DOOM: The Dark Ages Review (Xbox Series X|S)

Id Software's new trilogy of DOOM games, now that I've had the chance to sit down and play them all and a have a bit of a think (I can think, you know), comes across as a rather dazzling package when taken as a whole. It's almost, in hindsight, as though the devs have had a plan all along.

And it's a plan that 100% works, for me. I feel like I have to clarify the "for me" aspect here because some DOOM fans are notoriously really into DOOM, so they can at times become a little irate when certain things change. They can at times see new aspects; additional narrative points, characterisation or - dare I mention it - platforming à la DOOM Eternal, as ruining the core of what made it so special. All that kind of BALONEY. I have a friend who kinda hates DOOM now, isn't even interested in this new one, because of DOOM Eternal's swinging around and platforming. It's OK, we've all given him lots of hugs.

But, you see, I love DOOM Eternal (and hugs). I love how it totally switched things up from the incredible 2016 reboot, which itself brought us the quintessential modern version of the DOOM we all remember. And so Eternal shifted the rhythm, why try to top the un-toppable? It gives us the same delightfully tactical and ferocious combat we all want, but it adds flashy new things that, and I can't be alone in this because the game reviewed very well, make it one of the very best shooters out there. It's an all-timer.

So what is DOOM: The Dark Ages meant to do? Eh? They've already used all the good stuff, and a section of the fans are gonna hate it for being different anyway. What a mess. Except it isn't. Because this third slice of revamped, retooled and reprogrammed DOOM Guy deliciousness, makes for a trilogy that, now that it's fully revealed itself, has managed to give us three very slick and delightfully different experiences, based around a core of balls-to-walls FPS action undercut by sexy, on-the-fly strategising. That's what I turned up for in the first place.

As to the differences, besides the awesome medieval/sci-fi/punk-rock environs (this game has all the vistas), well, there are loads, so let's start with the shield. DOOM (2016) focused on hot, sweaty tension and making every bullet count, Eternal gave us verticality and asked us put constant movement at the core of how we approached battles. In DOOM: The Dark Ages, we get a shield. We have new defensive options. And this is what takes the combat in this third outing and gives it its own identity, it's own feel, it's own unique twist within the series, whilst still bringing the level of violence and strategy required to make for a demanding and satisfying DOOM adventure.

Have they pulled it off? Well 90% off it, yes. There are a few niggles, which we'll get to. But let's talk about how the shield switches things up, especially when paired with levels that don't want you to be in such a rush at all times. The shield, besides the obvious defensive boon it provides, also doubles as a very handy killing machine and flashy traversal option, you see. Once you unlock its shield saw attachment, you can get stuck into grinding foes from range, holding in 'LT' then bashing 'RT' to zip yourself into targets from far-off, smashing them to pieces on impact. You can really get about with this thing, so it's as much an attack switch-up as a defensive one, overall. They haven't turned DOOM into some sort of half-arsed DOOM-Guy-turtles-now version of Dark Souls, or any of that garbage you may have been reading.

However, the defensive aspect is brought to the fore again, supporting the shield's boost to this aspect of the death dance, with environs that allow you - and you may need to sit down to read this - but they allow you to take a wee breather, mate. Go and hide over there, and have a think. You're totally surrounded and you've got no shields, and you're on 2 health. Have a think on it. There's an Arachnotron behind you, by the way.

I'm not saying you can have a nap, but it's much easier due to larger map designs overall (there are some corridors and vents too, don't worry) to run away. Some of the levels, including a huge two-part siege around 1/3 of the way into the mammoth campaign, almost go full mini open-world style, allowing you to run around a sort of DOOM-ified version of Limgrave (ah...so some FromSoftware has slipped in).

Here, instead of getting really angry that they'd made a mess of DOOM, I found myself having a whale of a time, really getting into roleplaying this prequel version of the Slayer, hamming it up, puffing ma chest out and picking who gets it next without all the tension. It also allows me indulge in some of my other favourite past-times, which include the collecting of collectibles, and this game has some of the very best collectibles, let me tell you. They have all the best collectibles here.

Indeed, a good wedge of your time playing DOOM: The Dark Ages, will be spent working out the uniformly clever environmental puzzles which surround you at all times. It's all very pretty, and it's all very well made. And the platforming has been toned way down from the swinging on poles Tarzan stuff last time out. It's wall scrambling now. Much easier. Less frustrating.

The smattering of much larger levels, which slow things down and let you wander - something that helps ground you in the landscapes of a world that's presented through way more dialogue and cutscenes than ever here - are also the source of the niggles we mentioned, however. As fun as they are to play, they do feel like they sort of slow the tempo of the campaign down a little too much at times. The switch-up is nice, but once you've got all the collectible items out of these parts, I can see them being the bits we all skip on future playthroughs.

The same, I have to say, does go for the dragon/mech-riding sequences. Now I do enjoy these bits, they are very, very silly, and very OTT, which is great. However they aren't really much more than a flashy mobile game in practice, smashing a big button and walking in a straight line. Again, a silly, fun diversion, but nothing I want to replay, even though zooming down onto some castle battlement and parking you dragon mid-level to punish a bunch of goons IS very sexy the first time you do it. It's worth pointing out.

Sticking with niggles, the only other ones I've got, after 22 levels-worth of mayhem, is that the difficulty on normal mode feels a little bit too forgiving. Now, look. I'm not trying to be Jonny Big Balls here, the game has levels that go all the way from story to ultra-violence, and playing the first few hours on normal, which I generally plump for, just didn't feel as though it was making me engage fully with the combat. A switch to ultra-violent, the next up from normal mode, in my most humblest of humble opinions, makes a pronounced difference. So much so, in fact, that I'm very excited to go again with it whacked right up, because when you're really under pressure in this game, my god it feels incredible.

Normal difficulty lets you smash bigger foes, foes that should be a sort of barrier, just a bit too quickly, and so you can settle into laziness, over-reliance on one weapon (etc). I'm not sure I ever felt the normal difficulty was off in the previous two games, but here it's just a bit too soft for those expecting some pushback. Now, let me also say, just on this point of difficulty, that there are a ton of accessibility options, too. This game lets you mess with the controls and lots of other stuff in a lot of detail and depth, so do not be put off by the idea of it being hard, as there are a ton of options to change to make things more comfortable for how you play.

Really, though, with the sometimes baggy levels, and slight difficulty issues, that is it in terms of negatives. Everything else here, the guns (I won't go into details on them because unlocking new insane weapons is the best bit, so why spoil it?) the feedback, the heft, movement, sound design, level design. It's all so, so good. We all know how incredible these guys are at making shooters, and it shows in every element of this game, outside of those very small issues that I found myself having.

So let's finish up on what I loved the most, then. The shift away from Eternal's constant glory-kills on flashing enemies is one of my favourite parts of how the combat has changed here. You can still do glory-kills, make no mistake, you've even got a whole selection of very violent (and very medieval) melee weapons to unlock and upgrade, but you are no longer locked into animations. It makes a huge difference. And this is all part of what I meant by id Software having this overall plan for the three games. Just when I thought I'd had enough of DOOM, Eternal was like a breath of fresh air, and now that same trick has been repeated. I'm currently absolutely addicted to how it looks, sounds (the soundtrack gets an automatic 10) and feels to kill everything in this game.

I also absolutely adore this new trend of having bullet-hell aspects in 3D shooters. Returnal, of course, showed us an entire game can be powered on this sort of madness, but here it's just been added a little, for some bigger enemies, giving you more new stuff to figure out as you shuffle, jump and then wait for the chance to parry green projectiles back from whence they came. Parrying feels so good.

The rogue's gallery of demonic enemies also benefit from far more detailed animations and character models, as well as changes that see some tough foes from Eternal (Revenants) become a little easier, while other stuff (I'm looking at you Whiplash demon) feel way harder. It's also a blessing to no longer have to super-focus on metal joints to shoot off annoying laser weapons, à la Eternal. Instead, honing in on stuff now utilises the shield, and its very sexy slo-mo ability. You can unlock slo-mo for a few of the guns, too, but when using the shield you get to almost freeze time (great for taking action screenshots) and can then zip your shield saw at bothersome foes to interrupt them before zipping to them for a little CQC.

Upgrades and skills, and again this may sound bad for some DOOM fans, but it really isn't, have been buffed up considerably this time around. There's a ton of additional unlocks for all your weapons, multiple paths to work through on each one depending on how you want to use it, and even your melee weapons have depth now. Yes, it gives you more options and choices. No, it doesn't mess with the soul of the series.

The campaign's story is a huge, OTT, hammy beast of a thing. It really is silly in all the best ways, and id Software has really brought it in terms of the quality of the acting and cutscenes. I've been surprised by how much of this story has stuck in my brain, so it's done something right. Finally, and before this review becomes longer than the game itself, I should also address the fact that there's zero multiplayer offerings. I am a huge fan of this decision. They've focused on the single-player content and it shows. You'll be replaying this and gathering up all the skins, surprises and secrets for a good long while to come. The idea of having diluted the dev team's focus into potentially naff multiplayer modes is one we're glad they didn't run with.

In terms of performance, to round things out, the game has one default graphical setting (hooray for no messing in the menus!) and it looks and performs perfectly on Series X. I didn't notice a single issue all the way through. The mech levels are a bit slow, I'm assuming by design rather than some FPS issue, but everything else feels lightning quick, ultra-responsive and buttery smooth, and is very often right up there with the best-looking stuff currently available on consoles.