DOOM: The Dark Ages Review: Back to the Future

DOOM: The Dark Ages heads the future of the DOOM franchise by looking backwards, both in terms of the story and its game design philosophy. It rethinks the gameplay of DOOM 2016 and DOOM: Eternal to create something fresh, yet familiar, and wraps it up in a game that harkens back to an era where single player FPS campaigns ruled the roost. It has the occasional stumble, but still DOOM: The Dark Ages is a gloriously fun romp through a medieval-techno hellscape, with enough new additions to make it fresh for returning players, and more accessible to newcomers.

Developers Id Software have decided to focus on a grand single-player campaign that harks back to the days of Halo or Gears of War.  To be honest, I was never a massive fan of DOOM’s story elements, and doubling down on them in DOOM: The Dark Ages is certainly a risk. The game is set prior to the events of DOOM 2016, telling the origins of how the Doomslayer became mankind's only hope against the forces of hell. There are a lot of well-directed cutscenes, featuring solid voice performances all around. So it’s a shame that the story is pretty forgettable overall, unable to commit to anything significant as prequels tend to be unable to do. Much of the time you’ll be waiting for a cutscene to end just so you can get back to what the game does best.

Levels are tackled one at a time in a sequential order, being made up of a couple of different types. Some are your traditional linear series of combat challenges, broken up with some light platforming. Others, however, are more open ended, with the player having the freedom to explore large zones to complete a number of objectives in any order they choose. You’re also encouraged to explore off the beaten path as much as possible, as there are plenty of secrets and rare and valuable resources to discover — from currencies for upgrades, to codex pages to supplement the game’s lore, and skins for your weapons.

Oh, and those adorable little toys? They’re here too.

Gone is the verticality and platforming of DOOM: Eternal, and in its place is a much less mobile Doomslayer, who chooses to “stand and fight” as the game’s tagline describes. You stomp around the battlefield like an elephant carrying a tonne of bricks, facing enemies head on with a gun and shield, rather than using movement and precision aiming to take down hordes of demons. I definitely wouldn’t call it slow by any means, but it’s definitely far more grounded — and ground-based — compared to its predecessors. 

The shield may imply a passivity that feels antithetical to DOOM’s aggressive gameplay. But it actually works surprisingly well. That shield is not only used to block incoming attacks, but also to parry projectiles back at enemies for major damage. It also acts as a throwable buzz saw to stun larger foes, leaving them exposed. Melee attacks are also vital, giving opportunity to destroy even the largest enemies in a one-two-three combo using one of three different weapon types. Strange as it is to say, sometimes your guns are the least effective means of dealing with a situation in this DOOM game. 

Though don’t worry, id software still know how to make great shooters, and the guns still kick ass. Combat requires you to switch up weapon types depending on what you're up against. And yes, the super shotgun is here, and it’s just as great as always.

But in a franchise as intense and full throttle as DOOM, it’s important to break up this unrelenting demon slaying with some breathers and slower moments that give you time to catch your breath. I think it was Debussey who once said that music is the space between the notes, and that very much applies to games like DOOM as well, for want of a less pretentious reference. 

In both DOOM 2016 and Eternal, platforming challenges tended to make up the majority of your time outside of gun battles. But DOOM: The Dark Ages takes a different approach, and again it’s something of a throwback. Various levels see you get involved in piloting a giant mech, operating turrets, or flying around on this pretty sick dragon creature. However, whilst these may be visually spectacular, they’re also not much fun to play for me. 

The mech battles are sluggish and mostly boil down to parrying and punching enemies, walking through some debris, rinse and repeat. The dragon battles don’t fare much better, with the controls for it feeling janky and dated, and the combat condensing into little more than dodging and shooting at static targets. I applaud the developers for thinking of new ways to develop DOOM’s excellent gameplay and mix up the formula from previous titles. I just don’t think this is the answer.

There are however developments from the previous titles that are definite improvements. Difficulty sliders have become much more prominent in games in recent years, something I absolutely applaud. Making games more accessible is never a bad thing, and the option to adjust the smaller details to perfectly match your playstyle and levels of enjoyment is truly satisfying. And in DOOM: The Dark Ages, you can adjust a lot of things, from enemy damage and health, to item drop rates, and even the speed of the game itself. I played it on the fastest setting. Partly ‘cos that’s how I enjoy playing it, but partly to get through as much of the game as possible in the little time I had with it.

I’m also a fan of the more streamlined upgrade systems. In DOOM: Eternal the various different currencies and upgrade paths for weapons, health, armor and upgrades could get overwhelming at times. Here in DOOM: The Dark Ages, that's been stripped back somewhat. Now health, ammo and armour upgrades are gained automatically on killing mini-bosses or elite enemies, and weapons are upgraded via these Sentinel Shrines, using either gold or valuable gemstones found by exploring the world and solving puzzles. This is a nice balance, and especially rewarding for those who comb over every detail of the map, as this currency can be hard to come by if you don’t.

It really feels like DOOM: The Dark Ages is making a concerted effort to be more accessible to newcomers and those unfamiliar with FPS games compared to something like DOOM: Eternal, which felt incredibly challenging by comparison. It’s as if that game was asking you to meet it on its terms, whereas here the game is offering up ways to engage you on your level.

We haven’t spoken about arguably DOOM’s most important thing yet — the music. Mick Gordon may no longer be involved, but don’t worry, because the guys who’ve come in to replace him have done an excellent job here. So much so that I don’t think many people would even notice the difference if they had no idea of the backstory. Crunching guitar riffs, heavy bass drops and a pounding rhythm section, accompanied by a dazzling array and interesting synths and sounds make it another must-listen OST for fans of the heavier side of video game music, and pairs perfectly with the gameplay.

DOOM: The Dark Ages also looks stunning, with the titanic battles happening across the landscape a particular highlight. Watching two giant foes face off against a sea of flying spaceships, whilst you gun down hordes of enemies in a sea of blood and viscera, all at a rock solid 60fps in 4K on consoles, truly is a sight to behold, and testament to the staying power of the idTech engine. 

If you’re coming to DOOM: The Dark Ages hoping for more of the same shooter excellence you know from the franchise, you won’t be disappointed. Even though the game feels markedly different from its predecessors, the DNA of DOOM is still very much here. However, some of the additions they’ve made to the formula might not please everyone, especially when the game takes you away from that tried and tested formula. With its heavy focus on narrative, gameplay broken up with glorified turret sections, and level-based mission design, it’s a throwback title that’ll make some players reminisce about an era of gaming that feels distant to today’s modern game design standards. 

In so many ways the game feels like something from the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 era, only with a combat system that competes with the very best games of today. That’s more than enough for me to give it a hearty recommendation, and it’s still as fun as ever to rip and tear until it is done. Just be prepared to relearn those finely honed skills, and learn more about the origins of the Doomslayer than you ever thought you would.