Doom Eternal Preview – Shooting Like it's 1993

We already know a lot about Doom Eternal. If wanted to go through all my impressions and observations from the last show, I would have to repeat a lot of information from a piece we've published recently. Fortunately, I also saw a few new things, such as the multiplayer Battlemode, a boss fight that takes place around the quarter of the campaign, and some cutscenes. The long session with the game also allowed me to take a look at what might be the biggest drawback of the new installment.

In the studio: a huge figure of the Revenant demon carved in wood with chainsaws; a toy shotgun, exactly the same we used in the first Doom in 1993; in the anti-frame hangs an article from 1994 about John Carmack's Ferrari 328 tuning; a Spiderdemon model of the final Doom boss, and Doom Slayer at the reception desk.

Unfortunately, I still didn't get to see the new weapon – a powerful energy sword – in action, but I took the opportunity to ask the game's developers – Marty Stratton, the executive producer, and Hugo Martin, the creative director – one important question.

Gamepressure: Who would win a sword duel: Doom Slayer or Geralt?

Hugo Martin: I don’t know. I don’t think the Slayer would bring a sword. I think he would bring a shotgun. So, it’s hard to say. And that is a very good question, they are both great characters.

So an honorable fight isn't likely – however, Slayer's passion for shotguns is easy to understand, given the fact that Doom Eternal originates in Texas – a state famous for a very liberal right to bear arms, where rifle ammunition lies on shelves next to coffee and chips. And immediately after entering the id Software's HQ, we were greeted by a full-scale statue of the iconic hero, armed with the iconic, double-barrel shotgun.

id Software has some real treasures.

Pilgrimage to the source of FPP

The company's headquarters is located in a rather ordinary office building, less than an hour's drive from downtown Dallas. And although this is not the same place and not the same people as in the early 90s (with the exception of the receptionist lady with the most melodic southern accent, who's been working there for 30 years), you only have to step inside to feel that you're in the very cradle of the first-person shooter genre. And that's because the lobbies of the two floors house huge showcases filled with all sorts of trophies and memorabilia the studio has been collecting since the first Wolfenstein and the original Doom.

There are all the awards received by id Software throughout more than a quarter of a century, releases in exotic languages, various statues and gadgets, such as a special keyboard designed for playing Doom 3. An unusual exhibit is a statue of the Revenant demon, carved entirely from wood with chainsaws. Walls, in turn, are covered in original box arts of cult releases, as well as widely considered fan art. Even conference rooms have familiar names, such as IDKFA. It really feels like an FPS mecca, the Doom fortress, similar to the one that also appears in the game as the base of Doom Slayer.

The Doom Fortress looks boring. Hopefully just at the beginning.

NOT "EYE-DEE"

Despite so many years on the market, many people, including journalists, still get the pronunciation of the name of the studio wrong. "Id" is not an abbreviation, it's a word. The word comes from the Latin, literally meaning "this," and was used by the famed neurologist Sigmund Freud to describe "the dark, inaccessible part of our personality." Id is the "disorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic, instinctual drives."

Fortress of Doom – does Slayer need a lodge?

Doom Fortress is one of the biggest novelties in Doom Eternal and perhaps also the most controversial. Here's a place, where you can take a break from slaughtering demons, kick back, explore the lore, and watch collectibles displayed on the walls (including the fan art). I don't know how well something like this will work in the Doom formula, and if it's really necessary.

So far, I've seen some pretty interesting ideas, like a Demon Prison located on one of the levels of the fortress, where you can practice fighting the studied monsters at will. The grey-brown decor of the hub, on the other hand, seems very monotonous. It looks bland, it's hard to distinguish individual objects, and it's generally not very interesting. Monotony, however, is about the last thing that you'll find in Doom Eternal. The diversity of locations we will visit, in contrast with the traditional Martian base and hell, is reminiscent of a large RPG. Just at the beginning I visited a devastated metropolis on Earth, brownish wastelands, a futuristic base, and a fortress straight from a fantasy world, located somewhere in snow-covered mountains.

Doomie Eternal is a real ballet with chainsaws, guns and flamethrowers.

Launch delay = quality, stability, optimization

The Slayer base, despite its boring design, may fit this variety, and in the worst case, it will serve for short breaks comparable to loading a level – just a moment to choose a mission and again rush into the thick of the fight, which, unsurprisingly, turns out to be amazing. Everything that you could read in the last preview of Dooma Eternal remains true. This time, I was able to try out a wide set of weapons during a long, difficult stage, about quarter of the game in, that ended with a battle with one of the bosses – the Doom Hunter.

This encounter was not particularly difficult. It offered no unusual mechanics. What's sort of new are the frequent platformer sequences. The powerful "boss", like other demons, also has weak spots and it all boils down to that characteristic Doom dance macabre, where you have to be constantly on the move, constantly taking glory kills, swap between the chainsaw and a flamethrower to ensure health regeneration, and get ammunition and armor.

As the authors emphasize, this is the only proper way to play Doom, which may seem like they're taking freedom away from us, but it actually works great. The gameplay combined with excellent graphics, music and humor makes for a sweet, dizzying experience. Mowing down hundreds of demons and zombies allowed me to see how technically honed the game is already. I haven't noticed even the smallest glitch, stutter of animation, or missing texture.

The boss fight was quite straightforward – shoot whatever moves.

The developers also kept emphasizing that the game looks just as great on consoles as it does on a good PC. However, PlayStation 4 users can look forward to fixing a fairly important problem, that is the noise of the console's cooling system, which was a real nuisance when Doom was launched. Doom 2016 required a little too much from the PS4, which was quite irritating, especially at night. This time, it might be similar.

Battlemode – multi for C+

One of the most notable novelties in Doom Eternal will be a completely new online mode called the Battlemode, which will completely replace the uninspiring variations on team deathmatch from the last game. This time, we get fast, asymmetric matches, in which Doom Slayer faces two demons. This is primarily a mode for players who have already completed the campaign and mastered all the hero's tricks to perfection.

Battlemode is an asymmetrical battle of two demons and the Doom Slayer.

In addition, you will also need to learn how to fight demons, and each one is slightly different. Some are more dangerous at long-range combat, while others do the most damage close-up. Some are able to float in the air, and a Mancub can only walk slowly. After killing one demon, the Slayer has 20 seconds to finish the other, otherwise the first will be reborn. Demons can also use a very important ability to block the collection of loot – regular, AI-controlled minions also participate in the fight, and they can be used as a source of health points and ammunition. After each round, the parties choose a special perk, such as double health or more damage. All this requires completely different skills and strategies.

When you're seconds away from victory, the adrenaline's rushing!

After trying it for a few rounds, I have to admit that the creators managed to realize all their goals that they talked about. Indeed, this is a translation of single-player gameplay into multiplayer in all respects, especially when we play as the Slayer. It's also something completely new, not just another take on team deathmatch. The authors also wanted to inject a dose of rivalry and drama into the game, and it was these elements that are particularly successful. You can see and feel this the most when the second demon's health bar ends and the first one is only a few seconds away from being revived. The adrenaline rushes, there are emotions, and you're inches away from both a stupid mistake, and a glorious victory. Moreover, watching such a game can be just as exciting to an audience as playing in person.

Demon Mancubus is slow and ponderous. It can only be effective if the other player cooperates.

However, this asymmetric, intimate (three players only) gameplay mode has its own weaknesses. It seems mostly addressed to groups of friends, who can man both the Slayer and the demons without arguing over it. Good players who have honed their skills in singleplayer will probably prefer to play as the Slayer. Playing as a demon with a randomly selected companion may lead to frustration if the other part doesn't want to cooperate. It could be similar for casuals, who will want to try the online mode. The entry threshold may be too high compared to typical shooters.

Platform elements appear in the new Doomie quite often.

Personally, I prefer the slightly slower and tactical multiplayer, rather than the fast, typically e-sport matches, so I didn't really like the 2v2, Modern-Warfare-style Battlemode, especially since I fought a pair of two skilled, communicative Frenchmen. It was also hard to get my bearings in daemon’s skin in such short time. Revenant seemed more powerful than other monsters, with his jet-pack and long-range rifle, but the devs emphasized they're happy with the balance, and that everything depends on the strategy. I wasn't able to find out, but I think that people, who pack enough time into the game, especially with a skilled teammate, will find the Battlemode much more compelling than the regular TDM. Of course, it would be better to be able to choose between either. Perhaps team deathmatch will appear with an update.

Bigger and better in every way?

You have to remember, though, that Battlemode is but a little extra icing on the Doom Eternal cake – for anyone who will still look for thrills after completing the campaign. In the new release of the cult shooter, it's precisely the campaign that we're looking forward to. Twice as long, with double the number of demons, with more extensive, more diverse levels than in the previous installment. The storyline will also be bigger, and that's the only element that causes my concern in the new Doom. Because while I have no doubt that this will be one of the best shooters of this generation, I'm not really sure Doom really needs such a grand universe with priests of hell, angelic deities of Khan Maykr, saving humanity from a mysterious tribune, and a secret base.

The new game really expands the Doom universe.

For those familiar with Doom only since its last release in 2016, these are likely considered only as advantages – a better, more complex, more interesting sequel in all respects. I, however, remember the Doom from 1993 and 1994, which I played instead of doing my homework, and I remember it fondly. Back then, all I needed was demons to kill, a base on Mars to explore, and hell, just for the hell of it, I guess – and I wouldn't mind if I got the exact same thing, only with the audio and visual design of Eternal. However, the creators reassured me that the plot is only a seasoning of sorts – for those who really want to delve into the lore of the hellish demise of Earth. Everyone else can just push forward, cutting demons down.

The occasional cut-scenes slow the pace down, but I'm fairly confident the game will be great. Doom Eternal is much closer to the classic hits of the series than the last part was. The game works, looks and sounds phenomenal in every way. Little details such as the face Cacodemon makes when it swallows a coked grenade, and the little, secret collectibles make Doom Eternal an experience that will often make you smile. If all of this is in good harmony with Doom's bigger size, and if saturation doesn't appear at any point, then we're looking at a really exciting conclusion of this generation of consoles. Well, until Doom Eternal.