|| REVIEW || Doom Eternal (Nintendo Switch)
Developed By : id Software Published By : Bethesda Softwork
Category : Shooter, First-Person, Action
Release Date : December 8, 2020 (Nintendo Switch), March 20, 2020 (XB1, PS4, PC)
The name DOOM has been prominent in video gaming since it's inception in the early 90's. Initially released as free shareware, the original game blossomed into a franchise that really helped define the genre of first-person shooters. But, as widely popular as the early games always were, they were never things I really got to experience since I never really had a PC to play on, nor did I have the consoles the early games were put out on.
Fast forward many years, I finally ended up with chances to check out some of the older titles. I picked up the SNES cartridge for DOOM and even have DOOM 64 cemented in my near-complete N64 library. To be fully honest though, I grew frustrated with these games more than anything. Years of playing on consoles and getting to control first-person games with dual joysticks had spoiled me and I couldn't for the life of me get invested in a single joystick FPS.
Initially, when the reboot launched in 2016, the hype fell short on me since these were games I had very minimal exposure to. But still, the more I saw of it the more excited I got for it and eventually I found myself in the game and getting hooked. So eventually, when Eternal was announced, for the first time I was excited for a DOOM game before it's release.
In the latest installment of the series, you play as the iconic Slayer, returning to Earth only to find it ravaged by a demon invasion. With the AI assistance of VEGA, it is learned that three Hell Priests are behind the invasion, and the being they serve, Khan Maykr who seeks to sacrifice all of humanity. After teleporting down to Earth and eliminating one of the Hell Priests, the other two are transported away leaving the Slayer to hunt through a number of locations including Hell itself in order to find them.
As is the norm for DOOM your mission is surrounded by your constant dealing of death and destruction. Countless demons stand in your way, just waiting to be ripped apart with your arsenal of weapons that you'll slowly increase as the game unfolds. You start off the game with a few of them, specifically your shotgun, chainsaw and Doom Blade, but the rest you'll need to find.
Some of these are dedicated finds that you won't be allowed to miss, while others you'll need to go a little out of your way if you want to keep the weapons increasing. All in all, you'll end up slaying all the demons with everything from hand cannons to plasma rifles, rocket launchers and much, much more.
Each weapon has it's primary firing capabilities, as well as the potential to unlock special mods for them. These vary from weapon-to-weapon, and the upgrades can only be obtained at specific spots where you find a mod droid hidden around many of the games levels. Most of these mods offer alternate firing methods for your weapons, for example the pistols mod lets you zoom in your shot and fire a single, much more powerful round instead of the ordinary three-round burst, and one of the shotgun mods lets you shoot out sticky bombs. Other mods can be found for non-combat abilities though for some guns like being able to reload faster.
In addition to your weapons, your suit itself can also handle a number of upgrade modifications. The first one of these you'll get is the grenade one which, very simply, lets your hurl a grenade everytime the cooldown is depleted. Other suit upgrades let you perform a dash, throw an icy bomb that can freeze enemies in place, or a flame belch that sets your foes on fire.
Enemies, and furthermore the different types of them, are quite plentiful in DOOM Eternal. Now again, bear in mind, this is not a franchise I've ever kept up with. But, even with the minimal exposure I've had to it I recognized plenty of the enemy types. Granted, a lot of them seemed and felt new to me but there are a number that are brand new to the franchise starting with this game. All come with their own sets of attacks, some can wield weapons, some make their own weapons, like the Imp which hurls its own fireballs at you. Some rely on charging at you for harsh, physical melee attacks, so you'll need to always be aware of who you're fighting and what they're capable of.
Bigger enemies will naturally pose bigger threats, but some have specific ways of being whittled down. Whether it's exposing a weak spot that lets you hit them for bonus damage or being able to hit them with a specific weapon for an explosive weakening distraction, everything has a way of being taken down.
How you take them down also matters, as you can rely on your enemies to keep yourself armed and healthy in battle. Enemies you take out with your chainsaw will net you with a ton of ammo for your guns, while a glory kill will force them to drop, and one of the later suit powers you obtain will force your enemies to drop armor.
Over the last year or so, a number of titles have come to the Switch that I absolutely did not expect. While the Switch is a powerful system, especially stacked up against it's predecessor the Wii U, it's still a shock to see some of the things releasing on the console that had, in previous generations, skipped a Nintendo release. So while I never got to check out when DOOM (2016) came to the console I was still a little hesitant about how Eternal would handle. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I got behind the controls.
Speaking specifically of the controls, one thing about this game really intrigued me, but I was nervous about it all the same. One feature boasted about for the Switch version was the use of motion controls. With this turned on, your right joy-con gains full-motion functionality. You are still able to use the joystick for aiming too, but having the motion can make all the difference for holding steady aim on a target, or precisely flipping to an entirely new target with more accuracy.
Visually, the game looks and runs absolutely incredibly. Naturally if you're trying to play in handheld mode the graphics are going to get a bit tanked. At best, the handheld screen is capable of handling up to 720p for a resolution, but DOOM Eternal definitely feels like it's under that benchmark, closer to the 480p mark. Things felt laggy and framey at times, but once I docked the Switch things got back on track very well.
If you've been a fan of the DOOM series, and especially if you've been a fan of it in the Nintendo family of consoles, don't hesitate to pull the trigger on picking up Eternal for the Switch. It's a great game that runs extremely well on the Switch. It runs great in handheld or docked, but if you're looking for that incredible new DOOM visual appeal, make sure you dock this and get to demon slaying on your big screen. This is a purchase you won't regret at all.
Game Rating : 9 / 10
Also available on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
and Google Stadia
A code for this game was graciously provied
to the site for the purpose of a review
