2016’s Doom surprised folks when it first launched. Touted as a franchise reboot, many had not anticipated that the game would fare so well, as the limited footage people had seen only gave brief glimpses of what to expect. But when the game finally released, it received glowing reviews. GameSpot’s Peter Brown praised the game, saying, “It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades.”
Bethesda recently confirmed Doom would receive a sequel titled Doom Eternal. For a while we didn’t know much about what the game would be like, but creative director Hugo Martin and director Marty Stratton recently took to the stage at QuakeCon 2018 to finally show off gameplay.
To ensure you’re kept up to date on everything there is to know about Doom Eternal, we’ve compiled all the information we have on the game so far. Be sure to keep checking back often as we update this feature with more details.
- What Is Doom Eternal?
- How Does It Play?
- Any New Modes?
- Is It Coming To Nintendo Switch?
- Release Date
What Is Doom Eternal?
Doom Eternal is a sequel set sometime after the events of 2016’s Doom. Not much is known about Eternal’s exact premise aside from fact that it takes place on an Earth overrun by the forces of Hell. You’ll also be spending time in space on Phobos, the innermost moon of Mars.
How Does It Play?
From a gameplay perspective, Eternal will play much like its predecessor, once again challenging you to fast-paced firefights against an onslaught of demons. Speaking of which, it has been confirmed that there will be twice as many varieties of demons as there were in the first game. Based on the early footage, Cacodemons, Barons of Hell, Pain Elementals, Arch-Viles, Arachnotrons, Imps, and Revenants are set to return. There will also be new demons coming in the form of reimaginings of enemies from Doom 2, as well as completely new enemies entirely.
There are going to be a ton of new weapons, but a few old ones from the previous game will return albeit with some subtle changes. For instance, the Plasma Rifle now shoots orbs that electrify enemies. While some weapons have been slightly changed, others have been revamped, like the Ballista, which is a new version of the Gauss Cannon that shoots explosive energy bolts.
Doom Slayer looks to play exactly as you remember him but with an expanded roster of mobility options. You now have the ability to quickly dash/dodge ala Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare; you can even climb certain surfaces and swing on poles in the environment to clear wide gaps. In addition, you can use a grappling hook to latch onto enemies and nearby surfaces. There are also new suit abilities, such as an arm blade and a shoulder mounted launcher that can shoot grenades and fire. Lastly, power-ups are returning and it appears they can enhance your physical characteristics permanently.
Any New Modes?
The biggest new addition in Eternal is an invasion mode where other players can jump into your single-player campaign as demons, basically forming hunting parties to take you out. The mode will allow you to join friends to invade or be invaded. Of course, you can also play alone if you don’t want to deal with it.
In an odd twist, there appears to be a lives system of some kind. Based on the debut footage, this doesn’t seem to directly impact normal single-player play, but we’re thinking this item might come in handy during the invasions where you could easily die at any moment and lose your progress.
Is It Coming To Nintendo Switch?
A Nintendo Switch version of Eternal has been confirmed, but it’s unclear if it’ll release alongside the for PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions. In addition, it appears that Panic Button, the studio that handled porting the first game, will be returning to port Eternal–at least if this humorous tweet teasing at the possibility is to be believed.
Release Date
Bethesda has not confirmed a release date for Doom Eternal at this time, though it’s set to launch sometime in 2019. We’re hoping that a release window is confirmed sooner than later.
