The Art of DOOM Eternal Review

June 5, 2020 at 9:13pm
By Jason Stettner

When it comes to intense tales of demon destruction, few game reach the heights of DOOM. That’s particularly true with the most recent entries within the series. They’ve really been able to take this franchise to new heights, and the Demon Slayer to new locations. To accompany this most recent Eternal release, this art book provides context into the design direction for the title. Now, unlike other similar options this one is more focused on just being an art tour.

It’s a weird way to phrase it I suppose, but it’s less of a behind the scenes and more like a journey through the visual pieces. You get a small bit of writing at times to provide some context into what you’re seeing, but nothing past that and it’s a bit disappointing quite honestly. It feels more mechanically released, as opposed to being something crafted with demon destroying love. Now, it’s not the worst but really just a different way to present this showcase of the work. It’s still a lengthy experience that’s broken down into different chapters that follow the progression of the game.

You get the art designs for each section, whether that’s on Earth or far beyond into cosmic places. I don’t want to dive too deep, as I imagine those aspects would contain spoilers for those still wanting to work through the game. You also get a good look into the characters, and enemies that you’ll meet within the game. Some even have variant options for the characters, and past that a slide show of how that came to be.

This is a quality art book featuring a heavy exterior and some full page imagery throughout. They really dig deep into using every aspect of the pages for just art work. It’s pleasing to look at, at the same time more context would have been interesting in regards to behind the scene.

You’ll get some healthy text drops throughout, but these are just describing the scene or what you’re looking at. No personal touch in that regard which is disappointing. You do get some great looks at some pre-rendered level visuals and the characters in progress. It looks fantastic, and there are a ton of pages that make up this package.

It’s very pleasing in that regard, as this game has such distinct and varied environments within it. They do sort of come alive as stills, allowing you to take in the scene complexity. I also liked the spotlight on key characters and enemies, really let’s you see the work behind these menacing individuals outside of the context of a game based environment from which you would likely be used to.

The Conclusion

The Art of DOOM Eternal is a great look at the drawings and concept art that make up this game. It just doesn’t have the personal touch that will provide unique stories behind what’s being shown to you. It’s more of a gallery of what was created, as opposed to something filled with fascinating little information drops.

I found that ultimately disappointing, at the same time it does fulfill its perhaps in regards to showcasing the game in this light. I think that fans will find that aspect pleasing, but might be expecting more in terms of understanding some of the smaller touches that came together to make the thrilling demon slaying joy ride that many have loved.

This was the chance to really take that next step to give more information, and I felt that was a missed opportunity. It doesn’t necessarily negatively impact what this, but it could have propelled this further into being a truly must have offering for building upon one’s DOOM collection.

The Art of DOOM Eternal Book Review
Author: Ian Tucker
ISBN: 9781506715544
Review Copy Provided by Penguin Random House Canada

Rating Overall: 8.0