DOOM: The Dark Ages is easily one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, with legions of fans raring to rip and tear as the Slayer once more. Heading back into the past, this prequel is set to blend gnarly combat and wild weapons with a grisly medieval environment that promises to be every bit as dark as the name suggests.
Recently, GamesHub got a sneak peek preview of the DOOM: The Dark Ages Xbox Developer Direct presentation, plus a brief Q&A with game director Hugo Martin and executive producer Marty Stratton to discuss all things combat, environment and vibe.
The chat encompassed everything from customisable difficulty (in the face of both hardcore fans and players with accessibility needs), to the importance of simplicity and fluidity as core design pillars. It was fascinating to peel back the curtain, with each little tidbit marking DOOM: The Dark Ages as one to watch for GamesHub. And yes, it was sick as hell to hear more about the cybernetic dragons.
READ: Xbox Developer Direct returns on 23 January
“We wanted to make this from the beginning…”
There’s something really vibey about blending sci-fi elements with a medieval environment. Whether you’re busting out a hectic gun in the remains of a decrepit ruin, or using an electrified gauntlet while surrounded by crumbling battlements, there’s a required level of dissonance to strike the right chord – and when it hits, it hits.
It’s safe to say that DOOM: The Dark Ages hits that chord. The prequel evokes a very specific mood and doesn’t skimp on the Middle Ages energy, with the presentation emphasising how “medieval mechanics synergise with the enemies and the environments.”
Is it different? Yes. Is it immediately more interesting to me as a raging fantasy RPG girlie? Sure. Does it still have the all-important quintessential DOOM feeling? Definitely. No matter how much the scenery shifts, this game looks set to be all DOOM, all the time – just with an added layer of glorious Middle Age grime.
While it may seem like a departure for some, venturing back to the more medieval setting is something that the team have wanted since the very beginning – DOOM: The Dark Ages embodies an era and vibe they’ve been noodling around for years, and they credit fan support as being the reason they could make it happen at all.
“There’s kind of a ‘how-to’ book on creating IPs, established by great brands like Lord of the Rings and directors like George Lucas,” said Martin. “Usually you want to create an interesting world and give that world like a history, and then you want to have heroes with a great and interesting past.”
“If you’re lucky enough, and the fans are happy enough with what you did, you’ll get to make more iterations of your IP … And that’s what we’ve been able to do – we wanted to make this from the beginning.”
Give me that flail immediately
Let’s be real, the most important thing for DOOM: The Dark Ages to nail here is the combat – and it looks like there are a few significant changes to the formula this time around. As noted in the presentation, “In Doom: Eternal you felt like a fighter jet. In Doom: The Dark Ages you’ll be an iron tank – heavy, strong, but still fast.”
There’s a much more grounded feel to the game, literally. In a departure from the verticality of DOOM: Eternal, the prequel wants you on the ground (for the most part), up close and personal with enemies that will challenge you to get melee-happy.
Staying true to the theme, there are three melee options that will unlock for you over the course of the game: an electrified gauntlet, a spiked mace and an iron flail (which honestly looks sick, and I’m not kidding when I say I want one for my living room). These are pre-selected load-outs, allowing you a bit more control over your preferred method of busting up demons – and as someone who has spoken at length of her love for big hulking freaks, I can’t wait to see what the flail does to one.
“Not unlike swapping out equipment items in Eternal … You can, through the dossier, pick whatever melee weapon you would like to use,” said Martin. “Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and you progress throughout the level, unlocking each one.”
And that’s before we even get to talking about the shield saw – which allows you to deflect, block, parry and throw all from one input – and the very aptly named Skull Crusher gun, which (as you might expect) grinds up skulls and shoots out the fragments. Oh, and they both look metal as hell, which is arguably just as important.
Speaking of metal as hell, we need to talk about the mecha dragons. Described in the DOOM: The Dark Ages presentation as, “your very own fire-breathing, Gatling gun-toting cybernetic dragon,” this beast was possibly the coolest part of the entire preview, in my humble opinion.
Before you get too excited, the dragon is limited to a selection of predetermined points, but it’s worth noting that there’s a lot of scope for dragon-riding exploration in some of the larger predetermined zones. Plus, piloting this cybernetic king of the sky allows you to get tricky with combat, taking out defences from above before landing boldly amid your enemies. Forgive me if I can’t think about anything else for the next week.
Well, anything else except being able to pilot your own 30ft Atlan, which is a game-changer. Stratton confirmed in the Q&A that this too will only be available in predetermined points, but we know for sure that there’s at least one zone in DOOM: The Dark Ages where you’ll play as an Atlan the entire time. Let me in! Put me in the big war machine! I want to be huge!
Another element of note in DOOM: The Dark Ages is the approach to glory kills. The presentationnoted, “an all-new, un-synced, completely in the player’s control glory kill system,” and the execution seems wild.
It looks to be a refreshing addition, especially for players who sometimes felt reluctant to lean in to the glory kill system in previous games. The biggest advantage here in DOOM: The Dark Ages is a notable lack of momentum loss, which makes choosing whether to glory kill far less of a strategic move than it has been in the past.
Plus, while the animations have always been cool, seeing them from the exact same angle every time can definitely feel a little repetitive – but when there’s a physics system that allows for these un-synced animations, that repetitious feeling seems set to be significantly diminished.
With more scope to make DOOM: The Dark Ages feel as tricky as you want it to be, this blend of medieval-inspired weaponry, combat fluidity, and melee-focused encounters looks set to impress.
An unexpected sliding scale
Whether you’ve got a history of challenging yourself on Nightmare, or you’re just there to let off some steam on easier modes, past DOOM games have offered a select few options for difficulty. With DOOM: The Dark Ages, however, that appears to be a thing of the past.
As part of the Xbox Developer Direct presentation, Stratton confirmed, “For the first time in an Id [Software] game, we’ve made our combat more approachable and flexible than ever before, with a new difficulty system and sliders that will allow players to tune the speed and challenge of the game to whatever fits them best.”
This looks set to allow an unprecedented amount of difficulty customisation in the DOOM franchise, with options available for players in both directions, no matter their skill level.
“We’ve got some pretty hardcore players out there – [it] allows them to ramp it up and create these ridiculous experiences for themselves,” said Stratton in the subsequent press Q&A. “On the accessibility front, it really does make the game more accessible for somebody who maybe has motor difficulties, or wants to dial in the experience just for them.”
But what does that really look like? The two most notable sliders are game speed (which can head in either direction, if you want to give yourself a greater challenge), and the severity of the damage that enemies inflict upon you. As someone who tends to prefer a more rapid game experience (but perhaps isn’t the best at avoiding hits), this customisation spectrum definitely appeals.
But with DOOM: The Dark Ages‘ heavier style of combat focusing a lot more on melee than we’re used to, there’s a lot to consider behind the scenes when it comes to balancing these challenges for all iterations of difficulty. Off the back of feedback from DOOM: Eternal that suggested that many players found the combat “too hard,” the team focused on simplification of elements.
“Some people said it was too hard, I actually think it’s too complex,” said Martin. “I think that the complexity of the control scheme led to, you know, unnecessary difficulties. You really want to be fighting the demons, the bad guys, not your controls.”
Reducing unnecessary complexity became a core design principle for the development team. “Fewer strings on the guitar, so to speak, is really what the goal was – something that felt intuitive” said Martin.
“We’ve balanced the the range of the weapons to be medium-to-short range, so that way you’re encouraged to take the fight to the enemies, to move through that maze of projectiles – just like in classic Doom – as they’re whizzing by, and delivering that killing blow with melee, shield and guns.”
When can we expect Doom: The Dark Ages?
It was the question on everyone’s lips. How long until we get hands-on with DOOM: The Dark Ages? When can we start whacking enemies with the iron flail? When can we pilot the mecha dragon?
Fortunately, it seems like we won’t have to wait too long, with a confirmed release date of May 15th, 2025 rounding off the Xbox Developer Direct presentation for DOOM: The Dark Ages. Whether or not I can wait until then to get my hands on an actual iron flail? That’s another question entirely.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.
