DOOM: The Dark Ages | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''I THINK DOOM GUY IS ON ROIDS YOU GUYS''

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Developed: Id Software

Published: Bethesda Softworks

Genre: Action/FPS

Release Date: May 14th, 2025

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Gamepass, PS5

*Review copy provided by Bethesda Softworks

DOOM The Dark Ages is the third entry into the trilogy that follows DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal and its developed by Id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. With DOOM 2016 being a great time and DOOM Eternal impressing everyone except me, Id Software decided, lets make everything even more chaotic and brutal with The Dark Ages. However was it a wise decision to change up the formula once more? or should they have stuck to the pacing of the previous two entries? Only one way to find out, so LETS RIP AND TEAR!

''SLAYERS PLAYROOM IN HELL''

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GAMEPLAY:

DOOM has been a staple in my life ever since the 1990s, whether it was playing DOOM 2 on an Acer PC at an age where I really shouldn't of been playing it, throwing down with demons on Nintendo 64, getting a re-imagined take of the original title on XBOX 360 with DOOM 3. and then the more modern reboot of DOOM with 2016 and Eternal. Fact of the matter is this, for decades this franchise has stayed in the brains and hearts of multitudes of people, whether in a good way or a bad way, the DOOM franchise has never been apologetic on changing lore, story, being over the top brutal, and even doesnt shy away from trying new ideas and formulas that can completely shake up the franchise and always attempt to elevate it to that next level. In my opinion, Doom The Dark Ages actually achieves this elevation of the series by slowing down the movement our god like boy DOOM Slayer, and instead giving him a more brutal moveset that is akin more to the likes of classic DOOM games of old. Now if only we can get some floppy discs back. then nostalgia would do a full circle and make me very happy. But just remember, even if floppys were brought back, never.. and I mean never, copy that floppy, isnt that right MC Double Def DP?. By overhauling the mechanics from the previous two entries, DOOM The Dark Ages completely sets itself apart from the pack, almost feeling like its own standalone game at times due to the changes made that makes DOOM Slayer more heavy moving wise like Robocop, focus on defensive mechanics like dodging and parrying, using your environment as a puzzle with a shield, more cinematic storytelling that feels like a marriage between the DOOM franchise and Halo that ends up birthing a baby that ends up becoming the Dark Ages. I'm grateful that the baby, having been made by the unison of both franchises DNA, didnt end up looking like my little Bad Milo. What? dont know what that is? I dare you to google it. But were off topic, lets get back into slaying demons instead of butt monsters that live inside you, please and thank you.

Harnessing its aura back to the days of classic DOOM games, everything is slower, but at the same time...faster?. Its hard to explain really because in DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal, there was a large emphasis on running and gunning, doing double jumps like your inner Mario WAHOOing lives depended on it and they wanted you to focus on shoot and move. However here in Dark Ages, DOOM Slayer stays grounded, and the game WANTS you to to have up close and personal battles rather than run and use speed, hence why it's similar to classic DOOM games of old. Even slowed down, it still doesnt feel slow. Ok now I know you're getting really confused and wondering if I'm the one that's slow in the head because that sounds like a huge contradiction. Hey now, I'm only slow when it comes to learning how to properly drive in video games, so do NOT make me rip and tear YOU a new one because I WILL NOT stop UNTIL IT IS DONE, YOU HEAR ME?. Back on topic, while movement is slowed from double jumping around, on the ground, your sprinting is a lot faster and it feels like its a freight train running at times due to the heavy armor of DOOM Slayer with the loud CLINK CLINK CLINK thuds as trots around. The reason for the ''slow down?''. simple, this time around they want you to focus on more face to face confrontation with your enemies using your new razor tipped shield that you use to rush and shield bash enemies with that will either bash smaller minions into gut filled pieces or if going against larger enemies, will allow you to slam into them, which either stuns them momentarily or breaks off pieces of their armor, exposing their weak pathetic flesh that you can proceed to rip off piece by piece, just like the people in my basement... I mean, to the satisfaction of all DOOM fans out there. How do you use your shield to maximum satisfaction though? simple, parry enemies attacks when highlighted with blue or green. I'm not really sure what color it really is as I feel colorblind as all hell. Game tells to parry green attacks, but its... showing up blue? only one doggo can help me solve this mystery, my girl Blue. If Blue can do, we can too. When parrying an attack, you build up a power meter for your melee attacks and depending on your melee weapon, whether it be fist, ball and chain or mace, all of them have 1 to 3 charges and should you parry enough to fill the meter, you're able to unleash a three hit combo that stuns and breaks armor and kills them or gives one gigantic smash to the head that one hit kills most enemies, and its satisfying as all heck, especially when jumping off a ledge and being like ''WELCOME TO EARTH!'' and bammm slamming into them. Although were...not on earth.... so... reference didnt make sense, oh well.

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''OH LOOK, LEFTOVERS''

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Combat in the game as mentioned goes beyond just slicing and dicing and shooting your heart out and intergrades puzzle solving into your everyday slaying as well by using your shield to throw and stick to walls, allowing you sling yourself to it to jump over gaps or reach high places, alongside being able to toss the shield to stick onto a switch which lowers a gate or opens a secret passage after you have maybe also thrown your spikey shield to cut down a huge box hanging in the air that drops, allowing you to shield bash it into a position to climb up, the choices keep you far more engaged this go around than titles like DOOM Eternal did, at least for me since.. hot take, I got REALLY bored of DOOM Eternal halfway through due to how monotonous and tedious it got for me... but that issue is gone here in Dark Ages. Harkening back to the old DOOM titles, enemies long shot projectiles move a bit slower, allowing you more time to dodge, which is essential since the focus is now on bobbing and weaving through 20 to 30 enemy fighters at a time, all rushing you, firing projectiles at you to dodge or parry, while also making you engage in close range combo to use the arsenal of weapons at your disposal to blow away any enemy at the same time. Being able to dodge one projectile, turn to shield bash an enemy, throw your shield to impale an enemy in the chest momentarily stunning them, firing a weapon to slice a foe up, turning on a dime to block an enemy projectile to send it back to their face, then immediately getting into a glory kill, all in the middle of 5 to 10 seconds is absolutely exhilarating and makes you feel like a total bad ass.. IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?, I wanted to just scream out and hoping stupid Orlando Bloom doesnt shoot me in my achilles...what an ass. Combat in Dark Ages also continues to evolve beyond the normal good stuff like punching people in the face, electric bows, slicing off someone's head or chopping them off with your shield, using mace to bash open peoples head and now moves further ahead to Mech Battles and Dragon flying, oh ya, here we go. As you progress through the story, you get missions that pertain to flying a huge dragon as you take to the sky to take down enemy forces such as giant ships that have barriers to destroy as you dodge their projectiles, then immediately soaring down and going into ground mode seamlessly, its freaking awesome, unlike LAIR on PS3 with its broken mess of a game. Poor LAIR, I wanted to love you but your controls are just so TERRIBLE, you need more giant enemy crabs or Ridge Racer... Ridgeeee Racerrrrr. Controls for the dragon are so damn fluid that even I, a person that crashes everything I drive without fail, am... actually a good flier? what in the hell is this sorcery? the prank isn't funny guys, come on. Chasing down enemy fighters through narrow passages at high speeds, going under ground in chase to fight huge tentacles to blast a path through a wall, I loved it, especially with the open-air like atmosphere you have free roam in. I know some of you got excited when I said ''giant tentacles'' but calm down with your thoughts cause what you're thinking right now.. I DONT EVEN KNOW IF THATS PG''. Weird fetishes aside, this brings us to the biggest change of all, exploration and what it brings to the table.

In a change for the series, the game opens up its exploration to large free roam areas that has you run around a large scale map finding secrets, unlocking various doors, destroying enemy bases, taking down Leaders who command troops and closing Oblivion gates. Wait what? I mean they're portals to hell but they sure do look like Oblivion gates, go forth DOOM SLAYER...AND CLOSE SHUT..THE JAWS OF OBLIVION. Emperor, no, its the wrong gate bro, go back to getting stabbed by a cult leader elsewhere, were busy. The game rewards you by exploring beyond your objective with collectible toys returning, runes for your shield and melee that give upgrades and even gold that is used to upgrade your character and his weapons. Its fun, rewarding and doesnt overstay its welcome to become tedious. But the part of the game that truly floored me as you step into bigger areas, there's freaking titan kaiju sized monsters and mechs, like what the hell. Walking out of linear room for first time and in the distance I see a large scale demon kaiju in the distance just left me in awe, because if there's one thing I love, its giant monsters, and my mind first went to Godzilla by default. Walking along the path to my new objective, I am once again stunned as I see a military mech taking on a huge demon, both towering giants going blow for blow and my thought was ''holy crap this is awesome''. whats that? DANGIT you stupid little demons, leave me ALONE, I'm trying to watch this fight. Anyways, so as I was saying, these big kaiju fights are... ugh, sorry hang on a second, ''YOU LITTLE PIECES OF CRAP IM GONNA KILL YOU''. Now that the distractions are dead, you get to take your turn to actually control one of the mechs yourself, oh hell yes. Walking around in the mech feels straight out of Pacific Rim and the first thing I did? destroyed the environment of course, YEAH, BOOOOM! SMASHHHHH, DIEEEE. I dont even care that im killing my own soldiers, I feel totally like Godzilla on a miniature set in Toho movies, SKREEEEEONK!. However when you're done goofing off, you take on other titan sized monsters in a game of Punch Out as you punch and dodge their attacks, before finishing them off with a massive gun shot from mounted lasers or uppercut to the head. Its easily one of my favorite parts of the game, by far. ''HEY FRIENDS.. DIEEEEE''.

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''Bro acting like he has aura''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, DOOM The Dark Ages ended up a fantastic time from start to finish. Obviously I can see where SOME people might have an issue with it with slowed down mobility with reduction of double jump, more cinematic approach or even the open areas might not be their cup of tea, but still with balls to the wall action, head banging music, brutal fighting mechanics with new defensive fighting with shield and parrying with glory kills, dragon flying against enemy strongholds, Pacific Rim Godzilla fights, it all outweighs the perceived negatives in my opinion and makes this my favorite entry into this current trilogy. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW

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