Despite being the latest entry in the franchise, Doom The Dark Ages tells the story of what’s happened in the games that came before. Most of the gameplay systems have made a comeback, albeit with a decent amount of upgrades.
There are a few areas where the story and the gameplay did drag a bit, but that didn’t make much of a difference when it comes to affecting the overall experience that it provides.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan or a first-timer, the way this title is designed it has a lot to offer for all types of gamers. While it does have its downsides too, overall it’s a solid offering and secures its place as a proper first-person shooter.
The Dark Ages Campaign Offers a Strong Sense of Familiarity
The campaign starts with a very run-of-the-mill Doom sequence, where the Slayer is woken up in a UAC ship and is tasked with assisting humanity against a demonic horde, vying for the Heart of Argent.
I won’t go too much into the storyline because, you guessed it right, ~spoilers~! But, I will say this: Doom The Dark Ages fleshes out the story of the conflict between humanity and the forces of hell, and the role of the Sentinels and Makyrs in it.
It spans across different landscapes, which, despite having a hellish undertone, paints a pretty picture of a sci-fi medieval setting where technology has evolved, but it’s still clunky.
Everything is tied together by the overarching storyline of the conflict. It’s strong and probably the best that the story has been so far.
The entire campaign is divided into 22 different chapters, and you’ll have to keep coming back if you’re looking to unlock all the different secrets that they have to offer.
Yes, you’ll be able to find them in a single playthrough if you’re attentive enough. But between blasting through the forces of hell and hunting for secrets, I found myself focusing on the former because it was fun!
One of the main highlights of the way this campaign is set is the difficulty. Not only can you select the difficulty levels that you want, but you can further tweak them from within the settings. This just gives everyone more control and is perfect for a more tailored experience.
Doom Slayer Fears No Demon Nor Any Makyr
The Slayer is the central pillar of the storyline, which isn’t that hard to follow at all. But, considering how it’s paced and coupled with the fact that you can skip cutscenes, it doubles up as a brain-dead shooter where you’re looking for random dopamine hits.
While you won’t be able to upgrade your Slayer at different shrines, you’ll still be able to unlock three main buffs for your health, shield capacity, and ammo capacity.
The only downside is that you won’t be able to select which stat you want to upgrade, but it’s all equally paced, so everything just scales with you as you progress through the storyline.
You’ll also have access to a host of weapons, including melee weapons, a huge robot, and a dragon mount, which is pretty fun to execute. You won’t have the mount or the robot at your command, though, so that’s a downside.
Doom The Dark Ages Arsenal Makes Up For a Rather Linear Combat
There are 11 different weapons, which include the three melee weapons that you have at your disposal. But you won’t have access to them from the very beginning. You’ll have your trusty shotgun, and then as you progress through the chapters, you’ll receive new weapons.
You also have your trusty shield, which can be equipped with a chainsaw. It shreds through normal hordes, and will also help you create an opening with bigger demons. You’ll always be overwhelmed by the number of enemies that you face, but your shield is your best friend here.
You’ll still have to time your shield tosses, though, because if you don’t time it right, you’ll have a hard time blocking incoming shots. Additionally, you’ll often find yourself running out of ammo, and pickups are somewhat scarce.
Here’s where Doom The Dark Ages’ most important mechanic comes into play: the Glory Strikes. Whenever you land enough blows on the enemy, they’ll glow purple for a few seconds. If you move in for a strike right now, you’ll be rewarded with health orbs and ammo.
These weapons can be upgraded, too, but for that, you’ll need to collect three different currencies and then visit a Sentinel Shrine to upgrade. Every single upgrade is worth it and will count towards your weapon mastery.
The only other piece of your combat puzzle is the ability to parry. You can use your shield to deflect certain attacks back at the enemy, which can daze them too.
Other than this, there are no other nuances to the combat in Doom The Dark Ages. It’s straightforward, and there are no complicated mechanics that need a lot of attention. However, it’s the environment and the world that the devs should have paid a bit more attention to.
Doom The Dark Ages’ World Design Is Filled With Hits and a Few Misses
In Doom The Dark Ages, it’s the world design has a dark, broodish, and borderline medieval vibe to it. It’s impeccable and manages to fit the theme of the game.
But, the visual style can get a bit overwhelming because it’s the same colors that you’ll see for the most part, irrespective of where you are. It’s repetitive and, after a point, can get a little overbearing because you’re seeing the same thing over and over again.
The level design is good, and there’s not a lot of backtracking required at any given point, unless, of course, you’re missing a few secret areas.
These secrets are hidden but somewhat exposed at the same time. While you don’t have to be extra vigilant to locate where they’re hidden, you do need to pay some attention to your surroundings. Pulling up your minimap also helps.
Your shield doubles up as a mobility tool, which can help you cover longer distances. This mobility doesn’t really do much when you’re in combat, but it does help you get to those pesky secret areas.
In Conclusion
Doom The Dark Ages is a solid entry into the franchise, but it does have its drawbacks too. The combat can get a bit monotonous because the monster patterns are extremely repetitive.
While the difficulty modifiers do help with that a bit, once you do get used to the pattern, it does become bland to a certain extent.
The audio and the environment work in sync and create the atmosphere pretty well, but a bit of monster variety could have gone the distance.
Overall, Bethesda and idSoftware have managed to create a title that perfectly captures the overall essence of the Doom franchise, but it does fall short in some areas. It’s perfect for players who’ve just entered the franchise, but it might fall short for veteran players.
Reviewed on: PC
Code Provided by: Bethesda
