DOOM: The Dark Ages Reviews
Doom: The Dark Ages is a brutally dark and gory game that sets up the rest of the franchise's story in a captivating and meaningful way. It improves on nearly every aspect of previous entries in the series, setting itself up as a strong 2025 GOTY contender.
It delivers polished, meaty, and violent action with excellent visuals, but it won’t matter if it’s cheapened by difficulty sliders. Move over, DOOM 3, DOOM: The Dark Ages is now the most disappointing entry in the franchise
The dark fantasy prequel to Doom is a bold, beautiful and occasionally bloated evolution of the series. In the process of daring to change core mechanics and replace old toys with new, it will disappoint many, and the story, which is mostly pretty darn good and full of cool moments, would surely benefit by removing some of the excess fat. The good news is that while Doom: The Dark Ages fumbles and falls every now and then, combat remains as riveting as it has always been, and when things finally click it will make you feel like a brutal god of war.
Doom The Dark Ages proves to be a decidedly good FPS and able to satisfy fans of the series, to once again allow the player to step back into the shoes of the (mighty more than ever) Doom Slayer, making his way through the streets of hell. The changes made to the gameplay, aimed at making it less frenetic than Eternal, might perhaps throw you off initially, but the steady and almost always on-the-pace pace of the game will eventually win you over in the long run. Some changes to the parry system would certainly be welcome.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Doom: The Dark Ages may strip away the mobility focus of Doom Eternal, but replaces it with a very weighty and powerful style of play that is different from anything the series has done before, and still immensely satisfying in its own way.
Doom: The Dark Ages is an eye-popping first-person shooter with nonstop action and some very welcome additions to the Slayer's arsenal.
Doom: The Dark Ages is indulgent and deliciously violent, but surprisingly safe.
Here's a more grounded Doom, but one that's as brisk and playful as ever.
Doom: The Dark Ages is the weakest entry in a fantastic trilogy of games, and despite how I feel about its additions to combat and exploration, I’d rather an experience that took risks and sought to reinvent what it means to play a Doom game rather than build upon the familiar.
"Glory Kills have been tossed out, which doesn't help with Doomguy's apparent loss of moxie – now he can't even be bothered to beat a demon to death with its own leg anymore!"
Doom: The Dark Ages is modern Doom executed better than ever. It’s a bloody, challenging, and strategic thrill ride that tested my skills, forced me to catch my breath, and always had me asking for more. With the Shield Saw and other great additions, id Software gives me something I didn’t know I wanted, proving once again that this legendary series can still evolve in ways we haven’t even dreamed of.
Doom: The Dark Ages reinvents and reigns in with equal measure, taking the series in a bold new direction without straying from its captivating roots.
Id Software's prequel is a big, heavy metal adventure with a few too many cutscenes
Doom The Dark Ages will get your blood pressure up. It will test your reflexes, your problem-solving skills, your aim, and your ability to solve problems on the fly. It’ll probably test your patience a little, too, when the chugging, uninspired, padded-out sections in the middle start to wear a bit thin.
Doom: The Dark Ages is AAA gaming at its best, with huge set pieces and memorable moments around every corner of the beautiful environments that only add to the highly-polished and heavily-addicting gameplay.
Doom: The Dark Ages is another stellar entry in the classic franchise, thanks to its engaging, grounded combat, expansive and varied locales, phenomenal graphics and hours of gameplay. Though it's not revolutionary, it delivers a fast-paced and visceral experience few games can match.
The level designs are overly drab, and the vehicle sections wear out their welcome, but the actual battles against hordes of demons are as fun as ever, and you’re given tons of awesome tools and toys to unleash on them.
Another mini-reboot for the father of FPS, but while it’s less complex and challenging than Doom Eternal it’s still a fine homage to the seminal original.
DOOM: The Dark Ages has managed to distance itself enough from Eternal to avoid being overwhelmed by its legacy and create its own that lives up to what the series needed: a third installment that feels like a DOOM, but not the "nth" DOOM. Almost like a fascinating mix between a first-person shooter and a hack and slash, id Software has created something unique... again.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages reimagines the series' approach by offering unique and highly personalized gameplay supported by simple yet engaging additional systems. The Slayer's carnage is as immersive as ever, but the shadow of past installments partially overshadows the final result, which falls short of memorable status.
Review in Spanish | Read full review