Doom: The Dark Ages has brought heavy non-stop action to gamers this month, as this prequel has the Slayer fighting the forces of Hell in a cyber-medieval world. From the setting to the exciting new features, Doom: The Dark Ages is a unique chapter in the beloved first-person shooter franchise.
One particularly stand-out moment in the game, though, is the first time players get to pilot a giant mech suit. The Slayer's arsenal in Doom: The Dark Ages is inventive and wonderfully over-the-top, and the mech suit adds an even deeper layer to the game's love of wild weaponry. Getting to control a mech in Doom: The Dark Ages is fun enough on its own, but it also demonstrates how another try at a Pacific Rim video game could work.
DOOM: The Dark Ages Fans Discover Unused Weapon Through Console Commands
Some DOOM: The Dark Ages players have discovered a mysterious hidden weapon that can be accessed through the use of console commands.
Doom: The Dark Ages Could Serve as the Blueprint For a Fresh Pacific Rim Game
Pacific Rim's Original Brush With Gaming Was Far From Successful
Back in 2013, a Pacific Rim game was developed for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, but it failed to achieve the same success as the movie that inspired such an adaptation. The Pacific Rim franchise may not have the same pull as other major media franchises like Marvel or Godzilla, but there is a lot of potential for the mech-focused series to expand its horizons. Just because the first step into gaming didn't pan out doesn't mean that a second attempt isn't worth a try, especially now that Doom: The Dark Ages has shown a great example of satisfying first-person mech combat.
Pacific Rim was co-written by Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro, with the latter also directing the first film.
Doom: The Dark Ages' Mech Controls Are Simple, But Lay the Groundwork For More
Doom: The Dark Ages' mech is called the Atlan, and it's one of the major highlights of the game. As exciting as it is to control the Atlan, the mechanics centered around this mech are quite simple. Keeping up with combo punches to build up to more powerful hits requires some focus, but it's not exactly taxing. Dodging is just as important to piloting the Atlan as sucker-punching demons, presenting a straightforward example of how a first-person Pacific Rim game could play. Doom has continued to grow, and with Doom: The Dark Ages experimenting with mech physics, players can get a surprising preview of what controlling a Jaeger might look like.
Not only are the Atlan's controls a solid attempt at this style of combat, but the mech encounters in general are very reminiscent of Pacific Rim. In place of Kaiju are massive demons from Hell. It's not hard to imagine a more complex version of these mechanics being used against Pacific Rim's notorious alien beasts.
In another first for the Doom franchise, Doom: The Dark Ages includes a flyable dragon named Serrat.
A New Pacific Rim Game May Never Happen, But Doom: The Dark Ages is the Next Best Thing
Despite the large size of the Atlan causing movement and combat to be slower than a usual Doom experience, the mechanics are surprisingly smooth. Nailing a demon in the face as the small city watches from below is an incredibly cool feeling that a Pacific Rim game could dive deeper into. The success of Doom: The Dark Ages hopefully sets the stage for a fresh take on Pacific Rim, but that might be more of a pipe dream than an actual possibility.
Right now, there are no known plans for such an adaptation to be made, which makes sense considering that the popularity of Pacific Rim has unfortunately dwindled over time. However, Doom: The Dark Ages offers a glimpse at what might be possible if the right developer put gamers into the massive shoes of a Jaeger.
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
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
