Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 18+
Bloody good shooter for adults with strong stomachs.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Doom Eternal is a violent and gory first-person shooter for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, PCs, and Stadia. This is the latest game in the long-running and popular Doom franchise, which has covered games, toys, and movies, and it's a direct follow-up to 2016's Doom. Using an arsenal that includes guns, explosives, a flamethrower, a chainsaw, and your extremities, you have to kill an army of demons, some of whom look human. Gameplay has a lot of blood and gore, including graphic depictions of decapitations and dismemberment. The game's also full of disturbing visuals and sounds, including occult iconography. There might also be some cursing, but only when you play this online, since online communication isn't monitored.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Players use guns, grenades, a chainsaw, a flamethrower, and fists and feet to kill demons, some of which look human. This results in a lot of blood and gore, including dismemberment and decapitations. Lots of disturbing imagery and sound effects.
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Language
very little
Online play is unmoderated, possibly exposing players to inappropriate content.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Latest installment of long-running Doom franchise, which has spanned games, toys, and movies.
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Positive Messages
a little
Our hero does what he must to save the Earth, and all the people who live there. While this requires him to kill other living things, and in gratuitously violent ways, it's all in the name of saving humanity.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Player's character risks life in hopes of saving humanity from demonic invasion. While this sometimes involves using unnecessarily graphic means, the character's motivation -- saving the world -- is always paramount.
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Ease of Play
a little
Game use controls similar to but slightly different from those of other first-person shooters, so fans of this genre will require some adjustment. Has multiple difficulty settings, some of which make this very difficult.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
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Doom Eternal
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents Say (37)
- Kids Say (140)
age 12+
Based on 37 parent reviews
qqweerrtttyyyuii Parent of 11-year-old
April 30, 2022
age 10+
Very good
I have a 11 year old son and he has been begging my for this game so I got it for him. I thought it was going to be very violent and gory but it’s actually not that bad. The great thing is you can switch off gore and violence so the game skips all the nasty stuff. There is no swearing and if violence is on there is no violence towards humans (fantasy violence). It’s a great game to play with your friends my son has a real fun time when he is playing with his friends. I really recommend this game.
Marwan Korouche Adult
February 9, 2021
age 13+
Great Game, some concerns
before i say anything, i want to put this out there: THIS GAME DOES NOT PROMOTE SATANISM, THE WHOLE PLOT OF THE GAME IS TO KILL DEMONS NOT HELP THEM.I've played the DOOM games for a while now, they are really fun, they say they are 17+ but i dissagree, it is a violent game, but it has been proven over and over again that video games DO NOT cause violence, the media will take school shootings and blame it on video games the shooter played such as doom or call of duty, and ignore the other issues in that persons lifewhat im trying to say is the violence wont mold your kid into a serial killer who rips peoples faces off. yes,it has alot of gore, the main character isnt evil though, hes trying to save humanity, so it isnt a bad role model of a character eithier.honestly id recommend it for kids 13+, it shouldnt be for little kids considering that they are too young to see violence of this level, but its not just for adults with freetime. it is for teenagers and above.
See all 37 parent reviews
What's It About?
Picking up where 2016's Doom ended, DOOM ETERNAL has the demons invading Earth, and it's up to you to save humanity. To do this, you have to take out the Hell Priests that have summoned that undead realm to Earth. This would be easy if the priests weren't spread out and surrounded by an army of demons. It's a good thing you're armed with guns, grenades, a flamethrower, a chainsaw, and some heavy-duty gloves and boots. You've also got the kind of murderous rage that's always a plus when you need to go on a killing spree. As you go through missions, you'll be able to enhance and upgrade your weapons and skills based on how you like to play. It's up to you to show these demons why there will be Hell to pay for invading Earth.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (37):
Kids say (140):
While this has the relentless and fast-paced action the series is known for, this sci-fi first-person shooter sequel has added some depth to its combat. In Doom Eternal, the events of the previous game have led to a demonic occupation of Earth. It's a good thing you're the Doomslayer. Not only do you have an assortment of guns and other weapons, you can now customize them, your armor, and yourself in interesting ways, and thus take on your enemies based on your choices and play style. What's new in this bloody adventure is that, because there's not a lot of resources lying around, you now have to perform violent finishing moves on your enemies to get them to drop whatever supplies they might have in their pockets. Also, if you play the new online mode, Battlemode, you can be not only the Doomslayer, but also one of two demons trying to destroy him.
Although all the new layers to the gameplay make the action interesting, and it still has the same kind of fast and furious shooting this series has always excelled at, it does have some minor issues. Its story is somewhat shallow, and it would've been more effective if the gun battles were set in the ruins of famous world cities instead of generic-looking locations. Similarly, the jumping and climbing parts -- which now include the ability to cling to and jump off of certain cliff faces -- work fine, but these traversal sections are the game's weakest moments. Still, these aren't so much issues as they are bummers, and only slightly take away from the unrelenting and unforgiving fun that is Doom Eternal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence. Is the impact of the violence in Doom Eternal affected by the fact that you're killing demons instead of humans? Do you feel differently when you kill one that looks human? Why do you think that is?
Should solving problems with violence be a solution that's left as a last resort? Is it OK to kill monsters to save your own life? Does the fighting in Doom Eternal seem fair, considering that you're fighting against supernatural enemies that don't care about talking, but only want destruction?
Game Details
- Platforms : Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Bethesda Softworks
- Release date : March 20, 2020
- Genre : First-Person Shooter
- Topics : Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating : M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Last updated : August 4, 2021
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