Review – DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part Two
DOOM Eternal’s latest DLC, The Ancient Gods Part Two is an epic conclusion to a story that has been running since all the way back at DOOM (2016). DOOM Eternal kicked off the latest game in the series in a big way and the first DLC, The Ancient Gods Part One continued on the path of an epic, and different beast. You can read our review of Part One here. So does The Ancient Gods Part Two live up to what the rest of the game has delivered over the last year or does should it have been left in the depths of hell?
The Ancient Gods Part Two is a 6 – 8 hour ride that takes the player as the Doom Slayer on a journey to hell and back as he continues on his task to save earth and what a journey it is. On the surface, this game still brings the fast paced, non-stop, traversal-based battles that has the player move through the world while defeating demons. until a point in time where the player enters each multi-tiered battle arena. As with the first DLC, Part Two doesn’t just deliver more story but also perfectly brings in new game worlds, mechanics, enemy types and variants and builds on what id Software have created with DOOM Eternal.
Part Two delivers new enemies such as:
- Screecher Zombie – A zombie that when killed, provides a buff to all other enemies around it
- Cursed Prowler – a Prowler that curses the player by attacking them and this curse can only be removed by blood punching the enemy
- Riot Soldier – a solider carrying an energy shield that cannot be destroyed
- Armoured Baron – a Baron of Hell in cybernetic armour and a very specific weak point
- Along with more to be discovered.
Each of these new enemies make the player think about their methods of attack instead of heading in all guns blazing. The variety of enemies on offer is good and will see the player call on more than just the usual one or two weapons to make it out safely. The welcome addition of the Sentinel Hammer will also help players control the crowd when in the middle of all of that chaos.
As with the previous expansion, the game begins with a recap of how the Doom Slayer arrived at the start of The Ancient Gods Part Two and brings the players previous weapon upgrades, runes and Predator Suit tokens with it. From there players heads straight into Part Two where they encounter a few of the new things it has to offer. Part Two does not feel as tough as Part One, so those that found Part One challenging should be able to get through Part Two on the same difficulty, until the final battle that is. The final battle is tough, as you would expect from the end of a saga, but when compared to the rest of the story at the same difficulty, the five-wave final boss battle felt disproportionate to the rest of the game. In this battle the boss brings an attack arsenal comparable to the Marauder with the energy shield, ability to summon enemies and an opening that allows the player to stun it prior to an attack phase. On top of this, the final boss brings short and long ranged attacks and a melee attack that, when it hits the player, replenishes the boss’s health. Two hits and the boss is back to full health again. This battle saw this reviewer take a break and return to it the next day to complete.
The journey of The Ancient Gods Part Two takes the player through some great locations with some exceptional vistas on their way to the grand finale. This includes pristine views of Earth and Argent D’Nur, taking flight on a dragon and jumping smack bang into the middle of a multifaceted war for the control of hell which all showcase the beauty this game has to offer.
One complaint from this reviewer last time was that there was a story there that didn’t stick in my mind and got lost in the chaos of the demon slaying. It did again get lost in the heat of battle this time around and the only thing that has really stuck in my mind is the epic conclusion.
As with all DOOM titles, this was never going to be family friendly as is supported by the R18+ rating and it’s definitely one for later in the evening. While the main game does offer a multiplayer experience, The Ancient Gods Part 2 does not offer anything but a single player one.
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Xbox Gamer Dad for One More Game
8 – Great – this is a standout game where some minor changes would make it amazing. You could easily justify your purchase of this game.
Please click the link here for a full rundown of our rating scale.
The Ancient Gods Part Two expansion was reviewed on the Xbox Series X and is available on Xbox, PlayStation and PC. The expansion comes as part of the Year One Pass or as a stand-alone purchase.
The publisher kindly provided code for the The Ancient Gods Part Two expansion. All thoughts on this game are ours and ours alone.