Doom: The Dark Ages Review – A Brutal, Shield-Bashing Reinvention or a Step Too Far?

For three decades, Doom has been synonymous with relentless, adrenaline-pumping first-person shooter action. It’s a franchise that isn’t afraid to rip and tear its own rulebook, boldly reinventing what it means to be a badass, super-powered, one-man army against the legions of Hell. From old-school run-and-gun to jump-scare horror, then a modern reimagining and the hyper-mobile ballet of violence in 2020’s Doom Eternal, change is the only constant. Now, Doom: The Dark Ages storms onto the scene, and let me tell you, it’s a different beast altogether. Is this medieval maelstrom, this prequel saga, the next great leap for the Slayer, or does it stumble under the weight of its new, heavy armor?

The Pre-Slayer Saga: A Darker, Grittier Hell

Doom: The Dark Ages throws us back in time, chronicling the Doom Slayer’s journey *before* he was rudely awakened in a sarcophagus on a UAC space station. Don’t expect a deep dive into the Slayer’s psyche; he’s still very much a vehicle for badassery. Instead, the narrative focuses on fleshing out the Doom universe, exploring the ancient conflict between humans and demons, and delving into the history of the Sentinels and the god-like Maykrs. It’s arguably the strongest a Doom story has ever been, which, let’s be honest, isn’t a bar you’d need a double jump to clear, but it’s serviceable and takes us to some truly wild places.

We’re talking sci-fi themed medieval castles that look like they’re ripped from a heavy metal album cover, and a very welcome trip to a Lovecraftian-inspired Cosmic Realm, complete with mind-bending puzzles and genuinely creepy settings. What’s particularly refreshing is that it no longer feels like just the Slayer against the nameless hordes. Human companions are central to the plot, and there’s a tangible sense of fighting alongside humanity in an all-out war. The intrigue surrounding the mysterious Maykrs adds another layer to this grim, dark fantasy. This is a brutal, violent, and surprisingly lore-rich world.

Gameplay Forged Anew: The Age of the Shield

Right out of the gate, Doom: The Dark Ages feels… different. If you’re coming in hot from Doom Eternal, with its blistering speed and aerial acrobatics, prepare for a shock. The movement is heavier, more grounded. Initially, I’ll admit, I was turned off. No double jump? No air-dash? Just sheer chaos with hundreds of enemies swarming from all sides in wide-open fields? It felt like a betrayal of everything that made Eternal one of my favorite shooters of all time.

But then, I got the Shield. And everything changed.

This isn’t just a defensive tool; it’s the cornerstone of combat in Doom: The Dark Ages. You’re encouraged to charge headfirst into danger, shield at the ready. Red attacks can be blocked until your shield depletes. Green attacks? Those are your cue to parry. A well-timed guard not only deflects substantial damage but can also stun most monsters. The parry timing, even on Nightmare difficulty, is pretty generous, but thankfully, you can fine-tune it in the menus along with a host of other difficulty modifiers. This makes the “stand and fight” marketing tagline incredibly apt.

The shield isn’t just for playing turtle. The charging bash attack is your new best friend for closing the distance, zipping across the battlefield with surprising speed – think the Super Shotgun’s meat hook, but faster and usable with any weapon. This combo of defensive parrying and offensive dashing elevates combat to a new stratosphere. It’s still incredibly fast and exciting, even without the old mobility standbys. You feel like a heavily armored tank, complete with loud footsteps and a shockwave when you land from a high jump. You can even toss the shield, Captain America style, to decapitate fodder or buzzsaw into larger foes, incapacitating them. This is especially potent against those pesky Arachnotrons and their non-reflectable bullets. Toss shield, dash in, Super Shotgun blast, glory kill. Chef’s kiss.

This shift in mechanics might be a tough adjustment for some. If you live and breathe by *Eternal*’s high-flying, weapon-juggling chaos, *The Dark Ages* will demand you unlearn some muscle memory. But give it time, let the new rhythm click, and you might find yourself grinning like a Doomguy who just found a BFG… or in this case, a really angry shield.

Doom Eternal vs. Doom: The Dark Ages – A Quick Comparison

Ripping and Tearing, Medieval Style: Arsenal & Enemies

The arsenal in Doom: The Dark Ages gets a medieval makeover, but the core functions are largely what we’ve come to know and love. Your satisfyingly punchy stalwarts are here: combat and super shotguns, an assault rifle that fires railspikes (yes, really!), a plasma rifle, and a single-shot sniper in the form of a steel ball launcher. The unique standout is the Skullcrusher Pulverizer, a chaingun-esque weapon with a ridiculous spread perfect for mulching a football field’s worth of fodder enemies. Though, frankly, the upgraded shield throw often handles those hordes just as well.

An interesting twist is that every gun has a “sister weapon” sharing its ammo type, hot-swappable with a button press. So, alongside a rocket launcher, there’s a grenade launcher. The Pulverizer’s wide spread is contrasted by the Ravager’s concentrated fire. This adds variety, and while I never felt *forced* to swap like in *Eternal*, I found myself doing it just because it’s fun. And credit to id Software’s weapon designers, every gun remains useful throughout the entire campaign, especially with upgrades.

The iconic Chainsaw for instant kills and ammo regain? Gone. Replaced by an all-new melee system. You get up close and personal, engaging in brawls that also restore ammo. While I miss sawing an Imp in half, this new system better suits the “rush towards the fight” philosophy. Ammo pickups for melee are also more plentiful, meaning fewer frustrating “out of ammo” moments.

Enemy-wise, you’ll see familiar faces: Imps, Hell Knights, Mancubi, Arachnotrons, even the Cyberdemon, all behaving as you’d expect but with a few new tricks. Others get medieval facelifts, like the Pinkie now being a mount for a demon archer, or a new Cacodemon hailing from the Cosmic Realm. The Vagary from Doom 3 even makes a comeback! The sheer number of on-screen enemies is exponentially jacked up. Early on, I was often frustrated by attacks from behind by enemies spawning without warning, but adapting my use of the shield bash to disengage as well as engage quickly became key.

The World is Your Blood-Soaked Canvas: Level Design & Pacing

The levels in Doom: The Dark Ages are, in a word, gigantic. Even the “smaller” stages are big by series standards, and the large levels are truly epic, open battlefields. They’re packed with secrets, challenging encounters, and breathtaking vistas, all welcoming exploration. This is crucial, as you’ll want to find upgrade currencies and collectibles like figurines and lore pick-ups.

However, some reviewers have noted that the game can feel a bit “flabby,” with the vast scope sometimes leading to wearying traversal. While the scale is impressive, the argument is that not all of this real estate is used effectively from a combat perspective. The aggressive forward momentum of past Dooms can sometimes feel diluted in these larger spaces.

Beyond the Boots on the Ground: Mechs, Dragons, and Banging Heads

Breaking up the on-foot carnage are sections where you pilot a giant mech called an Atlan or ride the Slayer’s dragon (because, why not?). The mech sections are simple “dodge, punch, punch” affairs, while the dragon bits are “dodge, shoot, shoot.” They’re shallow compared to the core gameplay, reminiscent of obligatory noughties shooter vehicle sections. That said, they’re infrequent and brief enough not to overstay their welcome, and they do provide some undeniably cool cinematic moments. They offer novelty, but perhaps don’t fully realize their potential as meaningful gameplay experiences.

And the soundtrack? Holy hell. It’s another banger of a heavy metal score that had me replaying levels with only the music cranked up. It’s pure, unadulterated Doom.

Performance: Does it Run Hellishly Well?

With Doom: The Dark Ages being fully ray-traced all the time, performance is a key question. The good news? It runs pretty well across a decent range of PC configurations, though entry requirements are a tad steep (RX 6000-series/RTX card, 8GB VRAM minimum officially, though 6GB can scrape by at 1080p). The engine seems capped around 60fps for optimal feel; surprisingly, much higher frame rates can feel a bit disjointed, though not laggy.

Visually, even the Low preset looks surprisingly good, with Medium arguably being the sweet spot for most. The graphical improvements between Medium, High, and Ultra are often subtle, especially in the heat of battle. This means you don’t necessarily need a top-tier rig to enjoy a visual treat. Upscaling tech like DLSS, FSR, and XeSS are supported, with DLSS (especially with its latest transformer model) often providing a superior experience. Frame generation is also present, though its benefits can vary, and on some lower-VRAM GPUs like the RTX 4050 laptop, it can even hinder performance. For Nvidia RTX 20/30 series users, frame generation via FSR isn’t an option if the upscaler and FG aren’t decoupled, which is a shame. Still, the game is a solid performer for a fully ray-traced title, even if some denoising isn’t perfect and some textures are low-res up close.

Doom: The Dark Ages – Key Takeaways & Is It For You?

So, what are the essential things you need to know before diving into this medieval hellscape? It’s a different flavor of Doom, that’s for sure.

• A Slower, More Tactical Slayer: The game places a heavy emphasis on the new shield mechanics, parrying, and a more grounded combat feel. This is arguably the biggest shift.
• Vast, Epic-Scale Battles: Prepare for more enemies on screen than ever before, leading to truly chaotic encounters in expansive arenas.
• Medieval Makeover: A fresh, dark fantasy aesthetic permeates everything from weapons and enemies to the sprawling environments.
• Simplified but Satisfying Arsenal: Less frantic weapon-juggling than Eternal, with more focus on core gunplay and powerful shield synergies. Every weapon feels impactful.
• Contentious Changes: The new vehicle sections (mechs and dragons) and the overall pacing might be divisive for long-time fans. It’s very much a “love it or hate it” entry.
• Story Takes a Step Up: While still not the main focus, the lore and narrative are more developed, adding context to the carnage.
• Exploration is Rewarded: Huge levels are packed with secrets and upgrades, encouraging you to venture off the beaten path.

The Verdict: A Bold, Bruising, and Potentially Divisive Reinvention

Doom: The Dark Ages is an ambitious, brutal, and undeniably creative shooter. It fearlessly rewrites core tenets of the Doom formula, and for many, including some critics who’ve awarded it Editors’ Choice, these changes are a resounding success. The shield combat is satisfyingly crunchy, the scale is immense, and the medieval aesthetic is a refreshing twist. It makes dragons and chainsaw shields feel as essential as the BFG.

However, this is not Doom Eternal 2. The slower, heavier pace, the emphasis on parrying over pure evasion, and the less vertical combat will absolutely be a point of contention. Some will adore the new direction, finding it more approachable or strategically deeper. Others will mourn the loss of Eternal’s unparalleled mobility and demand for god-tier APM. It’s a game that will likely be debated for years to come. Is Doom: The Dark Ages the reinvention we craved? That depends entirely on what you want from your Doom. It’s a non-stop thrill if you click with its new rhythm, but it might be a tough hang if you can’t let go of past glories. One thing is certain: id Software isn’t afraid to take risks, and Doom: The Dark Ages carves its own bloody, brutal path. The question is, are you willing to tread it?