DOOM: The Dark Ages has finally been fully revealed in all of its glory. At this morning’s Xbox Developer Direct, id Software’s Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton took the stage to deep dive into their third DOOM game – DOOM: The Dark Ages. Serving as a prequel to both 2016’s DOOM and 2020’s DOOM Eternal, The Dark Ages is a reimagining of id Software’s previous DOOM titles built for new and old players alike.
We were lucky enough to catch the deep dive ahead of time, alongside the opportunity to partake in a chat with Martin and Stratton both to talk all things DOOM: The Dark Ages. If one thing is clear after my extensive hands-off preview with DOOM: The Dark Ages, it’s that this game is going to be bigger, bolder, and far more focused than most players will be expecting.
A Different Kind of Power Fantasy
A core part of any DOOM game is the power fantasy. Becoming the DOOM Slayer is something that id Software have undeniably mastered through cutscenes and storytelling over the years. The only issue is that it’s somewhat hard to become familiar with this world unless you throw yourself into it. Reading codex pages and dossier entries you find while exploring levels was a necessity in DOOM and DOOM Eternal to fully enjoy their narratives.
This is something Martin says the team is keenly aware of. They didn’t want the story to feel obtuse in The Dark Ages, with a simple premise that makes ample use of new allies, villains, and an exploration of the ever frictional conflict between heaven and hell at the heights of their power. You play as the Slayer in the midst of this conflict, initially imprisoned and then released to fight back the denizens of hell when all seems lost. The Slayer, and by extension the player, is the one-man army – a super weapon – destined to turn the tide of battle.
Perhaps even more exciting is that Martin confirms that DOOM: The Dark Ages will lead directly into the DOOM 2016 Slayer’s Testaments. A tantalising reveal given the implied cyclical nature of the Slayer’s purpose after Eternal’s conclusion in its DLC, The Ancient Gods. Martin and Stratton also confirmed that The Dark Ages will get its own campaign DLC post-launch, and that the team has opted to omit a multiplayer mode in favour of focusing on making the campaign the best it can be.
Classical Inspirations
Where id Software’s recent DOOM titles have looked more to the future than they have the past, DOOM: The Dark Ages is leaning into origins in more ways than one. Martin and Stratton both spoke about how The Dark Ages is inspired by the original DOOM games more than any of their recent titles. Not just in the way in focuses on strafing but also in the way it approaches secrets, exploration, and level design.
While Stratton didn’t want to label it as open-world, he did emphasise that these are some of id Software’s largest levels yet. Some of them featuring non-linear objective paths, filled with optional caves and mines housing caches of weapons and armour or collectibles that improve the Slayer’s abilities. Stratton also got very excited about the places The Dark Ages goes, teasing that it’ll take players to the furthest reaches of the DOOM universe in exciting ways.
It falls in line with the slower pace that The Dark Ages is setting for itself, but also works within the setting of an ancient war between the forces of heaven and hell. Scattering enemy encounters like squads across a battlefield, there for you to engage with or ignore as you so wish. The exploration here is also built to be more rewarding and intrinsic to progression, offering less in the way of cosmetics and in-game collectibles, and more in the way of things that power up your skillset.
A Different Slayer for a Different Time
If there was one thing I was concerned about when it comes to DOOM: The Dark Ages, it would simply be the question of where does id Software even go from DOOM Eternal? It isn’t outlandish to suggest that Eternal is one of, if not the best first-person shooter ever made. A near-perfect concoction of a sublime combat sandbox, fine-tuned encounter design, impeccable art direction, and an uncompromising approach to achieving its core player fantasy.
The answer isn’t to try and outdo Eternal’s masterful work, but to take it in a different direction entirely. Martin elaborated on this further when asked about their approach to following up Eternal, explaining that if the Slayer in DOOM Eternal is a fighter jet, The Dark Ages positions him as more of an iron tank. A stalwart force with impenetrable defences and indiscriminately lethal offence when it comes to dispatching the forces of hell.
A big part of this is the Slayer’s Shield Saw – a chainsaw and shield rolled into one. With it, the Slayer can block, throw, parry, and deflect from one contextual input. The heavier feel of the Slayer means the team has pivoted away from high speed dashing and jumping of Eternal to the tried and true strafe and shoot formula the original games were built on. If DOOM had the Slayer running and gunning and Eternal had him jumping and shooting, then The Dark Ages has him standing and fighting,
No where does this seem more apparent then in DOOM: The Dark Ages implementation of melee combat. It features three unique weapons with their own combos and an all new Glory Kill system that promises to offer more fluidity than the lock-in animations of previous titles. It incentivises you to get in the faces of demons in a way DOOM and DOOM Eternal previously didn’t unless it was time to break the Super Shotgun out.
Combine all of this with a suite of weapons that id Software promises to be some of their most powerful ever, and it’s clear to see how DOOM: The Dark Ages combat framework is already setting itself apart from what came before. Martin explains that innovation and finding things that feel new as the impetus of the project is what led them to something so compared to prior entries, while maintaining a feeling that lets you know this is undeniably DOOM.
A Colossal War Calls for Colossal Weaponry
The moment that drummed up the most hype when DOOM: The Dark Ages was properly revealed last year has to be confirmation of the long awaited ability to pilot the Slayer mechs – now known as Atlans, in combination with being able to ride what can only be described as a cyber dragon powered by Argent energy. It’s so incredibly on-brand for DOOM but that doesn’t take away from the novelty or promise of what these encounters might hold.
Martin spoke a little bit more about how these sections fit into the broader scope of DOOM: The Dark Ages. He explained that they come at predetermined points with their own levels, sandboxes, and encounters to engage with, The Atlan, for example, is a 30 storey tall mech that lets you go toe-to-toe with demons of equal size, promising boss fights of outlandish scale and size. The cyber dragon, on the other hand, will let you engage with certain levels more vertically, piloting it around environments only for you to disembark and unleash even more carnage on-foot.
It looks nothing short of incredible. These sections are sure to serve as a cathartic exclamation points to pivotal points in DOOM: The Dark Ages’ narrative. I only hope they don’t pop up so often as to diminish their impact after waiting all this time to get into the cockpit of one of these things.
Streamlined Slaying
While I wouldn’t hesitate to put my life on the line to defend DOOM Eternal, I can also see why some were put off by it’s lock and key enemy design, break-neck pace, and mindful resource management. It’s exactly the kind of calculated chaos I look for in a first person shooter, but can also be totally overwhelming for those unprepared for it. id Software heard this feedback loud and clear and are making attempts to streamline control schemes and accessibility without diminishing complexity.
It’s filled with settings and sliders to tweak combat. Things like parry timing, projectile speeds, and other reaction based interactions are all able to be tuned to your desired level. This scales in the other direction as well, so you can make things even harder on an Ultra Nightmare run if you’re a real masochist.
Martin also cited the simplified control scheme as an attempt to dilute some of the complexity found in Eternal. One such example is the aforementioned Shield Saw which all works off of a single button and is context dependent. Martin emphasised that while The Dark Ages is easy to pickup, it’s still hard to master, and there’s plenty of opportunity for high level play for the most hardcore players.
There’s a lot of change going on here in DOOM: The Dark Ages. Most seems like an attempt to appeal to those who were put off by DOOM Eternal, while still retaining the masterful design brought about by thoughtful enemy design and a wide array of weaponry. It’s yet to be seen if this streamlining works for or against The Dark Ages when it releases in May, but I have the utmost faith in Martin and team to deliver another unforgettable DOOM experience.
DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.