After id Software's brilliant revival of Doom in 2016 and its even tighter 2020 sequel, Doom Eternal, it's clear that Doom has reached soaring heights. Now, with the medieval-tinged prequel, Doom: The Dark Ages, the franchise is taking a grounded approach, emphasizing high-speed, high-skill-ceiling first-person shooter gameplay that brings players closer to Hell's minions.
The new Doom shifts away from Eternal's platforming, focusing instead on strafe-heavy combat that prioritizes power. Of course, the iconic weapons remain a staple—after all, this is Doom! Among them, the new Skull Crusher stands out, as seen in the reveal trailer. This weapon uses the skulls of fallen enemies as ammunition, firing them back at remaining foes in smaller, high-velocity chunks. Additionally, The Dark Ages places a significant emphasis on melee combat, featuring three weapons: the default electrified gauntlet, which can be charged up; the flail; and the star of last summer's reveal trailer, the Shield Saw, which can be thrown or used to block, parry, or deflect. "You're gonna stand and fight," emphasized game director Hugo Martin after my demo of the new Doom.
It might not surprise you that Martin draws inspiration from three seminal pieces of pop culture for The Dark Ages: the legendary original Doom, Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, and Zack Snyder's 2006 classic movie 300, which itself is based on a graphic novel by Miller.
The modern Doom's trademark Glory Kill finishing-move system has been revamped to be unsynced, allowing fatalities to be performed from any angle on the battlefield and adapting accordingly. This change accommodates the hordes of enemies you'll face, reminiscent of 300 and the original Doom. In The Dark Ages, combat arenas are significantly larger, allowing you to tackle objectives in any order and explore levels freely. Martin notes that levels have been slightly shortened to maintain an optimal playtime of about an hour each.
Addressing feedback from Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages will no longer require players to delve into the Codex to follow the story. Instead, narrative will be delivered through cutscenes, taking players to the far reaches of the Doom universe in what id describes as a "summer blockbuster event with everything on the line" as the Slayer's power is coveted by enemies.
Martin stressed that the development team is working to simplify the control scheme, recognizing that Doom Eternal's controls were overly complex. The goal is to create an intuitive system, ensuring players can react quickly without fumbling for unfamiliar buttons. Melee options will be equipped one at a time, similar to equipment. Additionally, the game will feature more hidden secrets and treasures, with a simplified economy using only one currency—gold. These secrets will enhance skill progression, offering tangible, gameplay-altering rewards rather than lore deep-dives.
Players can now customize the difficulty to their liking with sliders that adjust game speed, enemy aggression, and other factors, providing a tailored challenge through the user interface.
I also gained insight into two standout gameplay sequences from the reveal trailer: the giant 30-story demon mech, the Atlan, and the cybernetic dragonback riding. These won't be one-off experiences but will come with their own suite of abilities and minibosses to battle. Notably, there will be no multiplayer mode in The Dark Ages, as the team focused all resources on crafting the best single-player campaign possible.
For someone like me, who experienced the transformational impact of the original Doom in 1993, Martin's pivot away from Eternal's successful direction and his return to the design principles of the 30-year-old classic with The Dark Ages is incredibly exciting. "It's just gotta be different [from Eternal]," Martin said. "Especially if I loved the game. [If] I wanna play a Doom game, I wanna feel strong, but I'm OK with changing what that power fantasy is, especially if that change brings it closer to classic Doom."
This renewed focus has me more hyped than ever. The release on May 15 can't come soon enough.
