It’s not often that we see a decades-old game franchise evolve so drastically, but Doom is not content standing still—literally or figuratively. From the 2016 reboot to the latest installment, this is a series that frequently prioritizes innovation over iteration, and Doom: The Dark Ages brings an entirely new energy to the classic FPS franchise.
Tale as old as 1993
Doom: The Dark Ages takes place before both Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, with the Doom Slayer in the possession of the angel-like beings known as the Maykrs. As the Night Sentinels in Argent D’Nur are at risk of being overwhelmed by hordes of demons from Hell, the Maykrs send the Slayer down to the surface to suppress the invasions.
Doom lore is fascinating, but not my area of concentration. Of course, narrative has never been the primary focus of the games, either, with much of the information delivered via optional codex entries in previous games. That said, The Dark Ages is far more cinematic than previous entries, introducing a number of named characters with actual back stories and motivations.
I didn’t walk away ready to devour wiki pages, fan fiction, or officially licensed novels (yes, they do exist), but I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. And I do think having characters with personalities around the stoic, mute Slayer enhances the experience.
Timing is everything
The good news is that if you’re just here for the explosions, The Dark Ages has you covered.
As noted above, the gameplay has evolved substantially from Doom and Doom Eternal. Rather than dodging through waves of attacking fiends and bullet fire, most encounters revolve around blocking and parrying. If you ever imagined a mashup of Doom and a rhythm game would be a good idea, you’re going to love every minute of The Dark Ages.
While there are plenty of weapons (I’ll get to those later), your most important item is the Shield Saw. Unlike in other Doom games, there’s no dashing or double jumping. You can run around to avoid some of the projectiles or aggressive enemies, but eventually, you’re going to have to start using your shield to block attacks and, more importantly, parry them.
You can block most enemy attacks before the shield temporarily breaks, but green attacks can be parried, which shoots the projectile back at the enemy or counters a melee attack, staggering the enemy and doing significant damage to their armor. Most large-scale fights end up becoming a gory ballet of blocking, parrying, tossing your shield, and only shooting when you have the upper hand. It’s deeply satisfying, but also so all-consuming that I, more than once, found my eyes watering because I had forgotten to blink. So, remember to blink.
Enormous arsenal
I unlocked 11 weapons through the game’s 22 chapters, from returning favorites to absolutely wild new additions. Honestly, the old-school Combat Shotgun is hard to beat, and packs enough of a punch to stay relevant from the first mission to the last (especially after you upgrade it). The Pulverizer was the sickest weapon by far, grinding the bones of your enemies and turning them into bullets you shoot back at the demons. But the Cycler, a double-barrelled energy gun that fires plasma spikes in quick succession, was my go-to.
Every level is filled with secrets — a staple of Doom games — but The Dark Ages also scatters tons of gold throughout every level that you can use to upgrade your guns, your melee weapons, and your shield. There are three to four upgrades for every weapon, six major upgrades for the shield (as well as four runes to acquire, only one of which can be activated at a time), and a series of upgrades for all three melee weapons. These range from increasing the rate of fire and applying conditions to enemies to charging the weapon up faster and causing enemies to drop health and ammo pickups. If you take the time to explore every level thoroughly, you’ll have plenty of currency to upgrade all of your most-used items as you reach the final levels.
The progression hooks are entertaining and meaningful, but there might be too many of them. As much as I enjoyed improving my guns and equipment throughout the campaign, I think that I’d rather have been blowing up demons than fiddling with menus.
Get in the robot, Slayer
I wouldn’t have minded keeping both feet on the ground for the whole campaign, but whenever the running and gunning starts to feel even a little bit stale, Doom: The Dark Ages mixes it up by putting the Slayer in a giant mech suit or letting him ride a dragon.
The chapters in which you pilot the Atlan (that’s what the mech suit is called) are appropriately ridiculous, allowing you to stomp through buildings and bridges as you engage in hand-to-hand combat with enemies the size of skyscrapers, but they’re also a bit one-note. The culminating boss fights are worth the repetitive nature of these chapters, though.
As for the dragon, whose name is Serrat, I was always thrilled to see him fly down to take me up in the air. These are some of the game’s most epic and thrilling moments, as they allow you to see the full scale of the war with Hell from above. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much fun it is to control a giant mechanical dragon. “Vehicles” in games like these can be tricky, but flying Serrat around while gunning down demons is a joy.
Hell’s bells
It would be easy for the scales to tip too far in either direction: Self-seriousness or over-the-top irony. Somehow, Doom rides the line perfectly, and The Dark Ages is no exception. Everyone in this world knows how high the stakes are — Hell has invaded, after all — but we are free (heck, encouraged) to pump our fists and laugh out loud at regular intervals.
It’s not often that I’m tempted to go back and 100% a game after I’ve completed it, but I was so thoroughly entertained while racing through Doom: The Dark Ages that I might go back and find every secret I missed. This is the kind of game that will have you finding any excuse to dive back in and start mowing down demons for a few more minutes.
id Software has another winner on its hands, and I hope Doom never dies.
Bethesda sent BGR a copy of Doom: The Dark Ages on Xbox Series X for this review.
