While it’s easy to nitpick, it’s even easier to rave about how great the rest of the The Ancient Gods is. I’m not sure this is the best place to jump into Doom Eternal given its initial difficulty, but picking up the whole package is absolutely recommended. The Ancient Gods consistently delivers some of the best combat ever seen, and delivers it in spades.

A frankly terrifying exercise in pushing Doom as far as it can go.

Doom Eternal – The Ancient Gods Part 1succeeds in its goal: to give the fans more action, gore and fun. If we put aside the small step backwards made with the soundtrack, this DLC will undoubtedly appeal to all those gamers who are still not satisfied with Doom’s adrenalinic gameplay loop.

Spewing larger-than-life encounter after larger-than-life encounter The Ancient Gods - Part One can get a bit on the repetitive side, but it's easy to forgive it for this minor misstep, since more DOOM Eternal is never a bad thing. Don't let the low level count fool you. The three available maps are fairly large, and the high challenge will manage to keep you on your toes, especially due to how some new demons affect the battlefield. As a whole, and while a bit more variety would be more than welcome, the first DLC is very enjoyable, looks great, carries some new, and pretty neat tunes, and finally leads the narrative down a pretty intriguing path. Can't wait for Part Two!

A solid expansion that will test even the hardest Doomguys around. It’s almost the same as the basic game, with one exception: It’s even harder. And, regretfully, the music isn’t as amazing as before.

I love Doom lore, and this expansion goes exactly where I was hoping it would go. The three levels are wonderfully designed and have some of the most memorable set pieces in the entire game. There's a fight in a foggy swamp against invisible enemies that I adored and there's one particular arena with transforming pillars that I found to be really inspired. I think the combat has become too complicated and I hope Part Two can reign it in a bit, though at this point, I'm expecting to fight three Marauders all possessed by spirits and buffed by totems while turrets shoot me to death. Don't feel bad about lowering the difficulty on this one even if you got through Eternal on Nightmare. It's not you, the game is just frustratingly hard now.

Despite some new and enduring weak spots, Doom Eternal's frantic combat (mostly) continues to shine through. Once you get back into the swing of the action, the rock-paper-scissors design philosophy still results in a great time. I just wish Doom Eternal could get out of its own way.