Doom: The Dark Ages

It says a lot about where id Software is as a developer and where Doom as a franchise is that everytime a new game makes its arrival we pretty much always assume that it'll be in the discussion for Game of the Year, or at the very least as one of the calendar year's best. 2025 is already chock full of competition on this front and yet still I never once doubted that Doom: The Dark Ages would arrive and be anything less than something truly special. But perhaps my expectations were a tad too astronomically high? No, Doom: The Dark Ages isn't by any stretch a weak game, but it is perhaps a slightly conflicting one, especially when you consider many of the moves that id Software has made and championed about how this differs to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal.

During the Developer Direct in January, id was very vocal about a few things. There was mention of this being a "summer blockbuster" and that they were stepping away from Eternal's more vertical and acrobatic design for a more traditional Doom ethos of "stand and fight". When hearing that, you immediately think that Doom: The Dark Ages is perhaps going to be a more manageable action game, but one with immense production values and action set pieces designed to rival even the biggest of blockbusters. This has somewhat been achieved.

As you would expect, Doom: The Dark Ages is a very premium and flashy game, with a design, technical, and graphical polish that's among the very best. The medieval setting feels more fitting for Doom than anything I've experienced in years and frankly it all comes together with a hard-hitting and heart-pounding metal soundtrack to make for an instantly loveable and memorable action experience. However, it's also perhaps lacking a bit of the finesse and focus that takes a great game and makes it one-of-one, putting it in a league of its own. I say this because the story, despite being exciting and having plenty of eye-catching moments, doesn't quite leave you with the same timeless impression. Granted, I'm of the mindset that Doom's storylines have never been particularly exceptional, but they do usually have an interesting premise with plenty of worldbuilding and lore surrounding it. The Dark Ages flounders a bit on this front, instead serving up a narrative that is more boiled down and basic and sometimes loses itself in the sauce, if you will. It's not poor at all, just compared to Doom's usual standards and the expectation that id outlined in the months up to launch, it feels like a bit of a misfire at times. Perhaps it does have a lot in common with the tentpole blockbusters we see today...?

However, the gameplay is still perhaps the absolute best from the action and first-person shooter genre. It's Doom as you know and love it and there's no denying that at any second or point in time. But that's completely fine because the game is also effortlessly enjoyable, gut-wrenchingly brutal, fluid and smooth, and all while being challenging and exciting at every single moment. Whether you're punching your way through hordes of rank-and-file demons with the Power Gauntlet, putting the Super Shotgun to good use on Hell Knights, smashing a Titan's jaw into pieces while piloting an Atlan mech, or watching flesh and bone rain from the sky after you've unleashed a bolt from the BFC (Ballistic Force Crossbow), every part of this game will leave you with a big grin plastered across your face. The Slayer is still one of the greatest characters in all of video games despite the fact that he barely ever says a word, his hate-fuelled motivation is also all I as a player need to dive into every level, and id has still perfected the art of constantly elevating your power potential by handing you new guns, power-ups, tools, and upgrade opportunities throughout the well-paced storyline. The Shield Saw is also an instant classic, working in tandem with the "stand and fight" block and parry nature that makes you feel the deadliest you've ever felt as the Slayer, and that's saying something.

Yet, what I will note that is perhaps a bit of a misstep is the fact that weapon and tool customisation isn't nearly as broad as in Eternal. In The Dark Ages, weapons do what they are designed to do and that's it. There's no augments or mods that you can fit that change how they function, instead you run around each level and collect Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones to be able to spend them at a pseudo-store to unlock upgrades that are linear improvements that automatically impact your weapon. It's a system that fundamentally works - and that's a fact - but it does lack a bit of the flair that former games in the series offered.

So for the most part, Doom: The Dark Ages is very much just the Doom formula that you know and love. It's a great formula and there's no doubting that, but you do wonder if id has any ideas to evolve and continue to adjust how we come to recognise this series. Sure, this time they've offered up more open levels but these are still designed to be explored to a basic extent, seeing the player travel around in quite a linear manner to acquire necessary keys or skulls to unlock additional areas, all while offering up simple environmental challenges that lead to collectibles like dolls and Codex pages. Yes, there are now optional combat encounters to take on too and challenges in each level to complete for extra resources to spend, but this idea of bigger, more open levels where you could waddle around for a more significant amount of time is perhaps an over-exaggeration, as they are still quite linear in how you conquer them, and they're also not exactly massive either. That might be a positive or a negative depending on what type of games you enjoy, but the point I'm trying to make is that like the blockbuster story, it feels like id has come up with a way to tweak the formula with open levels, but then never really decided to commit to it fully.

It's perhaps ironic then that one of the truly fresh parts of Doom: The Dark Ages that id has really put a lot of emphasis on is by far its worst feature. It was mentioned a lot of times that in an effort to break up the traditional on-foot demon-slaying, you would frequently get behind the wheel of an Atlan and pilot your own dragon too. While the former is actually quite a niche mechanic and a fun one at that, the latter is a real headache. It's simply not very fun to control the dragon known as Serrat, especially in the "open levels" where you have to routinely use it to hop between landing zones. I appreciate id's effort of trying something truly different here, but it didn't work and Serrat's fate is probably for the best...

It's because of choices and design styles like this that Doom: The Dark Ages can feel a bit off at times. But again, and I cannot stress this enough, this in regard to what we expect from Doom, which for the 2016 game was essentially an action masterpiece in my book. There are many, many parts of this game that I adore, including the setting and the fact that while there are narrative ties to the former-future chapters, it works and thrives as a standalone experience. But the storyline and its characters - especially its villain - don't quite blow me away in the way that I was expecting, and many of the features that id has championed feel minor or like expected improvements to the Doom formula. This isn't a radically different game at all, and while we all will appreciate dropping multiplayer support for a grander story, there isn't really a gap between this and Eternal's campaign and what they offer to a player.

So to recap, Doom: The Dark Ages is more Doom and that means it is without question one of the best action games you will play in 2025. But is it a step up or a noticeable evolution from what Eternal served up in 2019 or what Doom presented in 2016? The answer is no. Few games will entertain and engage me in the same way that The Dark Ages has, and frankly it will also be one of the very few games that I chug through a second time only shortly after beating it because it's just so electric and fun like every Doom game is. But I was hoping to be really blown away by this game, and that hasn't quite happened. Although again, perhaps we should attribute that to the absurdly high standards we set for id Software and Doom these days?