Doom: The Dark Ages Unveiled: Initial Impressions

After the triumphant revival of Doom in 2016 and the critically acclaimed Doom Eternal in 2020, it's challenging to imagine how Doom could elevate itself further. However, instead of soaring higher, Doom: The Dark Ages takes a grounded approach, focusing on medieval-themed, high-speed, high-skill-ceiling first-person shooting that brings players even closer to the hordes of Hell's minions.

The new Doom shifts away from the platforming elements of Eternal, emphasizing strafe-heavy combat and raw power. The iconic weaponry remains a staple, including the newly introduced Skull Crusher, showcased in the reveal trailer. This unique weapon uses the skulls of fallen enemies as ammunition, firing them back at remaining foes in smaller, faster chunks. Yet, The Dark Ages also heavily focuses on melee combat, featuring three distinct weapons: an electrified gauntlet that can be charged, a flail, and the standout Shield Saw from the summer's reveal trailer, which can be thrown, used to block, parry, or deflect. As game director Hugo Martin emphasized after a demo, "You’re gonna stand and fight."

The Dark Ages draws inspiration from three seminal pieces of pop culture: the original Doom, Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Zack Snyder’s film 300, which is also based on a Miller graphic novel. This influence is evident in the updated Glory Kill system, now unsynced, allowing fatalities to be executed from any angle and adapting to the battlefield's dynamics. This change accommodates the constant presence of enemy hordes, reminiscent of 300 and the original Doom, within combat arenas that have been significantly expanded. Players can tackle objectives in any order and explore levels freely, which Martin notes have been slightly shortened to maintain an optimal length of about an hour each.

Addressing feedback from Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages shifts the narrative delivery from the Codex to cinematic cutscenes, promising an epic story that will explore the far reaches of the Doom universe. Described as a "summer blockbuster event," the narrative stakes are high as the Slayer's power becomes a coveted prize.

Martin also highlighted efforts to simplify the control scheme, acknowledging that Doom Eternal's controls were overly complex. In The Dark Ages, melee options are equipped like equipment, one at a time, to enhance intuitive gameplay. The economy has been streamlined to a single currency, gold, with secrets and treasures focusing more on enhancing skill progression rather than delving into lore.

For those seeking a challenge, The Dark Ages introduces customizable difficulty sliders, allowing players to adjust various elements like game speed and enemy aggression to tailor their experience.

Two standout gameplay sequences from the reveal trailer, the 30-story demon mech (Atlan) and cybernetic dragonback riding, are not one-offs but come with their own abilities and minibosses. Importantly, there will be no multiplayer mode, as the team is fully committed to crafting the best single-player campaign possible.

For fans like myself, who were transformed by the original Doom in 1993, Martin's return to the foundational design principles of that classic while diverging from Eternal's path is incredibly exciting. As Martin stated, "It’s just gotta be different [from Eternal]. 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 eagerly anticipating the release on May 15.