Doom: the Dark Ages Impression
That's one doomed space marine.
Doom: the Dark Ages is a game that hardly needs me to talk about it. It's a huge franchise that's well covered by pretty much everyone on the internet. Unfortunately, I'm obsessed with first-person shooters, and big AAA games in that genre don't come around as often as I'd like.
The new Doom (nuDoom?) games are all so staunchly different from each other and that itself is a wonder. It can be difficult for shooters, especially shooters in the same series, to make an original offering. Doom: the Dark Ages drenches itself in dark fantasy setpieces contrasted against futuristic and sci-fi technology. Cyborg dragons, mechs with swords and a gun that grinds skulls into high-velocity pellets.
It's borderline schizophrenic — a true testament to the heavy-metal musings of John Romero and the original Doom games on DOS. Every frame looks like it could be a cover for an Iron Maiden or Morbid Angel album.
This leads us to the music—in a word, fuck. The Dark Ages gives players more freedom to explore its open levels, so the score has to balance the high-octane battles with some subdued riffs. The result is an ominous symphony that is always one step from full-on shit-fight.
The presentation alone earns top marks, but The Dark Ages innovates on gameplay too. It's not as fast as DOOM (2016) or Doom Eternal. You're a hulking big tank with a chainsaw shield. The focus is on parrying attacks and timing counters. Maps have been opened up significantly, packed to the brim with demons, collectibles and even some God of War style throw-your-shield-at-statues-to-unlock-chests-esque puzzles.
It's the most difficult Doom I've played so far. You need to have a constant awareness of where enemies are, even the fodder demons can swipe away huge amounts of health. The sheer number of enemies they managed to fit into each battle means you have to develop a level of paranoia most games wouldn't ask you to develop. The Dark Ages just hands you a bag of heroin instead.
I've got nothing but respect for games that shrug off any industry norms just to be as unrelentingly cool as fucking possible. Imagine the swathes of dyspeptic Microsoft executives who signed off on the game where you throw a chainsaw shield into a demon, and shoot the still-lodged and spinning shield, sending bullets flying at other demons. Maybe even they know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.
id Software has done nothing but back-to-back hits (not counting Rage 2) since 2016. I don't know where they go from here, Doom: the Dark Ages is so utterly insane it is hard to imagine a follow-up. Whether you're a fan of shooters, killing hordes or demons, or ideally both — pick up your flail and start pummeling!
