WARNING: This contains spoilers for the Doom Eternal base campaign
After what seems like an eternity waiting in Hell, id Software has finally shown us the next step on the Slayer’s path of eternal torment. The first of two campaign updates to Doom Eternal, Ancient Gods: Part One, brings us crashing back into his unending quest to rid the worlds of the forces of hell.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Demons are somewhere where demons shouldn’t be, and the Doom Slayer has taken offense to that. This time, the mess you left in “Heaven” after killing the Icon of Sin has put the balance of the universe in danger and Samuel Hayden enlists you to make it right. Playing a Doom game for the story is a lot like reading Playboy for the articles: It’s kind of weird to say that you do, but if that’s what you’re into there’s some great stuff for you there. The end of the base campaign left us with some burning questions about the origin of the Doom Slayer and well as where he sits within the greater structure of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. We don’t get all the answers from this release, but it puts us on the path of the most intricate take on the standard Christian mythology I’ve seen since "Evangelion."
If ripping and tearing is your only concern, there’s plenty of that to be had here. The first stage wastes no time and slams you right in the middle of the action. id appears to have been following player feedback on Twitter and Reddit and have upped the difficulty significantly. I found myself popping the difficulty down from my usual Nightmare setting to Ultraviolence in order to get through it, something I haven’t done since the first week or so with Eternal. New enemies, never before seen combinations of enemies during arena battles, and added environmental hazards add a new layer to the tried-and-true Doom combat loop. Spam-firing your super shotgun won’t work here -- I found myself trying new combinations of weapons I had never thought of before and considering tactics even more than previously, without sacrificing the almost mindless dance of carnage we’ve come to expect.
With that in mind, some of these updates seem to be id and Hugo Martin telling us to be careful what we wish for. I found several times in the game that the difficulty was just there for the sake of difficulty and almost as a middle finger to fans who were turned off by the difficulty of The Marauder back at release time. Hell, he’s been joking with fans online for weeks about having two of them at once in the game and he lives up to his promise nearly immediately. While this is the sort of thing hardcore fans and dedicated gamers will love, I’m worried more casual fans will find certain portions less enjoyable than frustrating. Ultimately these are minor gripes though, as id has managed to create an engaging experience that attempts to teach you the solutions to problems as it throws them at you.
Beyond the DLC’s 3 base levels, there’s plenty of content to explore. Additions include new skins for the Slayer and a new set of milestones which unlock further goodies to use both in campaign and the multiplayer BattleMode. This robust selection of extra content is all attainable through the game with no microtransactions to speak of -- something that I feel gives us a much more rewarding experience and extends replay value without making it feel like a grind.
While this game may not be for the faint of heart, Doom Eternal players will know what they’re getting into and will enjoy shooting and slicing through demonic hordes just as much as they have previously, even if they’re cursing Hugo Martin’s name while they do it.
Ancient Gods Part One is available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Rip and Tear, until it is done.
Comments