To say I have mixed feelings when it comes to the modern Doom franchise would be an understatement. It took a while for Doom 2016 (one of the few games I wish had a subtitle to set it apart) to click with me, but when it clicked it felt like more of a violent clunk. I, like many many others, adored the over the top gory and hugely satisfying gunplay in 2016, which no game has come close to replicating since.

Despite my level of excitement for its successor, Doom Eternal, in 2019 I hated my brief time with it. The elevated level of difficulty with inaccessible combat masquerading as perpetual parkour crossed with puzzle platforming made me bounce right off it with a level of abhorrence matched only by my original hype for it. You may be surprised to learn after that diatribe that I think Doom Eternal is a vastly superior Doom game compared to The Dark Ages.

That’s not to say Eternal is a better game; I’m having a lot of fun with The Dark Ages. It’s comfortably one of the best shooters I’ve played in years, designed with all the care and adoration it deserves by the development team at id Software. What they have delivered is a solid experience that achieves all it sets out to do. Unfortunately where I feel they’ve missed the mark is capturing the spark that sets Doom apart from the ocean of shooters that have been trying to emulate it for the past 30 years.

The Dark Ages is the the seventh game released in the Doom franchise, yet it feels the most distant from the original formula that we’ve ever seen. For better and worse. My first complaint is very simple: Where’s the gore? Oh sure, there’s definitely some here. The Doom Slayer doesn’t take much convincing to tear out the throat of an enemy; and separating an opponents top half from their bottom half happens roughly once per second, but any game can do that. Doom 2016 began with the Slayer interrupting the opening cutscene to grab a gun and start blasting. This game starts with a cutscene, followed by another cutscene; meanwhile the entire player base are itching to begin killing things. It feels like The Dark Ages wants its audience to wait patiently while it spins an epic yarn about this complex fella we all know as the Doom Slayer. I simply could not care less about him, what I do care about is what he does and how he does it.

Doom Eternal was described as making the Slayer feel like a fighter jet, constantly on the move and spending a lot of time airborne avoiding attacks and perils throughout each level. By comparison, The Dark Ages makes him more of a tank, able to stand and fight, taking damage head-on instead of frantically scarpering out of the way. This change gets a huge thumbs up from me, particularly because it involves the main departure from Eternal that I think works best. Instead of wielding the chainsaw and the flamethrower, this time the Slayer is armed with a blade rimmed shield, handily capable of returning to his hand after being thrown. This adds a compelling additional layer to combat with the option to parry and deflect incoming attacks highlighted in green back at what fired them.

I had an incredibly spectacular moment early on after I, low on health having just clawed my way through a boss fight, deflected a shot from a tank that had it landed would surely have been a killing blow. This quick reaction, born from raw adrenaline and desperation; was the first time in my playthrough where I really felt like the Doom Slayer; an unstoppable entity of aggression. It’s rare that I bother using parries in any game, but I enjoy and feel sufficiently rewarded for using it as often as I do in The Dark Ages, so I have to give the game credit for that. I broke the flow of combat several times just to watch the shield spinning while embedded in the enemy I threw it at, spewing blood and flesh from their fresh wound, which I understand is absolutely my fault and for which I have no regrets. To those unfamiliar with the franchise this might sound like quite a gory moment despite my original issue with the game stated earlier, but this is absolutely nothing compared to what Doom 2016 had us doing with increasing frequency through its run time.

Fortuitously, I wasn’t punished too severely for any breaks from the spectacle as the difficulty from Eternal has been significantly pulled back for those who choose it. The full punishing Doom experience is still here for the hardened players in the fanbase, just with the open-mindedness to allow some of the more casual crowd in as well. That said, predominantly through its level design aesthetic, I found that even in my limited time with Eternal it felt closer to being a Doom game than I ever felt with The Dark Ages.

Classic enemy design returns with familiar faces from previous modern Doom entries, and I was pleased to see the new weapons in the game offer a new approach to combat. Each weapon has an alternate firing mode you can switch between without needing to traverse your weapon wheel, and it didn’t take long to get into the rhythm of equipping the guns I liked best and launching into each fray ready to blast, block, deflect and launch the shield as each occasion called for it. The Dark Ages has done away with Eternal’s perplexing idea that specific weapons would be needed to dispatch particular enemies. While you can still lean on that idea here if you wish, the game does not penalise players to sticking to their preferred killing machine, even if a quick weapon swap would assist in bringing death to Hell’s force slightly faster.

I wish less time had been dedicated to the cutscenes, as I found myself frequently bored during them and unable to follow what passes for a story in the game. I don’t believe anyone has ever said that they wish previous Doom games had more focus on the plight of human side characters, so I don’t get why that non-existent desire is being catered to here. The quality of the soundtrack has also taken a hit following renowned composer Mick Gordon’s departure. The new tracks, clearly trying to replicate those we’ve heard before, loop early and don’t have the same weight and zest to them as found in previous games.

Music aside, the sound design throughout each level is as crunchy as you could hope. Every step the Slayer takes sounds like a grumpy stamp, like that of a disgruntled customer charging back into a shop upon realising they’ve been overcharged. Weapons sound distinct when fired and a lot of attention has clearly been put into their audio performance. Of course, guns never have to be reloaded in this franchise, which I appreciate, but I also miss the occasional sound of reloading a heavy weapon that is so prevalent in other games.

The Dark Ages has attempted to inject some new flavour into its formula with the addition of piloting the Doom Slayer’s own dragon, as well as engaging in giant mech combat at certain points. While these looked very cool in the trailers, in practice they are nothing to write home about, as they are both hugely repetitive and their mechanics only skin deep.

To summarise my thoughts on where Doom is as a franchise now, and what I think the eighth game should focus on: Doom 2016 was the definitive, perfect experience that players expect from the franchise. Eternal and The Dark Ages have tried with varying levels of success to build on the formula and offer polish in certain areas. As competent as id Software are, unfortunately you cannot improve something which is already perfect. You couldn’t slap a drag spoiler on an Aston Martin Vanquish and call it a better car. The joy of a roast dinner is not heightened with a sprinkling of mozzarella. Please id Software, take Doom 2016 and just do that again!

I had a great time with The Dark Ages, and despite my whinging there is very little not to like with the game. This is a great, solidly made experience which deserves your attention; it’s just not a great DOOM game. As a result I score it

7 / 10

Written and edited by Alexx.

Game code provided by publisher.