Doom: The Dark Ages Review – A Brutal New Dawn
Doom Eternal built upon the 2016 reboot’s frenetic first-person action with layers of strategy, fast-paced movement, and resource management. While many welcomed the added complexity, others missed the simplicity of ripping and tearing through demons with relentless momentum. Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t abandon what came before but instead refocuses the series with a bold, grounded approach that emphasizes raw power and deliberate combat over constant motion.
A Shield and a Sword
In The Dark Ages, the Doom Slayer isn’t zipping across the battlefield with double jumps and air dashes. Instead, he’s an immovable force, built for crushing encounters head-on. The game’s defining feature is a versatile, ever-present shield. It’s more than a defensive tool—it’s a brutal extension of the Slayer himself. With chainsaw edges, a long-range bash attack, and ricochet abilities, the shield is a centerpiece of both offense and defense. It replaces mobility tools from Eternal, turning combat into a series of close-quarters showdowns where timing parries and counters is key.
This new system introduces a combat rhythm built on aggression and precision. Well-timed parries shorten cooldowns on your melee abilities, creating an addictive loop of blocking, striking, and smashing enemies into pieces. Each successful counterattack comes with satisfying audio and visual feedback, amplifying the visceral weight of your hits.
Measured Mayhem
The Slayer feels heavier now, and movement is intentionally more grounded. You stomp into fights with earth-shaking jumps and clear intention. Yet, combat remains just as fast and chaotic. You’re still flicking between targets and unleashing mayhem—just with a new sense of control and dominance.
That said, it takes a while for all the mechanics to gel. The first hour or two can feel stop-start, thanks to frequent tutorials and a slow rollout of your arsenal. But once everything clicks—especially after you start unlocking weapon upgrades—the game hits a relentless stride that feels both fresh and distinctly Doom.
Medieval Arsenal, Same Glorious Carnage
While melee combat takes center stage, your guns still do a lot of heavy lifting. The classic Super Shotgun returns and fits perfectly in this up-close, punishing world. Meanwhile, new additions help sell the medieval setting and offer creative twists: a railgun-style cannonball launcher, and a gatling gun that chews up bones and spits them out as bullets, for instance. These creative weapons feel rooted in the world without sacrificing the series’ signature brutality.
A Bigger World to Break
The Dark Ages also expands exploration. Large hub areas dotted with optional objectives, secrets, and challenges encourage exploration at your own pace. These areas blend linear paths with open-ended sections seamlessly, keeping things engaging across the game’s extensive 22-chapter campaign.
Standouts include the Cosmic Realm, a Lovecraftian-inspired location that adds eerie atmosphere and compelling side content. These environments feel lived-in and deadly, and they’re densely packed with battles that showcase the game’s reworked combat systems beautifully.
Stumbles Outside the Fight
Where The Dark Ages stumbles is when it tries to break away from what it does best. Occasional mech battles and dragon-riding segments—though introduced with flair—feel shallow in comparison to on-foot combat. They’re slow and repetitive, dragging down the pacing and lacking the tight design seen elsewhere.
The story, too, leans more into Eternal’s serious tone than 2016’s irreverent one. While there are more cinematic elements and named characters, the narrative feels underdeveloped. It raises questions about the Slayer’s origins without delivering much payoff. Still, there are some great character moments that recall the series’ best self-aware humor and badassery.
Final Verdict
Doom: The Dark Ages is a bold evolution that tempers Eternal‘s intensity with a weightier, more deliberate design. The shift toward melee-centric, grounded combat offers a fresh take on the series’ power fantasy—one that still delivers that familiar thrill of ripping demons apart, just with a little more grit and crunch.
While not every experiment lands, the core combat is some of the best in the series. With creative weapons, satisfying new systems, and strong level design, The Dark Ages proves there’s still plenty of room for Doom to grow—and bleed.
Score: 9/10
