DOOM: The Dark Ages is different, and whether that’s a good thing or not is dictated almost entirely by how you feel about id Software’s last game. After the breakneck DOOM Eternal, the developer has dialled its action back for a medieval prequel that feels reserved in comparison.
The pace is slower and the platforming is gone, replaced with a multi-use shield and mace under the “stand and fight” marketing mantra from the studio. DOOM: The Dark Ages should be evaluated on its own terms, but after one of the best FPS games ever, it’s hard to ignore how the stabilisers always seem to be on. If DOOM Eternal was the series cranked up to 11, then The Dark Ages feels like it never breaks an eight. It comes across slightly more methodical, even if it’s still one of the fastest-paced shooters on PS5.
What id Software has crafted five years later is great — excellent at times — with a pleasing blend of combat and exploration. The levels are bigger and more open than before, allowing freedom to search for collectibles and secrets away from the action. Light puzzles test you before those rewards are revealed while upgrade currencies work to enhance your loadout.
A fight is never too far away, however. Armed to the teeth with high-tech weapons, you’ll blast demons with everything from shotguns and plasma rifles to grenade launchers and crossbows — but it’s the ancient armaments that quickly become the real standouts. Set well before the events of the 2016 reboot, the Doom Slayer equips himself with a Shield Saw and a mace that expand his capabilities during combat.
The former is both an offensive and defensive tool. You can throw it at demons to cut them in two, have it lodge in a stronger enemy’s torso to stun them, or use it to cover great distances on the battlefield with a shield charge move. It can then parry select attacks and block general damage for a limited time. The mace, meanwhile, carries up to three charges and deals devastating damage at close range. It destroys armour and is also the replacement for the Glory Kill system of the past two entries.
The two instruments smoothly slot themselves into a combat system that once again feels like it has a rhythm and dance to it. While the game moves away from the mechanics of DOOM Eternal, where attacking enemies in specific ways would yield different resources, The Dark Ages still retains a loop of engagement and slight retreat.
Its encounters are relentless, with more demons on-screen than ever before. Less mobility means the parries and blocks of the Shield Saw are your main means of defence, and the mace (or your fist at the start of the game) can deal with any demons that get too close.
Compared to virtually any other shooter around, The Dark Ages still plays at a lightning-fast pace. Speeding around the combat arena, id Software has designed every encounter to challenge you. On the default setting, the difficulty ramps up nicely as the roughly 20 to 25-hour campaign builds to its climax.
New demons litter the hellscapes and new weapons enhance the Doom Slayer, providing a nice mixture of fresh elements to both use and obliterate. It culminates in a combat system that’ll feel familiar to returning players, yet just different enough — under the suggestion to stand your ground — to feel like its own thing.
What’s also exclusive to The Dark Ages is the ability to pilot a mech and ride a dragon. Taking advantage of its wider, more expansive levels, the game will occasionally let you fly about and observe your surroundings from above. Both their implementations are limited, however.
The mech sequences amount to little more than five-minute Punch-Out!! intervals against larger demons, where you’re following a single path towards your objective. The flight sections have pre-determined landing spots in the level and offer little else besides the chance to fly around and chase an enemy ship or two. They allow you to better take in all the new locations — some taking inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s work as the story develops — but they feel more like stopgaps between the proper action sequences. While new to the series, they’re far from highlights.
Another new thing id Software has attempted with the prequel is a better, more involved narrative with far more cutscenes and plain storytelling. It’s true in the sense that, compared to the 2016 reboot and DOOM Eternal, there is indeed more of a plot to follow — but we’re not sure the title is any better for it.
It’s the kind of tale that goes in one ear and quickly out the other, as humans, demons, and aliens fight one another, with the Doom Slayer at the centre of it all. The cutscenes are of a high quality and prove entertaining to watch. However, there’s nothing of real substance to make you truly care for its beats and reveals.
What you do come to DOOM for is the audio and a ripping soundtrack, and The Dark Ages once again delivers. You obviously don’t get Mick Gordon handling the music this time, but it still shreds. The heavy metal tunes lend to the intensity of every encounter, and the audio design of the guns themselves has been taken to a new level. They sound absolutely outstanding to fire — through a decent pair of headphones, they’ve got to be some of the best weapons in the industry.
The visuals aren’t quite on the same level, but they’re still nothing to sniff at. We played the game on PS5 Pro, and interestingly, it completely lacks any sort of quality or performance modes. You play the title as it’s handed to you, and on Sony’s upgraded console at least, it performs flawlessly. A rock-solid 60 frames-per-second is maintained on PS5 Pro, and the experience is heightened by standard DualSense implementation. Through the Adaptive Triggers, you’ll feel a bit of weight behind every shot you take. Outside of standard vibrations, though, Haptic Feedback contributes little.
Conclusion
DOOM: The Dark Ages goes for something slightly different as it turns back time for a medieval assault on hell’s legions. Not every change pays off, as the introduction of a mech and dragon adds very little to the overall experience. However, when The Dark Ages gets to the FPS action, there aren’t many who do it better than id Software. Take some time to adjust to DOOM: The Dark Ages, and you’ll discover another fantastically ferocious first-person shooter.