DOOM: The Dark Ages Review – It’s Where my Demons Hide

DOOM, a series likely thought dead during its twelve-year hiatus (not including re-releases) between DOOM 3 and 2016's DOOM reboot, is on a high. The success of DOOM, followed by the release of DOOM Eternal, means it was inevitable that a new release would come. What I didn't expect was the direction of that, which is where DOOM: The Dark Ages comes in.

By abandoning multiplayer and opting for a pure single-player and narrative-focused experience, DOOM: The Dark Ages takes the series somewhere different and a little medieval.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal. It focuses on an earlier incursion of hell and explains why the Doom Slayer is who he is. Long story short, the Makyrs essentially had him tethered as their slave-weapon, keeping him trapped unless they needed him, just pointing him towards the demons they wanted killed. The series has never really been narrative-heavy, and I'm not going to pretend that it somehow is now, but I do like what they've done here.

Despite his general lack of depth, the Doom Slayer is a surprisingly good character. In the previous games, you could understand perfectly what he was thinking in every circumstance, and that thought is essentially "Kill demons, F- everything else". While he's already in this frame of mind, you will get to see more of his time while under the control of the Makyr, during the invasion of Argent D'nur. You will also meet far more characters than in any other title in the series (that I remember). Where the lore in previous games was relegated to reading the codex entries, here you get it through cutscenes and other monologues. The Doom Slayer is still as vocal as always.

I won't cover more of the story to avoid spoilers, but I've enjoyed the change in direction. This is despite my saying in my DOOM Eternal review that I don't care about the story in a DOOM game.

Let's be brutally honest: most people don't come into a DOOM game because of its narrative, including DOOM: The Dark Ages. Having it, and a good one, is just the icing on the extremely bloody and demonic cake. No, people come for the gameplay, the gory fun stuff, and I would argue that it's fun. Clearing what may be a sticking point for some people, I don't care about the lack of a multiplayer mode. Most people know me enough that a multiplayer mode is usually a negative, not a positive.

Rather than including multiplayer, DOOM: The Dark Ages includes the longest campaign in the series. Across 22 different stages, each offering a good level of variety, you will be doing everything from the regular run-and-gun DOOM action, to hopping in an Atlan - a giant humanoid war machine - or even riding a dragon into battle. Add a host of weapons, some returning, others new (including a flail, to stick to the medieval-style theme), and you have exciting demon-murdering gameplay, still joined by melee finishing moves to replenish your health and ammo. As a note, the traditional glory kills are gone unless it's a boss, which some may be disappointed with.

The actual run-and-gun gameplay feels more grounded than in DOOM Eternal, closer to that of DOOM (2016). This isn't to say there isn't any verticality, there is, but it no longer feels like it has delusions of being a secret-platformer. There likely isn't anything here that you won't find familiar if you've played the first game. Every weapon and ability has its use; each can be upgraded with the various currencies and items found throughout the game.

Much like the previous titles, the weapons are well placed within the game, meaning when you need one, it'll be introduced, with a quick tutorial. I recommend reading these because you may miss some of the bonuses weapons can bring. For example, one of the earliest ones can overcharge the energy shields of enemies, causing them to explode. Knowing the additional effects and upgrading the weapons to give them new abilities can be extremely useful in your quest to kill everything that breathes, has ever breathed, and will ever breathe.

Despite my praise of returning to a more horizontal gameplay, I have a few criticisms. Okay, one. I don't like the dragon and anything to do with it. It's cool, but when I'm flying a dragon, it should not be locked into a near horizontal plane once I'm locked onto an enemy. I'm flying a dragon with guns. I want to be able to swoop in and shoot, and I want to do strafing runs. It looks and comes across like it should be aerial combat, but the actual combat feels nothing like that.

This isn't to say it doesn't fit in with the world or narrative, but there is a disconnect between what it is and how it feels like it should be. Particularly when flying outside of combat, which is free-flowing. My thoughts on this don't extend to other things, such as the Atlan, which does fit in well with the rest of the game. It feels slower paced, as expected from a giant mech, but it doesn't feel like it should be something else. Granted, I can imagine some people being frustrated by the slower pace compared to the core gameplay.

Still, these are minor issues in the grand scheme. It's a long campaign packed with DOOM goodness, including finding secrets, codex entries, and more. Exploration is, as always, rewarded. It also does exceptionally well opening up the game on some levels, giving you a vast map to play in and tackle objectives in the way you want. Eschewing the linearity gives it a fresher feel at times, and it's also handy to turn back around and replenish some stocks if you've found that you're struggling in a fight.

It's all tied together with excellent visuals and audio. Now, this being a DOOM game, and it being 2025, that's like saying "the sun will rise in the morning". I still can't emphasise enough that the aesthetics and design of DOOM: The Dark Age are excellent, particularly when you start venturing away from Argent. Add the usual metal riff to this, and you've got a successful, pulse-pounding action and blood-filled game.

So, to put it all quite simply, DOOM: The Dark Ages is a good game—no, it's a very good game. I would recommend it to fans of the genre and people who want to have fun without the risk of anything transmissible via bodily fluids. Unless we're talking about demon blood and guts, there's lots of that. DOOM: The Dark Ages is yet another success from Id Software, and long may they continue.

PC version reviewed. Copy provided by the publisher.

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8.5

WCCFTECH RATING

DOOM: The Dark Ages

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a rip-tearing fun ride that reigns in some of the excesses of DOOM Eternal, bringing the gameplay closer to DOOM (2016), while adding meat to the story in a long, meaty, campaign across over twenty stages. Put simply, if you liked DOOM and DOOM Eternal, you will like this, even if there are a few minor missteps.

Pros

• Outstanding run & gun DOOM gameplay.
• Fantastic visual design and audio.
• A good, long, meaty campaign.
• Great level design, with some huge scale battles at points.

Cons

• The dragon and gundam sections won't be to everybodies liking, even boring.
• Glory kills have gone from regular combat.

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