Review - Doom: The Dark Ages
"Launch the slayer"
Doom: The Dark Ages
May 15, 2025 - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
First-Person Shooter - Hugo Martin
PS5, Xbox Series Consoles, PC
Taking place before the events of Doom (2016), the Doom Slayer, who is under semi-control by the Kreed Maykr, is unleashed to help fight for the Sentinels against Hell’s army in a medieval-like world. As you progress, you’ll see the rise of the slayer before the events of the recent games.
Characters, World, and Presentation
Doom is one of those stories that you have to look up YouTube videos and wikis to understand its lore fully. The overall basic plot is simple enough - you’re the Doom Slayer, and you’re going to rip apart demons. In this entry, the game takes place way after the events of Doom 64 and Doom 3, but before the 2016 semi-reboot. The Doom Guy (as he’s known in the original games) becomes known as the Doom Slayer after he goes into Hell and keeps demons busy to prevent them from invading Earth. Eventually, he ends up in Argent D'Nur and helps the Night Sentinels and Maykrs in their battle against Hell. The Slayer has been taken a bit under control, with the Maykrs convincing the Sentinels that he’s too powerful to let free. This is where Doom: The Dark Ages begins as you’re launched to help in the war in one badass of an opening. From there, you’ll get familiar with characters such as King Novik, the leader of the Night Sentinels, Thira, his daughter who also feels the Slayer should be let free, and Prince Ahzrak, a high-ranking demon who seeks to win the war and become the most powerful demon in Hell.
The world you explore in the game is immediately felt when you first play. In your first level, you’ll make your way through a setting that is a mix of medieval fantasy and technological advancement. I loved how in Doom Eternal they did levels beyond the typical hellscape atmosphere, and you get that here too. The world eventually opens up to new biodomes and areas that bring the game to life, and I learned to appreciate the art style. It still feels and looks like a modern Doom game, but the medieval look adds to the game and lives up to the title. You’ll still encounter some hellish settings, but your main gameplay sessions are in this medieval technological world.
The presentation is exactly what I expected from Doom. It feels like you’re inside a rock music video most of the time. The first level has the badass Slayer intro, and then you walk around this new world to get your surroundings and get used to the combat. As you do this, rain is coming down, and you can hear a consistent church bell that adds to the atmosphere and sound. Once you get in fights with hordes of demons, the rock music you expect kicks in, and you feel like a badass. If there’s one thing Doom games do better than any other, it’s making you feel like a walking, unstoppable demon-slaying machine.
Gameplay, Design, and Sound
The most significant praise I have for this game is the level variety. While there are levels that feel and play similarly, they are spaced out enough that no level feels the same. Some play more like the typical linear FPS game. You’ll play a level that’s a semi-open world and gives you a lot of freedom to find collectibles along with the primary objective. You’ll be riding your dragon, which are actually pretty solid levels, and then there are a few mech areas that have you in a mech taking down titanic-sized demons. The variety kept me on my toes and prevented the pacing of the game from getting stale. I personally liked the dragon levels more than other critics did; they’re not perfect, and the combat with the dragon is iffy, but I thought they were solid for what they were, and I was never bored. The open-world-like levels were my favorite, especially since I was obsessed with trying to get 100% or get as close as I could in every level. Collectibles are fun to find, and it feels great to discover those toys.
The combat and gunplay feel good, and they do a good job of introducing the weapons and giving you time to really appreciate them. When you gain a weapon, they slow things down to show it off, and you feel that rush that you’re about to feel like a total badass. The new weapons feel good and fit the medieval style of the game. There’s a gun that uses a skull to power it up, a chainshot ball gun, and even a freaking flail to use on demons. Slight spoiler here, but the infamous BFG isn’t here, but what does replace it is not only similar but also fits the medieval aesthetic of the game perfectly. The main standout is the shield. I was a little iffy on how the shield and parry mechanics would be in a Doom game, but they hit it out of the park. Demons throw energy beams at you, and the green ones are your chance to parry them back. Suck at parrying mechanics? Don’t worry, because the game gives you customizable selections on the parry window. The shield can also be thrown to use as a chainsaw alternative and bash through demons and obstacles. It doesn’t sound like it would work but it does.
Doom is also known for its sound and music. You still get that rock n’ roll soundtrack, and the metal music kicks in when you’re ripping and tearing through demons. The scores in the first and last two levels were the standouts for me. However, while it does get the job done, I did feel the music was the weakest of the modern trilogy, and you can tell it’s not Mick Gordon. Whatever your view on how that relationship ended, it is sad that Mick couldn’t be a part of this one. The sound effects are excellent, though, from the weapon sounds to the demon kills and background noise. It all comes together to give you an unforgettable atmosphere.
Negatives
I guess my negatives for this game come down to a lot of things that I LOVED about Doom Eternal are missing here. I know the platforming in that game was polarizing, but I am on the side that loved that part of the game. In this one, that’s gone, and exploration is left to finding secret areas within underground caves or places that need secret keys to open them. It’s not like I mind it, I just missed the platforming. Also, the glory kills are practically gone. They’re still in there with major enemies and bosses, but they’re not as cool looking as the previous entries, and there were times I felt like it took that badass feeling away when taking down some of the bigger enemies. I know this is another subjective point, but I did find myself missing the way they were done previously.
As mentioned, the soundtrack does its job and has some great moments, but it is the weakest one of the recent games. The mech missions were also disappointing; they’re not horrible, but they lack variety, and after a few minutes, it felt like a chore to do. The boss fights are pretty much the bigger enemies surrounded by hordes of demons, and you have to take a certain amount out to be able to kill them. There are a few unique boss fights, but I can only think of one that stood out. Finally, while the pacing of the game is perfect, the final levels felt like they could have been combined into one level. I was surprised towards the end; it felt like it didn’t know when to end, especially when it came to the final boss, who took two levels to take down.
essential - RECOMMEND - okay - don’t recommend
If you’re looking to take a break from any storyline-driven game or giant open worlds, this is the game for you. Much like previous entries, this game is about feeling like an absolute badass and doing God’s work, as you rip through demons with some of the more awesome weapons in a video game. The plot is easy to follow, no need for some deep artistic thought with it, and that’s okay. This is about having fun in the most video game-like way possible, set within a rock music video. There’s a moment near the end of the game that’s going to be in my top twenty favorite moments of the year, and I was happy to step back into the shoes of the Doom Slayer. Get ready for a ride. Rip and tear… until it is done.
Be Nice to All
Good write up man.