5/5 ★ – fez219's review of DOOM Eternal.

A constant adrenaline rush and one of the best action games I’ve ever played. (Note: I’m only looking at the main campaign for the purposes of this review, and ignoring most of the multiplayer and horde stuff). Eternal still has the fantastic gunplay and movement of 2016, but makes some huge changes to make everything feel totally different (in a really good way). This time around, the Slayer has all sorts of extra movement like a satisfying dash and climbing so he’s more agile than ever. Dodging attacks and his chunky wall jump feel so damned good. And the super shotgun has a grappling hook. It’s rad. You have less guns and less ammo (I think?) but far more abilities and cooldowns to manage as you bounce around from foe to foe. It feels like a more honed roster that matches better with your always-active abilities, like the new flame belch or the Metroid-coded ice bomb. Pretty much every ability generates some sort of resource, so you’ll constantly be puzzling out what to do next to stay alive and topped off. It’s a pulse pounding flow of combat that feels in line with some of the best action games or even a rhythm game and it’s a joy to play. Oh, and have I mentioned that the super shotgun has a grappling hook? Also, you get a laser sword to go with your BFG as a superweapon this time. Enemy variety is also amazing, with so many demons that you can kill in so many ways. The new ones are awesome, like a demon you have to kill essentially by parrying its axe blows, or the Archvile, which you need to prioritize to stop an endless spawn of demons. Every encounter feels distinct both due to the amazing level design with the most visual variety I’ve ever played in a Doom game, and puzzling out how to chew through each new retinue of foes. The level variety is really just off the charts too. The last game mostly took place on Mars and was arguably a bit too red. This time, there’s all sorts of new realms to give you a break from crimson and give excuses for all sorts of damned but gorgeous vistas. The level design is also slightly simplified, which I appreciate. They’re still large and satisfying to navigate, but secrets are a bit less obtuse and 100%ing most levels just happens naturally if you’re trying. I could see some folks wanting for secrets that are tougher to find, but I thought getting everything was perfectly balanced to be satisfying and make me explore every inch of every level without ever becoming too obsessive like some collectibles in 2016, like the door levers. Speaking of collectibles, Doom does it right. Each collectible either is important for progression (and there’s all sorts of light RPG mechanics that you’ll use to strengthen your slayer as you play), a cute toy to go on the slayer’s shelf, or a nostalgic nod to the series past like the records and cheats. It’s all very simplified action adventuring, but I feel it perfectly balances the clear focus — combat — without ever getting in the way. Like just about everything else in the game, the story pretty much follows the rule of cool. It actually has some pretty interesting lore about the origins of the Slayer — especially its ties to the original games — but I think it’s all more or less in the background and you’re free to play true to character, ripping and tearing to your heart’s content and ignoring the sci fi underpinnings of the Doomiverse. I could see some players getting a bit annoyed about all the lore here, but I think the Slayer’s attitude toward it all — just push forward and don’t think too hard — should tell annoyed players what to do. And for those like me that find the Doom lore exciting to pore over, I think what we get is actually well written and interesting, if somewhat simple. It’s just plain cool, and it’s an excuse for you to do new cool shit. Nobody is forcing you to think too hard! This is a perfect 10/10 experience for me, but I do have a few extremely small gripes. The game performed well for the most part on PC, but did regularly crash on loading new areas. I think it had to do with OBS and Eternal not playing nice. A few collectibles were a bit of a pain to collect, and some of the specific glory kill challenges are annoying as well. And (spoilers!) what the hell’s with not getting to glory kill the final boss? But it’s still 10/10. Want to know why? Have I mentioned that the super shotgun has a grappling hook?