Doom: The Dark Ages

I've finished Doom: The Dark Ages after around 11 hours of gameplay, and I have to say: it's a good game - but definitely the weakest entry in the modern Doom trilogy. Not because it lacks quality, but because the gameplay takes a completely different turn.

Let's start with the bad: the PC launch was a mess. Crashes, performance issues, and those annoying tutorial pop-ups that would literally crash the game - I had to tinker around just to get it running stable. After getting past that hurdle, it ran okay, but stuff like this simply shouldn't happen with a AAA title.

Gameplay-wise, you quickly notice: Dark Ages is slower, heavier, and far less frantic than its predecessors. The focus is now on parrying and melee combat, which is cool at first, but starts to lose its appeal over time. You barely have to switch weapons - I made it through most of the game with just the Ball & Chain and the Super Shotty. Especially if you're used to Doom Eternal, this feels like a serious step back.

I played on "Nightmare" and even that felt surprisingly forgiving - maybe even too easy. There are difficulty sliders, sure, but even with those, the game never really pushes you hard. If you're looking for a brutal challenge, you'll only get that to a limited extent.

The most disappointing parts? The mech and dragon sections. They looked epic in the trailer, but in reality, they play like a dull arcade game from the early 2000s. Repetitive, sluggish, and completely lacking in tension. I honestly wish they had just left those moments as cutscenes.

And yet... I had fun. Really.

Because when Doom: The Dark Ages shines, it shines. The story is by far the best in the series. There are more cutscenes, more world-building, more character - and yeah, it's totally over-the-top, but in the best way. The boss fights are also a major highlight - especially the final boss: epic presentation, long, challenging, and incredibly satisfying.

Level design is a mixed bag. The linear levels with clear structure? Fantastic. Great arena layouts, intense fights, and a cool medieval vibe. But those semi-open levels where you constantly hunt for keys and run around in circles? Total buzzkill. Confusing, sluggish, and just not fun.

The soundtrack... meh. It's there. But that's about it. After Mick Gordon, the bar is just insanely high - and this doesn't even come close. Not a single track stuck with me. Nothing on the level of a workout playlist banger like in Doom 2016 or Eternal.

Despite everything: I still think Doom: The Dark Ages is worth buying. It's bold, different, experimental - and even if that stings a bit for fans of the old formula, I respect the attempt to try something new instead of recycling the same thing again.

As a lifelong Doom fan, I knew I was going to try this one out. And I found myself instantly drawn in by the new techno-medieval setting and the Doomslayers new get-up with the fur cape, studded armor, and shield saw looked awesome.

I loved the brutal new medieval styled weapons, like the Skullcrusher/Pulverizer that fires bone fragments at enemies, the Chain shot launching and retracting a ball and chain, and the Impaler that fires bolts. Adding melee weapons like the Power Gauntlet and Dreadmace turns the game into an intense first-person shooter/hack and slash hybrid gore-fest! The more medieval level and enemy designs/revamps were cool looking and introduced a new and engrossing setting for Doom.

Thanks to the Doomslayers bulkier build, the new combat system is slower and more focused on tactics to defeat your enemies, performing melee attacks and combos, and defensive action mixed with parrying enemy attacks with your trusty new shield instead of more the more intense, fleet-footed combat in the prequels. It's a surprising but interesting change of pace I found more challenging and enticing than the last two games, especially with the new difficulty sliders that let you adjust certain gameplay elements to just the right setting you want. Plus, you get to ride a dragon and engage giant demon with fisticuffs while piloting a giant mech! It was all types of awesome!

The level layouts are larger than before, giving the player the opportunity to explore and discover secret collectibles, like toys and skins; those kind of sandbox game elements have always appealed to me. Plus, the story is deeper and sheds more light on the Doomslayers origins and his experiences fighting alongside the Knight Sentinels of Argent D'Nur before moving on to Mars and Earth; it really ties the modern Doom trilogy together.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a true Doom game without an awesome and banging soundtrack. Finishing Move knocks it out of the park with another hardcore metal soundtrack that keeps you constantly pumped and eager for battle.

Any true Doom fan must try this, and I definitely recommend it to FPS fans in general.

I've been paying Doom since the original back in the day and feel compelled to leave a review in the small hope the developers see it and receive my thanks and respect. This game is polished, fun, well designed, smooth, playable and a worthy addition to the Doom series. I'm on my second play through, trying to locate all the secrets and bonus content. I just love how refined and well thought out it is. This is how you do video games!

I'm playing on a series S on a 4k TV and everything is smooth and clear. I enjoyed the map design, the enemies, and the story too. Just enough of each and the battles feel so much fun with the balancing of the weapons and power ups being just right to increase the fun, you really feel like an unstoppable titan of demonic destruction. Thank you for such a beautiful game!

Took me 12 hours to beat the main story compared to the 14-16 it took to beat Eternal. When there are games coming out like E33 with a 30+ hour main story for under $50, buying games like this for $70+ makes absolutely no sense. Can't help but feel ripped off for spending that much money on a single player only game that can be beat in a few sittings. Surely there are a few more hours to be spent on side quests or the Doom equivalent, but its such a shame these games are taking longer to develop, costing more money, and yet providing far less in what you can actually do in the game. Very disappointing.

Doom the dark ages is a new and amazing addition to the doom franchise. Its dark, its gory, its fun!

The map designs are amazing and detailed. The gun designs are even cooler than in eternal and look like there from the DARK AGEE😜😜 I know some people dont like this game because its a lot slower paced then eternal and 2016 but that does not stop it from making you feel like a unstoppable force of nature. You feel like a walking tank in this game, you can hear and feel every single step you take.

I think I spent at least 30 min just flying around on the dragon.

There is one thing that I missed though. Glory kills. Sadly they have been removed but this game is still amazing.