Let’s unveil all the hidden details and secrets in the new Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay trailer.
Doom: The Dark Ages marks the third installment developed by the team led by Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin, a duo that successfully revived the series after the challenging period following Doom 3 and the controversial project internally referred to as “Call of Doom” due to its resemblance to Call of Duty. Hugo Martin, with his deep knowledge of the series’ lore and unparalleled mastery of its essence, restored the franchise to its peak.
With Doom: The Dark Ages, the team aimed even higher, delivering an ambitious and monumental game that blends storytelling through cutscenes with gameplay, while introducing groundbreaking features. Martin emphasized a crucial element for the series’ future: no Doom title will ever be a simple “more of the same.” Each installment will feature unique mechanics that set it apart from its predecessors:
- Doom (2016): fast, frantic action.
- Doom Eternal: vertical and technical combat.
- Doom: The Dark Ages: a heavier, slower combat style, where players feel like an iron-clad tank, facing even larger armies of demons.
In today’s deep dive, we delve into the latest installment of the saga crafted by id Software over the past few years. We’ll focus on the most recent trailer revealed during Xbox’s Developer Direct, uncovering its hidden secrets, fascinating details, and key insights.
A New Starting Point for the Story
Doom: The Dark Ages acts as a prequel directly connected to Doom (2016) and serves as a perfect entry point for newcomers. The development team focused entirely on the main campaign, crafting a rich narrative that covers pivotal events previously mentioned only in the codices of Doom (2016) and Eternal. Players will encounter Commander Valen, known as “The Betrayer” in Doom Eternal, alongside new enigmatic characters, including a mysterious Makyr and several hell priests who may become adversaries of the Slayer. This chapter explores the Slayer’s journey—from his legendary and regal leadership of the Sentinels to his fall, setting the stage for the events of Doom (2016). According to Hugo Martin, the campaign will be lengthy and immersive, with a story-driven DLC already in the pipeline. Doom: The Dark Ages marks just the beginning of a bold new era for the series.
Melee Combat in Doom: The Dark Ages
One of the most exciting new features is the revamped melee combat system, which introduces three close-range weapons, each with unique effects:
- Electrified Gauntlet: Delivers up to three powerful punches that can stun and damage nearby enemies.
- Chain with Spiked Ball: Perfect for taking down larger enemies and making epic kills even more satisfying, both in standard combat and when combined with other melee weapons.
- Spiked Mace: Extremely powerful and lethal.
These options further expand the gameplay, offering new ways to engage in combat.
The Shield Saw: The Slayer’s New Trusted Primary Weapon
The shield stands out as one of the main innovations. It made a brief appearance in the earlier trailer, but the new gameplay showcases its full potential. Players can use it to:
- Block enemy attacks, introducing a groundbreaking mechanic for Doom.
- Perform parries, deflecting green projectiles or melee attacks to create opportunities for devastating counterattacks.
- Launch the saw mounted on the shield, stunning or taking down armored enemies like dragons or demons. The saw’s continuous damage weakens these foes, making them more vulnerable to the player’s attacks.
- Throw the entire shield, which can eliminate or stun groups of enemies. In some cases, it becomes essential for breaking the Argent shields of corrupted Sentinels.
The shield also plays a crucial role in environmental interactions, solving puzzles and overcoming obstacles. It compensates for the absence of the enhanced jump, a feature that was notably missed in the previous installment.
Firearm Combat
Classic weapons return with significant improvements in both effectiveness and spectacle:
- The Super Shotgun is now more powerful, capable of taking down enemies with a single shot even from long range. At close range, a single blast can eliminate up to four Imps.
- The Plasma Rifle offers two modes: a standard mode and a charged mode powered by a plasma orb.
- The Stake Launcher, inspired by Painkiller, impales demons against walls with immensely satisfying results.
- The Skull Shooter, a completely new weapon, fires shards from destroyed skulls as projectiles, making it perfect for wiping out groups of enemies.
Based on the information available, this list might not cover everything. Over the next few months, we’ll discover if more surprises await.
Unveiling the Atlans and Dragons
For the first time, after years of player requests, you can pilot the Atlans—enormous 30-story-tall mechs first seen in Doom Eternal and The Ancient Gods Part 2. These powerful machines serve as an essential weapon for the Sentinels, designed to take down Titans, the largest and most fearsome demons in existence.
Atlans come equipped with:
- Melee combat, featuring enhanced punches, kicks, and a dash ability to dodge devastating attacks.
- Ranged combat, with only the triple Gatling gun shown in the trailer so far.
Another exciting addition is the cybernetic dragons, capable of flying, breathing fire, and using mounted weapons like Gatling guns. These sections introduce new gameplay elements, greater variety, and heightened spectacle. Both the Atlans and the dragons offer unique abilities and mini-boss encounters to further enrich the experience.
Farewell to Multiplayer
The team at id Software made a bold decision that fully embraces the essence of Doom. They chose to abandon multiplayer entirely to focus all their efforts on the single-player campaign. This approach allowed them to dive deeper into the narrative and implement complex mechanics, such as the Atlan and dragon sections. Given the monumental scale of the events in Doom: The Dark Ages, this decision lets the team concentrate on delivering a truly extraordinary and cohesive gameplay experience.
The New Area Structure
Doom: The Dark Ages introduces a revamped structure for its game areas. Each map will be vast and packed with content, including side quests, dungeons, secrets to uncover, and a wealth of equipment and abilities to discover. This setup balances more open sections with linear ones, offering greater variety in exploration. Players can choose to freely explore these areas or focus solely on the main campaign. It remains to be seen how the new map design will work—whether it retains the 3D layout or evolves further to make exploration more intuitive.
Incredible Accessibility and Adaptability in Gameplay
Marty Stratton, Hugo Martin, and Phil Spencer all share one essential quality: they know how to listen to players and the community. Many Doom Eternal fans criticized aspects of the game, such as the platforming sequences and the extreme technical difficulty of boss fights like the Khan Makyr and the Dark Lord in Doom Eternal and The Ancient Gods – Part 2. These critiques pushed the team to rethink the gameplay, making it heavier and closer to the series’ roots. They also developed a system to customize every aspect of the experience. With a wide range of options, players can tailor each playthrough to their preferences, either simplifying or intensifying any situation. These customizations extend not only to the Slayer but also to the Atlan and even the Dragon.
When Doom: The Dark Ages Launches
Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15 on Game Pass, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5. This chapter has all the potential to become the biggest and most ambitious Doom ever. The development team stands at a crucial crossroads; with the right focus and meticulous attention to detail, it could very well be a contender for Game of the Year.
Rip and tear!
