I Went to Hell and All I Got Was this BFG 9000 - A Doom Eternal Review

Ah, Doom. You and I have had our moments over the years, haven’t we? The halcyon days of obliterating blocky minions of darkness and blood-spurting pixels strewn across the brown-and-gray battlefields as Doomguy’s portrait grew more bruised and bloodied in the bottom center of the computer screen. Years later, the blackened hallways of Doom 3’s space station beckoned, haunted by the spectres of demonic forces chasing after us… Then came Doom 2016, a triumphant return to the manic run ‘n’ gun action of years past and the resurrection of the greatest First Person Shooter franchise of all time.

Yes, we have been through much together, Doomguy. You’ve evolved into the Doom Slayer, no relation to Buffy, and have even gained an intriguing backstory over time, especially from Doom 2016 into the just-released Doom Eternal. If 2016 was an intensely straightforward, back-to-basics approach to the franchise at its apex, Eternal is a more complex and intriguing take on the same material. There’s more emphasis on story, verticality in levels, platforming, and even shooting mechanics and enemy variety. No longer can you just expect to run in guns blazing with any combo of weapons shredding enemy combatants like paper. Eternal actually encourages you to consider the enemies you’re facing, and choose weapons suited to the task of efficiently eviscerating the demon hordes which await you. Failure to do so results in a quick Game Over screen, and yet another (admittedly pretty short) wait for the game to reload you back in.

Now that’s a face for Hell Radio.

Make no mistake, combat is where Doom Eternal shines, much like its predecessor. Weapons are varied and sound appropriately chunky when you fire them. Most of them are the same ones featured in 2016, but some are redesigned or almost entirely different. The railgun you had in 2016 has become the Ballista, capable of firing an intensely focused energy wave or a screen-filling swath of red plasma that cuts through any enemy in its path. Oh, and the super shotgun now has a meathook that propels you toward enemies and, by the time you fully upgrade it, nets you extra armor. Therefore, we’ve established that meathooks are awesome.

In addition to enhanced and overhauled weapons, id Software has also redesigned the Doom Slayer’s Praetor Suit with more upgrade slots, new Runes to activate, and a few combat-ready armaments the Slayer can utilize in battle. First up is the Doom Blade, which cuts enemies to bits during Glory Kills. Then we have the Flame Belch, which sets demons ablaze and rewards the player with armor. Finally, there’s the grenade launcher, which tosses out either a frag grenade or an ice bomb, both of which are upgradeable through Praetor suit enhancements.

Nice to meet ya, Demon Worm.

Outside of combat, the developers have doubled down on platforming, which appeared in Doom 2016, but is placed more at the forefront here, especially given the use of a dash mechanic. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of first-person platforming in games, but id at least has the good sense to make most of the jumps intuitive and rewarding. You can be sure that if there’s a platform off the beaten path, you’ll most likely find a collectible or 1up there. By the way, seeing a 1up in a game in 2020 is just the best thing ever! 

Furthermore, I enjoyed searching for the multiple collectibles in each level, and I also appreciated the pure combat challenge of the Slayer Gates. The Gates and their Keys were hidden in most missions, and as you progressed through the campaign, you could open them up and see if you’d survive. And let me tell ya, the Slayer Gates were not for the faint of heart! Enemies that you haven’t even met in the campaign yet come for you during the Gate challenges, and if you don’t stay on your toes and utilize all of your combat abilities, you’re toast. It reminds me of 2016’s later missions in the best way possible.

Speaking of Doom 2016, one aspect of that game that I loved was its presentation. Not only was it among the top tier of games released that year in terms of visuals, but Doom 2016 had one of the hardest rocking soundtracks of all time, courtesy of the incredible Mick Gordon. I’m pleased to report that Doom Eternal surpasses its predecessor in terms of visual fidelity, and it at least matches 2016 in its soundtrack. There’s nothing quite as iconic as “BFG Division” on rotation here (edit: Boy, was I wrong here, and yes, I’m adding this comment in 3 years later, but yeah, the OST is badass!), but the quieter, more ambient tracks really sink their teeth into your brain, and the featured heavy metal choir is both awe-inspiring and menacing, and I mean that in a complimentary way! Don’t get me wrong, Gordon truly rocks the planet with some of the most METAALLLL guitar riffs in all of gaming during Eternal’s campaign, and I found myself completely absorbed into his headbanging tunes as the game loaded in or after I’d been killed by a particularly annoying enemy multiple times.

Sentinel Prime in its… un-prime?

But we’ll get to said enemy later. For now, let’s talk about the most divisive aspect of this game, the story. Somewhat ironically, story and lore play a far greater part in Eternal than they did in 2016. In 2016, the Doom Slayer couldn’t have given less of a crap about the reasons behind his demon-killing crusade. On multiple occasions in that game, the Slayer violently cuts off communications with Dr. Samuel Hayden, the main “quest-giver” of Doom 2016, or he just outright ignores what Hayden says and destroys things because, well, he can. Doomguy, as we used to call him, didn’t give two flappy goblin wings about the reasons why he did what he did; he was a stand-in for the player, and most players just wanted to kill demons and progress through the game as quickly as possible.

Eternal, however, shifts that characterization just a little bit. Instead of simply being a proxy for the player, the Doom Slayer now has a backstory. He has a past, and perhaps, a destiny. And not only has Dr. Hayden known about that past the entire time, but the demons and other enemies know it, too. Eternal revels in this, rewarding players who seek out lore tablets and explore Fortress Doom, the Slayer’s new spacecraft/hub base. If Doom 2016 was purely a game about ripping and tearing, Eternal is a game about ripping, platforming through traps, watching a cutscene about the Slayer’s past, then tearing shit up, and restarting the cycle anew every thirty minutes or so.

Naturally, the Slayer himself doesn’t have a ton of dialogue or become much more verbal than he ever was, but the characters around him espouse more dialogue than ever, and some things about the story make very little sense. If the Slayer was trapped on Mars by Hayden at the end of 2016’s entry in the series, how did he escape? We all know that Vega was acquired by the Slayer at the end of 2016, but how did their “relationship” grow? How does the Slayer even have a spaceship/flying castle in orbit around the Earth? Fortress Doom is awesome, but I want to know how he got it! Did he somehow teleport to Sentinel Prime and steal it? And where did the Khan Maykr come from? Ugh, I have so many questions!

Time to meet the Maykr.

Still… my freak out notwithstanding, maybe I’m missing the point. Who the hell plays Doom for the story, anyway? The Doom Slayer isn’t a protagonist who is on a journey of self-discovery and character evolution, he’s a weapon to be wielded against the forces of Hell! And that is the best part of this game, of course. Except when it comes to one enemy in particular:

The Marauder.

Curse this guy, dear readers. And his stupid green glowy eyes, too. Because if id is looking to piss every single player off, or at least slightly annoy us… the Marauder is the apex of their plan. 

Consider his attacks: he has a Super Shotgun (the Slayer’s prized possession!) as a close range attack, a wave of plasma/hell energy as his ranged attack, and his Crucible-flavored glowing red axe midrange melee attack. On top of that, he has a shield which deflects all of your counter-attacks! Grenades? Nope. Crucible sword? Nada. Rocket launcher? Zip. Chaingun? Zilch. BFG-9000? Rejected! The only time you can land a hit on him is when his eyes glow green prior to his axe attack, which only occurs if you keep him at midrange and you’d better have super shotgun ammo!

You’re tacky and I hate you, Mr. Marauder.

Oh, and did I mention he summons a hellhound that eats away at your health and distracts you while he’s gunning for you? Yeah, seriously, f#$k that Marauder guy. I’m completely over fighting with him. 

Alright, let’s take stock here. Doom Eternal is a beautiful game, albeit gruesomely so, with an excellent soundtrack, amazing environments, and great gameplay, particularly when it comes to combat. Platforming is largely done well, though it can slow down the pace of the game and is frustrating at times. The story is intriguing, if slightly overwrought and a bit misplaced in a Doom game, but it’s not a deal breaker.

In the end, Doom Eternal is a very good game, hampered by a few frustrating platforming bits and an enemy I’d like to jump into the screen and tackle before smashing it to bits with my controller. Personally speaking, it doesn’t quite reach the euphoric heights of Doom 2016’s manic, delightful combat or the purity of its scope. It is, however, a game worthy of its badass protagonist, and a sequel that is definitely worthy of the hype it’s inspired among the gaming masses.

Rip and tear, Renegades.

---

---

Keona Tang is founder and lead contributor of Renegade Pop Culture, and he always enjoys demon-slaying, among other pursuits. Visit him and the other wonderful people in the RPC Facebook Group, or on Instagram, or even on Twitter. And be sure to check back for more film and game reviews here on RenegadePopCulture.com!

---