Doom: The Dark Ages – The First Preview

After id Software's brilliant revival of Doom in 2016 and its even more refined sequel, Doom Eternal, in 2020, it would be challenging for the franchise to reach new heights. Instead, Doom: The Dark Ages takes a grounded approach, bringing the high-speed, high-skill-ceiling first-person shooter closer to the hordes of Hell's minions in a medieval-themed prequel. This new installment shifts away from Doom Eternal's platforming, focusing instead on strafe-heavy gameplay with an emphasis on power.

Doom: The Dark Ages retains the iconic firearms fans love, including the standout Skull Crusher from the reveal trailer, which uses the skulls of fallen enemies as ammunition, firing them back at foes in smaller, high-velocity chunks. Yet, the game places a significant emphasis on melee combat with three key weapons: the default electrified gauntlet that can be charged up, the flail, and the much-anticipated Shield Saw, showcased in the reveal trailer, which can be thrown, used to block, parry, or deflect attacks. As Hugo Martin, the game director, emphasized after my demo, "You’re gonna stand and fight."

Martin draws inspiration from three seminal works for The Dark Ages: the original Doom, Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Zack Snyder’s 300, which itself is based on Miller's graphic novel. This influence is evident in the updated Glory Kill system, now unsynced, allowing fatalities to be performed from any angle and adapting to the battlefield's dynamics. This change accommodates the swarms of enemies that surround you, reminiscent of both 300 and the original Doom. Combat arenas have been widened, and you have the freedom to tackle objectives and explore levels in any order, with Martin noting that levels have been slightly shortened to maintain a sweet spot of about an hour each.

Addressing feedback from Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages will not rely on the Codex for storytelling but will instead use cutscenes to unfold its narrative, promising to take players to the far reaches of the Doom universe. Described as a "summer blockbuster event with everything on the line," the story highlights the Slayer's coveted power.

Martin also emphasized a streamlined control scheme, acknowledging that Doom Eternal's controls were overly complex. The new approach aims for intuitiveness, ensuring players can easily handle pressure without fumbling for unfamiliar buttons. Melee weapons will be equipped like equipment, one at a time. The game's economy has been simplified to one currency, gold, and secrets will focus on enhancing your skills, offering tangible gameplay-altering rewards rather than lore deep-dives.

For those looking for a challenge, customizable difficulty sliders allow you to adjust the game's speed, enemy aggression, and more, tailoring the experience to your preferences.

I also learned more about two standout sequences from the reveal trailer: the giant 30-story demon mech, the Atlan, and cybernetic dragonback riding. These aren't one-off events but come with their own abilities and minibosses. Importantly, there won't be a multiplayer mode, as the focus is solely on crafting the best single-player campaign possible.

For someone like me, transformed by the original Doom in 1993, Martin’s shift away from the trajectory set by Doom Eternal and his return to the design principles of the classic game is exhilarating. He stated, "It’s just gotta be different [from Eternal]. Especially if I loved the game. [If] I wanna play a Doom game, I wanna feel strong, but I’m OK with changing what that power fantasy is, especially if that change brings it closer to classic Doom."

This commitment to the roots of Doom has me incredibly excited. The release on May 15 can't come soon enough.