DOOM: The Dark Ages Preview - Bullet-Hell Action that’s Fresh and Familiar

We spent close to four hours playing a preview build of DOOM: The Dark Ages, which presents an impressive new direction for the franchise while remaining true to the relentless action of the modern DOOM games.

There's a misconception that you get more of the same when it comes to a single-player first-person shooter, a genre name that merely describes the presentation. Of course, this isn’t the case, as the only thing that remains the same - more often than not - is the first-person perspective. 

DOOM is different from Call of Duty, which is different from Half-Life. However, that ‘more of the same’ off-hand descriptor can apply to many sequels or franchise entries. What makes id Software’s DOOM franchise so interesting (outside of birthing the FPS genre in the early 1990s) is that it isn’t interested in finding a groove that works and sticking with it.

From Doom 3’s foray into the world of dark, slow, and measured sci-fi horror to DOOM Eternal’s intense, arena-style, fast-paced combat built on an intricate system of mechanics and rules. DOOM: The Dark Ages, although familiar in that it draws inspiration from the very first Doom game from 1993 and its status as a prequel/sequel to Doom Eternal from the same creative team, is another detour into new territory. 

A cinematic, fast-paced, customizable, bullet-hell dance of projectiles, chunky melee weapons, and shield saws.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Classification:
Author: Kosta Andreadis
Date: April 01, 2025

The Slayer Returns

From the visuals to the heavy metal soundtrack, DOOM: The Dark Ages looks like modern DOOM - albeit powered by the latest id Tech engine that looks stunning when running on a GeForce RTX 5080-powered rig in 4K. Taking control of the Slayer in a gothic sci-fi setting in the middle of a massive battle between the minions of hell, humans, and space aliens feels familiar the moment you fire your weapon. However, using a shield to teleport and dash into a group of demons, causing them to explode into a cloud of red mist, is new. 

There’s a bullet-hell feeling to a lot of the combat here, in a way that is not unlike DOOM meets a top-down shoot-em-up like Raiden II or Ikaruga."

Dodging red projectiles while parrying green ones back to their source, ala Link from The Legend of Zelda, hearkens back to the original game’s strafing action, but in a fully 3D world where the Slayer moves around like a walking tank with abilities that feel like they’re ripped (or torn) from comic book pages featuring Captain America or The Flash. That is if those superheroes had the mettle to take on the legions of hell single-handedly. There’s a bullet-hell feeling to a lot of the combat here, in a way that is not unlike DOOM meets a top-down shoot-em-up like Raiden II or Ikaruga.

After playing close to four hours of DOOM: The Dark Ages as part of a preview event, it’s safe to say that id Software is cooking up something special here. However, it’s a game that might divide fans with how it approaches building a new experience on top of the foundation set by DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal (2020). 

Stand and Fight

And not simply because the new “stand and fight” design principle means that verticality and zipping around an arena is all but absent here, but because DOOM: The Dark Ages’ intricate combat dance full of abilities, weapons, movement, and enemies with specific attributes and mechanics is almost entirely new, or remixed. Instead of using a shoulder-mounted flamethrower to gain armor or a chainsaw to split trash demons into a fireworks display of varying ammo packs, in DOOM: The Dark Ages, defense, attack, melee, and guns come together in a way that is different, complex, deep, rewarding, and fun.

"Sometimes, simplicity works best. DOOM: The Dark Ages is fun."

Articulation can be complex, especially when relaying information and details to a receptive audience. Sometimes, simplicity works best. 

DOOM: The Dark Ages is fun. 

Shooting enemy armor to make it glow red with heat and then throwing the Slayer’s shield saw to melt it into lovely little pieces of green armor that your shield has the decency to collect for you on its return voyage is mechanically, visually, and thematically satisfying. Being able to do that with a single throw aimed at a large group of shield-bearing demons standing in a line is… chef's kiss.

Customisable Carnage

However, when you add in a melee weapon like the flail or gauntlets as a means to regain ammo and varying weapons that are new or familiar, and pacing that makes standing still without knowing what’s in front of and behind you a recipe for a ‘Critical Health’ warning, it’s a lot to take in. There’s as much emphasis on parrying and using close-quarters melee combat as on firing off a plasma weapon from a safe distance. And it can be overwhelming (or underwhelming), which is why id Software offers deep customisation options for tuning the DOOM: The Dark Ages experience.

"The level design is far and away some of id Software’s most impressive work because it feels like a real environment you want to explore while also being 100% a videogame place.

Doom games have always had difficulty options that alter the amount of damage you take and give and the number of threats you face. In DOOM: The Dark Ages, you can adjust the game's speed in either direction, fine-tune enemy projectile speed, and do much more. It’s commendable because the choices stay true to the game’s core mechanics and combat flow, highlighting how rock-solid it all is. For example, you can slow enemy projectile speed while making every shot lethal. This fills the battlefield with red and green projectiles and makes the act of strafing and dodging a delicately deadly dance.

The biggest chunk we played in our time with DOOM: The Dark Ages was one of the game’s new open levels with multiple pathways, large battlefields, side quests, secrets, caves, hidden treasure, and more. The return of blue keys to open blue doors is a definite nod to the early days of the FPS genre. Still, the level design is far and away some of id Software’s most impressive work because it feels like a real environment you want to explore while also being 100% a videogame place.

DOOM: The Dragon Ages

Looking at the overall structure of DOOM: The Dark Ages, you’ll be playing through a series of linear action setpieces and levels with open areas like the one mentioned above, breaking up the action with some exploration and even puzzle-solving. The story has also been ramped up with more cinematics, plot, lore, and twists and turns. Some of these lead to fun new stuff, like jumping onto the back of a dragon that can shoot or a large Titan that is a skyscraper-sized mech. 

DOOM: The Dark Ages is shaping up to be one of the defining games of 2025..."

We got to experience both in our hands-on time with DOOM: The Dark Ages, and surprisingly, these felt like the weakest parts of the experience because they presented very little that you’d call new. Flying the dragon or piloting a giant mech is fun for a minute, but the combat is the same dodge and deflect gameplay seen in the core experience, stripped down to that one mechanic. Variety and changing things up on a dynamic battlefield is where DOOM: The Dark Ages shines, so we’re hoping these sections are short and sweet in the final game.

Also, that’s disappointing in the sense that the “stand and fight” action and exploration you get when stepping into the shoes of the Slayer is fantastic and a testament to a developer at the top of their game. DOOM: The Dark Ages is shaping up to be one of the defining games of 2025 - a visual tour de force backed up by action that is relentless, fun, and confident in its design and unique flow.

About the author

Written By Kosta Andreadis
Kosta Andreadis is a veteran gaming and technology writer with decades of experience across news, reviews, and in-depth articles. Between Diablo seasons, he can be found creating new electronic jams (music, not the digital condiment) and tinkering with retro gaming hardware.
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