During a recent hands-on demo of Doom: The Dark Ages, the gothic prequel developed by id Software, I found myself unexpectedly reminded of Halo 3. Midway through the demo, I was riding atop a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire on a demonic battle barge. After taking out its defensive turrets, I landed on the vessel and charged through its lower decks, turning the crew into a bloody mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against Hell's machines.
Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter will recognize similarities to Master Chief's assault on Covenant scarab tanks. The transition from an aerial assault to a devastating boarding action is reminiscent of Halo's gameplay, despite the swap from a Hornet helicopter to a holographic-winged dragon and from a giant laser-firing mech to an occult flying boat. Interestingly, this wasn't the only Halo-like moment in the demo. While The Dark Ages retains Doom's signature combat, its campaign design evokes the feel of late-2000s shooters, complete with elaborate cutscenes and a focus on gameplay novelty.
A dragon assault on Hell's battle barge. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Over the course of two and a half hours, I played through four levels of Doom: The Dark Ages. The first level mirrored the tightly paced and meticulously designed levels of Doom (2016) and its sequel. The subsequent levels, however, introduced piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and exploring a vast battlefield filled with secrets and powerful minibosses. This marked a departure from Doom's focus on mechanical purity, drawing parallels to games like Halo, Call of Duty, and even older James Bond titles like Nightfire, which are known for their scripted setpieces and mission-specific mechanics.
This direction is intriguing, especially considering Doom's history. The cancelled Doom 4 was initially planned to resemble Call of Duty with a modern military aesthetic, increased focus on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. id Software ultimately abandoned these ideas in favor of the more focused Doom (2016). However, The Dark Ages seems to revisit these concepts, set to release in 2025.
The campaign's brisk pace is interspersed with new gameplay elements that echo Call of Duty's notable novelties. My demo began with a long, detailed cutscene that (re)introduced the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels – the Doom Slayer's knightly allies. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a formidable legend, a nuclear-level threat on two legs. This lore, while familiar to Doom enthusiasts through prior games' codex entries, is presented in a deeply cinematic fashion, reminiscent of Halo. The presence of NPC Night Sentinels scattered across the environment further enhances the feeling of being part of a larger force, akin to the UNSC Marines in Halo.
The inclusion of extensive character work in the introductory cutscene raises questions about whether such narrative depth is necessary for Doom. Personally, I appreciate the subtlety of the story in the previous games, which relied more on environmental storytelling and codex entries. However, the cutscenes in The Dark Ages are brief and serve to set up missions without disrupting the game's intense flow.
The demo also introduced other gameplay interruptions. Following the opening mission, which transitioned from shotgun combat to parrying Hell Knights with the Slayer's new shield, I found myself in the cockpit of a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, battling demonic kaiju. Subsequently, I soared through the skies on the cybernetic dragon, attacking battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels significantly shift the gameplay, introducing elements reminiscent of Call of Duty's standout sequences, such as Modern Warfare's AC-130 gunship mission or Infinite Warfare's dogfighting.
The mech battles are Pacific Rim-scale punch ups. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Many top FPS campaigns thrive on such variety, with Half-Life 2 and Titanfall 2 setting the standard. Halo's longevity is partly due to its mix of vehicular and on-foot gameplay. However, I'm unsure if this approach will suit Doom. The Dark Ages, like Eternal, offers complex on-foot combat that demands constant attention, weaving together shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging, almost resembling quick-time events (QTEs).
In Call of Duty, switching to a tank or a circling gunship works because the mechanical complexity aligns closely with the on-foot gameplay. However, in The Dark Ages, there's a noticeable gap between the styles, making the mech and dragon sections feel like a stark contrast to the ground-based combat.
My final hour of play introduced the "Siege" level, which refocused on id's exceptional gunplay but opened up the typically claustrophobic level design into a vast battlefield. The objective, to destroy five Gore Portals, echoed Call of Duty's multi-objective missions, yet it also brought to mind Halo's contrast between interior and exterior environments. The expansive space required rethinking weapon ranges and employing charge attacks and shields in new ways.
The downside of such expansive gameplay is potential loss of focus, as I found myself backtracking through empty pathways, which disrupted the pace. Incorporating the dragon in a manner similar to Halo's Banshee could have maintained the momentum and integrated the dragon more seamlessly into the experience.
Despite the mixed feelings about these new elements, it's fascinating to see the return of ideas once considered unsuitable for Doom. The cancelled Doom 4 featured scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, much like what we've seen in The Dark Ages. id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed in 2016 that Doom 4 was more akin to Call of Duty, with a heavy emphasis on cinematic storytelling and characters. The Dark Ages resurrects these concepts, featuring large boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a broader cast of characters, and significant lore reveals.
The core of The Dark Ages remains its intense, on-foot combat. Nothing in the demo suggested that this wouldn't be the centerpiece, and everything I played confirmed it as another brilliant evolution of Doom's core gameplay. While I believe this alone could sustain an entire campaign, id Software is clearly exploring new avenues. Some of these new ideas feel mechanically thin, raising concerns that they might detract from the experience rather than enhance it. However, with more to see, these demo missions will only be fully contextualized over time. I eagerly await May 15th, not only to return to id's unparalleled gunplay but also to satisfy my curiosity about whether Doom: The Dark Ages will be a well-crafted late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.
