Doom: The Dark Ages is going to be big. And I mean really big.
The modern revival of the classic first-person shooter (FPS) game series isn’t one for subtly by default, of course, but the third game from developer id Software, Doom: The Dark Ages, is going large. This will manifest in almost every way, from Slayer to sound, and from world to weapons.
I received an early look at the Developer Direct video from id Software and had the chance to attend a Q&A session with Hugo Martin, game director, and Marty Stratton, executive producer and Studio Director, where more light was shed on some of the game’s core elements. This included further insight into specific features, mechanics, and enemies that we can look forward to experiencing when the game launches on May 15, 2025.
Doubling down on melee
As shown in the Developer Direct video, every facet of Doom: The Dark Ages is going big, and none more so than the game’s next evolution of that signature gory, bombastic, and smashing combat. But there is definitely a bigger emphasis on being a tank, standing your ground, and smashing through demons with melee combat and skills.
The clearest manifestation of this, among other new tools for movement and combat, is the exceptionally brutal-looking shield saw. This multifaceted equipment is part aggressive weapon with blades that can slice up enemies, part defender enabling you to parry attacks and deflect projectiles, and part traversal helper, letting you zip about the map. It can be used for all three seamlessly and appears to be an extension of the Slayer himself.
The emphasis on the shield saw, as well as other weapons on display in the Developer Direct video such as the electrified gauntlet, or spiked mace, look exceptionally badass, and show a doubling-down of this shift to heavy melee combat.
Stratton says there’s more of a “stand and fight, use your guns as additional ways to burn them down, then you push forward to the next one” approach to encounters and enemies. This fits perfectly with the goal to make a tank of a Slayer. It’s the next step in the evolution of the series: id Software told players to ‘run and gun’ in Doom (2016), then to ‘jump and shoot’ in Doom Eternal, and now to ‘stand and fight’ in Doom: The Dark Ages.
Given the versatile nature of just the shield saw, you’d be forgiven for thinking that id Software has made Doom: The Dark Ages a complex game to play - all the shield saw’s actions can be inputted on the same control or button. However, the team has made sure to make a “streamlined control scheme” that has “fewer strings on the guitar, [and] everything feels like it's within reach”, says Martin.
Doing this, and keeping multiple controls on single buttons that change depending on the context, means that the devs “can ask a lot of you”, however simplifying it for the player also opens up engaging action and elaborate gameplay - “you shouldn’t be fighting the controls, you should be fighting the bad guys,” as Martin puts it.
A bigger world, a bigger story
The story and world are also getting the go-large treatment too, and becoming much bigger - and much more prominent. In regards to the game’s story, as opposed to picking up lore and story through collectibles and items in the game, Doom: The Dark Ages will take the story “out of the codex, and into the cutscene,” with a bigger emphasis on storytelling.
These third-person cutscenes and cinematics will allow the narrative to be brought to the foreground more in The Dark Ages, and not rely solely on the player piecing it together. It also enables more characters to have a greater presence on the stage of The Dark Ages in what is a prequel to the series that will help complete the circle back around to the beginning of Doom (2016).
The world the story takes place in has had a boost in stature too. Maps are now bigger, and there’s a greater sense of freedom for exploration and movement. The maps still largely combine to make a linear experience but there are larger open areas the devs “like to call sandboxes”.
However, open spaces and large, explorable environments are not typical of Doom games, so the team was asked how they reconciled such large maps and open areas with the pace and momentum the series is known for.
The answer was categorical: the shield. As a traversal tool, it ensures the balance of pace and map size remains authentic to Doom, giving you the ability to rocket across the map, moving across the environments “like a wrecking ball”. Using the shield in such a way makes “it feel like web-slinging,” Martin describes.
Big additions to the story include amazing moments when you get to fly on the back of a dragon and control titanic mechs. The latter were things players may have seen as remnants in Doom Eternal, but doing a prequel means the devs can now put you into the shoes of these mechs.
Both the mechs and the dragon are only available in certain parts of the game, however, so there’s no whistling for your mega robot or robo-dragon to make them appear whenever you want.
It wouldn’t be Doom without the demons
You’ll be taking down a wild variety of grim and ghastly beasts across the world. And with that crunching combat, you’ll be pleased to hear and see all of it.
Ranging from ‘sheep’ - fodder enemies that can only really do damage to you in greater numbers - and ‘wolves’ - much more powerful enemies that you’ll have to be on your toes to fight (though ones that aren’t necessarily bosses). The devs have also confirmed that one such monster is “the largest AI we’ve ever created”, and that another still is the most complex.
That whets the appetite for some epic monster-slaying adventures and the gore and glory kills we’ve seen really do make for moreish enemy encounters I can’t wait to get stuck into. And you’ll find a sweet spot on fighting these monsters too, as the game’s array of difficulty sliders can help you tailor your experience. Fancy a more challenging, soulslike window for your parries, go ahead; and if you prefer a bit more of an assist, that’s cool too.
The epic combination of everything going larger in Doom: The Dark Ages has been made possible with a new engine too, which Stratton describes as “our most powerful engine yet” - something I can’t wait to see the effects of, and what it has enabled the team to do.
Doom: The Dark Ages’ has sized everything up, and the giant Slayer, expansive landscapes and environments, bombastic tools, and only-in-Doom mega-weapons on show paint a perfectly violent picture for when the game releases later this year on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC on May 15.
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