DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One

Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods part 1 continues where Eternal left off, which is exactly what id Software was supposed to do to make it a success. All the good elements from Eternal with a few nice additions make The Ancient Gods part 1 a must-have for fans of Doom.

A frankly terrifying exercise in pushing Doom as far as it can go.

It’s the same Doom Eternal we know and love, but the DLC managed to make it even more frenetic. The onslaught of demons is actually so intense that it can easily get overwhelming, especially if you haven’t played Doom for a while or never mastered it. It’s a shame the developers were quite skimpy with new content, so we only got three new enemies (of which one is not even worth mentioning), three new runes, and three new maps (huge and well-designed though). [13/2020, p.49]

Doom Eternal – The Ancient Gods Part 1succeeds in its goal: to give the fans more action, gore and fun. If we put aside the small step backwards made with the soundtrack, this DLC will undoubtedly appeal to all those gamers who are still not satisfied with Doom’s adrenalinic gameplay loop.

You can never have enough Doom Eternal. The Ancient Gods is a great campaign extension of a brilliant shooter.

The Ancient Gods - Part 1 continues the story of DOOM Eternal, putting us back in the armor of the DOOM Slayer for a new dose of fast-paced and spectacular combat. Those who expected something new will be disappointed.

Net of some balancing problems, and some declines in the quality of the level design, the first Eternal DLC therefore marks an excellent debut for the post-launch journey of the title, with the complicity of a high-impact artistic direction and accompaniment substantially perfect musical.

A solid expansion that will test even the hardest Doomguys around. It’s almost the same as the basic game, with one exception: It’s even harder. And, regretfully, the music isn’t as amazing as before.

While the three new levels are excellently designed and the combat is as satisfying as ever, the lack of new weapons or abilities feels like a missed opportunity. The main downside however is the uneven balancing: Some battles are littered with high level enemies (some of which require precise aiming in the midst of combat) and take easily more than 10 minutes to complete, all while you are grasping for ammo and health. Doom Eternal made you feel like a badass, while Ancient Gods almost makes you drag from one fight to next, always hoping you make it out alive somehow. This might be a real dealbreaker for some players, even for those who finished Doom Eternal without a problem on normal difficulty. Ancient Gods is still good fun, mind you, but I don't feel this is the right direction for the franchise. There is a difference between challenging and hardcore.

Spewing larger-than-life encounter after larger-than-life encounter The Ancient Gods - Part One can get a bit on the repetitive side, but it's easy to forgive it for this minor misstep, since more DOOM Eternal is never a bad thing. Don't let the low level count fool you. The three available maps are fairly large, and the high challenge will manage to keep you on your toes, especially due to how some new demons affect the battlefield. As a whole, and while a bit more variety would be more than welcome, the first DLC is very enjoyable, looks great, carries some new, and pretty neat tunes, and finally leads the narrative down a pretty intriguing path. Can't wait for Part Two!

While we may regret the rather light content and some less successful arenas, it is difficult to resist our pleasure by browsing the 3 levels that make up this DLC. The DOOM experience is as strong as ever and we can't wait to see what happens next.

Despite some new and enduring weak spots, Doom Eternal's frantic combat (mostly) continues to shine through. Once you get back into the swing of the action, the rock-paper-scissors design philosophy still results in a great time. I just wish Doom Eternal could get out of its own way.

The Ancient Gods Part 1 does what Doom expansions always used to: provides more Doom, but makes it harder. Its new enemies are more of an annoyance than a fun challenge but there were already more than enough tricks up Eternal’s sleeves to build on for increasingly tough battles. I recommend a bit of practice on Eternal proper before you dive into this DLC, but once you do you’ll find that the rush of combat is as satisfying as ever.

Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part One is a solid, meaty, and strong piece of DLC for Doom Eternal. It removes some of the chaff, cutting needless exposition, and makes some strong steps in gameplay. However, strange inclusions like enemies that kill the pace of combat, as well as even more ultra-precise platforming sections can throw off the whole "Doom" feeling of Doom Eternal. Also, and this is more of a subjective gripe, it's just too difficult right out of the gate with some combat sections feeling like they last forever.