Doom Eternal - PC
I liked Doom 2016 but I must admit it's current status as a modern classic baffled me somewhat. I found it's combat chunky and fun, but simplistic. It's level design that rapidly funneled the player linearly through a series of locked off kill rooms felt at odds with the slow exploratory nature of it's secret hunting gameplay. As always I was pleased to see so many people enjoy the game but it never fully clicked for me.
Turns out, all they needed to do was up the difficulty and give me a dash button. I'm being reductive of course, there's a lot more at play in Doom Eternal.
They haven't just made the game "harder" but increased the complexity in clever ways, both in what it's asking of the player and of the threat posed by it's enemies. With each system that's been added or expanded; flame belch, blood punch, enemy weak points etc, it requires your brain be that much more engaged to the point where the game demands complete, unwaivering focus (even more so on harder difficulties). The result when you're playing well, is that zenlike flow state the best action games induce where the real world melts away. It has never been more welcome.
This, coupled with the new mobility options afforded the player in the form of the dash and the meat hook (grappling hook) transform the feel of every encounter. It allows for the kind of high skill manoeuvring that when mastered, turns each arena into a playground as you bounce around at lightning speed. I was grinning ear to ear the moment I realised that I could use the meat hook not only to pull myself towards an enemy, but use lateral movement to slingshot around the side and release, using the momentum to catapult away from danger and into a more advantageous position (Throwing out a flame belch, dropping a grenade and loosing a volley of rockets before hitting the ground of course).
I understand people's complaints that these changes have seen the game become a less pure shooter than it's 2016 predecessor. They're right, but it's become a purer action game that closer resembles Devil May Cry than it's more obvious inspiration. Doom Eternal is the best character action game since Bayonetta. All that's missing is a combo counter.
Alright, I'm being a little hyperbolic but this game very much scratches the itch I've had since DMC5 left me cold last year.
Collectables and secrets have been better woven into the flow of play too. Easier to find and often behind a small test of skill rather than the obtuse puzzle solving that often saw me spend an hour in 2016 without engaging in any combat. In a Doom game!
Yes the multiplayer is superfluous and the story is naff but I'm happy to ignore the former and paid the latter about as much attention as Doom Guy himself. That's not what I'm here for anyway, it's easy to hand wave for me.
Oh and play it on PC if you have the means. I've not seen any of the bugs and glitches that console players have encountered and the speed and accuracy of a mouse really helps tease the most of the combat system.
I totally get that this is not a game for everyone, but it very much is a game for me and something I find with increasing rarity in the AAA space.
Shout out to Ksub's review for tipping me over the edge on this one