The Nintendo console received its most brainless and violent video game. Doom is now on Nintendo Switch, and there are reasons to celebrate the landing on Mars since never a descent to hell had been presented with the hybrid benefits of the platform. What about the change of hardware to the ID Software video game? We have our out review already!
Doom has returned on the Switch, and it is angrier than ever. After nearly a decade of piss poor health regenerating shooters, and military shooters that do not have the guts… to show guts, Doom Marine does and returned to us in 2016 and now on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. The question merely here is, should you rip and tear? Alternatively, just throw it away?
Story ? … what story, there’s only blood and guts
Doom starts off pretty in medias res; you are awakened from a stone sarcophagus, as Demons are about to tear you apart. So at this point, we would probably get a lengthy cinematic, maybe a huge voice over as to how this has happened, or a long tutorial to introduce us to the game. Nope, you just bash a demon’s face in, get a gun, and the game lets you loose to tear hell apart. There is, of course, a story, but it is entirely minimalistic.
You are the Doom Slayer, an ancient soldier so powerful Hell has locked you away from killing too much of their demons. UAC in the future has decided to end the energy crisis by siphoning off energy from hell…? Okay, that is a weird idea, but still, the idea works, up until one crazy scientist decides to unleash the monsters of Hell on Mars. You need to stop the invasion, kill everyone in Hell and save… probably no one like everybody in the facility pretty much died (to be honest). We have two colorful characters, and one robot AI that provides exposition, and you the Doom Marine, an entity that probably puts Skynet’s Terminators to shame as to how much slaughter you cause.
While the story is paper thin, it has its certain charm, it is tongue and cheek in a way, practically making fun of the past decade’s narratives. It does not try to be anything more than a DOOM game which is a great thing. There are no lengthy cutscenes or highly detailed cinematics, nor any gigantic setpieces to awe at like Modern Warfare or Halo. Instead, the game allows you from the very first minute for the player to take the reins, create its own setpiece moments, and enjoy a nearly uninterrupted shoot em up the festival.
Pistol? Check! Shotgun? Check! Big Fucking GUN? HELL YEAH CHECK!
The guns of Doom are back; we have all of the iconic weapons from the original series back, and they all handle pretty damn good. Our first weapon will be the basic pistol that can be upgraded for a little bit of a punch later down the line. After that, we get a shotgun that also has a grenade launcher if upgraded and a triple burst shot. All the weapons handle fairly well, and the upgrade system while at first feels weird in a Doom game it has its purposes. The more secrets, and unique items we uncover, the more upgrade points we gain per level.
The upgrades feel meaningful, and useful, not like most games where an upgrade is a 10% damage buff. Here the upgrades provide lock-on for missiles, give a stun AOE to the plasma gun, and allows the Super shotgun to cut through multiple enemies. It can take much effort to get most out of the guns through the upgrade system, so expect the usual 8-10 hour campaign to end up around the 15-20 hours as a rough estimate.
The guns pack quite a punch, and that is reflected in the death animation of the monsters all the time.
However besides the guns also have two other „weapons” at our disposal. Glory kills in which the weakened monsters can be torn apart by our fists, or we can stomp on their heads. We also have the chainsaw, which allows us to instantly kill an enemy. If we have enough fuel for that particular enemy, the encounter will be cut short for them. There’s actually a pretty good mechanic for these two options of death for demons. The glory kill gives us more health while the chainsaw provides us with an abundance of ammunition in case we run out of them.
Keep it simple and brutal
It is not the most in-depth combat system of all time, it keeps it simple, but quick, rapid, and does not waste the player’s time. The glory kills do not detract from the overall player experience, and they are short enough not to be bothersome.
The AI of the game is relentless, and most enemies will try to track you, chase you and slaughter the everliving hell out of the player. The enemy is very agile and can jump around the level to gain an advantage over the player. They are not the most static enemies, and probably the most mobile I have ever encountered in modern gaming. You will have a tough time against them in higher difficulties as they pretty much melt ammo and health off of our Doom Marine even in the beginning.
There are many unlockables, and secrets, plus there is a challenge mode for the players to try within the levels by accessing runes. The Rune challenge modes are fun, tricky and really difficult, especially the later ones. However earning these runes provide further advantages over the demons of Hell such as better ammo pick up quality, more health, longer dazed monsters.
All in all, if you are a maximalist, and want to unlock everything you will have much time to do that with the new DOOM game.
The level design is a bit of a weak spot for DOOM while the MARS sections are great, the Hell represented in DOOM is a bit of a miss for me. It is visually boring, and while it is gorgeous to look out, the color scheme and the scenery is mediocre. Unfortunately it is no Hellraiser’s vision of Hell, but hopefully, in the future, we will see more exciting vistas of Hell.
The music in this game is perfect for the combat and is one of my favorite soundtracks of the year. Mick Gordon created the soundtrack, the very same composer who also created Wolfenstein New Order’s music. The soundtrack is a mix of electronic and heavy metal, and the original game’s first level’s song was also remade for DOOM. The music is fantastic, and it pumps the player full of adrenaline when the fight is occurring in the depths of Hell against demons.
Bethesda bet on Switch
We move to the paragraph that everyone expects, on our favorite console, finally, that Switch? The game is fluid and bluffing. The pace is as crazy as on PC / Xbox One, and we do not feel that we play on a portable console. Moreover, yet we are well. The textures are of course less beautiful, and we feel it from time to time. However, the frantic pace of the game quickly forgets this aspect. The loading times are quite short and rare in dock mode as in mobile mode, which changes quite a bit of the Xbox One version that dragged on the loads.
During our test phase, no framerate decrease was observed, no freezes either. Just a small sound bug after a gunfight in portable mode, the sound has suddenly decreased to be close to the inaudible. A quick standby and the problem is solved. The bug appeared only once in a dozen hours of play, so it is almost already forgotten. The game manages to keep the run-and-gun spirit that made the charm of the opus of yesteryear, and suddenly it moves away from the third Doom that left more to the survival-horror.
However, it is good in 2017, and so we expect also an online mode refined with small onions. Unfortunately, during our test phase, the game was not released, we could not test this additional mode. Recall that it will be mandatory to download (9GB) with the edition of the game cartridge, the physical version only includes the story mode. Afterwards, if we rely on the PC / Xbox One version, the strong point of Doom is not found in the multiplayer. Even if the level editor was pushed enough at the time, it is not included anyway in this version Switch.
Conclusion
Doom succeeds its bet on Nintendo Switch, that of wearing a game mature, gore and nag without many concessions on the hybrid console Nintendo. The game is fluid and bluffing even in mobile mode. Hats off to the developers. Doom version 2016 remains as it is: a nice tribute to the first games dating from a time that the under 20 cannot know: that of Doom-like. However, there remains a (fast) FPS current that does not have to blush competition. A very good pick of the game library Switch, without a doubt.
-Zardoz- and -Isaac- (Dante)
8.5/10
(This review is partly based on Dante's PS4 review of DOOM)
Publisher: id Software
Genre: FPS
Release Date: 10th of November 2017
Gameplay: 85
Graphics: 81
Story: 76
Music/Audio: 88
Ambiance: 88
Total: 85
Pro
+ DOOM in Switch, the best FPS in years becomes portable
+ The combat loop is sensational, intense and strategic like few others
+ The setting continues to make the grade thanks to the artistic direction
Cons
- The dynamic resolution remains quite clear, especially in portable mode
- You may suffer some graphic glitch or punctual sound
- The loss of SnapMap mode
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