Doom: The Dark Ages Preview - The ultimate one-man army embarks on its most explosive crusade yet

You'd almost think we were Japanese tourists. As soon as we climb out of the bus, people gather in a circle and pull out their phones and cameras. It's quite a sight that greets us. Jagdschloss Platte - a renovated Renaissance castle in the south-west German city of Wiesbaden - looks incredibly beautiful on this sunny spring day, with the wind only gently rustling the new leaves on the many, many trees that surround us as far as the eye can see.

However, it's not the scenic surroundings that attract attention. In the centre of the idyllic front garden stands a gigantic statue of The Doom Slayer, cloaked and equipped with a large shield and his iconic Super Shotgun. Clearly a lot of effort has been put into this, the last preview event before the launch of Doom: The Dark Ages in just under two months.

The heavy lifting, however, has stayed in Richardson, Texas, where id Software's 200+ employees are currently putting the finishing touches on the long-awaited follow-up to 2020's Doom Eternal. As we enter the castle and descend into a brick basement - illuminated by appropriately red mood lighting - we're not greeted by the series' executive producer Marty Stratton, as had been planned. Instead, he and game director Hugo Martin introduce the game through a pre-recorded video message.

A Grand Canyon of frowns smoothed out in record time

"Dark Ages rests on three pillars. Three reasons to play it through," they explain. The first is "innovative FPS gameplay." So far, so good. Number two is "more exploration and progression," and this is where the first concerns arise. While the developers assure us that there are still "linear, labyrinthine levels," large open areas are now being introduced. More recent shooters like Gears 5 and Halo Infinite have attempted the same trick - unsuccessfully, mind you - and it's not a design approach I'm a big fan of.

"As I step out of the basement and sit down in front of the PC, my face must display a Grand Canyon of frowns."

The third and final pillar is simply "the story," which is more important than ever before. Where the superb 2016 reboot of Doom and Doom Eternal let you absorb the story through logs and holograms, The Dark Ages delivers the story in cinematic fashion through dramatic cutscenes, filled with intense action and plenty of intrigue. In short, there's no way around the story, and I'm curious to see if the Doom universe can bear the big Hollywood makeover without it becoming too overdone.

Besides telling us why we should play Doom: The Dark Ages (which, strictly speaking, is a bit redundant considering media people from all over Northern Europe have travelled to Wiesbaden for this sole purpose), most of the presentation is spent introducing Doom Slayer's latest gadget, the Shield Saw. In keeping with the new tag-line "Stand and Fight", the shield allows you to stand firm and parry the many projectiles and blows that constantly rain down on you. Again, it's a bold design choice considering Doom (2016) had a tip that read: "Standing still is death. Stay on the move as much as possible."

As I step out of the basement and sit down in front of the PC, my face must display a Grand Canyon of frowns - the introduction has raised so many concerns. Will the three hours we have with the game be enough to get rid of them?

The answer is yes. Very much so.

In fact, Doom: The Dark Ages only needs 0.1 seconds to convince me. That's about how long it takes to do a Shield Charge. You lock onto an enemy with the right mouse button and the second you press the left mouse button, you virtually fly forwards and turn your enemy into a splattering spray of blood with your shield. Doom: The Dark Ages is just as intense as its predecessors. If anything, it's even wilder.

A shield or a Swiss army knife?

Our preview session begins - like the full game - on the planet Argent D'Nur, where despite futuristic technology, you still live in ancient castles and dress like it's a Renaissance fair. The demons of hell have attacked the planet and it's up to you, The Doom Slayer, to defend the beleaguered inhabitants and send the monsters back to the depths they came from.

The game's first level is very much designed as a training ground of sorts, teaching you how to wreak havoc with your shield, which quickly proves to be a bit of a Swiss Army knife.

In addition to the aforementioned Shield Charge, you can also use the shield like a discus and throw it at your enemies. The weakest cannon fodder is simply sliced in half, while the stronger demons are briefly paralysed. With its rotating spikes, the shield looks like an advanced can opener, and you can actually use it like that to some extent. If the enemy has a shield or metal armour, you can cut the armour to pieces by throwing the shield as long as it has already been damaged by your shots.

After zapping and slashing my way through the initial portion at the edge of the city wall, I come to a small enclosed courtyard. Here, for the first time, I face one of the game's bigger demons. I quickly realise that my bullets do little damage, and smashing into the abomination with a Shield Charge is about as effective as banging my forehead against a wall.

To defeat the demon, I must instead parry. This is where the game's tagline - Stand and Fight - really comes into its own. While you can still defeat large demons in the traditional way, it's often most effective to stand and face your fear.

"Exploration has always been one of Doom's strengths, and that's certainly the case here."

Holding down the right mouse button lifts your shield and minimises damage from blows and projectiles. If you time your parry perfectly, you even get a golden opportunity to strike back. The attacking demon staggers backwards a step and, more importantly, your gauntlet fills with charges. You can initially attack three times with your melee weapon (initially you use your bare hands and later you also get access to a morning star), but by continuously parrying and striking back, you can beat even the strongest of demons to a pulp.

Things don't go so well on my first attempt, however. Several times I have to scramble and frantically grab some of the many life and shield packs that the developers have generously handed out for this game's first melee. In the real world, I take a quick look around - luckily no one has seen my agonising fight - and I hurry on.

As the level progresses, the shield also finds use outside of combat. By smashing through crumbling walls or throwing it at switches, I unlock hidden shortcuts and secret rooms.

Exploration has always been one of Doom's strengths, and that's certainly the case here. The medieval setting hides secret manuscripts, abundant gold chests, and rare artefacts, and many of the collectibles give access to upgrades that make life a little more fun in the long run. This includes the new resource, gold coins, which allow you to upgrade your weapons, shields, and physical attacks.

However, finding the many secrets is first and foremost fun in itself. Hidden areas are naturally integrated into the level design and often you have to combine several of your skills to find them. Even though I know time is limited and I'll have to start over when the full game is released, I can't help but vacuum every nook and cranny.

Space to unleash your destructive creativity

We're now over 1,000 words into this preview and amazingly, I haven't mentioned any of the game's weapons yet. This is because initially we have a relatively limited arsenal consisting of our trusty Pulveriser pistol and Combat Shotgun. Towards the end of the preview section, we are finally unleashed in one of the game's open worlds, and here we have access to an arsenal that would make most EU leaders jealous.

Doom has always been less about precision and more about pointing you roughly in the right direction. Serving as a prequel to Doom (2016), The Dark Ages sometimes feels - and this is a positive thing - like a throwback to the original Doom, where you didn't even have a scope. For example, the Shredder weapon has a sight that looks more like a panoramic window, while hitting with the iconic Super Shotgun doesn't require much precision either, as most demons - up close - take up about half the screen.

This doesn't mean that the weapons don't matter. On the contrary. Along the way, I probably use tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of bullets. I fire about half of them in a dramatic sequence towards the end of the opening level where I use a cannon to take down an army of demons trying to attack along a beach. The stationary cannon is an exception, however, because otherwise I don't find a super weapon that can take on all enemies with ease, no, there isn't even a good old-fashioned standard rifle that can be used in most situations.

So I'm constantly switching between weapons, supplementing gunpowder and bullets with attacks from the shield and my morning star as I chop, hack, zap, shoot, and smash my way through the almost endless hordes of demons. The open level consists of muddy and hilly terrain, packed with enemy formations. I still prefer the more linear, curated levels, but I also appreciate how the large battlegrounds provide extra space to unleash your destructive creativity. By using your Shield Charge strategically, you can constantly switch between close-range and ranged attacks, and there's even plenty of room to "strafe" around the big enemies in true 90s fashion.

"If anything, Doom: The Dark Ages captures the feeling of being an unstoppable one-man army."

Unfortunately, I can't say much about whether the exploration works in the open levels. My aforementioned collector's mania has meant that my time in the sandbox is extremely limited. I also get killed several times and have to start all over again, because although I have many destructive tools at my disposal, the hordes of hell are numerous and there is hardly a quiet moment.

If you want to survive longer than me, it pays to keep an eye on the game's colour codes. Anything red must be avoided or parried, green attacks and projectiles can be repelled with the shield, while purple circles indicate that you can now launch a particularly powerful melee attack. I won't even get there, but I think good players could almost play Doom: The Dark Ages as a kind of overstimulating rhythm game.

The one-man army of all one-man armies

If anything, Doom: The Dark Ages captures the feeling of being an unstoppable one-man army. Not only does all the gameplay support this feeling, the story does the same.

As mentioned, it all begins with the planet Argent D'Nur being overrun by hellish troops. The inhabitants send peasants for help; not to the Lord, but to the mysterious, god-like aliens Maykr, who orbit the planet in an advanced space station. The aliens actually have a tool that can turn the tide of battle - The Doom Slayer - but they hesitate to set him free. He's simply too powerful! Eventually, however, they reluctantly let him go and we land in the middle of the inferno.

As the game progresses, you begin to understand the creatures' hesitation. The silent Doom Slayer doesn't just destroy demons, he smashes everything in his path. This is especially true in the second linear level we get to try in the preview. Here you play as an Atlan - a giant mech that makes what you see in MechWarrior or Armored Core seem like a children's toy.

The sequence doesn't differ much from normal gameplay. You parry or dodge attacks and retaliate with counter-attacks or a giant cannon. It's fun, simple, and straightforward, and most importantly, it doesn't overstay its welcome - at least not the sequence we had the pleasure of playing.

What really impresses is the massive scale of the destruction. Your arms smash bridges from which fighting soldiers fall screaming, while your legs turn tanks and cannons into scrap metal. Who is fighting whom? You are above such considerations in your massive Altan. It's pure destruction.

The Atlan sequence acts as a respite. The action doesn't pause, but for a while I can revel in my destructive powers without having to worry about collecting life and shield packs. When I later jump on the back of a dragon, I'm left with the feeling that this is about as good as it gets, but unfortunately this turns out to be the weakest part of the preview.

Again, it's a visual firework display. The dragon glides majestically through the air with ease. After clearing some flying enemies, I jump off and land on an airship. Here, I fight my way through hooded cultists and deadly demons to finally plant a bomb. Seconds before the whole thing goes up in smoke and flames, I jump off the edge and land again on the back of the dragon. Quite magnificent.

The dragon is easy and intuitive to control as it simply flies at your aiming point. But there are problems with the shooting. Firstly, the lock-on mechanism itself is not very precise, and even when you've actually locked on, the mounted guns only do minimal damage. The trick is that you have to dodge a green projectile and thus briefly unlock critical attacks. But as these attacks are few and far between (and the dodging manoeuvres aren't too precise either), you often end up circling and circling like a plane waiting for permission to land. And that's not much fun.

What should id Software do with its time?

Otherwise, my three hours with Doom: The Dark Ages is nothing short of sublime. After taking off the headset and standing up, it takes me almost fifteen minutes to find my equilibrium. That's how intense the experience has been. All my preconceived fears have not only been put to rest, they have been completely obliterated by The Doom Slayer, as if they were just another bunch of weak demons.

Rarely have I seen a preview build that was so much fun, and rarely have I seen a preview build that was so technically sound. No matter how many enemies were on the screen or how many projectiles were flying around my ears, the framerate was stable in 4K and with almost all sliders pushed all the way to the max. Of course, it helped that I was playing on a beast of a PC, but since I didn't notice any bugs either, I feel pretty confident about the technical state of the game.

Hopefully id Software will spend the next month and a half leading up to the May 15 launch polishing the dragon, otherwise I honestly don't know what they'll need to commit time to. Doom: The Dark Ages seems like a sure winner, and despite the name, there's nothing whatsoever to suggest that the series' golden age is over.