DOOM: Eternal releases today! Developed by id Software and published by Bethesda, DOOM: Eternal is the sequel to DOOM, the reboot of the franchise that released in 2016. In addition to the release of DOOM: Eternal, anyone who pre-ordered the game was given a free copy of DOOM 64, which is returning to modern systems after 22 years on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC. The franchise is all about fighting your way through countless demons as an ultra-powered demon killing machine known as the Doom Slayer; however, DOOM: Eternal aims to add an extensive amount of depth to the gameplay while still keeping metal moments flowing.
DOOM: Eternal
The release of DOOM in 2016 proved that the franchise still had legs to stand on. The combination of incredibly fluid gameplay, gorgeous visuals, a satisfying arsenal of weapons, and an absolutely incredible soundtrack made for a game that is widely accepted as one of the best shooters of all time. Eternal seeks to amp the series up even further by doubling down on what was good in the previous game while also fixing many of the criticisms leveled against it.
The addition of some demons from previous DOOM games in combination with several brand new enemies helps fulfill a new design philosophy of creating extensive gameplay depth to keep players consistently engaged. Each new enemy type, weapon, or upgrade introduced throughout the game adds another new piece to the proverbial demonic chess board for players to have to consider. Stronger foes will cause the more annoying but far weaker enemies to suddenly be a more relevant threat to players as they play triage with their resources and positioning, and many enemy types now have weak points for players to target which alter how that enemy behaves once their weak point has been destroyed.
DOOM: Eternal no longer relies so heavily on predictable combat arenas for players to engage enemies in, and instead provides far more gameplay variety throughout the single player campaign. As a result of these changes, the game can seem more difficult than its predecessor, but encourages players to learn and adapt to combat encounters when failure occurs. Eternal still empowers players to feel like they are slaying demons like some kind of super soldier wading through a child’s ball pit, but dying may be a more common occurrence than in the game from 2016.
For players who really enjoyed the previous game and want even more of what that experience offered, then DOOM: Eternal provides plenty more with its 18-20 hours of single player demon slaying campaign. In addition, the multiplayer death match experience from the 2016 game has been thrown out in favor of a new asymmetrical 1v2 multiplayer mode. This new mode pits two people playing as demons against a single player who is the traditional Doom Slayer, and fits far better thematically than the multiplayer from the previous game. There is also a new optional multiplayer feature in the campaign, allowing players to invade each other’s games by controlling the demons and trying to kill the invaded player.
DOOM 64
DOOM 64 originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997, but is being given to players for free as a pre-order bonus for DOOM: Eternal. This version of the game is built for modern systems, and allows players to enjoy the classic experience — especially for anyone who didn’t own a Nintendo 64, or are too young to have played the game when it was relevant.
In DOOM 64, players will fight against demons in a crusade to hunt down the Mother of Demons and stop Hell’s Invasion. Players must be diligent and on the lookout for enhanced weapons and secrets as they battle through more than 30 levels, fighting increasingly more difficult groups of enemies while managing their valuable resources of health, armor, and ammo.
In addition to the DOOM 64 pre-order bonus, players will also receive the throwback shotgun weapon skin, DOOT skin for the Revenant, and bonus UAC Cultist Base campaign master level.
DOOM: Eternal is out today on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia! For more information on the game, be sure to visit our wiki here!