Doom: The Dark Ages delivers brutal, fast-paced combat with a fresh twist, thanks to the new Shield Saw—though repetition and weak boss fights hold it back in the final stretch.
With 2016’s Doom, id Software brought the legendary FPS franchise roaring back to life, and Doom Eternal cranked the chaos up to 11. Now, Doom: The Dark Ages enters the scene as the third installment in the rebooted series. It’s a prequel to the 2016 game, and while it sticks to the formula fans love, it throws in just enough new ideas to keep things interesting. It’s fast, furious, and full of demons waiting to be turned into goo.
Now, there’s been a lot of talk about how The Dark Ages slows things down compared to Doom Eternal. And yeah, it’s not quite as lightning-fast, but don’t worry—it’s still wild. The combat is just as hectic, with enemies swarming the Slayer constantly, keeping you moving and on your toes. The big change here is how grounded the Slayer feels, thanks to the brand-new Shield Saw, a weapon that changes the flow of combat in a big way.
The Shield Saw Steals the Show
The Shield Saw is easily the standout feature of this game. You can zoom across the battlefield to smash enemies with it or toss it like a hyper-violent Captain America. It’s not just a weapon either—it doubles as a defensive tool that can block most attacks, but the real magic happens when you parry.
Enemies now have color-coded attacks. Most you’ll want to dodge or block, but green ones? Those are ripe for parrying. And if you time it right, you’ll open enemies up for some brutal follow-ups, whether it’s a melee smackdown or a barrage from your over-the-top arsenal. Later in the game, you can even find runes that power up your parries, making them even more rewarding.
Some players might find the color coding a little too “gamey,” but honestly, it never broke the immersion for me. In fact, pulling off a perfectly timed parry, chaining it into a shotgun blast, then finishing with a glory kill never got old. The game really pushes you to stay aggressive since health, armor, and ammo all come from smashing demons into bits.
Mixing It Up—Sort Of
For most of the game, you’re on foot doing what the Doom Slayer does best, but there are a few fun detours. At certain points, you’ll ride a cyber-dragon or hop inside a massive Atlan mech. These segments are a nice change of pace and use the same attack-dodge mechanic in slightly new ways. The dragon gains missiles from successful dodges, while the mech builds up energy for special attacks.
These moments are cool at first, but they start to feel a little repetitive after a while—something The Dark Ages struggles with in general.
When the Fun Starts to Drag
The first half of Doom: The Dark Ages is a blast. But somewhere past the halfway point, it starts to lose steam. Once the game stops throwing new enemies and weapons at you, the non-stop combat can get a little exhausting. There aren’t many puzzles or platforming sections to break things up, so it starts to feel like you’re doing the same fight over and over again. It could’ve used some variety to keep the momentum going.
The boss battles are another letdown. There aren’t many of them, and the ones that are here don’t feel much different from normal fights—just spongier enemies that take longer to kill. They’re not especially creative or memorable.
Difficulty and Player-Friendly Tweaks
If you’re a seasoned Doom player, you’ll probably want to bump the difficulty up. I played on “Hurt Me Plenty” (the normal setting), and it felt too easy. Thankfully, the game gives you a lot of control over difficulty, including a parry window slider. If you’re not into mastering tight parry timing, you can loosen it up—or tighten it down if you want the challenge.
Other quality-of-life features are super welcome, too. Visual indicators warn you when you’re about to hit a point of no return in a mission, so you won’t accidentally miss collectibles. That’s huge for completionists.
Packed with Secrets and Replay Value
The levels are stuffed with goodies—health, armor, ammo, and gold that you can use to upgrade your gear. Each mission is fairly linear, but there are tons of secret paths and hidden areas that make exploration worthwhile. On top of that, there are mission-specific challenges and weapon mastery tasks that give you gold and other rewards, giving the game a solid replay factor.
The Story? Meh. The Action? Hell Yeah.
Let’s be real—no one plays Doom for the story. The Dark Ages has flashy cutscenes and some wild cinematic moments, but the plot and characters are pretty forgettable. That said, the spectacle is strong. The visuals are gorgeous, the demon designs are wonderfully grotesque, and the frame rate doesn’t flinch even when the screen is packed with enemies. The metal soundtrack is as crushing as ever and fits the chaos perfectly.
My first playthrough took around 12 hours, and that included a good amount of exploration.
Final Thoughts
Doom: The Dark Ages is a wild ride with some incredible highs. The combat is intense, the Shield Saw is a brilliant addition, and the whole experience is just as satisfyingly brutal as you’d hope. It does start to feel a bit repetitive toward the end, and the boss battles could’ve used more flair, but overall, it’s another solid entry in the modern Doom saga. If you loved Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, this is absolutely worth playing.
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