Doom Eternal

As I said, it’s a blast. I spent as much time with Doom Eternal as I possibly could—collected every secret, finished every secret combat encounter, unlocked every upgrade. I wish there were twice as much, but I’m also glad there isn’t. I enjoyed Doom 2016 but it wore out its welcome before I’d finished. Doom Eternal never did, and was still doling out new ideas even in the final boss battle. It’s rare a game knows how to end as strong as it started, and kudos to id for knowing when to call it quits.

From a combat standpoint, you couldn’t ask for much more from Doom Eternal. It roars with excitement, and just keeps getting bigger and better as it goes. Yes, it stumbles a little in puzzles, but players are frequently rewarded handsomely for making the efforts to crack them. Id Software made Doom relevant again with the 2016 game, and now the developer is clearly having fun showing players how wild this vision can get.

Doom Eternal is clearly a continuation of the franchise, but it is also a clear improvement on its predecessor. Every design detail serves to propel the player forwards with as little friction as possible, with enough surprises and twists to prevent the formula becoming stale.

Doom Eternal is a smart iteration of what came before it that occasionally stumbles under its own desire to evolve.

Doom Eternal reinvents its own wheel without abandoning its classic foundations. It has all the blood-pumping, gore-packed fun we expect from a Doom game, while adding a bunch of new RPG-like elements we didn't even know we needed. This is one not to be missed.

Doom Eternal keeps the strong foundation built back in 2016 intact, while adding some of its own panache in the process. I think we can officially declare that the last iteration wasn't just a lone fluke, and that Doom is back in the shooter spotlight where it belongs.

Doom Eternal is loud, brash, hellishly violent, and 100% entertainment. It might not be the perfect video game, but it absolutely is the perfect Doom game.

Overall, it’s not surprising that Doom Eternal is excellent in following up Doom (2016), but after playing its 15-or-so-hour campaign it’s delightful to see just how much better Doom has gotten just four years later. Eternal tips its cap to Doom 2 specifically while also building off of what made the modernized reboot a breath of fresh air for the genre. Whether you’ve been playing Doom for a few years or a few decades, Doom Eternal demands your attention.