I have been playing DOOM games since someone installed a Shareware version of the original game onto one of the computers in my schools computer room, I know, it has been quite a while. So whenever a new entry in the series pops up, I am always down to play it and thanks to Bethesda, I was given the chance to do so recently and I came away impressed.

What is the same?

There is a fair bit that feels the same, the guns still pack a punch, the music still rocks and of course, like the more recent DOOM games, there are a lot of demons to blast. What we had access to for our preview were four stages, with the first being the more traditional type of level, run around and shoot everything. The other stages all used the new aspects, giant mech suit, dragon and open-space, but more on those in a bit.

What I was happy to see is that almost right away, jumping into the more traditional level is that the new elements, ie the shield, fit right in. In DOOM 2016, it didn’t have to worry about breaking expectations as it was a reboot of the series, but this is the third entry and players have an idea of what they like. So mixing in a more defensive option to a run and gun shooter, it would have been a hard balancing act, but they achieved it. The shield will not protect you all the time, it has a meter that builds up the more you use it and once it maxes out, the shield can’t be used for a bit. Think of it like a mini-gun in any game, you can fire as long as the heat levels don’t get to high, the same happens here. If you opt to use the shield sparingly, then you can break it out whenever you need it. The other addition to the Slayers arsenal was a gauntlet, which made me chuckle as it was presented in a cutscene where the Slayer was already wearing something similar. This new gauntlet is a replacement for the chainsaw, because again it is set in another time, but much like the chainsaw, you can only use it once you have the power.

Another return, though enhanced, feature is the enemy dismemberment that first appeared in Eternal. Some enemies rock some heavy armour and you need to take that off before you can hurt them, being able to see you successes as you slowly chip away, it never gets old. There are of course key cards to find, the red and blue cards being staples of the series, like Mario and his power-ups and having them fit into the game in some meaningful ways, felt right. Now for some games that make prequels, it is more out with the old, in with the new, but DOOM The Dark Ages has kept a solid balance of bringing in fresh ideas, but keeping the spirit of what made the recent entries so much fun intact.

So what about the new?

So what about the new, well I could wax poetic and say things are just all great additions, but there are some reservations. In order to keep things fair, I will just talk about things in the order in which we played them. The first big new thing was that of the giant mech, known as the Atlan. The goal in this mission was simple, defeat a bunch of larger boss type enemies and attempt to stop the demons from bringing down a barrier that was protecting a lot of lives. At the start you can only unleash the fury of your mighty robot fists and that is fine, but later on you get some serous firepower. Your fists of fury let you unleash a few jabs, but if you build up a charge, you can really wallop any who get in your way. The gun that I was able to pick up was a giant mini-gun and it worked exactly how you think it would. But there was a catch to both options, the reflect system that you can make use of with the shield was also here and dodging the right enemy attack, would give you a boost to your attack power. It was a fun stage, but sadly due to the time constraints of the build, I never got to the end, so I couldn’t tell you how it ended, even if I wanted to. What I can say though is that I really didn’t feel that powerful in the suit, mostly because I felt like the game was treating the suit the same way Hollywood treats large characters, bigger means slower. Who knows maybe in the full game it might have them feel different.

The most unique aspect of the reveal trailer was that there was a dragon and back then we only got a glimpse of it in action. The third stage that the preview build offered was the chance to literally take to the skies. Now going in I was not sure what to expect, but it turns out that my wildest expectations would not be enough, as the level was part Rogue Squadron and part DOOM. Ok, so that later part makes sense but the Rogue Squadron part needs some explaining. Basically, you can fly around and make your way to objectives as you see fit, you can shoot while you fly and even boost if you want to make up time. You can attempt to strafe targets, but the developers were clever in that you can lock onto a target and basically hover in place, letting you focus on just shooting. When you are doing this, that dodge system that comes into play with the Atlan, also makes an appearance here, meaning if you dodge the right attack at the right time, you can get a serious power boost. The DOOM aspects were more traditional, as I had to take down some ships, but needed to the final part on foot. So the dragon was used to clear the way and then I did the rest up close and the combination felt fun.

Perhaps the most intriguing addition to the game was going to be the open play spaces, because DOOM, for all that it has done over the years, has almost always been quiet linear. Sure there are times when you can venture off the beaten path and find a secret, but it almost always returns you back to the main path and you continue on. The section that we were given access to was called Siege and the objective was quite simple, take down a number of portals that were spawning in waves of demons. Because of the open nature of the area, there was no set path that we had to follow, so we could approach each objective in any order. Now don’t get the wrong idea, this is not open world like Assassin’s Creed or Fallout, but rather a very large playspace. As I ran around attempting to clear out each of the portals, I found that enemies could come from any direction, which is something unfamiliar to a DOOM game. Sure there are enemies who can spawn off to your side in rooms in past games, but they will never spawn three rooms behind you and chase you down.

This constant state of engagement meant quite literally that you will never know where someone might take a shot at you from. I often found myself getting hit from behind while I was attempting to deal with some larger foes ahead of me and that does not begin to count the times when I was attempting to take out all the enemies spawning from a portal. What made this utter chaos so damn fun, was that it really brought everything together, the new weapons, the shield and abilities; all combined with a sense of exploration unheard of in a DOOM game, it was just pure fun. Yes I died a lot in this area, mostly due to the Marauder-type enemies that would appear in the world, but once I remembered the words from Marty Straton, the games director, I found a groove and lived up to my characters name. There are times in the game when you will need to stand and fight, which is sort of anti-DOOM, but it is not at the same time. Using the shield to parry attacks, getting in and walloping as much as you can, before stepping back and starting over, its so different and just joyful.

Final Thoughts

Coming into my hands on time with DOOM The Dark Ages, I knew I would have fun, because its DOOM and they have always been a good time, but I honestly wasn’t prepared for just how familiar everything was, even the new stuff. Yeah, we have never ridden a dragon before in a DOOM game, but it was so seamlessly integrated into the experience, that it just felt right. The Atlan, the giant mech suit, did feel slow and it could be a bias from my point of view, but it was fun punching giant demons. While the game might be called DOOM The Dark Ages, the series future is looking very bright if this is the sort of fun we can expect going forward.

The game is set to release on May 15th for its announced platforms, but you can get it 2 days earlier if you want to pay a little more. Check out our Bargain Guide to score the best deal you can.