DOOM: The Dark Ages Review – Sending Hell Minions Back to Hell

I still remember the awe I had back in the 90s when I first played DOOM II at a friend’s house. He had this nice sound system set up and the game was an absolute eye-opener for me. This was PC gaming at its finest. The fun, the thrill, the adrenaline – they were all there. And to be honest, I haven’t played any DOOM games after that – apart from maybe DOOM III.

I may not have deep knowledge of the previous DOOM series before The Dark Ages, but I don’t think it matters. We should treat each game on its own merits – like Final Fantasy (new stories, new gameplay, new mechanics, new characters). But if you really want to know, DOOM: The Dark Ages is actually a prequel to the 2016 DOOM reboot.

Story and Expectations

Story-wise, the game explains who the hero (the Slayer) is, but don’t expect DOOM: The Dark Ages to have an amazing storyline or character development. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it anyway because DOOM is more renowned for its fun and hectic, gory gunfights against the minions of hell using a variety of cool and otherworldly weapons.

So yes, you will be satisfied if you’re looking forward to what you expect in this game. The weapons are varied, ranging from the basic shotgun to a rapid-firing Skull Crusher which, as the name suggests, shreds up skulls and fires bone shards everywhere – a nice weapon to obliterate many weaker hell minions on your screen. There are melee weapons too, including a Shield Saw that you get as you start the game.

New Combat Mechanics

Defending was unheard of in the DOOM games I’ve played before – you either dodge attacks or soak them up. This time, however, you’ll get a shield that you can use to block most attacks and parry if you hit that button at the right moment (adjustable through game options), which sends whatever’s coming your way back to the sender. There’s even another surprise: you can use it to pull yourself towards an enemy like a grapple and obliterate them at the same time.

Melee attacks with your power punch feel satisfying too, although I find that my brain didn’t get wired enough to use it frequently. I mean, this is a DOOM game, so I mostly ended up cycling between my weapons to lay waste to enemies. The game, however, gives some nice incentives if you manage to deliver a 3-hit combo with your fist, so you’ll probably end up punching bigger enemies every now and then.

Weapons and Upgrades

You’ll encounter many more weapons as you explore the game, and there will be short explanations when you get one, so you know what it’s for and how to use it. And then, there are upgrades. Existing weapons can be upgraded with various in-game currencies that you have to find by exploring each map. For example, your ordinary, standard shotgun can be upgraded to burn enemies while making them drop smaller armour fragments. Those will come in handy when fighting larger groups of enemies that chew through your health consistently if you’re not careful.

While there are no character skills or abilities upgrades in a traditional sense, these weapon upgrades (including your shield) do make the gameplay varied and more fun. They also have good synergies once you get more upgrades and learn more about what these weapons do and the different kinds of hell minions you encounter.

Some minions need to be countered with a specific weapon or weapon move. The Mancubus, for example, can be stunned briefly with your thrown Shield Saw. The Pinky Rider (a demon riding a quadrupedal demon beast) can be killed separately and easily with a well-shot Impaler.

Varied Gameplay Elements

To make the game more interesting, the team has decided to create missions where you control an Atlan Mech (a really big, slow mech) and ride a Dragon. I did enjoy the Atlan Mech because I saw it fighting the giant hell minion, Titan, in an earlier mission and saw how cool it looks. Sure, the mission just consists of parrying and punching, but it feels satisfying and offers a bit more variety than just running and gunning.

The dragon riding is fun in its own way and thankfully, still wants you to get down and dirty with your guns and feet. Riding the dragon feels a bit clunky with a keyboard and mouse as you have to descend and ascend separately. Combat involves locking onto an enemy to get a perfect dodge (which amplifies your damage to be able to destroy parts of an enemy’s ship), where you can then dock your dragon to send your Slayer in to finish the job.

Exploration and Secrets

Exploration is recommended as you want to grab as much in-game currency as possible. For some reason, I could never fully discover all the secret areas on each map. Some are tricky to find, so if you like challenges and are a completionist, you will be rewarded handsomely.

Sound Design

And of course, sound is a core feature of every DOOM game. I first fell in love with DOOM II because of its satisfying sound design, and then its gameplay. Thankfully, both don’t disappoint in DOOM: The Dark Ages. The crunchy weapon sounds and heavy metal soundtrack all combine to create that signature DOOM atmosphere that fans have come to expect.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review Conclusion

DOOM: The Dark Ages brings the fun, action-thrilling, gory gameplay that has defined the DOOM series since the 90s. You’ll get a variety of weapons that can be upgraded to lay waste to your enemies from hell, and due to the limited amount of ammo during each fight, you’ll most likely end up switching from one weapon to the next. Various different enemies with different weaknesses will also be thrown at you that encourage you to utilise different weapons at different times.

It’s not exactly a strict rock-paper-scissors methodology though, so you don’t really have to stick to just one weapon for a specific kind of enemy, which is nice.

The new defensive mechanics add a fresh layer to the traditional DOOM formula without compromising on the fast-paced action that fans love. The Atlan Mech and dragon-riding sections provide welcome breaks from the standard gameplay loop and showcase the developer’s willingness to experiment within the established framework.

While the story won’t win any awards, it serves its purpose of giving context to the bloodshed. DOOM has never been about deep narrative experiences, and The Dark Ages understands this perfectly. It knows what it is and plays to its strengths: brutal, satisfying combat against variety of hell minions with an arsenal that would make any FPS fan giddy with excitement.

Disclosure: DOOM: The Dark Ages review licence was supplied for reviewing