Doom Eternal vs Animal Crossing New Horizons: Which Game Should You Buy If You Can Only Pick One?

Gaming is providing a beautiful distraction right now from the crazy outside world. This year has been pretty dry in terms of huge game releases, but March has seen many heavy hitters finally start to release. The two biggest for us being Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing New Horizons.

With many of us self-quarantine now and out of work, we might only have the option to purchase one. But which is for you? And which are you allowing to tempt you from your work at home lifestyle? Let’s find out!

Story

In terms of story, both offer VERY different experiences. I mean, one is a action heavy FPS experience, whereas the other is a slow, charming life simulator game. Trying to compare their individual stories is hard, but let’s break it down.

Doom Eternal prioritizes a more narrative driven experience. The Doom reboot in 2016 started this new incarnation of the franchise and Doom Eternal carries the torch to this iteration.

It’s adrenaline inducing and a blood fueled nightmare through a hellish landscape. Unlike the original Doom games, the reboot does prioritize some it’s time in telling a story. Not only that, but it is filled with collectibles that build upon the lore of the world for those who wish to explore.

Now, Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the other hand, lacks that narrative driven gameplay to push you forward. Instead, it’s all about the stories you make. Being in control of a whole island and its inhabitants provides you the tools to create you own adventures.

Every day, new events take place and creates a longer experience than Doom Eternal does, but less focused. With no definitive end, Animal Crossing New Horizons doesn’t have an end. In that view, it’s clear that Doom Eternal has the better story out of the two.

Winner: Doom Eternal

Gameplay

Again, much like that last category, these are two VERY different experiences, but ones all areas of the gaming community are embracing. Doom Eternal is a fast-paced FPS, while Animal Crossing New Horizons is a slower-paced calming life simulator.

With Doom Eternal, you hit the ground running and it never takes it foot of the pedal. The dial is cranked to eleven and it’s full throttle from there. By pushing you in increasingly challenging combat arenas, your skills are constantly tested as the difficulty increases at a steady rate.

You’re constantly rewarded for your exploration with a variety of secrets, often hidden at the end of inventive platforming segments. Upgrades are consistently dished out to you and optional challenges incentivize you to push yourself further.

On the other side of the coin, Animal Crossing New Horizons grinds to a halt. It starts off slow and never speeds away from there. If you’re investing into Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’re in it for the long haul.

The aim is to build the island of your dreams, forge relationships with your neighbors and pay off your staggering mortgage. While this may not seem the most exciting, it’s portrayed in addictive gameplay loops that make visiting a daily task and a perfect tool to wind down.

New tools are constantly awarded to you and a newly introduced crafting system invites the player to explore the world, find materials and craft new items. With such a consistently evolving world, it’s hard to see where Animal Crossing New Horizons will be in a few months, let alone a year.

With that being said, Animal Crossing New Horizons is the clear winner here. While Doom Eternal builds upon the fantastic gameplay provided in Doom 2016, Animal Crossing New Horizons is a play box of many toys that reward creativity and investment, and will keep you busy for a very long time.

Winner: Animal Crossing New Horizons

Replayability

With people spending a large amount of time indoors for the coming months, getting the best ‘bang for your buck’ is going to a clear winning choice for most players. It’s clear each game provides incredible gameplay experiences, but which lasts the longest?

With a narrative driven campaign, Doom Eternal was never going to be the longest experience. It has to perfectly balance pacing, with the intense gunfights to prevent itself from becoming stale or overbearing.

However, there are plenty of collectibles, challenges and difficulty levels to attempt to ensure you get the most from your time with Doom Eternal. Alongside this is a variety of multiplayer modes, but the main course lays within its stellar single player story.

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact length to Animal Crossing New Horizons since it effectively never ends. Every day introduces new options to the player and refreshes the gameplay loops that initially sink their claws into the player.

With that being said, Animal Crossing New Horizons has the potential to go on indefinitely. So it’s a clear choice that it leads the charge.

Winner: Animal Crossing New Horizons

Conclusion

Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing New Horizons are two extremely different game. They are opposite sides of a coin and contrast heavily in terms of gameplay, themes and audiences.

But somehow, they’ve married gamers everywhere in unison with their love for each franchise, so it’s a hard choice.

But Animal Crossing New Horizons comes out on top if you had to only pick one and want to get the most bang for your buck. It’s the perfect game, not only for this moment, but in a world that is often filled with doom (no pun intended) and gloom, it’s a perfect escape to a wonderful island setting.

Alongside having a replayability that can last indefinitely, it’s a clear winner and a beautiful video game to lose yourself in.

Winner: Animal Crossing New Horizons