With every new iteration, id Software’s long-running shooter reinvents itself. Doom The Dark Ages review examines how the game remixes the nearly three-decade-old shooter formula and tries to bring something fresh to the table. The first Doom brought first-person shooters to the mainstream; Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t need to do that. It just needs to be a good game.
Expectations were running high with the latest Doom, especially after the nearly unanimous praise Doom Eternal got. Did ID Software’s new title, under the Microsoft umbrella, deliver? We examine what makes Doom: The Dark Ages tick and where it falters.
Doom: The Dark Ages Plays Different
Doom has always been about the Doom Slayer, a one-man army going against creatures of hell. Doom The Dark Ages review won’t be complete without talking about the lead character. The game still features the Slayer, although he might play differently than you remember. 2016’s Doom reboot injected fresh blood into the stagnating FPS genre by making gameplay king. Doom Eternal refined the formula, making the game play faster, agile and responsive.
During the Doom The Dark Ages review, I found the game different; it feels heavy and slower but still hits hard. If Eternal was about a highly mobile demon slaying wasp, The Dark Ages feels more like a weaponized beetle. It isn’t a negative; it just feels like a different game than the last. So, if you loved jumping around in Eternal, chaining combos and causing havoc at a fast pace, Doom: The Dark Ages won’t satisfy that itch. However, if you are looking for a gory old time, ripping and tearing into demons, Doom: The Dark Ages is one of the best Dooms ever.
The developers tied the grapple to the new shield, making it permanently available. The previous game had it attached to the super shotgun, restricting its versatility. Lesser demons are walking grapple points, and there are a ton of them. So you can essentially zip around the battlefield, which often becomes bullet hell, with ease. Veering in and out of combat and hitting like a tank feels amazing in the Dark Ages.
Doom Slayer? More Like Captain America
For the first time in the series, the iconic shotgun takes a back seat, and instead, the new “Shield Saw” takes centre stage. Combat is a core reason why Doom is so popular. Doom The Dark Ages review can’t skip combat details. The game still features great combat, but it focuses on melee combat rather than shooting. The shield feels great; it can be used to parry attacks, chop heads, and stun with powerful bashes. So, if you want to feel like a no-holds-barred Captain America let loose on hell spawns, Doom: The Dark Ages is made for you.
Fans of shooty-shooty need not worry, though. You still have a healthy arsenal of weapons to use, but the lackluster upgrades make upgrading less exciting. All hallmark tools of Doom are accounted for, including the super shotgun, plasma gun, and a gun that shoots metal nails. My favorite is the Skullcrusher, a mini-gun-like weapon that is great at blasting through hordes of enemies.
Gone are alternate fire modes; instead, we now have passive upgrades and a companion weapon that uses the same ammo. The weapon upgrades do change how the guns behave, so investing in a weapon isn’t that bad. Doom Eternal forced me to change guns. While doing the Doom The Dark Ages review, I never really felt the need to change strategies. That’s good; I only changed guns when I wanted to, making the gameplay feel more liberating.
One Man Against an Army
Doom: The Dark Ages pits you against a ton of enemies. The gameplay truly feels like you are fighting off a huge army, thanks to plenty of on-screen enemies. It might feel overwhelming in the start, especially if enemies backstab or shoot. After a while, you’ll get the feel of things and mow down hoards of hell in style. The levels vary in size; the small ones are big when compared to previous games, but the big ones are gigantic. There’s a lot to explore here, from enemy encounters to hidden secrets.
The chainsaw from previous games is gone. Doom: The Dark Ages instead focuses on melee fights. You get way more ammo from punching enemies to death, though, so that you won’t run out of gun juice in this Doom. Abilities and weapons are distributed at an even pace, so you never feel slowed down. There is always something new to keep you going and slaying demons.
Here for the Story?
Doom: The Dark Ages takes us back in time, but Doom Slayer is still the same. Apart from a fur pelt on his shoulders, the Slayer is just as capable as he ever was in slaying demons. Surprisingly, there are a lot of exposition-heavy cutscenes in The Dark Ages, a first for a Doom game. The characters and performances are one-dimensional, but they effectively introduce the next grand campaign set piece.
The story is simple: you are the Doom Slayer, and you need to take on armies of hell. The game has battle tanks, mechs, sentinels, and even dragons that you can ride. There is no shortage of big set piece-focused action here; you’ll have a great time mowing demons throughout the campaign.
The music is good too. Mick Gordon is gone, but the audio team did a great job of replicating the “Doom feel” here. The heavy metal soundtrack hits all the right notes, at least for me. A few tracks are absolute bangers and had me listening without fighting. Unfortunately, there are a few long stretches without compelling music, making the overall impact a little less.
Conclusion
Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t just more Doom; it tries to innovate and present a fresh gameplay and story. The long-running shooter plays heavier and remains grounded but still has the same powerful combat that fans expect. New additions like the Shield Saw and dragon sections keep the formula fresh. It might not top your best shooters of all time list but it’s also not Haze. A good soundtrack, a passable story, and super shotgun-induced gore make it a ride worth taking.