During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I found myself unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon, I unleashed a barrage of machinegun fire against a demonic battle barge. After neutralizing its defensive turrets, I landed on the vessel and stormed through its lower decks, leaving a trail of destruction in my wake. The action culminated in me bursting through the hull and leaping back onto my dragon to continue my assault on Hell's machines. This sequence echoed Master Chief's iconic assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks in *Halo 3*, albeit with a dragon replacing the helicopter-like Hornet and a demonic boat standing in for the mech.
While *Doom: The Dark Ages* maintains the series' signature combat, its campaign design incorporates elements reminiscent of late-2000s shooters. Elaborate cutscenes and novel gameplay mechanics contribute to this shift. Over two and a half hours, I experienced four levels, ranging from the tightly paced opener to more expansive environments involving mechs, dragons, and wide-open battlefields with secrets and minibosses. This approach diverges from the mechanical purity of previous *Doom* titles, drawing parallels to games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even classic James Bond titles like *Nightfire*.
This direction is intriguing, especially considering *Doom*'s past. The cancelled *Doom 4* was initially designed to be more like *Call of Duty*, with a modern military aesthetic, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. These ideas were ultimately abandoned for *Doom (2016)*, but they resurface in *The Dark Ages*. The campaign's pacing is punctuated by new gameplay elements, such as piloting a colossal mech and flying a dragon, which evoke *Call of Duty*'s memorable sequences like the AC-130 gunship mission.
The introduction of a long cutscene set in Argent D'Nur, showcasing the Maykrs and Night Sentinels, adds a cinematic flair that feels distinctly *Halo*-like. Although the NPCs don't fight alongside you, their presence suggests you're part of a larger force, similar to Master Chief's role within the UNSC. While I appreciate the subtle storytelling of previous *Doom* games, the new cinematic approach in *The Dark Ages* sets the stage for missions without disrupting the game's intense flow.
However, the mech and dragon sequences, while visually impressive, feel less engaging compared to the ground combat. They are tightly controlled, almost like QTEs, which contrasts sharply with the complexity of *Doom*'s core gameplay. In the "Siege" level, the focus returns to id Software's renowned gunplay within a vast, open battlefield. This level, with its multiple objectives and varying environments, reminded me of *Halo*'s dynamic level design, though the expansive space sometimes leads to backtracking, which can disrupt the pace.
The resurrection of ideas from the cancelled *Doom 4* in *The Dark Ages* raises questions about their suitability for the series. While the core combat remains the heart of the experience, the integration of more cinematic and varied gameplay elements is both exciting and uncertain. As *Doom: The Dark Ages* is set to launch on May 15th, I eagerly await to see if it successfully blends these new elements into a cohesive and thrilling campaign.
