DOOM Eternal: our preview at Paris Games Week

Despite the announcement of its postponement of several months, DOOM Eternal was playable on the Xbox stand of the Paris Games Week 2019. A session of about twenty minutes was proposed to the press as visitors to the show. So we donned our equipment to slay demons!

DOOM is eternal!

The demo on the French show projected the player in different sections to illustrate several aspects of the software developed by id Software. Before diving into the tide of hemoglobin, DOOM Eternal took us by the hand via a rather long tutorial. But it was necessary to assimilate the new possibilities offered by this opus. Among these, we will mention the possibility to perform a dash on the ground as in full jump or the fact of being able to grab and climb the walls. Unfortunately, the grapple unveiled at the announcement of the game was not usable. After several minutes spent safely, it was finally time to rub the famous demons!

From the outset, the feeling is similar to that fans of the genre were able to perceive on the episode released in 2016. The fluidity is still exemplary and the fighting is very nervous. To defeat the waves of enemies that break over the seconds, you have to run in all directions by dazing out all-out. The regulars will be on familiar ground and the neophytes could be disturbed by the impossibility of taking cover. DOOM Eternal favors pure action without worrying too much about the rest. Thus, the scenario has been little introduced in this demo and it will no doubt be an excuse to "knock the demon"!

A warm but glorious recipe

The similarities with the DOOM released more than 3 years ago do not stop there. The bestiary does not change much and other gameplay mechanics like the glory kill system are making their comeback. When an enemy is seriously injured, it starts to flash and the player can then press the right joystick to perform this bloody melee attack. It's also a great way to get some life back. Overall, the clashes are rather full-bodied and require the player to react in a hurry. Thus, to help newcomers, developers have developed life-saving items like lives. These last ones automatically revive the hero when he dies.

If this DOOM Eternal is likely to be considered a simple copy of its predecessor, id Software still had to improve its recipe in several areas. Thus, the phases of platforms are more rhythmic and precise, especially thanks to the arrival of the dash. The speed of execution of jumps fits perfectly with the DNA of the saga. The grapple should strengthen all the more this extremely positive impression.

That frag?

In short, DOOM Eternal DOOM, and it does it perfectly! Without big surprises, the fights are nervous, the kills are enjoyable and the impression of power is at the rendezvous. With this sequel, id Software is primarily aimed at its community sometimes at the expense of real innovations that could allow the game to stand out substantially from the rest of the license. If DOOM Eternal will surely not be a revolution, it should at least ensure its rank of leader of the genre FPS at its release on March 20, 2020, on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.