DOOM: The Dark Ages Review – One for the Ages

It has been four years since we last took control of the Doom Slayer, but the time is finally nearly here. We spent the past week or so playing through id Software’s latest entry in this long-running, iconic first-person shooter franchise, and we have our DOOM: The Dark Ages review ready right now.

Summoning the Slayer

DOOM: The Dark Ages serves as a prequel to 2016’s DOOM and 2020’s DOOM Eternal. You play as the (mostly!) quiet but deadly Slayer, a walking enhanced space marine equipped with one hell of an arsenal. There are a lot of iconic weapons that unlock as the campaign progresses, from the humble shotgun, to a grenade launcher, plasma repeater, and many more. There are also a handful of melee weapons to unlock, each with their own benefits and attack styles. All weapons and the new Shield Saw can be upgraded at various Sentinel shrines scattered about each level, via gold, rubies, and other currency, all strictly earned in-game.

While there are multiple currencies, don’t get it twisted – DOOM: The Dark Ages is completely a solo affair, and everything must be earned with no microtransactions to be found. There is no multiplayer at all. With no pressure to deliver some sort of new twist on first-person multiplayer, the team was able to focus entirely on the campaign, which felt like the right move. What we’re left with, then, is an action-packed, linear story, complete with cinematic cutscenes. As mentioned, the story is a prequel, and we see the Slayer under command of the Makyrs. Knowing what is going on isn’t required to enjoy blasting demons from Hell, but if you want to dig into the lore there is plenty here to devour.

Indeed, each level of the campaign is filled with secrets to uncover and things to collect. Beyond secret areas to find, weapon skins, lore pages, dolls, and more can be discovered for those so inclined to explore. Three optional challenges can be completed per level, tasking the player with performing a certain move X number of times, whether that is blocking, parrying, or something else entirely. If you’re not a completionist, though, you can ignore all of that and beeline it to the next objective, which can be configured to always be on-screen, or merely show up on the map, or not at all.

Configure All the Sliders

Speaking of configuration, there is a plethora of gameplay-related options to make the game as hard or as casual as you’d like. The default “Hurt Me Plenty” difficulty level will likely prove too easy for most experienced FPS players, but tweaking enemy damage, toggling auto-aiming, and other options can all be combined to ensure the game is as challenging or laid-back as you’d like.

DOOM: The Dark Ages contains 22 chapters, each of which can be completed in 20 minutes to an hour or more, depending on how much exploration you do on your way to the finish. Some levels are larger than others, and feature open spaces to engage in fights. A couple of levels put you in control of a giant mech-like machine called the Atlan, and even some flying in the form of a tech-equipped dragon. These levels help to change the pace of the game completely. While flying levels can be divisive, at least the game’s navigation should ensure those who prefer to have their boots on the ground can do so quickly. Some of the larger areas might be a tad confusing to navigate, but a simple press of the scan button will help to point you in the right direction.

Combat in DOOM: The Dark Ages is incredibly satisfying. The new Shield Saw is a formidable weapon, which might seem complicated at first, but is actually quite easy to get the hang of. On PC, at least, controlling it is simple: you hold the right mouse button to use it as a shield, blocking most attacks coming from the front. Block too many attacks in a short amount of time, and the shield will be disabled for a bit. This encourages fighting rather than taking a defensive stance. The Shield Saw can also be used as a weapon, because by blocking, you can target any and all enemies, and by pressing the fire button while blocking, you’ll rush and slam right into whichever enemy you’ve targeted. This move also produces an area-of-effect explosion, which damages all enemies in the vicinity, and kills fodder enemies. Of course, if you use this move against tougher enemies, you’ve now put yourself within their attack range, and must act accordingly.

Time to Be Aggressive

DOOM: The Dark Ages rewards aggressive behavior. Using the Shield Saw to kill enemies almost always rewards health, and you can also send certain energy-based attacks right back to the enemy that shot them, with a parry. This becomes a critical strategy to whittling down the health of stronger enemies and bosses, as well as a survival tactic when your health is running low.

The id Tech 8 engine handles all of DOOM’s action with ease. This review was conducted on a Windows 11 laptop which sports a Core i7-13620H paired with an RTX 4070 8GB. With all settings turned up to Epic, and DLSS on Balanced, the game ran at around a comfortable 80-90 FPS. Your mileage may vary, of course, but this engine is a well-oiled machine that includes all of today’s modern rendering tech, and you’re likely to find a settings mix to match whatever hardware you’re sporting. While the last generation of consoles has been left behind, this does mean that what we have here is the best-looking DOOM game to date.

Besides a fantastic look and feel to DOOM: The Dark Ages, the soundtrack is also great. Guitar riffs, pulse-pounding instrumentation, and a comedown when all enemies in the immediate area have been wiped, all combine with the grotesque sound effects produced by enemies and the environment to make for an energizing soundscape which can be enjoyed on a surround sound system just as easily as on headphones.

Verdict

DOOM: The Dark Ages should definitely be in contention for game of the year, if not at least best single-player game of the year thus far. It has a meaty, action-packed campaign, replete with secrets and collectibles galore. Balanced combat, all the sliders you could ask for, incredible graphics, and an entertaining story all round out one of the most well-polished games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in recent memory. DOOM fans will enjoy the new combat options at their disposal, and the Shield Saw is a fun, versatile weapon and defensive item well worth the effort to master. Overall, this is one hell of a shooter.

Score: 9.5/10

Pros:

• id Tech 8 makes for the best-looking DOOM game yet
• Fast and furious combat
• Shield Saw is astoundingly fun to use in combos
• Lengthy, entertaining, varied, 22-chapter main campaign

Cons:

• Flying levels will be divisive for some

DOOM: The Dark Ages review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

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