DOOM Eternal is finally out, granting everyone a way to kick back and enjoy some high-octane shooter gameplay. And while DOOM Eternal reviews have been strong, it's easy to forget just how far the franchise has come since its debut all the way back in 1993.
Since it first released, DOOM has defined the shooter genre, evolving and changing as the industry has. It laid the foundation for a lot of what gamers know and love today, and easily stands as one of the most popular games of all time. However, an often overlooked aspect of the franchise is its protagonist, the Doom Slayer. And while the character does lack a fair bit of depth, watching him evolve has been impressive.
The Doom Slayer's background is largely a mystery. While DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal dive a little bit deeper into the character's lore, there still isn't a lot fans know about him as a person, besides being a large, hard to kill murder machine sent to Earth with the intention of turning all manner of demons into ground beef. He is the clearest example of an unstoppable force within video games, more so than almost any other character out there.
One of the few things confirmed about the character is his lineage. Tom Hall and John Romero, two developers instrumental in the creation of the original DOOM, have confirmed that the Doom Slayer is a descendant of B.J. Blascowicz, the main protagonist of the Wolfenstein franchise. It's an interesting connection, though one that doesn't have all that much of an effect on gameplay. With Wolfenstein: Youngblood giving BJ Blascowicz twin daughters, the family tree is slightly different than originally thought, so that also might skewer things a bit.
In terms of actual character development, DOOM Eternal does show fans that the Doom Slayer will do whatever it takes to protect humanity, even if that means ignoring the orders of The Night Sentinels, an order the Doom Slayer is a part of. Still silent and stoic, battling against seemingly impossible odds, it's one of the few things fans know about the character as a person, and has remained persistent throughout the series.
In many ways, the Doom Slayer's evolution is tied to the evolution of the series itself. The Doom Slayer only evolves as the game mechanics do. As the series has gone on, the Doom Slayer has gotten faster, a broader arsenal of weapons, and more aggressive with the likes of viciously-brutal glory kills. Against Master Chief, another popular FPS character, the Doom Slayer does lack depth, as a Master Chief has seen a deeper, more emotional side portrayed in recent entries. He's become less of an alien killing machine, and more of a jaded soldier that has suffered major losses throughout his career.
The very nature of DOOM Eternal, and the franchise as a whole, makes it more difficult to grow a character in the same way. DOOM is about constant, non-stop action, with most of the narrative relegated to brief cutscenes and codex entries throughout most of the game. That isn't such a bad thing, as most players came for the action in the first place, though It does leave players looking for a deeper story stuck searching elsewhere.
The Doom Slayer's evolution, intrinsically linked with the game's mechanics, is a key part of keeping the franchise relevant. As it's iterated upon, one can only assume that the Doom Slayer is getting more advanced and skilled, even if that's simply because he's platforming more. That does go a little way to give the character more depth, even if that depth isn't what one would traditionally think of when imaging how a character has grown.
Even if the Demon Slayer really hasn't changed that much in the decades since his debut, there's still quite a bit that he's done to inspire other characters out there. The Doom Slayer is the base for any number of shooter protagonists out there from Master Chief to Marcus Phoenix and any other number of heroes.
The Doom Slayer has continued to be a blank slate, and that has managed to keep nearly him as relevant as Mario throughout the years. Of course, DOOM doesn't have the same family-friendly nature of Mario, but its fair to say that DOOM has been one of the most impactful video game franchises of all time, thanks to, in large part, the Doom Slayer. That makes him a fair bit like Mario, at least in terms of impact.
The question now is how much longer the Doom Slayer's legacy will last. The character has a long, storied history in the video game world, and with the success of the rebooted franchise so far, it seems likely that the legacy will continue well into the future. Of course, it's hard to say whether or not that will mean the Doom Slayer is explored even more. The character has had a massive impact on the games industry, that much is true, but it would be interesting to see the character himself explored a little bit more, if anything to learn even more about DOOM's lore.
On the other hand, at this point, the Doom Slayer being a mostly silent, hyper-violent character is sort of his thing, and it doesn't seem like id Software would want to throw that away. How the future of the character translates to consoles will remain a pretty major mystery, but it will certainly be interesting to see where he'll end up, and what iteration on DOOM's mechanics it will take to get him there.
If anything, Doom Slayer will likely stand as a testament to DOOM's original development team, and the lasting impact their work has had on the games industry as a whole. That legacy is sure to be more impressive than the character himself will ever be, and that's something not many developers can claim to have accomplished.
DOOM Eternal is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. A Switch release is planned for the future.
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