Doom Review

Fight Like Hell!

Version tested: PlayStation 4.

Doom represents the new chapter developed by Id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks for PlayStation 4, XBOX One and Microsoft Windows. For those who do not know, it is a First Person Shooter purely classic, strongly influenced, like Wolfenstein: The New Order e The Old Blood, from elements typically found in 90s shooter, mixed together and "revisited" to adapt them to today's trends while maintaining unchanged certain characteristics that have made famous games such as the first Doom, released in 1993, which we can consider the progenitor par excellence of the genre.

Although the programming and development of the Doom reboot have been very troubled - we remember that in 2008 it was even canceled -, id Software has managed very well to package a product that manages, in a whole, to combine classic and modern elements, giving an experience as lively and satisfying during the single player campaign and both as regards the online multiplayer mode just as per tradition as regards the franchise.

But stop the chatter and let's see how much good (and not) has been done in this highly anticipated chapter / reboot of Doom!

Mars, we have a problem!

In the hypothetical future conceived and created by id Software, mankind has finally succeeded in the intent to settle on Mars through a series of huge settlements, for the purpose of extracting and utilizing a named energy element Sterling silver aimed at satisfying the ever-increasing demands for energy from the Earth; unfortunately, following a mysterious accident, a rift has opened in Space-Time Continuum who created a direct portal between our World and that of the Underworld and from which demons and monsters of all kinds have emerged whose sole objective is the conquest of the Blue Planet.

Our Doomguy (Doom's dude) wakes up tied to some sort of medical bed right in the middle of the invasion, surrounded by monstrous creatures almost as if he had been abducted by aliens in a "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". After freeing himself from the chains and slaughtering a few enemies first with his bare hands and then with the plasma gun, wearing his hyper-technological armor and having a moment become aware of what is happening, he will have to investigate the mysterious events that led to accident, while trying to drive the infernal forces back to where they came from.

That's exactly how Doom begins: naked and raw, with no introductions of any kind but catapulting us directly into the wildest and funniest action ever; a deliberate choice by id Software and Bethesda Softworks, precisely because the goal is to prefer the fast-paced gameplay that never lets the player breathe even for a second leaving the story a bit on the sidelines, in a sort of draft that takes shape as you progress through the campaign. Do not expect a deep, heartbreaking narrative, which leaves room for feelings as happened in Wolfenstein: The New Order and at times also in The Old Blood, but for a plot that is certainly not trivial but much less "constructed" and reasoned.

This reboot it is truly an authentic Doom, dynamic enough (perhaps too much) and splatter and violent at extreme levels, rejecting the static nature that usually characterizes current shooters, those tactics that most of the time "break" the gameplay and that "realism" that in Electronic Arts productions and Activision turns out to be a preponderant element and of which it is not possible to do without it. Doom is not "real", it is unreal, it goes beyond human logic and how much showy up to now. Even in Wolfenstein there were surreal elements, but somehow they were impregnated with a certain logic that in Doom sometimes turns out to be almost absent and inexplicable. Suffice it to say that there is no "weapon reload" function but it goes on shot after shot, kill after kill until the magazine of our weapon is now empty, forcing us to change our "instrument of death".

Violence is the cornerstone of the production: from the first second of the game you understand which path the game will take and what was the intent of the developers. It is not a simple "take the weapon and massacre the enemies", but rather take the weapon and with each brutal killing, each crushed skull, each arm torn by force, rejoice and have fun with what you are doing, because you will always want more and you will never get tired of killing monsters even thanks to one truly enviable variety of weapons. Each weapon, in fact, has precise and unique characteristics, leaving out the pulse gun which has infinite shots and in some situations it could really save our lives thanks to its special “loaded” shot, especially against weaker targets. The rest of the arsenal instead does nothing but increase our being sadistic to very high levels.

As per tradition, there is the Combat Shotgun, one of the first weapons designed and created for the game, effective at medium-short range and suitable for any type of clash. The Shotgun, in addition to facilitating us in close combat, has as a special function the possibility of firing three devastating shots and explosive bullets that literally dismember the enemies. The design of the Plasma Rifle (Plasma Rifle) derives a lot from past chapters, and with its repeated fire the main intent is to make it more modern and captivating. With the'Hellshot (Diabolical blow), on the other hand, the intent is to create a look that resembles something experimental, that is a weapon that takes energy from a diabolical source and allows you to repay enemies with their own coin.

Il Gauss Cannon (Cannon Gauss) was conceived by concept artist Bryan Flynn and, given its length, requires a lot of attention in use as it fires an energy shot (similar to that of the Plasma Gun). The Static Rifle (Static Shotgun), a science fiction shotgun, pushes energy from surrounding space when it is in motion and releases it as an "energy concentrate" when fired. An important aspect was to make the player visually perceive the reload phase of this devastating weapon. There Lighting Gun (Pulse Rifle) was originally designed as a weapon with two distinct firing modes: using the weapon's secondary fire, in fact, its front bends thus giving a more aggressive impression. The look of the Lighting Gun is something that is more reminiscent of a creature than a weapon. There Chaingun, very similar to the Gatling Gun, it does not need further investigation; then there is the Rocket launcher classic that allows you to literally "splat" enemies; there Chainsaw it can be extracted at any time via a dedicated button compared to other weapons and can be used to tear apart enemies provided, however, that you have enough fuel available.

Speaking of the Vortex Rifle (Vortex Rifle), this is the first "sniper" weapon in the Doom saga and is really powerful. The same designer, Bryan Flinn, said that in inventing this weapon he added so many details that were fun to create. Finally, the weapon of all weapons, the instrument of death most present in the collective imagination of gamers, which is part of the Top Ten of the best weapons ever seen in a video game: ladies and gentlemen, the BFG (Big Fucking Gun)! Futuristic in appearance, it uses energy cells as ammunition (the same as the plasma rifle); after pressing the button to fire there is a small pause in which the weapon "charges", then a green plasma sphere is released which explodes on contact. The hit enemy is usually killed on the spot (only those with more vital points resist), but others are damaged (or even killed) even if not directly hit by the sphere, in a rather large area of ​​impact.

Technically excellent!

The game is divided into 13 chapters and, as per tradition, in order to progress we will have to fulfill a series of environmental challenges (finding blue, red and yellow keys and bypassing computers) that will pave the way for us to complete the level. Although it represents a "Action Game“, In quotation marks, also has a sort of "RPG" progression, as we will be able to enhance our Doomguy by increasing the available life points, its dexterity in movements, the power of the weapons, the armor, the scanning technology of the areas and so on and so forth. To be able to "upgrade" our protagonist we will have to earn points, which can also be obtained by demonstrating our skill in combat (number, type and method of killing).

As for the gameplay, everything works at its best and the work done is truly excellent, also thanks to the evolution of the graphics engine id Tech 6, which allowed for greater overall optimization. The title turns out to be graphically really appealing (except for some surrounding elements not particularly cared for), with a variety of environments (although inferior to Wolfenstein) really good, polygonal models that know their stuff and decidedly realistic animations. On consoles, perhaps, there is an effect of tearing a little too accentuated which slightly blurs some textures. For the rest, however, the game is optimized really well as regards PlayStation 4 and XBOX One, as it keeps the frame rate almost constant on the 60 fps, with some drops a 50 in actions more excited than "normal". Although it adapts very well to the use of the joypad, let's say that its true essence is unleashed in all its majesty on PC as, with an Ultra configuration, you almost touch the 200 fps.

The variety of creatures is wider than what was seen in the last chapter of Doom (the third, so to speak), returning purely to the origins and glories of the first two episodes. Among the enemies stand out the revenants, which also inspired the creation of the statue for the Collector's Edition of the game, i Mancubus, the Barons of Hell, the Hellknights and Cacodemons, all old acquaintances for people like me who have played all the chapters of the series. Good too artificial intelligence, perhaps a little too poorly balanced with respect to the chosen difficulty level, but the challenges never hurt, on the contrary. In addition to the various "traditional" difficulties I'm Too Young to Die, Hey Not to Rough, Hurt Me Plenty, Ultra-Violence and Nightmare, in addition, there will also be the mode Ultra-Nightmare which, hear hear, has not been completed even by the developers of the game and that, in case of death (unlikely not to die in Doom), will force us to start the entire campaign from the beginning (Permadeath). Documented in a video, however, it appears to have been successfully completed by a user in about 4 hours and 42 minutes (Impossible is Nothing). There is a checkpoint-based save system, which is certainly a winning choice and more in step with modern FPS.

Truly amazing sound sector, just like in Wolfenstein if not even higher, with almost "sweet" melodies alternating with hard rock and heavy metal sounds really mind-boggling. Dubbing completely in Spanish, fortunately at the height of a title of such magnitude and depth, all amalgamated at the right point, almost going to underline the ferocity of our carnage in an idyll of sounds.

A brutal multiplayer sector

In this "new" version of Doom obviously could not miss the multiplayer online (the six modalities of which have been detailed in ours Special on Doom, which you can read by clicking HERE), which basically provides for the possibility of clashing with other users in different ways, some entirely new:

• Reaper Of Souls
• Freezing
• Street Of War
• Domination
• Team Deathmatch
• Arena Clan

It must be said that if the single-player campaign is hectic, the multiplayer is even more so. The only rule to follow is not to stay still in one place, but rather to move in a way that is sometimes too frenetic in search of a target to eliminate, a death to avoid or a point to conquer. The weapon wheel has also been specially designed for online mode, with various functions and effects. Of course, in the current videogame landscape there is no mode in the least comparable to the one that id Software has implemented in Doom: you have to play to get used to the incessant and fast pace and above all to become familiar with the game maps to be able in some way to prevail over the opposing players.

Even in this case, however, the playability is immediate: the best defense is the attack and it will be up to us to understand which strategy and which weapon to use. The only "random" factor is given by the "Demonic Transformation“, Or rather at certain intervals of time a rune will be generated that will allow those who conquer it to transform into a demonic creature that will naturally change the balance of the battle. Whoever succeeds in killing the demon, will in turn be transformed into it until the effect of the rune disappears. The maps, a bit like single player game environments, lack some details that could have given them greater uniqueness and characterization.

Finally, now the trend is the same, even in Doom through the modality SnapMap every single player will be given the opportunity to create ad hoc maps, to be shared with the online community and / or with their friends to try their hand at amazing multiplayer challenges that will certainly increase the longevity of a title whose offline campaign, to be brought to completion, takes about 15 hours, without counting the collection of collectibles and without hunting for secrets. Which is really a novelty when compared to the other FPS on the market, which perhaps prefer multiplayer more than single player.

Doom is this: Doom is everything and nothing, Doom is simply Doom!