Gaming

As if Doomguy Wasn’t Strong Enough, ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ Turns the Power Fantasy up to 666

‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is shaping up to be the most intense trip to Hell we’ve ever seen.

DOOM The Dark Ages Demon Fight
Screenshot: id Software

It’s been almost five years since we’ve skewered, stomped, and blown demons to bits in the boots of our favorite UAC Marine. While DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal blew our faces off with a modernized take at a legendary FPS franchise? id Software’s upcoming prequel is, somehow, kicking it up a notch or ten. DOOM: The Dark Ages is id Software’s most ambitious game yet. And it may be the most bonkers we’ve seen the Doomguy as the unstoppable killing machine he is.

back to basics: ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is kickin’ it old school

DOOM: The Dark Ages is the Doom Slayer’s origin story, so to speak. Taking place before the events of DOOM (2016), we’ll witness the Slayer’s rise to power in a sci-fi fantasy dimension of ancient powers and elder Gods. Departing from Eternal‘s zippy zappy jump-and-shoot gameplay, DOOM: The Dark Ages grounds the Slayer in a more methodical return to form reminiscent of the classics that started it all.

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“In DOOM Eternal, you felt like a fighter jet. In DOOM: The Dark Ages, you’ll be an iron tank,” says id Software game director Hugo Martin. Emphasizing power and poise over acrobatics, the Doom Slayer will be up close and personal to Hell’s Legion with an arsenal that promotes parrying, strafing, and chunky melee combat. Mr. Doomguy isn’t just bringing his trusty double-barrelled around this time. He has an assortment of medieval arms that will change how we play DOOM.

DOOM The Dark Ages Hulking Monster
Screenshot: id Software

The Shield Saw, quite literally a shield with sawblades, can parry demons’ attacks and open them up for a meaty flail to the skull. When a projectile launches your way, it can be reflected back to its sender. Flying enemies aren’t safe, either. The Shield Saw can be flung like a frisbee, slicing anything in its path before returning to the Slayer.

The Doom Slayer is equipped with three melee options that complement The Dark Ages‘ combat system. You receive an iron flail, an electrified gauntlet, and a spiked mace. All three weapons, combined with the Shield Saw, give Doomguy brand new ways to take advantage of the newly designed open-ended glory kill system.

expanding on eternal lessons

Environments in DOOM: The Dark Ages are bigger than ever. Some areas are essentially sandboxes that the Slayer can explore. This is Hell, after all. We’re no longer restricted to the confines of space station corridors and collapsed skyscrapers on Earth. The Dark Ages, while sticking to the linear formula we know well, introduces vast hellscapes to wander, complete with secrets, collectibles, and power-ups to find.

DOOM The Dark Ages Hellscape
Screenshot: id Software

In a Q&A session with Hugo Martin and id Software executive producer Marty Stratton, the pair had much to say about DOOM: The Dark Ages. Regarding the combat in The Dark Ages versus DOOM Eternal, Hugo mentions, “…In 2016, it was that it was too repetitive. And in Eternal, it’s an interesting comment, some people said it was too hard. I actually think it’s too complex.” Martin explains the goal is designing an “ergonomic control scheme” so players focus on fighting demons rather than their controls. The Dark Ages has a streamlined approach to combat, placing all of the Shield Saw’s various capabilities, for instance, onto the same button.

‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is Doomguy’s wildest adventure

If demons can jump into cybernetic power armor, why can’t Doomguy? DOOM: The Dark Ages will see the Doom Slayer in ways that only the most ridiculous fanfics could drum up. If you thought Doomguy with a shield was wacky, wait ’til you see him in a Megazord from Hell. Atlan, a literal 30-story mech, will be playable on some levels. Allowing the Slayer to square up with giant demons over hellish cityscapes. On other levels, he’ll mount a cybernetic dragon with Gatling guns, sprinkling some Panzer Dragoon-style dogfights to The Dark Ages‘ already eclectic mix of gameplay.

DOOM The Dark Ages Cybernetic Dragon
Screenshot: id Software

DOOM: The Dark Ages is the most extraordinary chapter of the DOOM franchise yet. Marty Stratton explains, “… it’s an epic, epic adventure for the Slayer. From the worlds that he ventures to, to piloting an Atlan, to taking control of a mecha dragon. It’s truly like nothing that players have had their hands on before in a DOOM game.”

DOOM: The Dark Ages is releasing on May 15, 2025, on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass. A Collector’s Bundle is up for pre-order as well, offering players a DOOM-style replica key card, a Doom Slayer statue, and future content planned for the game.