Doom (2016) threw players right into the boots of the Doom Slayer, put a gun in their hands, and sent them after the hordes of Hell. There was no preamble or easing players into the action – the soundtrack kicked in, and it was time to go. For Doom: The Dark Ages, developer id Software is turning the clock back, diving deeper into the history of the Doom Slayer with a prequel. It’s an unexpected turn for a franchise that has been riding a fast-paced, frenetic momentum over the last two games, but even though Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel, it’s still built on lessons learned and mechanics evolved over the course of 2016’s game and its follow-up, Doom: Eternal.
The Best War Games was given a hands-on preview of Doom: The Dark Ages that focused on the key pillars of the experience. There was a little taste of the story, a tease at the Atlan mech gameplay, a ride on a dragon, and, of course, tons of ripping through Hellish foes. This year’s game uses the motto Stand and Fight, and our preview highlighted how every facet of the game echoes that mantra.
DOOM Could Receive More Prequel Stories In The Future
Doom: The Dark Ages director, Hugo Martin and producer Marty Stratton discussed the potential for more DOOM prequels in the future. This happened during an interview with PC Gamer where the developers revealed that The Dark Ages will not end with the Doom Slayer being locked away. This hints that there could be more prequel stories left to tell in the DOOM universe.
Doom: The Dark Ages Puts Major Focus Into Storytelling
The Cutscenes Will Build The Connection To Doom (2016)
From a story standpoint, there are still a lot of questions as to how the narrative of Doom: The Dark Ages will connect to Doom (2016). However, the good news is that The Dark Ages is making storytelling a priority, opting for full cutscenes to unravel its story, rather than asking players to dig through log entries to gain a deeper understanding of the lore.
Without getting into spoilers, Doom: The Dark Ages puts the focus on the conflict between the Sentinels and Hell. There were intriguing characters introduced, some political intrigue, and the Makyrs hovering above it all. Those Makyrs have the Doom Slayer “imprisoned” in their arsenal as the ultimate weapon, a last-ditch soldier that they let loose to turn the tide of battle. While the Doom Slayer is under the control of the Makyrs at this early part of the game, it appears that their influence is waning, and it shouldn’t be too long before he starts pursuing his own goals.
The cutscenes add a nice storytelling element that Doom had been missing in the previous entries. It better introduces the moving pieces of the larger conflict in Argent D’Nur and how the Doom Slayer factors into it all. Visually, it’s an opportunity for id Software to show off the beautiful graphics of the Doom franchise and flex its creative muscle with some incredible character and world design. Taking players out of the Doom Slayer’s helmet might not be what everyone is looking for out of a Doom game, though, and luckily, id Software has prepared a feast for them with Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages Will Bring Back The Brutal Combat Mechanics
Elements From Doom (2016) And Doom Eternal Will Return, But With A Unique Touch
A lot of the core elements from Doom and Eternal are back for The Dark Ages, albeit with some twists. The brutal, vicious combat is on full display, with a suite of creative weapons and old standbys ready to chew through the hordes of hell. Ripping through enemies is just as fun as it ever was – id Software has not missed a beat when it comes to Doom’s gunplay. It’s only once you factor in the addition of the shield that Doom: The Dark Ages reveals its unique identity.
In place of the verticality, dashing, and Meat Hook of Doom Eternal, Doom: The Dark Ages’ shield brings a new flavor to the FPS combat. In a basic sense, the shield allows you to block enemy fire and keep those health and shield bars full. Combat is less about avoiding bullets as in Eternal, but tanking those shots, which echoes back to that Stand and Fight combat.
But rather than make the Doom Slayer feel like a lumbering, slow tank, the shield actually makes the combat feel as fast-paced as ever. Thanks to a nifty dash move that locks on and launches the Doom Slayer at a target, the shield allows for quick movements across big spaces. You can quickly close the distance between groups of enemies, smash the weakest ones as your shield connects, and then unload on the tougher foes in an instant. It’s a familiar approach to the Meat Hook, but one that is surprisingly fast and with a very fast cooldown.
While that block and dash are the core tenets of the shield combat in Doom: The Dark Ages, things evolve from there. Eventually, the game introduces a parry that knocks green attacks back at enemies or stuns enemies who attempt a melee, as well as the ability to throw the shield to spin in place and stun enemies or break away armor that has been overheated by gunfire. The shield is The Dark Ages’ gamechanger, a way for id Software to take its combat to the next level and give players new tools to make quick work of enemies.
While glory kills are still present in Doom: The Dark Ages, they are more organic this time around, not taking you out of the action for a mini-cutscene.
For the first section of the Doom: The Dark Ages preview, the levels were fairly linear, meant to showcase the combat and the environmental storytelling in the prequel. It was a classic representation of this new era of Doom, made unique thanks to the introduction of the shield. Being able to parry attacks adds a new flavor to survivability in the game, and that dash is incredibly cool. If there were any concerns about Doom feeling slow without the Meat Hook, those are quickly and literally dashed away by the shield.
The Dark Ages Brings Something Entirely New To The Table With The Atlan
Another new experience for Doom: The Dark Ages is the Atlan, a giant mech that looks like something out of Pacific Rim. While we only got a brief chance to control the Atlan, it was a nice change of pace from the standard Doom gunplay. At first, the Atlan combat is Punch Out-esque, combining fast and power punches with dodges and parries. But eventually, you get to wield a massive weapon and chew through multiple foes at a time.
Overall, with such a small portion of the Atlan level available to us, it’s hard to predict how the experience might evolve or change. The melee combat has a satisfying heft to it, where you truly feel the weight of the mech and the power of its punches. The cadence of dodging and parrying isn’t revolutionary by any means, but it has an undeniable cool factor that only Doom can deliver.
The dragon section of the preview didn’t have the same wow factor as the others, unfortunately. While zipping around on the back of a hell-dragon sounds awesome, the combat implementation leaves something to be desired. Essentially, you are moving around a fixed plan, locked onto a set of targets in front of you, waiting until their health is gone and you can move on.
Doom: The Dark Ages Addresses Lack of Multiplayer
The team behind Doom: The Dark Ages talks about why the game won't include a multiplayer mode like the past few titles in the series.
These dragon sections feature the same type of dodging red attacks and parrying green attacks seen elsewhere in Doom: The Dark Ages, but it’s practically essential here. When you parry a green attack, it increases the damage (and lowers the fire rate) of the artillery fire, packing higher damage for quicker kills. Although it’s possible to eliminate targets with the basic fire, it takes far too long to do so.
Perhaps as the dragon combat evolves, it will be more interesting, but what was on display during this preview didn’t meet the same cool factor as the other elements. It’s not bad by any means, but fairly derivative of standard aerial combat.
The Open Area Of Doom: The Dark Ages Had A Lot To Offer
The World Also Introduced A Gold Currency
To conclude the Doom: The Dark Ages preview, we were shown an open area that featured a lot more freedom than in past Doom games. It was a playground with specific objectives to tackle in any order, collectibles to chase, and secrets to find. It’s unclear how many of these types of sections might be available in The Dark Ages, but just this one offered a large chunk of things to do. And of course, any opportunity to experiment with the combat was a treat.
This section also introduced a currency into the mix: gold, which you can collect from completing objectives and find in secret areas. With this gold, you can purchase new upgrades for your arsenal, including the classic alternate fire modes (like the Super Shotgun). Choosing one upgrade over another locks you into a playstyle, whereas the skill tree is linear in nature. The Doom Slayer is going to get more formidable as the game goes on, and the player can push his arsenal even further with these upgrades.
Despite its familiar veneer, Doom: The Dark Ages is still as exciting as it ever was. The introduction of the shield helps keep the pace of play fast, but it forces you to rethink combat encounters and be reactive to enemy attacks as best you can. Packaged together, there’s something supremely satisfying about the movement, the feel of the gunplay, the visual presentation, and the music that continues Doom’s trend of delivering a delicate dance of destruction with an emphasis on fun. Although there are some elements that didn’t blow us away, the overall fun factor of Doom: The Dark Ages is undeniable. With a shield in one hand and a gun in the other, this latest Doom Slayer adventure promises another hellishly great time.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
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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.
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Doom: The Dark Ages releases May 15, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.