Doom: The Dark Ages is the latest entry in the iconic series from id Software. Set as a prequel to the 2016 reboot Doom, Doom: The Dark Ages aims to bring new depth to both the lore and combat of the series while introducing a new way to rip and tear. Built in the new id Tech 8 engine, Doom: The Dark Ages presents the most visually stunning and longest entry in the 30-year-old franchise.
Set against the backdrop of an invasion on Argent D’Nur, the Doom Slayer must work to stop the hordes of Hell from capturing an artifact of great power — one that would tip the scales in Hell’s favour toward dominating other realms. Argent D’Nur, for the lore fans, was a location visited during the events of Doom Eternal and the place where the Doom Slayer received his godlike power.
While some flashback scenes in Doom Eternal offer a taste of what took place after the events of Doom II and before Doom (2016), Doom: The Dark Ages marks our first real experience of what the Doom Slayer had been up to between those two games. Spoiler: he has been smashing demons with his size-14 boots and a super shotgun—and looking epic doing it.
While I won’t unpack the story so as not to spoil the game for others, I will say that Doom: The Dark Ages features the biggest narrative delivery we’ve seen in a Doom title. While Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, to a further extent, helped expand the Doom lore with some solid storytelling in their own right, Doom: The Dark Ages truly takes its time to unpack its narrative with some well-constructed in-game and cinematic cutscenes. The voice acting is solid, and for the most part, the narrative is well delivered, with only a couple of story beats feeling a bit over the top.
“The narrative of Doom: The Dark Ages understands this and helps build a bigger world for the Slayer to rip and tear—and it works well.”
The narrative doesn’t present any major twists or moments of introspection, for which I am deeply thankful. As a long-time fan of the series—December 1993, to be exact—one of the most endearing aspects of Doomguy turned Doom Slayer has been his straightforward conviction that evil must be punished. There isn’t a lot to unpack there, and while the last three titles in the series have done a wonderful job at fleshing out the world of Doom, the Slayer himself has remained faithful to the original design: “shoot first … that is all.”
Doom: The Dark Ages simply amplifies these innate qualities of the Slayer and builds the world around him to great effect. Doom has always been about putting the Slayer into impossible situations and watching him solve the problem with a super shotgun, an iron will and hatred for his enemy. It’s the ultimate power fantasy, and it plays out best when you let the Slayer simply be the Slayer. The narrative of Doom: The Dark Ages understands this and helps build a bigger world for the Slayer to rip and tear—and it works well.
There is a lot of ripping and tearing with a completely new combat loop that is a departure from what has come before. As described by Hugo Martin in an interview back in February,
“…in 2016, we asked you to run and gun. In DOOM Eternal, it was jump and shoot. And in DOOM: The Dark Ages, you’re gonna stand and fight.”
No truer words have ever been spoken about Doom combat—or so specifically. Combat in Doom: The Dark Ages introduces a completely new way of engaging the hordes of Hell. The introduction of the Shield Saw—which is exactly as awesome as it sounds—changes the dynamics of combat dramatically. Instead of the acrobatic traversal made famous by Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages encourages you to rush the enemy head-on, guns drawn and shield up.
It does take a bit of getting used to, especially if you’ve never gone back to play the original titles—something I highly recommend doing. Combat feels much more grounded and visceral, with greater emphasis on melee and close-quarters engagements. While some might fear this could downplay another key element of Doom—namely the weapons—nothing could be further from the truth.
Weapons are on full display, with Doom: The Dark Ages introducing some of the most creative arsenals to date. While some are inspired by previous Doom titles and even other franchises from within id Software’s library, there are entirely new weapons to choose from for shredding the hordes of Hell. This more grounded combat system simply provides more creative ways to engage enemies without pigeonholing the player into using specific guns for specific enemies—a critique I had of Doom Eternal. Instead, you have the freedom to lean into the weapons you like and play the way you prefer.
“Combat in Doom: The Dark Ages feels incredibly quick and responsive, with an active sprint function that can simply be set to ‘always on.'”
Another early critique I read online related to the speed of combat. Some were concerned that this new “stand and fight” mantra would take away from the speed and chaotic destruction the series is known for. After crushing the campaign—via the Slayer’s aforementioned size 14—I can thankfully say that this simply isn’t the case. Combat in Doom: The Dark Ages feels incredibly quick and responsive, with an active sprint function that can simply be set to “always on.” As a result, traversal around the maps is swift, allowing you to weave in and out of enemy fire while raining down pain on your foes.
This, coupled with the diversity of combat—swapping between melee and ranged while blocking enemy fire and hurling your Shield Saw around the arena—feels so good, in all the right ways. It leans hard into the power fantasy of the Slayer, and it justifies the fear Hell has for him. I’ve decidedly enjoyed it more than the combat in Doom Eternal, as the tanky nature of the Doom Slayer in The Dark Ages feels truer to the character.
An interesting element that has been formally introduced into the Doom experience is the customization of difficulty found in the settings menu. This goes far beyond setting the experience to easy, normal or hard, and instead allows you to adjust many of the elements of your experience. After spending some time with the settings—which can be adjusted on the fly while playing—I’m impressed with the amount of freedom and customization the system gives you. It’s an excellent addition to the franchise.
The final note on combat relates to the controls for managing the seemingly complex combat systems at play in Doom: The Dark Ages. While watching gameplay from The Dark Ages can feel a bit overwhelming at times, playing it is an entirely different affair. Combat offers a robust arsenal of weapons and modes of engagement while remaining simple in its control scheme.
Complex controls were another critique I had of Doom Eternal, one that has been remedied with Doom: The Dark Ages. To clarify, the controls aren’t simplistic but rather streamlined for ease of use. It works well and allows you to focus all your attention on the task at hand—ripping and tearing until it is done.
Along with several new weapons, including three different melee weapons and the aforementioned Shield Saw (did I mention how awesome it is?), Doom: The Dark Ages introduces a refined rune system for powering up your gear. It’s a smart evolution from the previous iterations seen in earlier titles, presenting a much more streamlined and easier-to-understand layout.
Some aspects are borrowed from previous titles, such as the mastery system for weapon unlocks and collecting materials throughout the world to spend on upgrades, and are all brought together to create a system that feels both unique to Doom: The Dark Ages and familiar to players of FPS titles with progression systems.
Shifting to the campaign and level design, I have two major reflections. The first is related to the length and pacing of Doom: The Dark Ages. id Software has said on several occasions that this latest entry is the largest Doom title they have ever created, and it shows in the 22-level campaign. While it takes roughly the same time to complete the story as it did Doom Eternal—I clocked in at around 15 hours playing on normal difficulty—the levels themselves feel much grander in scale. The story, likewise, feels grander in scope, offering engagement with a much larger group of characters.
While I did enjoy the story overall, there were moments where the pacing seemed to slow down and certain levels or moments were far too belaboured. Even traversing some of the larger levels at times felt longer than needed. Unique ways of traversing offset some of this said levels—namely, on the back of a dragon or while piloting an Atlan mech.
“Doom: The Dark Ages is a fun and engaging entry and worth picking up for both new and returning players.”
Both offer some unique ways of giving a grand scale to the world, but lose their lustre after playing a level or two with each. This comes down to the comparably simple nature of their combat kits when contrasted with that of the Slayer. It’s not that either is bad; they simply cannot compare to the experience of the Slayer, and as a result, feel out of step with the majority of the game.
My other small critique of story pacing is related to a couple of specific boss fights. While I won’t go into details for fear of spoilers, there were a few moments throughout the campaign where boss engagements became a bit repetitive. There were two boss battles near the end, specifically, that carried on far longer than they should have, without introducing any meaningful new combat mechanics to keep things feeling fresh. Thankfully, this only happened twice, and despite the prolonged battles, the payoff from the corresponding cutscenes helped smooth over the experience.
As for the level design, id Software has done an exceptional job with Doom: The Dark Ages. While the combat arenas feel much more open and welcome for exploration, it’s the traversal design I appreciate most. While I am an avid fan of Doom Eternal, I struggled slightly with the sheer amount of aerial traversal it offered—often having to replay specific areas because I would miss a jump or miscalculate the vertical space. It slowed down the element that makes Doom great—namely, combat.
Doom: The Dark Ages has shifted back to a more grounded experience. This is not to say that vertical space isn’t an element of level design, but rather that it is less skill-based to navigate—something I appreciate greatly. As a result, navigating the levels feels much smoother and more accessible, even for newer players.
Finally, the levels of Doom: The Dark Ages provide some beautiful and unique areas for the Slayer to explore. On the note of exploration, secret areas and collectibles are back—most notably the toys, which have become a staple in recent Doom titles. While their placement around the levels is quite creative and as fun to collect as it was in Eternal, I’m a bit disappointed that, unlike its predecessor, there is no trophy room to show off your spoils. Regardless, if you are a collector, there is a lot to find hidden throughout the levels of Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages is an excellent entry into the Doom franchise. It helps flesh out the backstory of the Slayer while maintaining the core elements of his character that have endured for 30 years. Combat feels much more grounded while still maintaining the visceral pace of its predecessors, and the new mix of melee and ranged combat feels great. Also, did I mention the Shield Saw—and that it is awesome? While there are a few pacing issues throughout the campaign and one or two boss fights that could be shorter, Doom: The Dark Ages is a fun and engaging entry and worth picking up for both new and returning players.
