Doom: The Dark Ages Review Performance, Gameplay & Is It Worth Buying

Doom: The Dark Ages Review

Doom: The Dark Ages, ID Software's latest, will come out on PS5, Xbox Series S, and PC. My mission here is straightforward: to determine if it's a good game and truly worth the cost. In blunt terms, I believe Doom: The Dark Ages is a good game, with excellent shooting, excellent pacing, excellent variety, and a sufficient story.

In this review, I'll say what's working, what isn't, and give my impressions based on my experience. On a cautionary note, in order to preserve spoiler-freeness for the final release, nothing more than the first few hours of play will be covered, or end-stage bosses and levels, regardless of any desire I may have to do otherwise.

Performance: The Critical Part of First-Person Shooters

For rapid FPS action, especially on keyboard and mouse, performance is everything. Even mild frame rate swings will be off-putting and take you out of the experience. Fortunately, Doom: The Dark Ages was beautifully silky throughout my session.

But one thing to note is that I played the game at 1440p max settings (60fps goal) on an RTX 5070Ti gaming PC, a Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, and the game is installed on an NVMe SSD. The game requires mandatory ray tracing, which is kind of a bold request. I would bet that those systems without cutting-edge, high-performance hardware, particularly GPUs that support ray tracing, will experience problems.

If performance on your individual rig matters, I highly recommend taking advantage of tools like the refund option with Steam. You purchase the game, play it through for a short period (usually less than two hours), and if its performance is weak, you simply get a refund with no harm done whatsoever. The rock-steady performance I experienced allowed for a pleasant flow state to be maintained so that natural "rip and tear" mode can take over, which is exactly where Doom titles shine.

Gameplay Mechanics: The Shield Saw and Aggressive Mastery

And while granting that fluid, intuitive movement, the game also encourages experimentation and planning. The Shield Saw, one of the largest new features, was a concern at first, but I quickly lost any doubts. The shield is not simply there for defense; it's being modified constantly throughout the game and serves as an absolute requirement for attack.

It is a means of weakening enemies, causing damage, and most importantly, helping to close the gap. The biggest change with the shield is the addition of the parry system. While blocking is doable (though the shield is not that tough), parrying enemy green projectiles or melee hits is very rewarding. The timing is forgiving, and the sound feedback is highly pleasing.

My only minor complaint about the parry is that some larger foes are best stunned by parrying. This does sometimes lead to moments of waiting for the timing of the parry, and briefly slowing the pace of battle ever so slightly, in order to slow somewhat that feeling of complete control from the power fantasy. But otherwise, it's a minor problem in an otherwise excellent system where players have to adapt.

The addition of parry and shield gets you thinking on the spur of the moment, constantly wondering if you should parry, block, or use the shield saw to continue pressing. It's so naturally woven that one cannot help but think ID Software ought to come out with a Captain America game as their next title.

Combat Feel and Presentation

Shooting has a very satisfying feel, even without controller haptics. This is a credit to the game's superb presentation. Satisfying sound effects and cool animations communicate the might of each gun. The combat shotgun, especially after its three-round burst upgrade, sounds like a sledgehammer and has a visual oomph with powerful recoil.

Thankfully, the game offers high levels of customization. All from post-processing effects like motion blur can be disabled. You can even adjust the HUD size and remove details like the face of the Slayer so you can properly appreciate the amazing visuals. Doom: The Dark Ages, like the others, is just gorgeous, with emphasis on the 'gore' element as well. You'll want to see each bone-crunching collision.

Speaking of customization, ID Software focused on accessibility and difficulty sliders. My take. Play the game your way. These options are great for everyone, as they allow players to tailor the challenge exactly to their requirements. A permadeath mode is even included at launch for those seeking the ultimate challenge.

Level Design and Exploration

The worlds of The Dark Ages are equally stunningly beautiful, with so much detailed intricacy. There are moments of downtime between combat where you can just stand there and absorb it – gargantuan titans fighting in the distance, towering spires on the horizon. It's almost rude to move back and forth in combat when there's so much to see.

Level design is broader than expected in certain sections, yet ID Software intelligently inserts a lot of linearity. This avoids the game from succumbing to the phenomenon of excessively big, often boring, open levels. Although certain big sectors may take more than an hour to thoroughly explore, the majority of levels could be completed in approximately 30 minutes if you concentrate entirely on the target.

Aside from the primary route, there are collectibles, secret rooms, and chapter challenges. These challenges reward upgrade materials and promote diversified gameplay strategies. Finishing every upgrade for a weapon rewards a mastery challenge with a unique prize. The secret rooms are wonderfully old-school – not only for the "Secret Found" alert, but for the well-crafted, fun puzzles necessary to reach them. They are a pleasing challenge that does not disrupt the overall pace of the game.

Pacing and Upgrades: Evolution in Progress

One of the most glaring aspects of The Dark Ages is its pacing, more specifically the way in which upgrades are presented throughout the 22 chapters. It feels as though every chapter introduces a new mechanic, enemy, upgrade, or weapon. More notably, these elements drastically change the manner in which you play.

For example, new guns are introduced by initial levels, but then, once the shield might have become rote, it is upgraded several times that modify its use completely. The Accelerator, whose energy SMG was punch-less compared to other weapons initially, is very powerful and changes your strategy completely once an unlock is achieved that allows you to charge it by firing into enemies, unleashing devastating pulses.

This constant stream of major changes keeps the gameplay fresh and thrilling all along the entire campaign. Anticipation of acquiring new weapons or massive upgrades is real and really stands as electric, accompanied by the game's music.

Combat Variety: Enemies and Bosses

Enemy variation makes fighting challenging. As the game advances, you encounter demons that require a certain strategy and weapon use. Like in Arkham games, some enemies carry specific weaknesses or must be handled with special devices – shield demons require the use of the shield, plasma shields require plasma-based weapons. That forces you to utilize all of your weapons and be flexible to avoid repetition of gameplay.

On the boss side of things, The Dark Ages takes on a slightly more measured pace than the previous Doom entries, especially when it comes to boss battles. Though still hectic, late-game bosses occasionally came across as disappointing. Their attack patterns were not particularly tough to avoid, and the final boss was strangely simple on my initial playthrough (though scaling difficulties exist). While visually impressive, most bosses were essentially larger versions of ordinary enemies with over-sized health pools, which was a bit of a letdown since it stole from the element of surprise.

Story: A Vehicle for Carnage

ID Software stated the story was a priority, and it's good enough. It's there, well planned out, with characters, villains, and heroes. But I wasn't particularly invested in the overall story. The codex entries do a great job of putting the world into context, but the main plot is fairly straightforward. Honestly, in a game like this, that's all it has to be. The story is largely an excuse to enable the Doom Slayer to do very cool things – and he does lots of that.

Big set pieces are crazy, and some of the late-game scenes are absolutely mind-blowing (Chapters 12 and 21 spring to mind). There are also little moments of awesome badassery, such as the Slayer feeding a severed limb to his dragon. The narrative is a prequel to Doom 2016, tracking the Slayer as he serves the Makers and humans versus a hellish attack by the hell-insiders. Although the twists are not earth-shattering, the conclusion provides a surprisingly nice payoff, tidily wrapping up the journey.

A Polished and Passionate Launch

Overall, Doom: The Dark Ages feels extremely polished and finished for a AAA launch, especially on day one. It plays beautifully, is basically bug-free (I discovered none), and clearly prioritizes fun above all else. It's wonderful to be playing a game on day one that feels so tight and where feedback from early previews has indeed been taken on board.

The game is adrenaline untainted, replete with iconic moments, decent music (though perhaps not quite on par with the quality of Mick Gordon's earlier work), and a dream run. Weapon and chapter challenges, plus bountifully rewarded secrets, provide good replay value. The wonderfully constructed levels are a joy to find. If you're new to the series, this would be the ideal starting point.

The game's action loop centerpiece—blending the movement, parrying, and shield abilities with the awesomely-feeling guns and splatty dispatchings—is very tight and habit-forming. Whether commanding a huge mech, flying on a dragon, or just pulling off good old-fashioned demon butchery, Doom: The Dark Ages is sheer excellence.

Is Doom: The Dark Ages Worth the Money.

Yes, 100%. It's a gem of the contemporary market and an absolute must-play for seasoned Doom fans as well as anyone who enjoys rapid-fire action, gore-filled first-person shooters.

While the game itself is wonderful, there are two less-than-wonderful things to point out: I'm still opposed to the upcharge for early access, and the inclusion of Denuvo DRM might affect performance for legitimate buyers. But neither of these takes away much from the overall great experience.

How do you feel about Doom: The Dark Ages. Are you going to pick it up or wait for a discount. If you have any questions about the game, feel free to ask in the comments below.