DOOM (2016) Review: An Unexpected Masterpiece

The first time Bethesda showed the public gameplay of iD Software's reboot of DOOM, it resulted in a plethora of negative feedback given how slow and different it appeared compared to the classics; fans were left with nothing but uncertainty after the E3 conference.

Things took an even more negative turn once Bethesda announced that no journalists whatsoever would receive review copies of DOOM before it releases. To gamers and industry workers alike, this shouted nothing but worry for Bethesda regarding the possible reception of the game in the media.

All the scepticism once DOOM did release completely disappeared, it's safe to say that very few were expecting to get what they did: a perfect reboot of the DOOM franchise. A game that had been made many times before but still managed to maintain its own style and format successfully. A pleasant, unexpected surprise.

DOOM (2016) is by far my favourite singleplayer shooter experience in the last few years; it was an experience I just did not want to come to an end. DOOM has the player forever feeling like an invincible force that should simply not be fucked with even in the slightest. Its gameplay flows like a stream and almost never keeps the player perfectly still for even a minute. There's a constant supply of weapons to upgrade and use against a plethora of creatures sent from Hell, and even they are shit scared of you (the game is literally about DOOM Guy waking up having been captured and contained by the creatures of Hell in total fear of him).

The enemies are all unique with interesting abilities that keep you sprinting around, platforming and using the environment's verticality as you constantly switch between weapons that fit the situation you may be in. I found myself using the shotgun for the vast majority of my playthrough, for obvious reasons. That shotgun feels, sounds, and performs in such a satisfying way, as do the rest of the weapons.

There's little narrative in the game. Cut-scenes stop the player, and that is not how DOOM should be. The narrative is told to the player via playbacks of audio that explains the events that led up to your capture, and how Hell tried its best to suppress you; they failed, and always will. If you're really into stories and ensuring you don't miss anything, it's okay to start with the franchise here, but you may enjoy it a bit more if you play the others beforehand.

I cannot stress how important it is to play this game, and I cannot stress further the importance of playing it on a beastly PC with a keyboard and mouse, taking advantage of the Vulkan API as well as the additional resolutions. A keyboard and mouse will also feel a lot smoother than a controller, adding to the fluidity of the gameplay.