After years of watching our favorite Slayer chase demons through space stations, across the red sands of Mars, and into the very heart of Hell itself, seeing him suddenly appear with a shield, a cape, and a dragon… let’s just say I had to check if I was watching the right showcase. That first moment Doom: The Dark Ages was announced, it short-circuited all of our brains. What was id Software—the legendary studio that invented the FPS genre, resurrected it with Doom (2016), and perfected it with Doom Eternal—trying to tell us? What exactly was the message here?
Doom (2016) was a revolution, re-teaching modern action games the philosophy of play aggressively, don’t be afraid, charge forward. Doom Eternal took that philosophy and transformed it into an incredibly deep action-puzzle where every enemy was a chess piece and resource management was an art form. They set the bar so high that the question on everyone’s mind was, How can they possibly top this? It seems that even id Software couldn’t find an answer, and instead chose to take the series in a new direction.
Slaying Demons in the Middle Ages
Forget the rusty metal corridors, the flashing emergency lights, and the labs echoing with the screams of scientists. Doom: The Dark Ages throws you into a completely different kind of nightmare. This is a world of colossal gothic cathedrals, castles adorned with bones, valleys carved by rivers of lava, and effigies of ancient, forgotten gods. At first, it feels almost like a parody. But slowly, you begin to acclimate to this brutal, medieval hellscape.
Gameplay
Improving on the gameplay of Doom Eternal seemed like an impossible task. So, rather than pushing the speed even further, id Software has opted for a controlled deceleration.
The game’s biggest innovation and by far its most successful element is, without a doubt, the shield. Normally, when you hear “shield” in a game, you expect to hold right-click, inch forward, and block attacks, right? But the Shield Saw in this game is less of a defensive tool and more of an offensive wrecking ball and a miniature teleporter.
The gameplay is incredibly fluid. You can hurl the shield at one enemy to stun them while simultaneously dashing into another horde of demons. Or, you can throw it at a distant foe and instantly warp to their location, playing a deadly game of “now you see me, now you don’t” across the battlefield. This mechanic keeps you constantly repositioning, making the combat unbelievably dynamic and enjoyable.
The shield isn’t just for throwing and warping. Blocking enemy attacks is also crucial. If you time a block perfectly against a special “green” attack, you can trigger one of four different abilities assigned to your shield, unleashing devastating counter-attacks. This system encourages the player to stay alert and play aggressively. In short, the core gameplay and combat mechanics are deeply satisfying and a hell of a lot of fun.
This entry also removes the “Glory Kill” finisher animations from the previous games. I was against this decision at first, but after playing, I realize it was a fantastic move. The finishers would pull you out of the action for a few seconds, turning you into a spectator. Now, you remain in constant control. It might not look as flashy in a trailer, but when you’re playing, it’s infinitely more engaging.
The Arsenal
Visually, the weapons are designed to fit the game’s universe, and each one looks appropriately formidable. However, you can comfortably finish almost the entire game using just a single weapon. Aside from a few specific enemy types, the game rarely forces you to switch weapons or change your strategy. This unfortunately wastes the potential of the diverse arsenal.
Even worse, the weapon upgrades are almost completely useless. The difference between a fully upgraded weapon and its base version is so minimal that you’re left wondering, “Why did I even bother?” I eventually stopped bothering with upgrades altogether. To get these meaningless upgrades, you have to spend time in the game’s newly added open-world segments, gathering resources. But if the upgrades are pointless, there’s no real reason to explore the open world. Frankly, in a Doom game, I have no desire to say, “Let me just pop over here and collect some ore from a secret tunnel.”
Of Dragons and Mechs
The dragons and mechs were heavily featured in the game’s marketing. In reality, these sections don’t have deeply developed gameplay; they’re more like polished mini-games. But personally, I loved them.
Hopping into a mech and squashing massive demons that would normally give you trouble like they were ants, demolishing buildings, and plowing through an entire army is genuinely exhilarating. This is the power fantasy at the core of Doom taken to its absolute zenith.
But let’s be honest, these segments are a break from the main gameplay loop. They’re a delicious side dish, not the main course. The foundation of the game is still the intense, boots-on-the-ground combat in tight corridors and sprawling arenas. The dragon and mech missions serve more as fun diversions to add variety than as core pillars of the experience.
Mick Gordon: We Need You Back
If I tried to explain how incredible Mick Gordon’s soundtracks for Doom 2016 and Eternal were, I’d probably write an article longer than everything else ever published on this site combined. However, due to some well-publicized issues between id Software and Mick Gordon during Eternal’s development, we don’t get to hear his work in the new game.
The new music certainly isn’t bad, but it’s not the kind of stuff you’ll be blasting on repeat like the previous soundtracks. I still listen to the music from the original Doom from 1993. The Dark Ages, however, fails to add anything memorable to the series’ legendary musical legacy; it barely even feels like a cheap imitation.
Doom 1993 had “E1M1,” Doom 2016 had “BFG Division,” and Doom Eternal had “The Only Thing They Fear Is You.” Doom: The Dark Ages has nothing on that level. It’s rare for me to remember the name of a video game track. But I know the names of almost every single song from Doom 2016 and Eternal.
For that reason, the new game’s soundtrack left me unsatisfied. It’s not bad, but Doom music was always the best of the best.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Doom: The Dark Ages is a high-quality game that preserves the series’ dynamic and fast-paced gameplay while successfully steering it in a fresh direction. I was blown away by the dynamism the shield adds to combat. I’m not personally a huge fan of the medieval theme, but the game’s atmosphere and art design are beautiful. If you don’t hate first-person shooters, this is a game you absolutely must play. Barring any surprises, this will be the best FPS of the year. (Though I can hear the rumblings of the next Battlefield on the horizon.)