Doom Eternal was unveiled at E3 2018 on Bethesda’s stage, showing a teaser of Hell on Earth with some new demons returning from the original Doom 2. At Quakecon 2018 last weekend, developers id Software has showcased the promised gameplay reveal in three big chunks.
Doom Eternal will be powered by the next generation of its proprietary engine, now called the id Tech 7, promising jaw-dropping graphics while maintaining 60fps. The Doom Slayer now has a chainsaw attachment on his gauntlet which plays part in new glory-kill animations. His arsenal has also been revamped. There is now an over-the-shoulder attachment which can fire rockets or acts as a flamethrower. The iconic Super Shotgun now has a “meathook” mod attachment that allows you to hook and grapple towards demons, handy for delivering final blows or just use it for traversal. There are new weapons such as the ballista, which is essentially a railgun.
Demons also got some upgrades. Not only do they gib, their body parts will now can be ripped and teared by just shooting at them while they are still alive. The playable demons you see in the multiplayer component in Doom 2016 is now used in a neat way as well. You can control a demon and invade another player’s game ala Dark Souls. Plus, you can assemble your own squad of demon invaders to spice up your friend’s playthrough, though there is an option to opt out of this experience.
Also, environmental storytelling and the cheeky tongue-in-cheek tone seen in Doom 2016 will also return. Jokes about the word “demon” being offensive, suggesting the term “mortally challenged” and Doom Slayer being the Doom Slayer are seen in the bits of demo we saw.
Here’s the archive of the Doom Eternal reveal. The first gameplay section starts at 4:40, the second, more amped gameplay on PC that ends with the demon invasion teaser starts at 12:12 and the last section, featuring gameplay on Phobos and a really rad stinger starts at 18:05.
Doom Eternal will be out on PS4, PC, Xbox One and also the Nintendo Switch in 2019.