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By: Weston Halgunseth

Quick Verdict

For me ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is a wonderfully written game that rewrites the modern id Software formula. By removing the fast and flying like feeling of the game ‘DOOM Eternal’, ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ gives us a tankier combat style. It gives a prequel that feels both new and familiar to the older games. For people like me that love action packed games, this game is a must play. If I had to rate it I’d give it a 9/10.

Introduction

When id Software gave us the ‘Doom’ story back in 2016 they taught us how to fight. In ‘DOOM Eternal’, they taught us how to fly. But in ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ they take us back to the very start of the story. Throwing us into a dark sci-fi fantasy prequel that tells us the story of the DOOM Slayer and his unfortunate line of fallen pets.

Stepping away from futuristic UAC facilities and neon-lit cities, ‘The Dark Ages’ drops players into a gritty metal infused medieval world that I was taken aback by a lot of the time. The Slayer is no longer just a fast-moving space marine, he is the embodiment of the ultimate weapon of the Sentinels. He battles through ruined castles, ancient forests, and eerie cosmic realms. The result is a crazy style change that fits the story into the franchise’s atmosphere but the visual differences from the previous games was very noticeable.

Combat & Gameplay

I think the biggest risk the developers at id Software had was the purposely slowing down of the game play and the Slayer. The double jumps and constant air dashes of previous games have been replaced with an intense sense of weight and power. You don’t just run around demons instead you ram right through them and tank their shots. In my opinion, this is a great shift they made that was the perfect amount of change they could have done.

The Shield Saw Revolution

One of the fan favorites, and my favorite weapon, was the new Shield Saw. It is worn on the Slayer’s left arm. It completely changes the rhythm of DOOMs combat. Instead of being close range you can be far and just throw your shield. For me, I loved this new weapon. It really helped with crowds of demons.

Perfect Parry: Timing a block against incoming attacks staggers enemies and leaves them open to devastating counterattacks which adds a feature that I loved to use a lot especially when fighting hordes.

Projectile Shredder: Revving up the shield and launching it into a crowd allows it to tear through lesser demons before snapping back to your arm made me feel like I was a more twisted version of Captain America.

A Medieval Arsenal

The new list of weapons I get to pick from perfectly matches the dark fantasy settings. While the iconic Loadout of the Slayer is good, this new one fits the theme perfectly. But they kept the super shotgun because what’s a Slayer game without a super shotgun. Some of my favorite new guns are the nail gun, and the steel ball launcher capable of breaking enemies armor easily which helped show that the DOOM Slayer’s presence is still there.

When the size of the war in ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ reaches the most chaotic part, the game almost becomes cinematic. We pilot an Atlan mech which can take out skyscraper sized demons, and as a fire breathing drake with cybernetic wings that can take down ships 20x its size. Playing as these things made it super fun to play and become the most memorable spots to game for me.

World Building and Visuals

‘The Dark Ages’ does a fantastic job filling in the gaps of DOOM’s mythology. Seeing the early days of the Slayer’s rage and diving deeper into Sentinel lore gives the campaign a weight that previous games only hinted at through codex entries and text logs giving me more of a complete understanding of the lore behind the Slayer and why he is so rage filled.

Visually, the game is stunning. Powered by the id Tech 8 engine ‘The Dark Ages’ is a beast in scale. Massive battlefields often feature hundreds of active combatants fighting in the distance while you tear through enemies in the foreground. On PS5 the performance remained smooth and consistent, maintaining a strong frame rate even during the most chaotic encounters.

Honoring a Legendary Trilogy

To truly appreciate ‘The Dark Ages’ you have to look at the giants whose shoulders it stands upon.

‘DOOM’ (2016) was a insane return to form that reminded players why first-person shooters are so exciting. It perfectly balanced straight push forward combat with relentless action and atmosphere which is what made me love this trilogy and was the first time I saw what Doom was.

Then came ‘DOOM Eternal’, a lightning fast game of combat chess that pushed my skill and reflexes to their limits through demanding movement, resource management, and precision which was a struggle at times for me.

Both games are widely regarded as masterpieces of the modern FPS genre.

Rather than trying to copy either game ‘The Dark Ages’ serves as the perfect third pillar. It blends the raw atmosphere of ‘DOOM’ (2016) with the mechanical depth of ‘DOOM Eternal’ while removing much of the divisive platforming. The result is a game that stands proudly beside its predecessors and completes a modern trilogy where each game offers its own way to play.

The Pros and Cons

Pros

The Shield Saw is a brilliant addition that makes parrying feel like a blessing especially in big bosses where I’d struggle in.

The dark fantasy art direction is stunning and gives the series a fresh new look.

The soundtrack is an absolute powerhouse and perfectly complements the action. Being unlike the last games highly aggressive score this game is powerful instead.

The Atlan mech and mecha dragon parts give me unforgettable moments.

The game has excellent world building that expands the DOOM universe in many ways giving me a lot to explore and endless hours of gameplay for me to play.
Cons

Fans of ‘DOOM Eternal’s’ fast airborne movement may find the heavier combat style jarring at first. I felt it at first but got used to it and started to love the game.

For me a few of the environmental traversal puzzles slightly slow down the pacing.

Some fan-favorite weapons are absent which disappointed me a bit even if the decision makes sense for the game’s direction.

Final Thoughts

‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ proves that id Software isn’t afraid to take risks with its most iconic franchise. By taking away the Slayer’s speed and replacing it with armor, a shield and the unstoppable momentum of a juggernaut, the developers have created a prequel that stands firmly on its own.

It’s heavy, brutal and cinematic and most importantly, it’s a great addition to the DOOM series and a worthy chapter in one of gaming’s greatest modern trilogies; with me at least.

By: Daniel Kendle

Hey everyone, welcome back to JOYSTiCK Reviews, the world’s finest video game series for anyone uninterested in actually learning about the topic efficiently. ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is the anticipated 3rd game in the modern ‘DOOM’ trilogy, which from a bystander’s perspective likely revolves around kittens collecting balls of colorful yarn. In actuality, you play as the Doom Slayer, an inhumanly-powerful juggernaut set on both conquering all of Hell and maybe even raising some too, who knows.

But how effectively doth the player raiseth Hell? Haveth the franchise runneth dry after all these years? And how many of these “th” suffixes can I inserteth into this review before my editor yells at me? Well, this is JOYSTiCK Reviews, I am Mr. Whatshisname, and I can confidently answer 2 of those questions in due time, with the third pending. So without further ado, let’s taketh a look.

‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is the third entry in the recent ‘DOOM’ trilogy of games, seceding ‘DOOM’ and ‘DOOM: Eternal.’ The 3 games are interesting in that they all have fairly-distinct gameplay from one another, despite all being first-person shooters.

The minute-to-minute gameplay in ‘Dark Ages’ is what’ll be the main focus of this review, due to it also being the game’s main focus. Like past titles, the game is split into many different levels. They’re unlocked one-by-one, with a total of 19 to complete by the end of the campaign. The main difference between this new batch of levels from older ones is ‘Dark Ages’s’ focus on more open area design for its different chapters, delineating from older, more linear levels like in ‘Eternal.’

While the main moniker for the latter’s combat was “Rip and Tear,” the former instead relies on the mantra of ‘Stand and Fight.’ These more open areas, while maybe less tightly-packed with collectibles and enemies, propagate ‘Dark Ages’s’ new tagline for its combat. Demons are usually found in spread-out hordes, like troops in some medieval battle. Collectibles, like health and stamina packs, gold, and ammo pickups follow suit, though often remain solitary from each other. These choices promote the player to intricately-explore each level, probing it for loot instead of marching straight to the end flag.

With spaced-out enemies also comes new ways to bash their brains in, of course. The main addition is the Shield Saw, with which you can not only block incoming attacks, but also throw to cut through foes or activate grappling systems. This is a great addition to the flow of combat. If you think of shooting guns as your “A” method of attacking, the Shield works elegantly as a “B” option to close in on opponents. Since you’re able to both shoot and throw the Shield at the same time, you’re able to effectively multi-task killing demons, which always feels awesome. A truly great feature indeed.

The shield introduced another staple of the game: parrying. Upon attacking, most enemies will briefly display a bright green light, meaning they can be parried. Unrealistic, sure (my uncle’s never glowed green when pouncing me for not mowing the lawn) but it gives some depth to combat outside of gunning down foes. The caveat to this is that parrying eventually becomes a bit dull, the player usually being able to confidently-master punishing every enemy’s attack. It’s a mixed bag of a system for sure, but a fun one still.

Guns are still great to shoot; their damage combined with the game’s sound design makes them all feel wonderful to wield. My favorite is the Ravager, personally: you grind up human skulls to fire out in a concentrated spread, with its speed increasing the longer you hold down the trigger. In addition, weapons can also be given unique effects that alter gameplay, though from my experience, not that much. Usually they require gold to unlock, but some “stronger” effects cost unique currency like Rubies and Wraithstones. That being said, these stronger modifiers still never broke past being cute novelties for me, so the grind to pay for them never felt super rewarding.

Aside from straight-up first-person shooting, there are 2 other central modes of combat: Atlan and Dragon segments. These are easily the most controversial of this game’s new additions, with some liking them and some not. Then, of course, there’s those who land somewhere in the middle – like me.

The dragon segments are the better of the pair. They usually take up an entire level’s space, unlike the Atlan segments who take up to only around half. You’re basically just given control of a draconian steed: you can fly, ascend up and down, and even shoot projectiles. They also come with their own parrying system, where you dodge green attacks by flicking the stick a certain direction, which increases your projectile damage for a short time.

These sections are pretty fun, in my opinion. What makes these segments more fun than Atlan ones are how the game’s enemies and objectives alter around it. To account for your new freedom in the air, enemy ships will appear that you have to chase down and shoot. The aforementioned dodging mechanic is another change. Finally, missions (level-exclusive objectives to be completed for rewards) vary when you’re flying. All these and more make the Dragon levels more distinct from regular shooting, and therefore more worthwhile.

Atlan segments I have less to say about, since there’s less to really examine. You take control of a giant mech, and fill up a meter by using different attacks. Then, you can unleash these more powerful moves for…more damage. I’m not really sure what the idea here was; it comes across as half-baked as a result of its simplicity. They’re fine, but take up space that I think could’ve been used for a more complex new system, or even just more FPS levels.

Overall, the gameplay in ‘Dark Ages’ is worthwhile in experimentation with the genre. That’s not to say every new idea works (it’s fallacious, honestly), but what does soars. While faulty in areas, it’s definitely a game whose systems you ought to try out for yourself.

Gameplay is easily the most extensive area to cover, so let’s rapid-fire through these next departments!

The graphics have taken a solid jump in polish since ‘Eternal’ in 2020. The move to the next generation of consoles likely aided in this, and I’ve seen a fair amount of character design comparisons between games subsequently. That’s not to say that newer hardware automatically improves art direction, but hey – it’s always a factor. The only true problem I have with the graphics is the lack of variety in environments: the game seems to have the term “Dark Ages” locked-in, as most landscapes primarily-consist of grays and browns. They’re still pretty to look at, but besides some late-game levels they’re all pretty homogenous.

The sound direction is an immediate hit, however. I mentioned it briefly before, but the punch of gunshots, tearing of flesh and impacts of melee attacks all combine to have the game drip with satisfying audio. It may seem simple, but that’s just because ‘Dark Age’s’ sound effects are so smoothly-implemented. This – and the rest of the modern ‘DOOM’ trilogy, really – are masterclasses in sound design and mixing in games.

The music’s more of a mixed bag. The composer for ‘DOOM’ (2016) and ‘Eternal,’ Mick Gordon, left after the last entry due to mistreatment by Bethesda. Their replacement, Finishing Move Inc., did the best they could but simply can’t compare to Gordon’s work on the last games. What we do have is still good, but c’mon: you can’t beat synthesized chainsaws as instruments. You just can’t.

I think that’s enough for today. We’ve covered a decent bit of ground, though this game’s intricate shooting left me wanting to leave some for you to find out about. Oh, what’s that? You thought I forgot about the game’s bosses? My apologies, but you must be mistaken; ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ took another creative liberty: replacing all but the final boss with planks of wood.

I do actually like the final boss quite a bit, despite being a bit underwhelming. The other bosses you fight throughout the campaign I found pretty dull, though, nothing worth discussing in depth. It’s here where parrying became its least compelling, truthfully.

Nonetheless, ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is still a great time. Perfect? No, and there’s certainly objective problems to critique, but what I can praise is how the game delineates from what came before. It truly feels separate from the others, carving out its own identity through new gameplay ideas. I’m therefore giving the game an 8/10.

That’s all for today’s review, however. ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.