Doom: The Dark Ages Reviews
Doom: The Dark Ages was a personally divisive title, and I can imagine some people will not stick with it long enough for it to experience the best of it. It feels completely different from the previous games in both good and bad ways. The game was already released under a dark cloud, but looking back after the credits hit, I had a lot of fun with the game. It just took far too long to show me how fun it could be. You’ll rip and tear until it’s done, you’ll plod along at some places, and go face-meltingly fast through some combat encounters, but at the end of the day you’ll still be playing one of the best modern boomer shooters to date. It seems every third Doom is born to be controversial but Doom: The Dark Ages just grabs the devil by the horns and kicks all kinds of ass…eventually.
Doom: The Dark Ages is a complete experience from top to bottom. Top notch combat that comes from a dev team that has been doing FPS for a long time. A story that moves the plot along in a meaningful way and keeps intrigue, at least enough to get to the next fighting sequence. Quality cutscenes give players the full depth of the story as it happens and adds to the overall production value of the game.
Overall, even though I would consider Dark Ages a step back from DOOM (2016), and especially Eternal, it's still an extremely fun ride, and it’s one that I would recommend to anyone who’s in any way a fan of the franchise.
DOOM has always been about fast, frantic, and intense gameplay, and this entry certainly delivers. The visuals are among the best I’ve seen on Xbox, and the sound design is top-notch. Controlling the Doom Slayer always feels incredibly powerful and god-like, I haven’t played too many games where I’ve felt this strong.
If you like Doom, this is your game. If you haven't played the series yet and are unsure, this is the game for you, but you don't know what it is yet. If, on the other hand, you've already taken your first steps in the series since Bethesda took over and haven't liked it, this one won't be for you either. Simple and straightforward.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a fantastic new beginning for the prolific franchise. While the sound mixing is lackluster and the soundtrack fails to reach the same heights as previous entries, the narrative and gameplay make up for it. The story is a thrilling blockbuster that will have you grinning and on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, and the gameplay, while more grounded than DOOM Eternal, is extremely fun due to the great gunplay, new weapons, unique mech and dragon segments, open levels, and melee focus. Id Software has delivered once again, and I can't wait to see where the franchise goes next.
DOOM: The Dark Ages offers a solid prequel of the Slayer saga, while being bold and experimental. However, this experimentation strays away from DOOM 2016's formula, which may alienate FPS-purists even more than Eternal did.
DOOM: The Dark Ages closes the trilogy with a prequel that shakes up the formula we thought was unbreakable. Despite some flaws, id Software delivers a solid experience. The heavier, slower combat pairs well with revamped parrying and melee mechanics, offering a fresh but still engaging feel. Less convincing are the airborne sections and the overall level design, which lacks past inspiration. While fun and long-lasting, it’s the weakest link in the new era of this FPS legend—but still a must-have for anyone with an insatiable urge to rip demons apart like there’s no tomorrow.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Doom: The Dark Ages is an exceptional shooter with near-perfect combat, outstanding visuals, and top-notch level design. While sections featuring the Atlan Mech and Serrat feel basic and the variety of secrets has decreased, these are minor issues. The main downside is its short length and lack of extra content beyond the campaign. Still, it’s a must-play experience that leaves you eager for whatever comes next in the series.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Doom: The Dark Ages offers a fresh and brutal take on the iconic franchise, blending mediaeval themes with the series' signature fast-paced combat. The game’s new mechanics elevate the experience, providing a satisfying sense of power and control befitting the Doom Slayer. However, the lack of a strong, motivating soundtrack detracts from the intensity of the action. Despite this, it remains an exciting entry that will appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers alike.
Doom: The Dark Ages is a declaration of intent. A proof that the Slayer formula is still alive, and that it still has a lot to offer in new scenarios. If Doom Eternal was a climax of infernal madness, this installment is its original echo, rawer, heavier, but just as addictive.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages takes the franchise to a medieval era, introducing new gameplay mechanics and adding more depth to the Slayer's journey. Unfortunately, some of these mechanics end up making the gameplay repetitive, accompanied by a disappointing soundtrack. Despite the issues, DOOM: The Dark Ages has a solid gameplay foundation, maintaining the brutality and frenetic pace that only the DOOM franchise can deliver with mastery.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages arrived with new backdrops that feel like a mix of different universes but still feel believable and original when paired with the Doom Slayer. The gameplay is still hectic and brutal, and it is spiced up with a few interesting elements. The only major disadvantage is the lack of multiplayer.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Doom: The Dark Ages is often a perfect successor to the rest of the trilogy, with some fantastic weapons, a great addition with the shield, and an absolutely breathtaking aesthetic. Still, the bland soundtrack and wide-open areas zap the energy out of most encounters, resulting in a game that, while extremely well made, feels less like Doom and more like Serious Sam mixed with Painkiller, which isn’t ultimately a bad thing if you like those games. Still, The Dark Ages is wildly enjoyable and does provide some satisfying combat with the best version of the Slayer yet.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a thrilling new addition to this blockbuster franchise, that wonderfully dovetails the classic original with the new-age formula, all while adding in a fresh, exciting new approach to combat and exploration. Some content gets a bit bloated midway and this won’t necessarily convince those who didn’t enjoy the previous games, but the inclusion of a shield for blocking and parrying, the dragon and mech missions freshening up the action, as well as a more sandbox, open-ended nature to the missions, gives players old and new plenty to sink their teeth into. All while bopping their head to banging beats and getting their eyes melted by some of the most impressive visuals this generation!
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a solid and striking entry in the series, with its own identity and unique elements that earn it a special place within the saga. The absence of some key components – like a powerful soundtrack that has always defined the experience – doesn’t stop it from standing out thanks to its design, brutal combat and artistic ambition. It may not have the same impact as the previous titles, especially now that the series has lost the surprise factor of its 2016 reboot, but there’s no denying it adds a new flavour to the legacy of DOOM, and will surely be remembered for it. What remains to be seen is exactly what kind of flavour that is, and how popular it will become in the future – though it’s bound to stick in our memory longer than a viral meme on social media.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel – and it doesn’t need to. The game delivers the classic, brutal DOOM that fans know and love, now with modern, creative, and well-executed mechanics, giving you the perfect tools to decimate hellish hordes with style.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a confident evolution of the modern DOOM formula that’s an absolute blast to play. By giving the Slayer new tools, new space to think, a fresh style of combat, and an absorbing narrative that’ll completely hook players in, id Software has delivered a game that feels both familiar and completely different at the same time. It slows things down enough to add a deeper element of strategy and planning to the experience, all without losing the intensity, chaos, and sense of ultra-violence that made the series so damn unforgettable to begin. And sure, the pacing might not be for everyone and the difficulty can be a bit too forgiving at times, but when you’re in the thick of battle with demons – strategizing, dodging, slashing, and smashing – it really is as electrifyingly brutal as DOOM has ever been.
While it’s got rousing gunplay that prioritizes parries and weaponized defense, it’s also got enough fluff — a less tactical Glory Kill system, merely passable vehicle sections, a campaign that meanders near the end — that’s unbecoming for a game that came after two tightly tuned installments.
Doom: The Dark Ages is an experience entirely worthy of the saga's legacy, while introducing elements that boldly renew and reconfigure it. Although it is not a flawless game, especially with somewhat disappointing visuals on consoles, it is a solid offering. The pleasure of playing is constant, and the sense of reward that each battle brings is very intense. In the end, that's exactly what I look for in a video game: challenge, intensity, and pure satisfaction.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review