Doom: The Dark Ages preview – tanky toughness instead of flying acrobatics
In Doom: The Dark Ages, player character Doom Slayer is closer to the tank made flesh from the good old days. I used him to plough my way through hordes of demons at a preview event.
Doom 2016 brought back the legendary first-person shooter series with innovative resource management and a powerful heavy metal soundtrack after ten years in the freezer. Doom Eternal doubled up in 2020 with a surprising array of acrobatics – perhaps too much. The prequel Doom: The Dark Ages is once again oriented more towards the originals. The Doom Slayer is slower, stomping around like a tank. And for the first time, we actually get a real story. During my three-hour play session at a preview event in Mainz, I had an absolute blast with the game. However, I do have some concerns.
A superweapon of the gods
So far, the story in Doom has been limited to isolated codex entries. Not that I ever read them. But looking at the spectacle presented by The Dark Ages, I may have missed a few things. That won’t happen again in this instalment. The story is told across elaborate cutscenes. Gods use the Doom Slayer (formerly known simply as Doom Guy) as the ultimate superweapon to combat demons from hell. Their leader wants to destroy the Slayer in order to become the only being inspiring true fear.
Even though killing demons is the Slayer’s favourite hobby, he doesn’t seem to do it entirely by choice. He’s forced to do so by a mysterious machine. However, his overseers are beginning to question whether the macguffin has enough energy to keep the Slayer in bondage much longer.
The fact that Doom now has a story with voiced characters definitely takes some getting used to. But the little I’ve seen of it so far has kept me entertained all the way. I’ve already become enraptured by the demon boss and his crazy face. His flesh armour reminds me of Dracula from Francis Ford Coppola’s film of the same name.
Source: id Software
Grab your shield, charm and firearm
I was allowed to try four levels during my play session. They were created or prepared especially for this event, so the length and content fit into three hours. It began with a kind of introduction where one of the biggest innovations was waiting – the shield. Yes, the Doom Slayer now has a shield. And what a shield it is. I can block with it, counterattack at the right moment, throw it and even use it to pounce on opponents. Weaker demons burst on impact, larger ones are stunned for a short time.
The shield’s charge attack ensures the Doom Slayer remains agile. I can quickly cover greater distances and reposition myself on the battlefield. This is crucial, just as in previous games. After all, the Doom Slayer is the ultimate killing machine, but the hordes of hell will still bring me to my knees if I’m not careful.
The thing doubles as a chainsaw too. If I hold down the corresponding button, its blade starts to rotate. Quickly hurling the shield at larger opponents, it embeds itself and temporarily stuns them.
I was also able to try out two new melee weapons: the gauntlet and the morning star. I can only have one of them equipped at a time, and after three missions I needed some more ammo. They feel incredibly powerful and satisfying, sounding like two mountains colliding. The weapons harmonise perfectly with various shield attacks. Charge in, left-right combo with the gauntlet, the opponent flashes purple and I finish them off with a Glory Kill. This causes blue healing spheres to gush out of the monsters.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
Slimmed-down resource management
Doom: The Dark Ages relies on a similar resource system as the last couple games. Glory Kills give health, armour comes from throwing the shield and melee attacks replenish ammunition. The system has been simplified somewhat compared to the last game, but even after three hours, I didn’t find it completely intuitive. I have to keep an eye on all three resources, on top of reacting correctly to different enemy types. Demons with red shields have to be shot at until they glow. Only then can I hurl the shield to destroy a whole group of them. If their shields are blue, I need a plasma weapon to make them explode.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
A different type of demon evades normal attacks, but is sensitive to charges. On the other hand, I can only counter bigger demons at the right moment – either when they jump at me or hurl green projectiles around. In the heat of the moment, I often got confused about which button to press and for how long. I played with a mouse and keyboard, by the way. Some colleagues who played with a controller found things easier, it might make the controls more accessible.
Guns, lots of guns
Still, the Doom Slayer doesn’t just swing his mace at anything he sees. The Dark Ages has a colourful arsenal of firearms on offer. These include tried and tested items such as the Super Shotgun, but also new toys such as the Pulverizer. It’s a kind of machine gun that crushes skulls and spits them out as deadly projectiles. Reaver Chainshot hurls an electrified ball attached to a chain that I can charge. Twin Barrel is the double-barreled version of the classic Plasma Gun.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
The weapons are as powerful as the Doom Slayer himself. He stomps around louder than my children when they get up at six o’clock on the weekend. And when the Slayer jumps down from height, the earth trembles on impact. Hell yeah!
Firearms, the shield and melee weapons can be upgraded via skill trees to unleash even more destruction. The three currencies required to do this can be found throughout levels.
Epic production with loads of variety
id Software is also breaking new ground in level design. One of the four missions offers a larger game world for me to explore for the first time. Don’t worry, Doom won’t become an open-world role-playing game. But instead of directly closing three demon gates so the story can continue, I can stretch my legs a little – or those of monsters too. Sometimes I find a key to a secret door from which demons virtually pour out. If I cleanse them all, I get upgrade points. Or I can duel with a giant monster that’s half demon and half robot with spider legs.
Source: id Software
There are even little puzzles. At one point, I activate switches with my chainsaw blade or use the blade as a rope to reach a higher point. The Doom Slayer can even dive into water. Optional side tasks don’t slow down the flow of the game. On the contrary, they’re a welcome distraction from the otherwise constant run-and-gun.
There’s even more variety in the form of the Atlan mech and the mecha dragon. The latter is a beast with laser wings and jet propulsion. From its back, I can attack flying battleships against the backdrop of a gigantic medieval fortress. I first have to disable its guns, dodging green projectiles at the perfect moment while doing so. After that, time slows down and the guns can be attacked. I then land on the ship and continue on foot to destroy it from the inside. The mobility provided by the dragon is fun, but some of the dodge windows were difficult to guess at times.
Source: id Software
The Atlan mech is more straightforward to control. I stomp through a kind of spaceport in this giant colossus while a war rages around me. I crush houses, bridges and enemy tanks under my feet. However, demons also come in my size. Time for a clash of the titans. Once again, good timing is required to counter blows and respond with your own special attacks. The shortcuts again aren’t as intuitive as I’d like them to be. More than once, I duck away and hit nothing instead of counterattacking. Nevertheless, I triumph and tear the demon into a thousand pieces. Needless to say, Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t for the faint of heart.
Source: id Software
It slays, as the cool kids say
After three uninterrupted hours of Doom: The Dark Ages, I have to take a breather. That was pretty intense. id Software’s vision for the latest instalment takes one step back and two steps forward. The acrobatic interludes in Doom Eternal clearly weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, so the prequel returns to old strengths.
The Doom Slayer is a primal force that stomps unstoppably through levels. You can hear and feel that. Any doubts that he might be hiding behind his new shield are evaporated by the first group of demons he sees, which quickly turn into a bloody pulp. New melee weapons are also a perfect addition to the countless firearms.
Source: id Software
It takes some getting used to, but the story fits seamlessly into the gameplay. It’s suitably over-the-top, with dazzling characters and the mute, ultimate killing machine known as the Doom Slayer right in the middle.
Adding open areas as well as the dragon and combat robot is also welcome. My only concern is that the controls might be a bit too complex with all the different attacks, blocks, etc. But that’ll be revealed in the final version, which I’ll be testing in just under two months.
Doom: The Dark Ages will be released on 13 May for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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