DOOM ETERNAL Prepare to meet thy DOOM
★★★★★
STADIA DOOM has come a very long way from the blocky, early 3D graphics which felt so groundbreaking in 1993. The next decade saw a steady drip of Doom games until 2004, when Doom 3 seemed to spell the end of an incredible run.
But if playing the game has taught me anything, it’s that death is just the beginning – and in 2016 the franchise was reborn in a hail of gore and bloodsplatter.
Now Doom Eternal literally picks up where the reboot ended, throwing you head first into a maze of corridors filled with shuffling demons – and handing you a chainsaw to send them back to hell.
Combat is frenetic and visceral, an assault on the senses as much as the hellish demons, with the explosion of bullets, roar of the monsters, and sound of tearing flesh accompanied by a thunderous heavy metal score.
There’s a seemingly endless parade of upgrades and add-ons for Doom Slayer’s myriad weapons, and for his Praetor suit.
Glory Kills are back, and this time as well as topping up your health, you get extra items dropped – depending on what weapon you used to wipe out the demon.
The more glory kills you make, the faster you fill the Blood Punch meter which you unlock during the second campaign mission.
Once full, you can initiate Blood Punch, a wickedly powerful melee attack that sends out a shockwave which damages groups of nearby baddies.
It doesn’t matter how seasoned a Doom player you are, prepare to die a lot here. The constant juggling of limited resources feeling a little like subsistence fighting at times.
As with all FPS, you’ll quickly find you favour a particular weapon. But new enemies require fresh tactics, and you’ll find yourself quickly adapting to which guns/sidearm dispatches which demon fastest.
For example, the Carcass generates a shield to block rockets, thus rendering one of Doom Slayers most effective weapons useless.
Believe it or not, some of the set pieces here are glorious. The scorched, red wastelands of Earth interspersed with cavernous cathedrals, and plant-entwined ruins, and snow kissed cliff tops.
Doom Slayer has developed some new abilities since his last outing, and he can now climb walls and dash. Although the more platforming sections of the game – built in to let the adrenalin settle after some huge battles – feel a little lacklustre compared to the action packed sections. It also doesn’t help that they can be exceedingly frustrating, meaning they go from challengingly quirky to outright annoying in the blink of an eye.
Packed in between the ripping and the shooting are hidden areas to hunt out. These hold secrets and items, such as cheat codes and album tracks. There are even adorable little toys to collect which you can use to decorate the Fortress of Doom – the hub where you can rest and recoup between missions.
The solo campaign is so meaty, fans may have already had their fill before they even venture into multiplayer territory.
Here you can choose to play as Demon Slayer or one of the demons - simply hit Battle mode on the menu and you’re catapulted onto the field of combat.
The Slayer facing a barrage of demons, while the players controlling them can see how their minions are fairing, and plot the best places for traps and attacks.
It was always going to be a big ask for Eternal to live up to its predecessor.
The 2016 reboot offered one of the most refreshing first-person shooter campaigns in recent memory, seamlessly blending the tried and tested old with the spanking new.
And while it is inevitable that the novelty of creating carnage will wear a little thin, the magic here is that there’s enough variety to keep it fresh and exciting.
Buy it: £44.85 from ShopTo.net