We put ourselves at the helm of Doom Eternal in his first four hours of play. The traditional shooter's paradise returns through the big door.
Doom, Quake, id Software. Three words that summarize the adolescence of many of those lived with fervor those wonderful nineties. The genre lived its first great golden age, a period in which the roots were laid that would sustain it for several years. After the establishment of the desktop consoles, little by little we saw a change of tendency towards modernity, towards the breakdown of classicism in pursuit of spectacularity in front of the screen.
But that is over. If the present generation is characterized by something, it is by regression as far as philosophy is concerned. In 2016 the restart of the Doom bases would arrive. Paraphrasing Gerard Piqué, "everything started with you". And is that the first installment of the franchise on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 would be the tangible proof of the feasibility of merging the old with modernity. Proof that a triple A product can embrace tradition while being accepted by the rest of its community.
Four years after that we face a total sequel. In FreeGameTips, we had the opportunity to go through the first four hours of Eternal Doom, enough time to contemplate the real muscle in all its sections. Because we are not facing a simple sequel, but before the particular great pyramid of id Software. As it is.
Rip & Tear
"Hell turned into shooter paradise." In this way we titled our first impressions on the occasion of E3 2019, an event in which we could savor part of the qualities that make Doom Eternal one of the best possible first person shooter of what we have been generating. The contrast between that demonstration and the final version is total. What they summed up in just half an hour of space has evolved towards the true intentions of the development team. That “fast paced puzzle combat”, as they like to call it, introduces its expansion progressively, without overwhelming the player from the initial moments.
In fact, that progression made us fear for the integrity of level design. The first world, the "hell on Earth", is a succession of halls in which there is hardly any room for exploration. The few secrets we could find were logical routes of just several seconds duration. To contrast its predecessor, let's say that this first hour would be a kind of extension of the Mars seen at the beginning. The change is that although in 2016 these meetings were light at the time we were in, in Doom Eternal you are prepared to the rhythm of the action by including special archetypes, as is the case of Arachnotron, spiders shaped of brain that so many headaches gave in the past.
This way of preparing you for the real fight is appreciated during the first round, especially at high difficulty levels. At first we made the hard and tested the experience of the Nightmare mode. Offer what your name indicates, literally. Therefore, we move to Ultra Violence, perhaps the way indicated for those looking for a first round a little more demanding than the typical difficult way. Although during the first half of the session we were able to overcome the obstacles without any problem, once the new demonic forms were included in the bestiary, we kissed the canvas on more than one occasion. The closer we get to overcome the first quarter of the main plot, the more demanding it becomes above what was seen years ago.
The fear that we were referring to a couple of paragraphs ago dissipated as soon as we reached the last world of the day, the “base of the sectarians” in a remote confinement of the Arctic. The progress of the level goes from being a primitive shooter to becoming a succession of platforms, combat scenarios, small rooms as a puzzle and much more. There comes a point where finding the level map is vital to successfully navigate the scenarios. Puzzles that require real interaction with the environment to find the solution, such as the use of several millimeter jumps to destroy the figure of a particular interpretation of the "antichrist."
The feeling transmitted by Doom Eternal is to be before the sequel, in capital letters. We no longer only talk about a Software id that has listened carefully to the feedback collected, we are talking about a study that improves what is present at unexpected levels. It fulfills the demand and pushes the limits of its formula to such an extent that it practically cancels a hypothetical third part in a similar period of time between the original and the latter.
One of the surprises of the session was to find a ship that will serve as a hub. Between mission and mission we can access it, which will allow us to obtain new equipment, train in real combat, improve the character and select our next destination. We do not know at this time if your visit will also be vital if we want to replay previous missions. In fact, one of the secrets allows us to return to already visited scenarios that suffer alterations by various modifiers. Completing them will bring us juicy rewards that can be taken to multiplayer mode.
This small period of rest among so much violence makes sense thanks to the disposition of the protagonist's cabin. Your room will be full of winks and references to the rest of the studio's titles and productions of Bethesda Softworks. In one of the shelves will be placed all the collectibles that we find during our trips, as well as enjoy the musical vinyl that we will be unlocking with the progress. Mick Gordon has been overcome.
The ultimate Slayer
So far, we had the concept that the brand would not try to offer elements of construction and development of the main character. In the past we found the typical collectible that allowed us to upload one of the three main attributes. That ended. Something that still remained in the background was the way we could make the Slayer the ultimate murderer, one of the best kept secrets so far and that we have already been able to experience in depth.
Each main attribute, health, armor and ammunition, are attached in pairs to various passive abilities. To give you an idea, if we unlock the first pair (in this case, health and armor) we will obtain a passive ability that will remain inside us permanently. We can expect up to more than six pairs of bonuses.
While these improvements are within the Slayer itself, there is another menu that focuses on evolving the Predator suit, an icon within the new background. Through the acquisition of crystals we can improve the weapon potential of the tools we will receive. We refer to news such as the flamethrower, grenade launcher, the blade of our arm or the ice thrower, which unfortunately we could not prove.
As if that were not enough, there is another third ring of improvements as an interchangeable modifier. These runes can be equipped in the Slayer in a maximum of three holes at the same time. Passives that offer elements such as the possibility of moving in all directions after a double jump, being able to run faster, and so on. As usual in the rest of the enhancers, expanding the number available will be subject to meeting the secret elements scattered throughout the levels.
The way in which we enjoy new features in armament has varied significantly. The unlocking of the two secondary shots of each weapon remains focused on the encounter of those drones that we usually find on the main path. However, improvement points are obtained in two different ways: either by completing the level challenges, or by overcoming all enemy encounters. The combat areas are classified with a meter at the top of the screen. Beyond those necessary to progress, there are a handful of elective encounters under specific rules, such as a certain number of enemies or ending those present before time runs out. The possibilities are multiple.
Blood in the veins
One of the complaints that flew over his fan base was the excessive use of the surge scheme that was used four years ago. Doom Eternal continues to mark its progress under a similar structure, although the result is much more natural. We continue crashing into walls of demons that require their total extinction to continue. It is the knot, the link between these that allows to provide the necessary variety. We do not want to enter into sensitive revelations, but you can expect "all kinds" changes, including controlling other beings.
It also helps to have added new faces to the beasts that will face us. This is the case of gargoyles, an extended version of the fire-throwing demon that does the same while flying. Or the corpses, which carry rifles and shields of plasma capable of forming a vanguard that defends the rest of the companions. The Flagellants return in this installment, a kind of jellyfish that crawl on the ground and throw sharp blades of long radius of action.
Never before has shooting been so satisfying. We do not mean that the gunplay has undergone modifications, in fact it is faithful to the original, to the classic guidelines of shooting from the hip and without aiming of sight of iron. We say it by the way in which the opponent receives our damage. Impact on the figure of the devil is a gore festival that many fans will enjoy. The more we shoot, the more part they have under the skin they will show. The really interesting thing in the playable plane is the possibility of varying its behavior if we destroy its weak points.
All special demons have weak points. By linking with the unpublished, the bodies will explode their energy shields if we shoot them a burst with the pulse rifle, which causes a chain effect that will weaken those around them. Or in the case of Arachnotron, which will look for the melee contact if we break the turret it carries. Doing so has its advantages and disadvantages, which will require us to adapt if we want to succeed. Adaptation that requires some prior learning, something that has been insisted since production began. Another of the unprecedented mechanics is the connection between the rest of the players. The demons that kill other users may end up in our world in the form of a special enemy. Your performance on the battlefield will be much higher than average. Ending them will be our number priority.
The best shooter of the generation?
Seven months later we ask ourselves the same question. Is Doom Eternal the best shooter that has passed through our hands since 2013? The two sessions in which we have faced him point to it. There is no other single-player shooter on the market that makes you feel in full communion with the character on the screen. The first chords of Mick Gordon are an omen of what is coming in the next few hours: id Software has cast the rest with a work that culminates at the top all these years of hard work.
Works like Eternal Doom give meaning to this way of understanding gender. Hell arrives on Earth next March 20 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Google Stadia. The version for Nintendo Switch will have to wait until a still unknown point of the present 2020. Panic Button is in the process of adaptation.
