Doom: Dark Ages - A Halo-Like Moment

During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I was surprised by how much it reminded me of *Halo 3*. Midway through the demo, I found myself mounted on a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire at a demonic battle barge. After taking out the vessel's defensive turrets, I landed my beast atop the ship and charged through its lower decks, turning the crew into a bloody mess. Moments later, the war machine was destroyed, and I burst through its hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against the machines of Hell.

Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter will recognize this scenario as reminiscent of Master Chief's assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks. While the helicopter-like Hornet has been replaced with a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech with an occult flying boat, the essence of the experience remains the same: an aerial assault leading into a devastating boarding action. Interestingly, this wasn't the only moment that echoed *Halo*. Although the combat core of *The Dark Ages* is unmistakably *Doom*, the campaign's design has a distinct "late-2000s shooter" vibe, featuring elaborate cutscenes and a push for novel gameplay mechanics.

A dragon assault on Hell's battle barge. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Over two and a half hours, I played through four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. The opening level mirrored the tightly paced, meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. However, the subsequent levels introduced me to piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and navigating a vast battlefield filled with secrets and powerful minibosses. This marks a significant departure from *Doom*'s traditional focus on mechanical purity, instead resembling games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even classic James Bond games like *Nightfire*, which are known for their scripted setpieces and novelty mechanics.

This new direction for *Doom* is intriguing, especially considering the franchise once veered away from such elements. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty*, not just in its modern military aesthetic but also in its emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. After extensive development, id Software decided these elements didn't fit the series, opting instead for the more focused *Doom (2016)*. Yet, in 2025, these elements are making a comeback in *The Dark Ages*.

The campaign's rapid pace is interspersed with new gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s most innovative moments. My demo began with a lengthy, cinematic cutscene that reintroduced the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels – the Doom Slayer's knightly allies. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, a nuclear-level threat on two legs. While this lore is familiar to *Doom* enthusiasts, the cinematic approach feels fresh and reminiscent of *Halo*. This continues into the levels, where NPC Night Sentinels are scattered throughout the environment, similar to UNSC Marines in *Halo*. Although they don't fight alongside you in the levels I played, there's a stronger sense of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief leading the charge.

The introductory cutscene includes significant character development, and it remains to be seen whether this is a necessary addition to *Doom*. I personally prefer the subtle storytelling of the previous games, where the narrative was conveyed through environment design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for major reveals, as in *Doom Eternal*. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* serve their purpose well, setting up missions without disrupting the intense flow of *Doom*'s gameplay.

There are other interruptions, though. Following the opening mission, which began with pure shotgun action and ended with parrying Hell Knights using the Slayer's new shield, I found myself piloting a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, battling demonic kaiju. Later, I was soaring on a cybernetic dragon, attacking battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels introduce significant shifts in gameplay, reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s most memorable sequences, such as *Modern Warfare*'s AC-130 gunship mission or *Infinite Warfare*'s dogfighting. The Atlan mech is slow and heavy, making Hell's armies look like Warhammer miniatures, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a vastly different experience from traditional *Doom* gameplay.

The mech battles are Pacific Rim-scale punch ups. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Many of the best FPS campaigns thrive on such variety. *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2* are prime examples. *Halo* has endured due to its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences, adding rich texture to the experience. However, I'm uncertain whether this approach will work for *Doom*. Like *Doom Eternal*, *The Dark Ages* is a complex shooter that demands constant attention as you juggle shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging and more linear, almost resembling quick-time events.

In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship feels natural because the mechanical complexity isn't far removed from the on-foot missions. However, in *The Dark Ages*, there's a noticeable gap between gameplay styles, like comparing a middle school guitar student to Eddie Van Halen. While *Doom*'s core combat remains the highlight, I found myself missing the ground-based action with a "mere" double-barreled shotgun during the mech and dragon segments.

My final hour of play introduced a level called "Siege," which refocused on id's exceptional gunplay but opened up the typically claustrophobic *Doom* level design into a vast battlefield. The objective was to destroy five Gore Portals, reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions. Yet, it also evoked *Halo* with its grand scale and open environments, forcing players to rethink the effective range of their weapons, use charge attacks to cover long distances, and employ the shield to deflect artillery.

The downside of expanding *Doom*'s playspace is the potential for unfocused gameplay. I found myself backtracking and navigating empty paths, which disrupted the pace. Incorporating the dragon into this level, similar to *Halo*'s Banshee, could have maintained the momentum and integrated the dragon more seamlessly into the experience.

Despite these concerns, I'm fascinated by the resurrection and reinterpretation of ideas once deemed unsuitable for the series. The cancelled *Doom 4* featured scripted setpieces and an "obligatory vehicle scene," elements that are now present in the Atlan and dragon sections of *The Dark Ages*. Marty Stratton from id Software confirmed in a 2016 Noclip interview that *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty* with more cinematic storytelling and characters. It's intriguing to see these elements return in *The Dark Ages*, featuring large boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a broader cast of characters, and significant lore reveals.

The heart of *The Dark Ages* remains its intense, on-foot combat. Nothing in the demo suggested that this would not be the main focus, and everything I experienced reaffirmed that it's another brilliant reinvention of *Doom*'s core gameplay. While this alone could support the entire campaign, id Software is clearly exploring new directions. Some of these new ideas feel mechanically thin, raising concerns about their integration. However, there's much more to see, and only time will tell how these demo missions fit into the broader context of the game. I eagerly await May 15th, not only to return to id's unparalleled gunplay but also to satisfy my curiosity about whether *Doom: The Dark Ages* will be a compelling late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.