Press chainsaw to reload
There’s no mistake that both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal have both proven big successes, with both consistently popping up in my social media feed. But while Animal Crossing has been opening up a surprising discourse of some players who feel inadequate — comparing themselves to people with absolutely insanely designed islands — I’ve noticed a much simpler sentiment being shared across Doom Eternal: that it’s harder than some expected.
Now full disclosure, I’m talking strictly from the perspective of the shared zeitgeist from browsing social media. I haven’t bought Doom Eternal yet because I’d budgeted Nioh 2 and Animal Crossing, and I’m planning on getting it maybe next month or so. Still, I’ve absorbed a lot of secondhand information about what Doom Eternal is like, as well as how much harder it is compared to the last romp through hell.
I’ve heard how there’s less ammo overall to go around and how the chainsaw has been sarcastically referred to as the reload button, how there are a tougher variety of enemies and that fodder enemies are basically ammo pickups that move around, and the expanded arsenal of movement options and tools at your disposal that you’re expected to utilize or die trying.
Granted, difficulty is a subjective thing. But it does sound like Doom Eternal is asking more from the player in terms of execution compared to Doom 2016, a game I remember mostly as strafing hell knights with a super shotgun until I decided to create new body cavities with my fist. Honestly, the whole discussion is very reminiscent of my time spent discovering Devil May Cry 3, a game that demands more execution from the player then your usual action title, offering a large selection of tools you’ll be expected to use.
Maybe a lot of people don’t really consider it harder, just different. You are expected to deal with weak points and ammo management now. But maybe some people think it is hard to spin a few more plates at once. Doom Eternal sounds like a shift in what it delivers, with an expanded narrative, bigger levels, and the central hub that is the Fortress of Doom. But who knows? I am routinely surprised by the diversity of comments. But what do you think? Is it actually harder compared to the previous iteration or do you think the level of challenge it presents is fine, at least by your personal level of skill? Comment down below how you feel about Doom Eternal’s difficulty.
