DOOM Eternal’s gameplay debut last month blew us all away. It looked exactly like what DOOM 2016’s sequel needed to be- more DOOM, but better in every way possible. The enhanced mobility, the faster combat, the excellent environments, the newer features, it all looked absolutely incredible.
That enhanced mobility and new moves in the Doom Slayer’s moveset are a very considered addition by id Software, as with DOOM Eternal, they want to empower fans to play their game more aggressively than they ever have before- which, if you’ve ever played DOOM, you know that’s saying something.
As per the game’s creative director Hugo Martin, DOOM Eternal is going to make you “feel unleashed” by being “a pure, unfiltered, action FPS experience”.
“A hero is only as strong as the enemy that they defeat and if you want to feel like a badass you’ve got to wreck some amazing bad guys along the way,” said Martin while speaking with GamesTM (September 2018, Issue 204). “And DOOM Eternal has some incredible enemies. We want you to feel unleashed, like nothing is holding you back. This is a pure, unfiltered, action FPS experience.
“Eternal will still feel like DOOM, even after we have added in these new abilities. Being able to close the distance between enemies faster will make you feel more aggressive… and we are always encouraging the player to play more aggressively. When that’s the underlying theme of a new mechanic or ability we know that it’s going to work.”
Martin then went on to talk about how id Software is changing up level design in DOOM Eternal to make it fit with the game’s enhanced mobility a bit more. “There’s a reason that the spaces are larger,” he said. “If you make a faster race car, you’re going to need a bigger race track. Your closing speed is outrageous. It’s actually one of the most thrilling things in Eternal.
“How many games can you see someone from across a giant sci-fi space and then, like on a skateboard, just rocket towards them and just smash them in the face? It’s the best feeling in the world. Especially now, with all of the different abilities that we’ve introduced. It’s all about closing those distances, and now you can do it in seconds.”
Game director Marty Stratton also chimed in, giving his own two cents on his thoughts on the game’s movement options and how it’s changing things up by essentially expanding them. “It all comes down to us trying to define the things that we felt were missing or are the next evolution of,” he said. “That’s where something like the dash comes in. In this particular case, it’s like… well, where has this been all my life? It’s such a natural component of Doom’s movement now.”
Stratton went on to talk about the newly introduced meat hook, and how it’s perfectly emblematic of how the game wants you to literally get up in the face of all demons you run into. “The meat hook is a good example of what Hugo said before,” he said. “It’s about being more aggressive and getting you to push forward. We just want to get you closer to the combat; in the case of the meat hook, it doesn’t grapple any point in the world, it only hooks demons. That use of it is always pulling you face to face with a demon.”
DOOM Eternal launches some time next year for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. An exact release date for the game hasn’t yet been confirmed.