I play the sequel to the brutal DOOM

In 2016, id Software and Bethesda joined forces to bring us a reboot of the iconic franchise started by John Carmack and John Romero in 1993. With a huge facelift, DOOM returned full of strength and without losing that grotesque essence of which so much fame has. DOOM Eternal is just around the corner, and operating as a direct sequel to the installment released almost four years ago.

Demons have invaded Earth. DOOM Slayer returns, and the planet must be cleaned and cleaned of these creatures. It is the only thing we must know to make our way through the campaign mode of this new title. Because if there is something that characterizes this franchise, it is the simplicity of its story mode, being the truly relevant, the way to the conclusion of our journey. And it is that as in its previous installment, in DOOM Eternal we will enjoy exciting fights loaded with brutality and dynamism, to the rhythm of heavy metal. And to accompany this frenzy, the studio has managed to set the direction for the audience that this game is aimed at. Proof of this is the design of the interface and menus of DOOM Eternal, since it gives it a 90s air that feels tremendously good, especially when we started the game for the first time.

The start of DOOM Eternal is instantaneous, a few seconds is enough for us to start shooting our first bullets with the shotgun, just as it was in its previous installment. And it is that as usual, the first demons we meet will serve as a tutorial, to get used to the game mechanics that we are offered. However, we would have appreciated that the beginning gave less that tutorial feeling, mainly due to the pop-up messages that appear to each novelty that is presented to us throughout the game. And it is that although we have an option to disable these types of notifications, the fact of having them active by default makes the surprise disappear to a certain extent. However, we understand the reason for this implementation, since it comes from the hand of a cumbersome system of points, skills and advantages.

All that is required of a DOOM sequel from four years ago is to enjoy the same characteristics of its combat. In this regard, it continues to more than fulfill its mission. And it is that few games will bring out our most beast side when it comes to violently shooting our enemies. That feeling makes us powerful, and it is the main axis to which this franchise clings. In addition, at DOOM Eternal we now have new features that will give even more versatility to combat. Great examples are the arrival of the dash, which will give a huge increase to the mobility of the character. Furthermore, by chaining executions, we will now have the opportunity to charge the Bloody Punch, which does not need a description to blow your imagination.

The chainsaw also returns to disembowel bodies in exchange for ammunition, and will be accompanied by the new "flamethrower", a flamethrower that we will have equipped on our shoulders to fry demons in exchange for armor. All these examples are some of the novelties that we will have in combat, which becomes expanded and more spectacular. Not to mention, that in DOOM Eternal we will have the possibility to control certain types of demons in certain parts of the game, and make use of their own abilities.

DOOM became a benchmark when it comes to benchmarks on PC. The reason was its great stability and performance, being able to achieve a very high frame rate thanks to the great use of the Vulkan API. DOOM works very well even on computers that do not have great graphics power (within limits, of course), and with its sequel it happens exactly the same. And is that the minimum requirement to play this title at 1080p and 60fps, is a GTX 1050Ti graphics, or its equivalent AMD R9 280, onwards.

DOOM Eternal has a quite remarkable graphic section, which is highlighted in its Ultra-Nightmare configuration only suitable for the most powerful graphics on the market. All this, together with its more than interesting artistic section, make this sequel another experience not only pleasant to play, but also to the eye. And that's not to mention the return of Mick Gordon and his incredible work regarding the original soundtrack of this title. Butchering demons to the rhythm of heavy metal never felt so good.

In short, DOOM Eternal is the return of that experience of frenetic action that we already lived in 2016, which returns expanded and with new and interesting features. However, there are times when you miss the simplicity for which this franchise is known. Part of the blame lies with those platform sessions that do not quite materialize, and some content that gives the feeling that it simply adorns the core of this title, which is its combat and gunplay. However, DOOM Eternal more than fulfills its mission, being able to enjoy another very fun installment with pleasant nuances in its gaming environment. Slayer returns, pushing his way through demons with more force than ever.