We got to see a hands-off preview of DOOM The Dark Ages, and it’s aggressive as hell. Published by Bethesda and developed by id Software, the latest in the iconic franchise is changing things up again, moving the combat from “a fighter jet” to a “tank.” Using three pillars to guide the game’s development: combat, exploration, and story, The Dark Ages seems to be looking at the past, growing from it, and gathering inspiration.
A prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, The Dark Ages marks id Software’s third installment in the modern series. Inspired by stories like Batman: Year One, the game is primed to take players into the DOOM Slayer’s origin story. Set in a dark and never-before-seen medieval war against Hell, you’ll fight through hordes of Hell on layered battlefields.
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With Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin calling DOOM The Dark Ages id Software’s most “ambitious game yet,” the goal was to build a single-player experience that offers dynamic combat but reduces the complexity of the input system that was used in Eternal and 2016. The Dark Ages offers a grounded combat system that pushes everything into raw power instead of speed and platforming.
With each combat action tied to just one input (melee, trigger, and parry), the focus of this game is to stand and fight, not run and gun or shoot and jump. It’s a choice that allows id to reach into the past and bring in hulking monsters with projectiles that put a renewed focus on the classic strafing.
The kinetic nature of the past two games helped to redefine the DOOM Slayer’s direction and to be honest. I loved it. The quick-paced style matched its metal score, and it was a vision that made sense. As for the gameplay footage page, I wondered whether the aggression would come through while you parried and strafed. Truth be told? It does.
DOOM The Dark Ages switches up the modern series’ combat style.
Both previous entries into the modern DOOM franchise were games that I loved for different reasons, primarily because the game has been a staple in my gaming life. That said, there is something both nostalgic and innovative to see the investment of rooting our DOOM Guy like a tree and forcing us to stand and fight. Maybe it is because I play tanks in MMOs or because the projectile designs bring me back to watching my cousins play the original DOOM, only to try my hand at it and fail miserably, but whatever the reason, the new combat loop stands out.
With a variety of difficulty sliders both for accessibility and to offer players new ways to challenge themselves with new restrictions, DOOM The Dark Ages allows players to feel pressure while playing without becoming too complex to make them put down the controller.
The joy of high-paced aggression that has marked the modern games may not be the focus, but the on-button input adjustment controls look to still deliver that classic rip-and-tear violence that just feels good. The weapon variety adds to this significantly. While we have not been able to go hands-on with the game, the sound design for the showcased gameplay offers players the satisfying crunch, squish, and booms that give each movement and kill the weight it needs to land.
A shield saw, an iron flail, an electric gauntlet, a doom spike mace, and, of course, some of the “most powerful” guns that the franchise has seen (and it has the Super Shotgun coming through, too). To compensate for the one-button input when it comes to complexity, projectiles force the player into movement patterns and complicate the battles without complicating the inputs, directly addressing player feedback from the last two games. However, I’m not sure how excited I am for parrying.
But to top it all off, the new Glory Kill system allows players to choose when to do them and from any angle. Breaking from animation-locked Glory Kills, DOOM The Dark Ages is putting even more agency into players’ hands, which allows the combat loop to expand.
The Dark Ages is bigger, badder, but still a great entry point for new players.
Additionally, exploration takes a front seat. The largest DOOM that id Software has made, core to developing the world, was to allow the player to control the game’s pace. Coming off of two fast-paced editions, recentering the story within the most expansive world we’ve seen yet. However, the team was particular to note that while the game is the largest the series has seen, no single level overstays its welcome.
The last significant shift away from the past two games comes through cut-scenes. Instead of having the story and DOOM Slayer’s background relegated to the codex, it can be experienced directly. Starting with the DOOM Slayer imprisoned at the beginning of the game, you’ll get to fly on a Mecha Drtong and stand in a massive Atlan mech to fight the largest bosses Hell has to offer, ultimately leading us right to 2016.
DOOM The Dark Ages, at the outset, sounds like something entirely new, but the reality is that the game is learning from and embodying its past. The imagery, projectile paths, and more grounded combat all feel nostalgic. That said, like most prequels, the nostalgia isn’t all there is.
Instead, it’s also set to be an easy entry point for new fans with a shredding soundtrack and ripping aggression through enemies. With DLC already confirmed, it’s clear that DOOM train is ready to keep going. And from what I’ve seen, DOOM The Dark Ages looks to have everything it takes to make 2025 another year of Doom.
