Summary
- Doom: The Dark Ages successfully reinvents the franchise with a shield-focused combat system, trading Eternal’s mobility.
- Features larger scale battles, expanded arsenal, and deeper story creating a difference from older Doom releases.
- Delivers an evolved Doom formula despite some shallow dragon and mech sequences.
The “Doom” shooter franchise has a new installment coming called, Doom: The Dark Ages, on May 15, 2025. This takes a bold new direction, introducing a grounded combat system focused on a chainsaw shield. Delve into the new features and details of the game with this Doom: The Dark Ages review.
Focused on “Stand and Fight” Combat
Doom: The Dark Ages introduces a new look for combat philosophy to their players community. With the new installment, they won’t utilize in Eternal’s double jumps, air dashes, and constant mobility. Instead, they’ll be focusing on medieval-inspired shield as the primary tool. So, players have to face their enemies head-on which requires you to master blocking or parrying attacks.
The shield provides offensive capabilities besides defense. The shield bashes to quickly close distances which is quite similar to the meat hook in Eternal. They can also throw the shield to quickly decapitate multiple enemies in the field. Players also can use the shield as a buzzsaw against larger demon encounters.
Despite the absence of mobility, these mechanics keep the combat fast-paced and exciting. Although the changes may feel quite big for Eternal players, they’ll eventually adjust to the new system after a few hours. Throughout the gameplay, the players will unlock more abilities and understand the rhythm of combat.
Bigger Battles, Broader Battlefields
With Doom: The Dark Ages, players can expect more enemies on screen at once due to significantly larger combat arenas. This new Battlefield setting presents an experience of a grand war against Hell’s forces rather than a lone battle. Instead of fighting isolated groups of demons, the gameplay allows players to fight them all at once.
To assist players in the wide battlefields, they introduced new weapons that can handle hordes of enemies. Some of it includes Skullcrusher Pulverizer which shreds through the dozens of fodder demons at large scale. They also revamped the weapon system featuring “sister weapons” which share ammo types. Players can hot-swap these weapons with a button press.
It has a smoother transition compared to the used weapon-switching mechanic in Eternal. Plus, players can focus on upgrades of these weapons for specialized benefits. Usually, they prioritize armor or health generation when enhancing weapons.
Dragons and Mechs: Variety or Distraction?
Mech battles and dragon-riding sequences will dominate Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay. These new elements break from the traditional first-person shooter gameplay causing mixed reactions from early players. The mech battles utilize a dodge-and-punch mechanic against big titan demons. Meanwhile, the dragon sequences allow players to fly above battlefields and fire on enemies below.
While it provides additional visual and narrative elements, it is simpler than the core combat. They’re used sparingly as diversions in the gameplay rather than detracting from the main experience. It isn’t considered a highlight of the game but simply elevates the fantasy setting in Doom: The Dark Ages.
The Dive into the Doom Universe
In this Doom: The Dark Ages review, it takes place before the Doom 2016 events happened. It explores the Slayers origin and the ancient war on Argent D’nur. The focus on war between humans and demons added a layer to explore in the narrative.
Unlike the previous releases, The Dark Ages incorporated human companions during the combat. This brings a stronger sense of fighting for humanity against Hell’s invasion. Also, the current narrative explores varying environments including medieval sci-fi castles and Lovecraftian “Cosmic Realm.” It introduces complex puzzles with unsettling visuals to create a unique experience. Overall, they expanded the lore and world-building in the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages.
Consistently Metal As Ever
Fortunately, the soundtrack for Doom: The Dark Ages stays the same with its metal track feature to complement demon-slaying action. It has a top-tier audio design, with powerful weapon sounds to make every slash and dodge felt. It is also accompanied by satisfying demon executions for an immersive audiovisual experience.
While there are new elements, the sounds and visuals stick to the series’ roots with minimal improvements. It still crafts an intensive sci-fi experience that blends with the medieval aesthetic.
Conclusion
Now, do you think the upcoming installment will be worth your time? This Doom: The Dark Ages review highlights what you should anticipate from this shooter game. It seems they are trying to introduce a fresh gameplay experience, away from their previous Doom releases. Players can try this game once it is out in the public on May 15, 2025.
