There are few upcoming first-person shooters that inspire as much excitement as Doom: The Dark Ages. The third entry in Id Software's softly rebooted Doom series, The Dark Ages serves as a prequel to 2016's Doom, pitting the Doom Slayer against hordes of vicious, rampant demons in a quasi-medieval setting, with all the brutality that such a setting entails.
But make no mistake, Doom: The Dark Ages is a modern Doom game, through and through, spotlighting the fast-paced and gruesome combat that the series is known for. Since Doom (2016), the franchise has doubled-down on its commitment to offering intense combat and power fantasy, with finely tuned mechanics like the health regeneration system and Glory Killing making for a perfect, bloody flow state, the likes of which simply isn't seen in previous entries, good as they may be. For Doom: The Dark Ages, this combat sandbox is being augmented with new abilities, like the awe-inspiring Shield Saw and the terribly powerful Atlan Mech, though these new additions appear to have come at the cost of a major feature: online multiplayer.
Doom: The Dark Ages' Shield Saw Has One Major Challenge to Overcome
Doom: The Dark Ages looks great so far, but the Shield Saw, one of its central mechanics, could be playing a risky game in some ways.
Doom: The Dark Ages Is Scrapping Multiplayer, But That's Not So Bad
Multiplayer and Doom Aren't the Best Fit
One could be forgiven for forgetting about the multiplayer modes of the last two Doom games. The 2016 Doom reboot features traditional, arena-based competitive multiplayer, which is surprisingly fun, but definitely not anything special. It's a bit too much like Halo, with objective-based gameplay and high time-to-kill that reflects that series' gameplay fundamentals without iterating upon them enough. Doom Eternal's multiplayer takes admirable steps in the direction of innovation, leveraging asymmetry to create an experience more befitting of the Doom experience: one player assumes the role of the Doom Slayer, while two others play as powerful Demons that can spawn fodder enemies.
Both of these multiplayer modes, despite their obvious differences, never managed to reach the heights of their competitors. Moreover, they never really stood a chance against the incredible single-player content of these games, which is so effective at what it sets out to do that it's hard to imagine engaging with the combat in any other way. To put it simply, the multiplayer modes of Doom and Doom Eternal are solid, but they just aren't what most players come to Doom for.
With Multiplayer Gone, Doom: The Dark Ages Has Room To Improve the Single-Player Campaign
In a Q&A session attended by Gaming Bolt and Eurogamer, Doom: The Dark Ages' executive producer and director Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin explained the reasoning behind leaving multiplayer behind. The pair made it clear that the decision to ax multiplayer was made early on in development, with the driving force behind it being the buttressing of The Dark Ages' single-player content. Specifically, they suggested that concepts like the Atlan Mech and cybernetic dragon would not have been possible to implement were development resources dedicated to online multiplayer. "[T]hese are things we wanted to do in the game for, like, multiple games now, but couldn’t, because we had a multiplayer component," said Martin.
So, while it is somewhat disappointing that audiences won't be able to see the continued development of modern Doom multiplayer, it seems that this sacrifice could be well worth it. At the end of the day, Doom lives and dies on the strength of its single-player campaigns, so expanding this side of the development equation simply makes more sense than tacking on a multiplayer mode, especially when multiplayer shooters continue to be a dime a dozen. If Doom: The Dark Ages' single-player turns out as good as it looks, then multiplayer probably won't be missed all that much.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- May 15, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- id Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
WHERE TO PLAY
BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.
REIGN IN HELL
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for.
STAND AND FIGHT
Experience an epic story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.
DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id's largest and most expansive levels to date.
- Engine
- id Tech
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
