The success of Doom 2016 placed a burden on Softwares shoulders as they had to give gamers an even more engaging, more hysterical experience while keeping the core of this FPS brand. But that’s what Doom is not right, if not bad: Doom 3 and Doom 4 (the predecessor of Doom 2016) say that the past’s success is a burden is not Doom’s launch pad. So when the first images of Doom Eternal were published, many gamers remained skeptical and observant rather than excited about its existence.
But as the release date approached, that suspicion waned to make room for excitement with each new information revealed, each new trailer was shown. And when the game was officially released on the night of March 19, all the doubts left in me melted into smoke and made way for ultimate excitement.
Gameplay
Just as the Doom Slayer saw blades loyally tear apart the demons, the gameplay loop of Doom Eternal is still the same as Doom 2016. Gamers even enter a game screen, tearing all the demons in the way of a small arena, leaving there to solve a little puzzle, moving on to the next arena, and so on until the end game. You still do all this on the background music of Mick Gordon, the screams of demons, and the growl of guns. Still very familiar. Even the taste of Doom.
But if it were just that, then Doom Eternal would only be a trivial usurper. To create a Doom Eternal that my author loves (as you can see from the recent Doom Eternal posts), Software has improved that gameplay loop into something more sophisticated. What allows me to use the word “subtle” in a game where everything is bulky, violent, and fierce, but this is probably the most accurate word from the small amount of ammunition that gamers carry. The ability to coordinate different types of demons to the existence of measures to “open the canned” opponents takes resources. Make sure that Doom Eternal is always challenging, always pushing players forward, and still making them rewarded. Whether it’s a stream of color gushing out from an enemy or a Mastery Token can make you unlock the last upgrade for a weapon now & always.
The balance that software has created for Doom Eternal gameplay is certainly not comfortable because now Doom Slayer has many tools at hand. You may feel “shocked” when reading through the list of these tools: in addition to 9 guns, Doom Slayer is also used to use chainsaws, flamethrowers, meat hooks (on Super Shotgun), Blood Punch, Double Jump, Dash, Crucible. Each type of tool has a unique role, contributing to the mobility of the Doom Slayer or giving him the blood, armor, bullets – the most essential and also the most deprived resources. You can not ignore any of the tools but must frequently switch between them as soon as possible to create a rhythm filled with death when the demons are continually collapsing, and Doom Slayer is constantly ripped & tear. That’s not to mention the exciting dagger: although not really the weapon you directly use, it still gives gamers the finishes that are both cruel and funny.
You may not like the restrictions on ammunition that software has created. Still, gamers must use all the tools that Doom Slayer has and experience the game according to software wishes. It makes players never have time to think but always “improvise, adapt, overcome” according to each new situation that occurs every second. This is a perfectly sensible gameplay orientation because Doom Slayer is the reincarnation of rage, the horror of the devil. He triumphed in blood and flesh by confronting the enemy and his gun barrel, not the “clean” victory of a strategist who understood the battlefield only through maps, numbers, and arrows.
The existence of Slayer Gate is also a significant highlight of the game. If the game speed is 110% in the outside world, that number must be 120% in Slayer Gate. These areas are where the player’s technique and understanding of his tools and the enemies’ weaknesses are tested at the highest level by the most potent, troublesome demons all appear here. They seem not only once. Even if we knew in advance that it was not easy to overcome the Slayer Gate, it was still very surprising to set foot on the first Slayer Gate. In return, the feeling of achievement that gamers will receive when passing the first Slayer Gate is also hard to describe in words. You need to know that at that moment, got up and threw your arms up in the air and shouted “Yeah !!!”
If Doom Eternal’s shooting part alone, I want to give it a score of 11/10 because the software has broken the limit of a shooting game with its game. It can be said that Doom Eternal is the game that FPS village needs, but they do not know they want to have until they experience the game.
A lonely but fascinating world
Leaving “safe” contexts where developers can freely develop their imagination like Mars or Hell, Software takes us to an Earth in the style of “body horror” just used belongs just strangely. Familiar because you still see high-rise buildings, billboards, and ordinary means of transport, it is strange because they are now covered in lava and polyps – products of Hell. The existence of this deformed and ruined Earth scene makes Doom Slayer even more reason to be indignant because his battle is the battle to protect the existence of humanity, regardless of who the enemy is.
The arrival of Urdak is also a valuable addition to Doom Eternal. It is an integral part of both the storyline and gameplay of the game as a tool to reveal the past of the Doom Slayer, connecting the old bare-eye Doom “guy” with the current superhero Doom Slayer. It is also a tool to uncover the mystery of Samuel Hayden, a character that was once a big puzzle for players. The screenplay on Mars, Hell, though appearing very little but has it’s own bold and are “over the top” in their humorous style – I rolled my eyes, opened my mouth when I saw the “teleporter” that Doom Slayer uses. When he does what Samuel Hayden advises against doing is to punch holes into the surface of Mars with the BFG-10000.
But whether Earth, Mars, Hell, or Urdak, each of the Doom Eternal levels is huge and full of mysteries that pique curiosity. They are also dotted with small niches created with platform elements that are just challenging enough, not punished too hard when you fail, and give you little gifts if you succeed. According to them, these expeditions do not ruin the game’s pace. Still, they are a bit of relaxation and entertainment necessary for gamers to relax their brains before entering the next frantic battle.
Multiplayer
At the time of this review, Doom Eternal had only one multiplayer mode, Battlemode, where a well-equipped Doom Slayer battled two demons in small but multi-class arenas and obstacles. This mode replaces the familiar Team Deathmatch in the Doom series. According to software, Team Deathmatch is obsolete and does not fit their orientation for the latest slaughter that Doom Slayer attended. The Invasion mode that software has promised has not been released yet, but this is not a minus because, in the current state of Bethesda server, I can lose the connection three times in just one game screen. Luckily, the disconnection does not affect the player’s gameplay but only does not receive experience points to unlock the decoration.
Is Battlemode interesting? Please answer immediately yes – whether playing the devil or the Doom Slayer. Each battle always has a very fast-paced rhythm, a mixture of adrenalin-filled hideouts and brief but fierce gunfights, which requires intense concentration of players. It recreates the feeling that the Singleplayer feels for gamers: those who play the devil always feel weak and are forced to apply hit & run tactics. Simultaneously, the person holding the Doom Slayer role is always encouraged to rush to approach the enemy and give them the gifts waiting in the gun’s barrel. The arenas are designed to cater to this gameplay as they contain many teleportation gates and launchers for the Doom Slayer but are also full of walls and obstacles that demons can use to hide.
Battlemode is a 2vs1 PvP mode.
It must be said that Battlemode is quite unbalanced: when all three are in the “chicken class”, the victory quickly falls into the clutches of the demons. Because of the advantage of number and ability to revive, while the player’s level is higher, Doom Slayer is often the winner. However, because Battlemode is an asymmetrical PvP mode and has the existence of so many variables such as the level of gamers and the skill of the devil they choose, balancing this mode will need a lot of time.
summary
Besides upgrading the gameplay, Doom Eternal is also the place where gamers witness efforts to boost the story of Software. The game contains many clues and connection information between the old Doom versions (except Doom 3 and Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil) with Doom’s “reboot.” It also gives gamers a more precise concept of Doom’s universe, which is inconsistent and contains much confusion and overlap, causing gamers to argue for decades. The game tells us who Doom Slayer is and how he has the current power and draws a large universe (or multiverse) with many factions and forces that have a friendship. – vengeance, complex interests.
Urdak, the capital of the Maykr clan – the new faction of the game.
In addition to satisfying gamers’ curiosity by answering many old questions, Doom Eternal also forms the basis for future games as it raises. New questions for gamers about the fate of familiar characters and their motives, about the mysterious voice near the end of the game, about what happened and will happen to Doom Slayer. After he was “deified” by the Earth, people can say that Doom Eternal not only gives gamers a shooting “top of the peak” but also a precious version in expanding the world of the game. So if you are a fan of this series in particular or FPS fans in general, Doom Eternal is still a game not to be missed.
After the launch of Doom Eternal, Software is currently sitting on a hot seat. After completing the two expansions planned for the game, the developer will have to rise above himself to create a successor worthy of its stature. This is a tough challenge because Doom Eternal has pushed gamers’ expectations to a new level. They will not be satisfied if the next version does not bring an even more engaging experience.
