Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t launch until May 15, but the review embargo lifted today. I’ve had a busy week writing Death Stranding 2 previews and spent a few days in Montreal this week visiting Rogue Factor to check out Hell is Us (keep an eye out for our impending preview), so I’m still shield-bashing my way through hordes of demons. Although I still have a good way to go in Doom: The Dark Ages, I can confidently say, as of now, this medieval shake-up is one hell of a good time.
Giving the Doom Slayer a shield might be one of the best things to ever happen to him. I was initially concerned it would adversely affect Doom’s fast-paced action and that having protection might trivialize the dangers of firefights. Instead, it complements and enhances the action while adding a fun new layer of strategy. Shield bashing foes feels impactful and satisfying, especially since you can charge distant foes to quickly close the gaps and stay in the thick of action (spiritually replacing the Meat Hook from Doom Eternal). The shield can only absorb so many hits before it “breaks” and temporarily becomes unavailable, so it’s still important to constantly move and evade damage.
Parrying projectiles feels equally good and is easy to pull off thanks to a generous parry window on the standard difficulty (Hurt Me Plenty). Tossing the shield to either slice foes in half instantly, or having it drill into the flesh of larger enemies to stun them as I either finish them off with a super shotgun blast or unleash the newly expanded melee combos makes the shield feel like an effective extension of the Slayer. Overall, I love the shield’s defensive and offensive options, and I’m almost wondering how we ever played Doom without it.
I like how melee combat has greater prominence with three-hit combos used to pummel ammo out of foes. Whether it’s simply punching demons to death or smashing them with a flail, melee feels powerful but is limited to three hits, which you replenish by killing enemies with weapons. This creates an enjoyable symbiotic dynamic; if you need ammo, you must get up close and personal to beat it out of enemies. But you can’t do that unless you blast them apart with weapons to replenish your close-quarter attacks.
Doom: The Dark Ages wastes little time throwing you in the cockpit of the giant mech robot seen in trailers, and it’s a cool break from the action that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Riding the dragon-like demon is a more involved affair, though the simplified flight controls make it a painless experience for those who’d rather keep their feet on the ground. However, the mechanic of executing perfect dodges atop the dragon to recharge and fire its more powerful missiles feels jankier and more restrictive than I’d like.
I’m adapting to Doom: The Dark Ages’ new features, but the core fast-paced firefights remain thrilling. I’m enjoying the fresh weapon arsenal to various degrees – the Pulveriser, a spread-shot weapon that fires grounded-up skull bits to pepper wide swaths of targets, is my favorite new gun thus far. But I’m still mostly relying on shotgun/super shotgun in most encounters because, well, it’s Doom. I like bolstering my preferred weapons in the straightforward upgrade systems, which add neat perks to weapons, the shield, and melee combat. My shotgun can fire three-bullet bursts that simultaneously light demons on fire, while my shield can now ricochet off shielded targets.
Sprinting through levels is an adrenaline-pumping rush, but I like taking time to uncover well-hidden secrets and goodies such as gold (spent on upgrades), extra lives, weapon skins, and lore entries. Although I didn’t always mind Doom Eternal’s broadly acceptable platforming segments, I’m happy that The Dark Ages has, from what I’ve seen, abandoned these sections for more traditional run-and-gun action.
I’d also like to highlight Doom: The Dark Ages’ broad suite of difficulty and accessibility features. Like previous entries, multiple difficulty modes cater to every skill level, from players who just want to mow down demons (mostly) worry-free to masochists seeking the ultimate challenge of their skills. Playing at the standard Hurt Me Plenty mode, the game is better balanced compared to Doom Eternal, which I found challenging to fault on the same setting.
Regardless of your preferred difficulty, you can customize your experience further with various sliders that adjust the overall game speed, the parrying window, and projectile speeds. You can also change the hues of color-coded elements (such as parry projectiles) for colorblind players, and remove/adjust various HUD elements. I’ll always applaud games that go the extra mile to invite as many players as possible, and Doom: The Dark Ages accomplishes this.
I’m having a great time with Doom: The Dark Ages and am eager to see what else it throws at me (to parry back in its face). The overall flow of the game feels distinctly different, boasting exciting new high points engendered by the new strategies introduced by the shield and other additions. But the experience also still feels very much like Doom in the ways that matter – swift, buttery smooth action, brutal and gratifying executions, mobs of varied enemies promoting quick yet thoughtful crowd control – which should come as a comfort for longtime fans worried about The Dark Ages’ big changes. This latest entry feels like a true evolution of a winning formula, and, hopefully, it maintains that positive momentum. Keep an eye out for my full review, which is coming sometime next week.