Doom Eternal: Overview & Critic Reception
This is a research-based overview compiled from publisher information, official patch notes and published critic reception. It is not a hands-on review and ParryStack assigns no score of its own. How we research and verify · Report an error
Critic reception
Metacritic (critic aggregate): 88 (Xbox One, PC) · 87 (PS4) · 80 (Switch)
Source: Metacritic, checked 12 Oct 2026. These are third-party critic scores, not ParryStack ratings.
Summary
Doom Eternal turns the shooter into a fast resource-management game, and the combat and movement systems are what most reviews focus on; its demanding difficulty will not suit everyone.
Combat: The Resource Loop
Doom Eternal's combat does not hand you resources for free. According to Wikipedia, health comes from Glory Kills on staggered enemies, armor from igniting enemies with the flamethrower, and ammo from using the chainsaw on enemies. Combined with the abilities that recharge on cooldowns, this means you switch between tools constantly rather than staying with one weapon. Players who like a steady, cover-based shooter may find the pace tiring; players who want a systems-heavy fast shooter are the audience.
Movement
The Slayer has a double jump, wall climbing and an omnidirectional dash, and arenas include monkey bars and poles. The Super Shotgun's Meat Hook grapples towards enemies. Movement and combat are closely linked, since staying mobile helps you avoid damage while you restock.
Content and Modes
The campaign has 13 missions. Master Levels remix campaign missions with a different set of enemies, Slayer Gates are optional hard challenges, and Ultra-Nightmare adds permanent death. The Ancient Gods Part One (20 October 2020) and Part Two (18 March 2021) add a two-part expansion campaign. Battlemode lets one player be the Slayer against two demon players, and Horde Mode, a free update, arrived in October 2021. Wikipedia reports a Metacritic score of 88 on PC and Xbox One, 87 on PS4 and 80 on Switch.
Verdict
Doom Eternal is a demanding, mechanics-first shooter. Its reception was strong (Metacritic 87-88 on PC, Xbox One and PS4), and it is best suited to players who want to learn systems rather than play passively.
Pros & Cons
- The resource loop gives every fight a clear purpose beyond shooting
- Fast, vertical movement with a dash, wall climbing and the Meat Hook
- Plenty of optional challenge: Slayer Gates, Master Levels and Ultra-Nightmare
- Ancient Gods expansion and the free Horde Mode extend the game
- Demanding: you must manage several resources at once, which can overwhelm new players
- Story is a secondary focus compared with the combat
- Some players prefer the simpler pace of Doom (2016)
Sources & fact-check
Release facts, mechanics and boss details on this page were checked against these sources on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.
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