
"Doom 2016 was focused on run and gun, Doom Eternal evolved into jump and shoot, the core combat principle of Doom: The Dark Age is to stand and fight"

The story is very prominent this time, with 'lavishly realized' cutscenes and twisted looking characters

Gothic castles loom over battlefields, enemies use a mix of medieval weapons and sci-fi guns, characters are donned in plated armor, etc

Previewers still found themselves moving and strafing, but the new shield allows you to hold your ground, block or parry attacks and deflect projectiles

You can't deflect every attack (red means you can't, green means you can)

The shield bash attack lets you speed across the battlefield and deliver a powerful crushing blow

You can rev up the shield like a chainsaw and throw it, where it can bounce between lesser enemies such as Imps like a pinball, or lodged straight into stronger enemies to stun them

The shield is also useful against other enemies with shields, where you can hit them with super shotgun rounds to the point their shields are molten, then throw your shield to ignite the entire group

Shield is the center of combat, guns have upgrades but no more alternate fire modes so your choice of guns is "one of build synergy" (examples: rapid-fire bullets can ricochet off an enemy you lodged your shield into or bullet superheat enemies so they explode when you throw your shield at them, etc)

"Seriously satisfying" using the giant Atlan assault mechs to take on Titan demons

Atlan Mech Combat: Use the right trigger to unleash combos, starts to fill up a special meter, at halfway you can deliver a powerful stomp that sends a shockwave that splits open the ground where lava spills out and hurts the enemy. Filling it completely allows you to deal a finishing move

You also use giant airplane hanger sized machine guns with your giant mechs. Perfectly dodging incoming enemy attacks powers up both barrels of the gun for extra power

Doomslayer rides cybernetic dragons complete with twin cannons and laser wings above cities, where he battles Hell Carrier airships

After taking out each carrier's defenses, you can land on them, leap off your dragon and fight through demon hordes to their central power core to bring them down

On top of directed action sequences, there are also large, open ended levels that you can return to at any time that give the player the freedom to tackle objectives in any order and progress at their own pace

Scour the landscapes in different directions where you can discover brand new guns to add to your arsenal, gold to spend on upgrades, health and armor, etc

The large areas but "still dense with breathtaking discoveries and diverse encounters"

There are mini-bosses that are locked behind a 'morale meter', where you have to take out dozens of lesser enemies before your attacks can hurt them

Some areas feature almost no combat at all, like caves that challenge you to use your shield to solve environmental puzzles, and others are super dangerous like a swamp area where a giant tentacle emerges and kills you in an instant

Reaver Chainshot: A new weapon that fires a charged up cannon ball attached to a chain, which you can retract and use again, "deliriously good fun"

6 levels of difficulty to choose from, from Aspiring Slayer to Ultra Nightmare

You can adjust things like parry timing, attack damage, speed, etc