December looked weak for the Nintendo Switch until Bethesda announced at the last minute that it would receive its version of Doom Eternal immediately. This port had boiled undated to the point that doubts about its existence arose. What happened is that Panic Button, the studio responsible for the adaptation, had the time to re-work its “magic”: to put it in a laptop with the utmost dignity.
What’s coming is the base game as it was released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in March; nothing more and nothing less, other than the option to play it on a laptop and control it via motion sensors. But without the DLC of this fall, which will be ready later and, as in the others, will be paid for separately. We therefore recommend reading our analysis at this point to delve into aspects like the level design, the new trilogy of battles and reloads, or their commitment to the plot.
In summary, it must be remembered that Doom Eternal is an evolution of Doom (2016), with more changes in the metagame than the obvious ones, a deeper dimension in every aspect of the game (weapons, elements, platforms, specials, maps) and a tremendous weight the sense of balance. In addition, the online mode has been completely revised and is fundamentally different from other shooters. Battlemode is an ideal example with its asymmetrical approach and the variety that comes with playing like the devil. It’s great fun and totally hits you.
The central pillar of Doom is the shots, and in this episode the feeling it conveys is wonderful. As always, you need to keep your feet moving to avoid bumps from all sides and to collect whatever the enemies drop. Doomguy has more tricks than ever before, like the flamethrower that you use to strike fire at anyone who crosses in front of you to get a shield, the way you used to pull a chainsaw to get life. And with the huge list of modifications, you will gradually have a character that you like.
id Software has not beaten itself when it comes to bringing many areas of platforms and capabilities into control with the intention of stopping those intense moments of struggle a little and encouraging the quest for secrets. With so much jumping and balancing in a bar on the void or on the lava, there is also tension, but these fragments of the level remain in the background compared to the action fragments.
Of course, Doom Eternal is a special game and one of the best of the year, but is it still like that on Nintendo Switch? Look, in the desktop format it can even make you feel like you’re playing on a PS4 or a simple Xbox One if you’re not looking at the details, and that’s amazing. If you put the two versions side by side, there will be differences in the quality of the textures, details and even the intensity of the colors. The most important aspect, however, is fluidity: while all the others achieve 60 frames per second, this is delivered at 30 frames per second. Of course very stable, as if you wanted to show that it could have risen a little more.
Here’s the truism of the day: if you’re looking for the most visually spectacular version, it doesn’t. But for me, it’s portability that makes it attractive and highly recommended. You go crazy when you see it! The resolution can drop below 720p and that makes it even more boring, but it still runs Doom Eternal on a fully playable laptop. That such an ambitious shooter, one of the most powerful titles of 2020, can run here is the little miracle of Pannic Button.
The other special point is in the controls. With buttons, what the Nintendo Switch offers is exactly the same as the others, with a flawless action response on both the Joy-Con and the Pro controller. The operation of the shotgun with the motion sensor is unique. The community loves it, but I never loved it. I have to admit, however, that it is very responsive and that you get to the pivot point of the wrist very quickly.
With these review sessions everything was fantastic except for one mistake that I found devastating. It was after I hit the ground with the rocket launcher because suddenly I was stuck behind a door that I had opened earlier, not even after I died. I had to restart a new game and it’s a bummer, although luckily it doesn’t look like many people are suffering from this bug. The positive is that it’s the only one I’ve come across.
A reminder to those of you who think about it. Although the DLC The Old Gods: Part One is not yet available, it will arrive like the second. Additionally, those who purchase it before December 22nd will get Doom 64 as a gift, rather than a gift, as well as other downloadable ones like the Rip and Tear Bundle.
Panic Button did a job that sometimes seemed impossible and that there was a lot of doubt about. He has adapted one of the most ambitious shooters ever made to a tiny machine like this, leaving absolutely nothing out of content and always compromising the visual quality in the right place to stay attractive, and the response is impeccable. Doom Eternal for Nintendo Switch is another beast in its own way and once you get it you won’t regret it.
