The following contains spoilers for Doom.
Growing up in times where multiplayer hadn’t quite made its impact yet, there were only single player games with strong campaigns. A good campaign is truly hard to come by nowadays and some are even doing away with single player altogether. Star Wars Battlefront and Overwatch are two phenomenal first-person shooter games that do not include a campaign. Call of Duty hasn’t made a good campaign in lord knows how long and Battlefield 4 was a disaster in terms of a story mode. In the FPS genre, a good campaign is extremely hard to come by. That is why id Software’s Doom and the campaign included is a true gem.
Does Doom have the most noteworthy lore in terms of campaign? No, and that likely still won’t change after this game. Will people care greatly about the cut-scenes and characters? Maybe, but that isn’t what makes this single player mode great. Doom is filled with massive levels, hidden secrets and, surprisingly, boss fights. When the new Doom was announced, I think people were excited but the hype was relatively low. Now that the game is officially out, I think people have been pleasantly surprised. Not only does Doom feature a solid multiplayer and the brilliantly constructed SnapMap feature, but it also features quite possibly the strongest campaign of any FPS game in the past 10 years or more.
Without spoiling too much (besides the boss fights), Doom did so many things right with their campaign and that is why critics have been praising the game. The scores started out okay and have only climbed in the past few weeks since launch. Any fan of FPS games would be doing themselves a huge disservice by passing up this hellacious offering.
Some Big F’n Guns
Rarely do FPS games make you remember the impact of a weapon nowadays, which is a shame. Doom, however, will sear the memory of ripping through a demon with a chainsaw into your brain. The campaign mode features a weapon wheel that includes shotguns, assault rifles and even the gauss canon. Along with the wheel, you eventually stumble upon the aforementioned chainsaw and the BFG 9000.
Come on, who doesn’t love the Big F****** gun, it’s the Big F****** Gun for crying out loud! Doom nailed it when it comes to weapons. The sound of a super shotgun going off has never sounded so beautiful. Demons are not happy about id Software’s attempt to kill them in every way possible.
Time Consuming Campaign
The story mode of Doom is 13 levels long. While that may not get people excited, you can’t truly judge until you see the size and scale of the levels. The levels of Doom are, in a word, HUGE. Early in the game, players search for secrets in the forms of classic Doom levels and little Doom dolls. You also may search for weapon, suit and rune upgrades throughout the campaign. In other words, if you plan on doing everything Doom has to offer, then get ready to spend a quality amount of time with this game.
Boss Fights
Now, about those boss fights. There are a total of 3 boss fights in Doom and they are all epic. Personally, I was shocked to be thrown into a boss fight against a Cyber demon. This really sold the game for me because I believe every good game should include some type of boss fight (thanks Zelda). No matter the difficulty you choose, these fights with epic demons are the highlights of the entire campaign. The fact that you can use a large assortment of weapons makes the boss fights, and the game as a whole, a brilliantly bloody ride.
The climax to Doom was perfect and the surprise at the end should be enough to get players excited about the new direction for Doom.
Not One to Skip
Don’t just take my word for it, go out and get Doom. Easily one of the strongest FPS games of this generation, Doom deserves your attention. The game is extremely fun and who doesn’t love beating demons to a bloody pulp? Doom is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
