • Release: March 20, 2020
  • Purchased personal copy on Xbox One X

Doom: Eternal is a sequel to 2016’s Doom. You are the Doom Slayer, a human turned demon hunter. You are the only one who can cleanse the planet from demonic control. We find the Doom Slayer on the hunt to find the demonic priest to end their rule on Earth.

After beating the first level, you are then introduced to the hub level. Here you can continue to the next story mission or even select to replay a past mission. The hub level also is a showcase of all the collectibles you have found. Scattered throughout this hub are also Easter eggs and player upgrades locked behind doors. You unlock these by getting sentinel batteries, which can be earned by completing challenges in each of the levels.

As you progress through Eternal, you earn weapon upgrades, ability enhancements, and suit upgrades. Like Doom 2016, you earn up to two attachments for most weapons. Upon upgrading the attachment you can then unlock weapon masteries for each. These masteries are weapon specific challenges that will unlock a great improvement to the weapon. For example, unlocking the super shotgun’s mastery will cause any enemy hit with the hook shot to drop armor bits. Finding the runes and praetor points will unlock new abilities like faster weapon swapping and faster glory kills.

Doom Eternal also added a more mobile Doom Slayer. With the double jump, a dash, and the ability to wall climb on specific surfaces, it allows for some platforming to be mingled in between fights. Also new in ths game is the equipment launcher, allowing you to use a short burst flamethrower and choose between an ice bomb or a frag grenade as a secondary use. All three of these will recharge over time.

Throughout the game you’ll also find sentinel crystals. These will upgrade your base ammo, health, or armor up to four times each. With every two of these crystal unlocks comes a special trait. These vary from unlocking a bigger drop magnet radius to a faster armor drop rate. Other upgrades will help fill your “Blood Punch,” which is a boosted melee attack that deals more damage and can wipe out a group of weaker enemies once upgraded.

The combination of these systems is what makes Eternal great. Once you obtain all the tools the game offers, you begin to chain the systems together and tailor the upgrades to your flavor of playstyle. The game becomes more of a strategy game. The objective being clearing the room of demons while you keep an eye on your scarce resources. Using what you have to create momentum for yourself by sweeping up the ants instead of directly butting heads with the elephant in the room.

Depending on which weapons you have and how much ammo is left, you have to decide on which enemy to take out first. Do you use your blood punch on the Cyber Mancubus or do you use the heavier weapons to do that saving the punch for the Hell Knight? If you’re low on ammo, can you get to a lower level enemy to use the chainsaw? If you need health and armor, can you pick off a few with glory kills for some quick health or use the shotgun hook to free a few armor shards? On Ultra Violence, you’ll need a answer to these questions all while dodging enemies that chase you while other enemies fire from afar.

Playing through the campaign on Ultra-Violence, the game is only really challenging in the beginning. By unlocking weapon masteries and suit abilities, the game only gets easier. Despite throwing even harder enemies at you, once you fine tune your loadout you’ll overcome no matter what hell awaits.

Fantastic

Doom: Eternal succeeds in being a fun shooter that makes you plan your onslaught a few steps ahead. Like a good strategy game, you’ll have to have a move to counter what ever the game throws at you. While the limited ammo capacity is frustrating at times, it does add to the overall game loop.

  • + Strategic Combat
  • + Fast Traveling back to earlier parts of the map helps collectible hunting
  • + A variety of enemies will keep you on your toes
  • + Hook Shot is really fun to use
  • – A few bugs