When Doom Eternal was first announced to be coming to Nintendo Switch, many were overjoyed at the news. Doom 2016 had a great port to the system, despite missing some content like the snapmap features, and many were excited to see how the sequel would hold up on the hybrid system. Then came delays and a lack of news that had many worried if the game would be cancelled, before getting the news that the game would now be a digital only release on the Switch. Releasing several months after the other versions, and after the first DLC released, how did the Switch version of Doom Eternal turn out? Quite well actually.
Going into Doom Eternal on Switch, I was amazed how good the game still looked. Granted, it is nowhere near as good as when I played it on my PC, but this is far from a porting disaster, and outshines many ports of last generation games to the Switch by far. All the content from the game is here, unlike Doom 2016 where Snapmap was cut in its entirety, and the overall result is perhaps the best first person shooter on the Switch released so far. Panic Button said this was a challenge to port, but they stepped up to the plate and achieved something amazing. Despite running at a lower framerate and resolution, you can enjoy the full game without feeling like a badly gimped port, and Switch version does have some great features also, such as gyro controls and aiming that are optional and can really help players out, if they should need assistance.
Doom Eternal is still the amazing all out action game it was at launch, with the Doom Slayer taking on his toughest challenges yet, while also exploring the lore of the series in greater detail. New enemies are introduced that will you you a tough time, but the game is never unfair and always lets you know how you should play it. You recover health through glory kills, and ammo via the chainsaw attacks, although you will still find health and ammo occasionally. This is a fast paced game, and the action is intense even on the lower difficulty levels, but there is no shame in trying out the easier settings and learning the ropes until you are ready.
The setting is more varied with a wider variety of areas to explore, setting it apart from its predecessor quite nicely. This feels like not just a sequel, but an evolution of what Doom could be. Weapons are reimagined, and battles are more inventive. You will need to think on your feet a lot or you will find yourself killed by enemies. I like that nothing is predictable here and the various stages really do show off a lot more colour and personality this time around. It makes the game feel different and I mean that in the best way possible.
The levels are designed to work as a run n gun style fps, but also with platforming mixed in and that does throw a bit of a wrench in the gears of an otherwise amazing game The platforming is the one section where the game has issues, as the game does not really handle the platforming well, or explain the mechanics clearly, but aside from that there are no real complaints. The story is bigger and better and the weapons are taken up a notch. If you liked Doom 2016, then you will love this as Doom Eternal perfects every mechanic from Doom 2016 aside from platforming, and fixes almost every flaw. The multiplayer is also incredible here, and I daresay this is one of the best FPS multiplayer games on the Switch, where the multiplayer is not the main component of the overall game.
Panic Button did such an amazing job here with id Software’s amazing game and I look forward to more from the DLC. I had played this on PC before, but the Switch port is also a great way to experience the title. I highly recommend this.