During the rather brief trailer for DOOM Eternal, id Software gave away some major hints about where, what, and who we are fighting. But the bigger question is – did you see them all? Dustin breaks down some major important secrets hidden within the trailer.

Since the reboot of DOOM with the 2016 title, DOOM, we’ve been seeing a lot going on with id Software’s most beloved franchise. We’ve seen some drastic changes, some for the better, and some for the slightly-worse than better, but overall, all of them were astoundingly well done. So-much-so, that I’ve personally sunk hundreds of hours into the game since its launch and played through it more than I’d care to count. In case anyone’s asking, I’ve beaten it somewhere over an insane 420 (I see what you did there you sly reader) times since its release a little over two years ago.

But today, we got something rather important besides the unveiling of the sequel to the 2016 release. We got a hint at what is coming, where the franchise is going, and what to expect. But the question I have is simple. Did you catch all of the subtle hints and nods towards the classic titles during DOOM Eternal‘s trailer? If not, let’s break it down.

Archvile, Pain Elemental, and Arachnotron – the return of classic demons

Whether you took note of it or not, these three were completely absent in the 2016 reboot of DOOM. Instead, we were given an introductory approach to some of id Software’s most renowned foes and some of DOOM’s most beloved creatures. We even saw a few interesting takes on enemies such as the Mancubus, the Cacodemon, and even the Mastermind itself.

Sadly, this also means that a lot of classic demons got left behind. However, DOOM Eternal is showing that Hell’s merger with our world is truly bringing the quote “Hell on Earth” to have a meaning. In the less than 2 minute trailer, DOOM Slayer is back and he’s not exactly a happy fellow. After all, who would be with the sound of an Archvile screaming “AAAHHHHHH!!!!” at the top of its lungs while a Baron of Hell quickly approaches and a Pain Elemental covers its back and spits out Lost Souls over your shoulder?

Let alone did the trailer hint at the return of these classic foes, it also hinted that the Cyberdemon has a few more friends ready to join the show. As Hell slowly turns Earth into the Hellscape we’ve been waiting for. After all, we also know the Arachnotron’s are back and they’re scarier than ever with their plasma cannons hanging over their head like a scorpion waiting to feast. Don’t believe me? Check out the image on the left from our next portion of this discussion.

 

DOOM Eternal certainly seems to love the subtle nod towards one particular classic map.

This one may be a bit more farfetched than the rest, but the evidence is more clear than ever. DOOM Eternal is taking a lot of inspiration from its predecessor titles. Most particularly DOOM II. Now, this one is a bit harder to explain, but bear with me and we’ll get through this together.

DOOM II is well known for its story of Hell and our world crossing over. Somehow, just somehow, things went to Hell in DOOM II. However, we know in DOOM (2016) that the events on the UAC Mars base is where it all started in our rebooted franchise. After all, Olivia wasn’t exactly the smartest woman when she used the Ardent Energy capsule to open the portal to Hell and Dr. Hayden’s want to control Ardent Energy only seemed to make matters worse.

But what do you expect when two mad scientists discover a potentially powerful energy source that could better humanity? Bwahaha, who are we kidding, they knew what was going on… Right? No, not really. They really didn’t and that’s where the backdrop for our Hellish world begins. Suburbs from DOOM II is standing right before you whether you know it or not. But not in the way you think.

It’s more-so the fact that the setting in the trailer, y’know, the skyscrapers being crushed by demonic tentacles, the world being “terraformed” by demonic essence, and humanity all but extinct is the biggest tell. This is seemingly where our trailer takes place, the moments that our DOOM guy, as we more-so know him as, is approaching the city, whatever city it is, in our latest trailer.

New variants of the Imp and maybe Cyberdemon?!

Let’s face it. We all knew the day was coming something like this was going to happen. Sure, we love the Cyberdemon, we all do, it’s a menacing foe that pissed us off in any way possible. They shot rockets, they liked to get up close and personal, and they had a crap ton more health than any other foe on the market. But one thing is for sure. There are skulls of these guys on the ground. Not just one, but several. They are smaller versions than the one we saw in the UAC base on Mars and, well, the pits of Hell themselves.

But something else has also changed. Those imps? Those aren’t the ones we knew from DOOM (2016). They aren’t as clean, pink, and menacing as the others. These guys look like they’re starving, needing food, and they also look… Changed. Very changed. Spikes all along their backs, which means we could see a subtle change in how melee and glory kills work this time around. After all, they did say changes would be coming, and there’s plenty of them to be had.

But in the trailer, we didn’t exactly see what these new kinds of imps could do. Are they sneakier than the others? Do they throw double fireballs or do they kill us with their spikes and then impale us into a wall when they’re done? There’s a lot of questions to be had about this upcoming title and the new types of demons that we will see. Let’s just hope we see ones like the Harvester and the Prowler make a debut in the singleplayer campaign.

Farewell DOOM Slayer armor, hello classic DOOM Guy armor

If anyone takes a second to notice, the days of the Praetor Suit seem to be gone after Doctor Samuel Hayden having tampered with it, binding the DOOM Slayer to do as he bids. Seeing as the DOOM Slayer takes orders from no one, we can guess what has happened here and do so without feeling ashamed of ourselves in any way shape or form.

Luckily for us, this subtle nod isn’t just a small hint at the future of the game but rather a full on double thumbs up towards the classic games. This armor should seem familiar as it seems to be a combination of the armor worn in the 1995 release of DOOM II and DOOM Arena armors that we’ve seen before. But whatever the reason behind it is, the armor is back, it’s beaten and it’s more beautiful than ever before.

Did you miss the trailer? Check it out now.

Closing Thoughts

While we know there’s a lot going on in DOOM Eternal and its trailer, what we don’t know is exactly what, when, where, and how. All we know is we’re back on Earth, Hell has begun to merge with our world, we’re going to see some classic demons return, and we can already guess this will be releasing on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime in 2019.

Think we missed a clue about what is going on and what foes we will be facing? Let us know in the comments below.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console game reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPGs, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.