Doom (2016)

🎮 Steam ⏳ 16 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Relentless Combat Reboot #

This Doom entry successfully reboots the legendary series while keeping the spirit of the original alive. It throws away the slow, cover-based style of many modern shooters and instead forces you into aggressive, high-speed combat. Enemies never let up, and the game rewards you for staying on the move with health and ammo pickups gained through brutal “Glory Kills.” The gunplay feels fantastic, with each weapon having a distinct weight and impact, and upgrades give you plenty of ways to tweak your playstyle.

Classic Design, Modern Polish #

The campaign offers large, arena-like levels that encourage exploration for secrets and weapon mods, echoing the design of classic Doom but with modern polish. The visuals are sharp and detailed, and Mick Gordon’s heavy, industrial metal soundtrack perfectly complements the frantic action, often elevating fights into pure adrenaline rushes. The story is light, framing you as the unstoppable Doom Slayer rather than bogging you down with exposition.

Weapon-Centric Progression #

One of my favorite aspects of this entry is the attempt to bring some depth and complexity to the progression, adding weapon upgrades, attachments, mods and etc. It doesn’t make the game standout in any way compared to other games that has similar mechanics, but this is a first in the Doom franchise, which makes this special. At the same time, there is little to no progression when it comes to the main character itself, which is a bummer, making the weapons the protagonists, like they always were.

Genre-Defining Shooter #

Some arenas can feel a bit repetitive toward the end, but this is a trait of almost all single-player FPS games due to it’s lack of depth and complexity in most of it’s elements besides the combat. This reboot sets new standards for modern shooters, even creating a whole new genre which is heavily inspired by this entry, similar to what the original Doom did back in the day. This is a must-play if you like FPS titles to any extent, one of the best shooters, reboots and games of all time.