spiderslash- Expect nothing, and even less.

Finally, we’re in familiar territory.

Doom (2016) was the first Doom game I ever bought and finished myself and is one of the few games I’ve reviewed here that I’ve had prior experience with. Yeah spoilers, I love this game. I love it with all my heart and soul. But why? Why do I love this game so much? Why is this the game that I hold in such high regard? IS it because it was the first one I ever beat? I don’t think so. I think it has to do with the pure quality and brilliance the game has a whole. So join me, will you? This is Doom (2016).

“Ahhhh…..I’m home.”

Those were the first words to come out of my mouth when I started this game back up. Everything about the gameplay in this game speaks to me at a spiritual level, you guys. The Doom Slayer, as the game calls him, is so much fun to control with his fast movement speed and even more so with the addition of a few extra traversal elements. You can grab onto ledges now simply by jumping near them and you unlock a double-jump early on in the campaign. In addition to making the general movement more entertaining, they also add an extra layer to the combat as they both provide you with extra mobility options and make it feel that much more engaging.

Now in terms of weapons you just. You just get the best feeling guns, man. The shotgun and super shotgun both feel amazing, the rocket launcher is fun to use ESPECIALLY when you unlock the lock-on modification, the newly added Gauss Cannon is devastatingly powerful, the BFG 9000 is the best its ever been I love them all so much. Almost every weapon feels unbelievably satisfying to use with the exception of the Plasma Rifle. I don’t know about this one, guys, it felt really weak in comparison to the other weapons but other than that they’re all winners. You can also perform “Glory Kills” when an enemy flashes to quickly finish them off and gain items such as health, ammo, and sometimes armor and, much like the rest of the game, is extremely satisfying to pull off.

Now in terms of general design, Doom is the most straightforward in the entire series. The game is constantly moving the player forward or in a circle but it never asks them to backtrack by their own accord. The game makes it’s intent crystal clear at the beginning of the game, “Go”. That’s not to say that the player isn’t rewarded for exploring, far from it. Hidden around each level are a slew of optional upgrades for your health, armor, and ammo so you can be better equipped for future challenges. You can also find little drones that give you weapon modifications that make them not only feel more powerful but give you an extra edge in combat, such as the tactical scope for the heavy assault rifle or the charge shot for the Gauss Cannon. There are also find Elite Guards that give you points towards suit upgrades like lessening self-damage or grabbing ledges faster. The best collectible though are the little Doom Guy action figures. They don’t do much, only unlocking things in the model viewer, but they’re so damn cute that they’re worth finding anyway. You can also find a level to reveal hidden levels from the first Doom but they’re so well hidden I can’t even find them without a guide. I honestly think Doom is home to the best levels in the series and the fact that there’s still so much I haven’t found really speaks to its high replayability.

Now, what’s a video game without well-crafted visuals and music? Doom 3, but Doom knocks it out of the park in this aspect. The art direction and lighting in Doom is drop-dead gorgeous. The environments are littered with corpses, blood, and little references to id Software and Bethesda games that it’s hard to not appreciate it. I love how each level just looks more and more messed up and deteriorated and how it looks like Hell is completely taking over the UAC base. Hell itself, however, is easily the highlight of the game in terms of visuals. That place looks like absolute shit in a really good way with demon skeletons being scattered all over the place and the look of the derelict architecture is really something to see.

One other thing I loved were the character designs because they’re all super striking, my favorites being the demons. The denizens of hell have never looked this good with each enemy having a distinct, yet grotesque design that are all brimming with personality. All of the returning demons look different but not to the point where they’re unrecognizable, they look like proper modern interpretations of these creatures. The last thing I want to mention is the wonderfully aggressive soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon. While it’s very industrial and electronic it fits the mood of Doom perfectly with how angry and intense the game can be. Shit sounds real good and you should give it a listen if you haven’t.

Doom is a near-perfect game in my opinion. I really can’t think of any serious complaints I had with the game that impeded my enjoyment, it’s that damn good. I know I’m neglecting to mention the multiplayer like I did with all of the other Doom games but I couldn’t find any matches so…I dunno leave me alone shut up. This is seriously one of my favorite games to revisit and I cannot give it enough praise.