Still the best shooter in years!
The first story expansion The Ancient Gods, which comes in two parts and will also be available as a standalone variant, picks up right where Doom Eternal left off. Just like in old expansion disc times, the new campaign simply picks up shortly after the victory over the Khan Maykr and continues the Slayer's crusade against the forces of Hell. The main character trudges through the story just as wordlessly and stoically, ignoring warnings and threats from Heaven and Hell alike - only to finally eradicate the forces of evil from the world with a chainsaw.
That you go into battle with the full equipment of the butcher, and all the upgrades and unlocks continue seamlessly. However, this also means that the arena designers at id assume that you have just finished Doom Eternal. In plain English, the three new environments in The Ancient Gods 1 feature some of the toughest combat from Doom Eternal. Almost every major encounter here corresponds to one of the challenge arenas in the normal campaign. And that's on steroids. Two Marauders are attacking at once, never-ending swarms of Arachnotrons and Revenants are rounded off by several King of Hell or even multiple Tyrants, and the battles occasionally exceed the 10-minute mark, during which there is not a single pause to take a breath (or even a save point).
On the one hand, this is nice, since it means that especially the experienced demon slayers get their money's worth and have to solve crunchy battle puzzles in a chord. However, it's a pity that the balance is a bit out of step: While some of the arenas require frequent restarts on the normal difficulty level and can be quite frustrating due to missing checkpoints during the fights, The Ancient Gods is simply much too easy on "Easy". It lacks a bit of a sense of proportion here and there to offer a more balanced challenge.
Those who haven't bothered with the right weapon combinations, the enemies' weak points, and the resource management via melee since the end of Doom Eternal should experience their blood-red miracle very quickly here. For id has also added new enemy types, which make the battles even more merciless.
The three new environments, including a high seas platform with an underwater section, the Blood Swamps of hell, and the decaying paradise, are just as grandiose and detailed as the levels of the main game. Thus, in addition to the challenging battles, there are also platforming passages, mini-puzzles, and cool boss fights, as well as countless secrets, challenges, and arenas. The only pity is that neither the Slayer's arsenal is expanded by an additional weapon, nor his armor by new gadgets or perks. At least there are three new runes - they are strong, but also well hidden. So there is a bit of a lack of variety in this area.
Conclusion
The Ancient Gods is a very good continuation of the Doom Eternal campaign. The brute combat is extremely challenging and merciless, the environments are varied and the new enemies fit well into the previous demon line-up. There are also a few new runes, but they are well hidden. Only the lack of new weapons, gadgets, or perks, as well as a sometimes too unbalanced balance, tarnish the impression of a campaign expansion that otherwise delivers on the highest shooter level.
