Doom Eternal was shaping up to be one of the best games of the year. The combat felt just as good as it did in the original, and the new combat options are interesting and intuitive. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Bethesda delayed our return trip to hell into March of 2020. While this was quite gut-wrenching, it will only be a better game. And while some of these games may not top Doom Eternal, here are other titles that will help the next few months fly by.
Doom Eternal delay | Double-barreled goodness
One of the appeals of both iterations of id’s Doom revival is the return to fast-paced FPS combat. This well-received rejection of many of Doom 3‘s stylistic choices inspired plenty of smaller games to offer 90’s style action. Most prominently, the New Blood trio of Dusk, Amid Evil, and MAXIMUM Action all provide new spins on the corridor shooting Doom pioneered. Of the three, Dusk‘s super shotgun strays the closest to what you want, but all three titles provide plenty of fast-paced thrills to shooter fans.
ALSO: Will the Doom Eternal multiplayer solve Doom 2016’s issues?
Of course, it’s not just one company fueling this revival. 3D Realms recently revived itself with Ion Fury, a new spin on mechanics from Doom successor Duke Nukem 3D. There’s also Project Warlock, a shooter created by a one-man team that sports an impressive visual style that needs to be seen to be believed. Both of these games share Dusk‘s devotion to scores of enemies falling to the might of an overpowered shotgun. Any of these highly recommended games provide hours of the same action that Doom Eternal promises early next year.
Doom Eternal delay | Descending into Hell
Perhaps your sole interest isn’t in Doom‘s signature FPS gameplay. You could instead be a fan of id’s signature take on Hell and all the demons that spew forth from it. That’s perfect because there are plenty of games that apply the same demonic aesthetic to other genres. New Early Access roguelike Rising Hell has you escaping the flames of torment via superior climbing skills and a demonic appendage growing out of your arm. While the progression and unlocks are a bit slow, it completely captures the atmosphere you want in a game where you’re ripping apart demons with your bare hands.
If your preferred version of hell involves bullets, Hell is Other Demons is a trippy take of fighting horned hellspawn. You’re not going to get the traditional lava and brimstone look with this game, but the creature designs and the difficulty both evoke the setting beautifully. You’ve also got several horde shooters in this arena, including Demon Pit and the incomparable Devil Daggers. These games are basically what a Doom arcade port would look like, all the killing with none of the navigation.
Finally, a summary of hellish Steam games wouldn’t be complete without Demon’s Tilt. An old-school virtual pinball game focusing on a single table, Tilt has all the marks of the devil. You have pentagrams, rituals you complete by dropping targets, and a nun who cries blood at the center of it all. The game also brings in shoot ’em up elements and a Devil May Cry-combo system to keep things interesting and wholly original. The rocking guitars are worth your investment all by themselves. After all, what is Hell without a little heavy metal? Speaking of which…
Doom Eternal delay | Sign of the horns
There’s no game quite as metal as Doom. From the iconic cover art of the 1993 original all the way to 2016’s hard as hell soundtrack, the series may be one of the purest expressions of the genre in all of gaming. The only contender to that throne is Brutal Legend, Double Fine’s loving tribute to metal music. Sure, many reject the strategy elements weighing down the second half, but the storytelling and world more than outweigh any gameplay imbalance. The soundtrack alone is a gateway into all forms of metal, especially for those young enough to not even know who Ozzy and Dio are. The lovingly preserved PC version is just waiting for another playthrough on modern machines.
If you’re looking for something a bit newer in this vein, the recently released Valfaris may just fit the bill. A straightforward side-scrolling shooter from the team behind Slain: Back From Hell, Valfaris does for 2D what Brutal Legend did for 3D. This isn’t some crusty pixel art either, it’s modern graphical effects that will make your eyes bleed. You shoot lasers at fleshy monstrosities, acquire ancient forbidden powers, and watch your long flowing locks flow back in the wreckage. Much like Doom, the gameplay clicks when paired with its soundtrack, here composed by Curt Victor Bryant, a veteran of the metal scene.
From the depths of hell to the far off world of ’90s shooters, there are plenty of games out there that will calm the wait for Doom Eternal. However, none will satiate the hunger quite like the genuine article. Doomguy awaits, tethered into the great unknown. It’s almost time to get back to base and take on Hayden to once again prevent Hell on Earth. However you choose to pass the time, let’s just hope that the prolonged gestation period was worth the wait.
