DOOM: The Dark Ages review - fun gory rampage through demons of Hell

It feels as though Microsoft is caught in a loop of taking two steps forward and one back when it comes to Xbox.

The most recent example is within the past few weeks; two incredible titles released day one on Game Pass (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered which was shadow dropped by Bethesda, a studio owned by Microsoft, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) and Microsoft revealed it was the biggest publisher on both Xbox and PlayStation for pre-orders and pre-installs in the last financial quarter.

However a lot of that good work and feel-good factor felt as though it quickly dissipated after Microsoft announced the cost of existing Xbox consoles is rising - quite significantly too.

DOOM: The Dark Ages might help ease some of that heat by doing what DOOM games do best.

The Doom Slayer in DOOM: The Dark Ages / Screenshot from id Software & Bethesda

DOOM: The Dark Ages story (spoiler free)

Let's be honest here, the majority of players don't play a DOOM title for the story but there is a campaign loosely threading the violent and gory rampages through each level together.

Players take on the role of a super weapon in a medieval weapon against the forces of Hell.

The game is a prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal and reveals the origins of the Doom Slayer who is summoned as a last resort to help turn the tides of war in favour of a kingdom on the brink of a devastating loss to the forces of Hell.

There are a few twists and turns along the way across the 22 chapters.

Prince Ahzrak is the main villain in DOOM: The Dark Ages / Screenshot from id Software & Bethesda

DOOM: The Dark Ages presentation

As you'd expect from a DOOM game, DOOM: The Dark Ages is incredibly gory and this is established from the opening few seconds.

Enemies can literally be smashed into pieces with the new Shield Saw and more (with crunchy effects successfully capturing that too) and the remnants of fallen foes don't leave much to the imagination.

Demons can also have limbs shot off and be torn into pieces in a number of different ways, even in ways that don't seem thinkable. Props to DOOM: The Dark Ages for that.

The graphics are great - in indy100's playthrough on PS5, the frame rate never dipped and everything remained stable on that front.

The enemies themselves look incredibly gnarly and horrific too. The design of bigger bosses is pretty breathtaking and the scale of them is nothing short of spectacular.

The locations feel moody and are varied enough to keep things feeling fresh while still reminding players they're constantly battling the demons of Hell.

There are ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes and lots more.

There's a heavy metal soundtrack that runs almost at a constant through the game, really swelling for bigger boss battles and is successful in making that adrenaline pump even more in tense moments.

The HUD shows just what's needed and nothing more which is important in such an action heavy game. There's nothing superfluous here that will get in the way.

Enermy variety is strong through DOOM: The Dark Ages / Screenshot from id Software & Bethesda

DOOM: The Dark Ages gameplay

Now then, time to dive into what really makes a DOOM title tick - the gameplay. And on the whole, it's pretty good. The core gunplay in DOOM: The Dark Ages is strong.

The big new addition in DOOM: The Dark Ages is the Shield Saw and it was fun to see this play an increased role as the game went on.

Without spoiling too much here, it can be used to guard against attacks, as you'd expect, but also to parry against certain attacks to then create an opening to deal massive damage or just flat out destroy an enemy.

It can be used in a number of different interesting ways as the hours go on, such as a gruesome projectile. There is a huge focus on the use of this throughout, giving existing DOOM players a bit of a new challenge. Combat is grounded this time around too.

New weapons, enemies and mechanics are gradually introduced over the course of the 22 chapters too.

These all integrate fairly well throughout and getting to grips with each new addition and how it develops what has already been established is fun - when they're first introduced.

They help to offer new things to think about but taking out waves and waves after a new weapon, enemy type or mechanic has introduced did have indy100 waiting for what was next to come after the initial wave in some cases.

Of course, waves are a part of the DOOM formula, but it did feel a little predictable sometimes, especially towards the end of levels or building up to a boss battle.

Some bigger enemies in these waves have morale meters where enough smaller enemies have to be taken out before any damage can be landed on them. This added an extra layer of strategy but in some cases was met with a little sigh.

However, elements of classic DOOM have been incorporated very well, which involves players having to move through slow moving projectiles and find an opening in certain situations.

The boss battles are huge and incredibly spectacular and having The Atlan Mech and Dragon sprinkled here and there as the game went on gave some of the game's biggest standout moments.

The Atlan Mech sections are some of the standout moments in DOOM: The Dark Ages / Screenshot from id Software & Bethesda

The Atlan Mech allows for complete takedowns of landscapes and brutal slugfests against multiple huge enemies, along with the biggest gun probably ever seen in gaming. The Dragon sections make the pace of the game even quicker and introduce even more new ways to take down huge demons and enemies.

Things completely change up during these sections, especially the pacing. Admittedly, there can be too much of a good thing, but it would have been great to see these featured even more.

It goes without saying but stay still for too long in DOOM and it's the easiest way to die. Staying on the move, strafing through attacks and picking out the perfect openings to counter are key.

Weapons, the Shield Saw and melee can all be upgraded by finding and collecting gold in the world and this usually encourages exploration off the beaten path.

This ties in with the biggest levels ever seen in a DOOM game, including semi-open world sections that allow a bigger focus on exploration so players can find those precious resources along with more armour, health, collectibles and more, including beefy monsters to defeat to increase stats and get rewards too. Rewards hidden behind small puzzles are pretty good too. Objectives can be tackled in any order the player wants.

Players can also focus solely on the main objectives if they want to but a certain extent of exploration is advised to progress. Especially on higher difficulty levels.

Dragon sections are breathless and brilliant / Screenshot from id Software & Bethesda

DOOM: The Dark Ages verdict

DOOM: The Dark Ages is releasing at a good time for Xbox to take some of that heat off it given how anticipated the game is.

While the story loosely threads it all together, the presentation is great and the gameplay is fast-paced while successfully introducing new mechanics as the game goes on. Some of the waves that follow new things being introduced or developed can feel a little predictable at times though.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is probably what's expected from a DOOM game with a few new additions and tweaks. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and while it doesn't feel hugely groundbreaking, it's fun to play through.

7/10

DOOM: The Dark Ages releases on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC on May 15 with early access starting on May 13 for those who preorder the Premium Edition.

Elsewhere from indy100, the Steam Deck gets a battery charge limit in a new test and Nintendo's president has issued a warning about the future cost of Switch 2 consoles in the US.

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