“Doom Eternal”: The Heavy Metal Gaming Experience

“Doom Eternal” is the ultimate power fantasy. The fifth installment of the “Doom” series, the game is 20 hours of increasingly bloody murder and rage, complete with all of the Satanic imagery and stylized violence that has disturbed parents since the first game launched in 1993. With the first-person-shooter genre dominated by hundred-person battle royales and hyper-realistic tactical shooters, “Doom Eternal” stands out with its single player, run-n-gun style and absolutely rabid gameplay. Despite some minor flaws in gameplay and a storyline that is essentially nonexistent, the game serves as an incredibly fun, if not a bit over-the-top, experience.

One thing important to know going into “Doom Eternal” is that the game has almost no plot. While those who missed its 2016 predecessor may be confused by the disembodied, all-knowing robotic voice, the convoluted lore, and the pentagram burned into the Earth, an understanding of the game is hardly needed to enjoy the it. The story of “Doom Eternal” is more of a tool used to justify changes in gameplay and environments and has little ambition at immersion or worldbuilding. “Doom” is incredibly self-aware and seems to revel in its cheesy, comedically edgy tone, mixing lofty, pseudo-religious theming with rocket launchers, chainsaws, and everything else that one might find on the cover of a death metal album. The soundtrack follows suit, being overly aggressive and obnoxiously loud, pounding away behind the acts of horrific violence. The main character, a silent, muscled marine in an high tech exosuit, is even named “the Doom Slayer,” a title that crosses the line from dark to satirically exaggerated.

Most single-player shooters revolve around two mechanics: stealth and a cover system. While confrontations in multiplayer can be determined by player skill, AI opponents are consistent and frequently miss the gap between insurmountably challenging and child’s play. Tactical mechanics provide more thoughtful gameplay and alternatives to direct combat with overpowered foes or the brutal idiocy of massacring thousands of enemy combatants. “Doom Eternal” has no problem being violent and stupid. The Doom Slayer is hilariously overpowered, with the player’s main concern at most moments being the finite amount of ammunition. The slow playstyle that other games promote is nearly impossible, with enemies blitzing the player and spawning on top of them, leaving little to no time for strategizing. Encounters only have one course of action: head-on assault, and the game has no problem letting people shoot and punch their way out of any situation.

This mindless gameplay works perfectly with the game’s excessive violence and gore, updated for the graphical capabilities of 2020. While other shooter games may reward a successful hit with a burst of blood or an enemy doubling over and fading from existence, Doom games are famous for their satisfying yet disgusting displays of murder. In “Doom Eternal,” players can blast the flesh off of demons, blowing them to bits, cutting them in half, or shooting off their limbs with a shotgun. It doesn’t take long to learn that grenades can be shot into demons’ mouths to explode them from the inside. There is even a move called a “Glory Kill” that can be performed on low-health enemies in which the Doom Slayer will kill such combatants with his bare hands, crushing skulls, ripping off arms, or in some cases, shoving eyes down throats. Such carnage may be tasteless and often controversial, but it definitely makes the game more enjoyable.

Despite its satisfying gameplay, “Doom Eternal” still has its flaws. One very clear problem with the structure of the game is the occasional insertion of platforming sections into otherwise action-packed levels. Though most of these segments are laughably easy, they bring the pace to an abrupt halt as the precision and timing required for platforming requires a kind of pacing not found elsewhere in the game. It brings the focus from the insanity of mowing down a room full of demons to the mundanity of trying to time a dash between two rocks, de-escalating the game at crucial moments of tension.

Another problem is the frequently unfair combat mechanics. In particular, the feature of demons spawning on and around the player, while manageable at lower difficulties, can lead to one getting physically stuck between enemies in the game's tight areas. This is especially bad when on the “Ultra-Violence” and “Nightmare” difficulties (the easier difficulties being “I’m too Young to Die” and “Hurt Me Plenty”), as enemies can deal considerable amounts of damage while being difficult to kill. Even worse is the arcade-style “Ultra Nightmare” mode, in whichthe player gets one life, and an unfair death can mean hours of wasted time.

Furthermore, the music, while perfect for the high speed, run-n-gun portions of the game, feels excessive and incompatible with moments of exploration, platforming, or any section without direct combat. While this may contribute to the game’s tongue-in-cheek dark aesthetic, these moments end up being quite panicked and ridiculous when accompanied by a slightly quieter version of the normal heavy metal soundtrack. When the game maintains such high levels of intensity as a baseline, there is very little room to build-up high stakes moments like boss battles or exceptionally difficult levels. Even “Doom Eternal,” which is focused around excitement and speed, can benefit from slowing down for a bit.

Though it is not without issues, “Doom Eternal” is still an incredible game that deserves all the praise it has been receiving these past weeks. Through the rejection of the typical tactic-based gameplay of its genre, it manages to be, while admittedly quite brain-dead, a satisfying and entertaining experience. At times, its exaggerated edgy aesthetic can feel overwhelming, but its rage-fueled soundtrack and hyper-stylized, graphic displays of violence ultimately make the game more enjoyable and much more memorable. “Doom Eternal” is truly cathartic, delivering as one of the most exciting, intense, and unique experiences in gaming.