The biggest part of this morning’s Xbox Developer Direct was a deep dive into DOOM: The Dark Ages. id Software’s most ambitious DOOM game yet serves as a prequel to their recent revival of the seminal shooter franchise in 2016’s DOOM, and 2020’s DOOM Eternal.
The deep dive provides an extensive look into the game’s development, combat, exploration, and story. id Software have touted it’s their biggest and best DOOM game yet, pulling from the farthest reaches of the universe to create a unique experience for new and old DOOM fans alike.
Even though DOOM Eternal feels like a natural endpoint for the formula id Software established in 2016’s DOOM, DOOM: The Dark Ages is proof that there’s room for more innovation and play spaces within this visceral formula. As always, Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton provide loads of insight into how The Dark Ages came to be and how it differs from prior entries.
One key difference from DOOM Eternal’s breakneck pacing, is that The Dark Ages is more inspired by the DOOM of old, focusing on strafing and shooting as opposed to the freeform movement of Eternal’s traversal tools. Martin mentions how the Slayer in Eternal is built like a fighter jet – zipping about the battlefield with lethal precision, where the Slayer in the Dark Ages is more akin to an iron tank – an immovable force that can singlehandedly turn the tide of battle.
There’s also an attempt to lean into the exploration side of things a little bit more, with levels that are more open and filled with secrets that help the Slayer to grow in power. Couple this with the inclusion of a 30 storey tall Atlan mech and a menacing cyber dragon, and DOOM: The Dark Ages seems like quite a shake-up from what’s come previously.
You can check out the full deep dive below, it’s well worth a watch. For more information of DOOM: The Dark Ages, we have a hands-off preview of the game with even more insight from Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton. The game will also launch with another ripper collectors edition that every DOOM fan should check out.
DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
