'Doom: The Dark Ages' is built different
“Doom: The Dark Ages” is built different in everything from its gameplay to the new hype moments and aura that surround the Doom Slayer (Jason E. Kelley).
The game serves as a prequel to “Doom” (2016) and features the Slayer fighting primarily on Argent D'Nur alongside the Sentinels to take down the forces of Hell lead by Prince Azrak (Rick Cosnett).
Alongside this battle, the Maykrs have put a tether on the Doom Slayer to control him and purge his thoughts of everything except ripping and tearing Hell apart.
However, the Maykrs don’t know the Slayer they’ve forced into submission isn’t a fan of being held captive against his will, leading to a struggle between the Slayer and the Maykrs as the story progresses.
I found the story to be entertaining mostly because of the struggle between the Slayer and the Maykrs as it added a layer of depth to the story and some more hype moments and aura to the Slayer.
As a forewarning, if you haven’t played “Doom” (2016) or “Doom Eternal,” there will be a lot of confusing things within the story as multiple characters and locations tie-in to the time period in which the game is set.
Unfortunately, “Doom: The Dark Ages” is mostly hype moments and aura, which is most commonly seen in the gameplay as the game slows the pacing of combat down drastically compared to “Doom” (2016) and “Doom Eternal.”
Gone is the excessive sprinting and dashing of “Doom Eternal” as the age of medieval weaponry such as the Shield Saw and Flail among many others are used to exterminate the forces of Hell, all of which have their own unique uses within the game.
The Shield Saw is a genius weapon addition that makes you feel like Captain America as you charge into battle and bounce the shield off of multiple enemies or lodge into a tougher enemy to stun them.
Despite that, the Shield Saw is part of the game’s main problem in the form of parrying.
On paper, it doesn’t sound like an issue, but in execution, its horrid. Every enemy regardless of their difficulty can be taken down using the parry system to the point where even the final boss relies too much on the parry system.
Furthermore, the parry window on the recommended difficulty is extremely forgiving to where there were times I wasn’t even near an enemy’s attack to parry and still hit it with precision aim.
This system also carries over into the new combat systems of the Atlan mech and Mecha Dragon as they both feel repetitive in the tedious way rather than a fun way.
For some, the parrying mechanic will be something you love, but for me it was something I found rather annoying after the first four chapters or so.
The level design is also slightly reworked to allow for larger but still contained open-world missions, which means if you see something in the distance, there’s a good chance you can go there.
I like the little bit of exploration it allows in world both familiar to the game, like Argent D'Nur, and new, like the Cosmic Realm, but it does make chapters last longer than necessary at times.
The music in “Doom: The Dark Ages” also feels lesser than it had been before. Composer Finishing Move Inc. doesn’t do a bad job with the music, but it doesn’t give off the badass feeling that Mick Gordon’s music did.
While I have problems with the story and gameplay, the graphics of everything are amazing as the entire game runs smoothly with no bugs, glitches or crashes found in my time playing the game.
Designs of enemies, allies and the levels themselves are all expertly crafted with the finest of details to allow for maximum immersion as you fight off the forces of Hell.
“Doom: The Dark Ages” is built different primarily in its overreliance on the parrying system that is up for interpretation depending on the player. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.
The same goes for the story as I enjoyed most parts of it, but you may not care for the Slayer and Maykr struggle as much as I did.
Regardless of those variables, the game is technologically and graphically sound, thus making it a good entry into the Doom franchise.
Doom: The Dark Ages — ★ ★ ★ ½
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Rating: M (Mature 17+)