My Honest Review Doom: The Dark Ages – A Bloody Good Time with Some Hiccups

Introduction:

Alright, I just finished ripping through Doom: The Dark Ages, which dropped on May 15, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. As a lifelong Doom fan, I was stoked to see the Slayer go medieval in this prequel to Doom (2016) and Eternal. It’s a wild, gore-soaked ride that shakes up the formula with a darker, heavier vibe, but it’s not without a few missteps. Here’s my honest take, broken down for you.

What I Loved:

• Combat Feels Like a Medieval Wrecking Ball: The Doom Slayer is a tank now, and I mean that in the best way. The new Shield Saw is a game-changer—you can block, parry, chuck it like Captain America, or bash demons into paste. Parrying those glowing green attacks to stun enemies is so satisfying, it’s like a heavy metal rhythm game. Charging across the battlefield with the shield to trigger executions? Chef’s kiss.
• Weapons Are Brutal and Fun: The arsenal is a mix of old favorites (hello, super shotgun) and new toys like the Pulverizer, which shoots ground-up skulls, and the Chainshot, a ball-and-chain launcher. Every weapon feels useful, and upgrades like setting enemies on fire for armor or bleeding them for health keep you in the fight.
• Stunning Visuals and World: The idTech 8 engine is flexing hard here. The techno-medieval settings—think castles, cosmic hellscapes, and blood-soaked plains—are gorgeous. Chapter 5’s Holy City of Aratum, where you ride a Mecha Dragon through a floating city, had my jaw on the floor.
• Exploration Pays Off: The 22 levels are big and open, packed with secrets like hidden collectibles and codex entries. If you love hunting for lore or extra ammo, you’ll have a blast poking around.
• Super Accessible: I appreciate the customizable difficulty, colorblind options, and remappable controls. Whether you’re a Doom newbie or a hardcore vet, the game welcomes you.

What’s Kind of a Mixed Bag:

• Slower Pace Might Divide Fans: Look, I loved Doom Eternal’s zippy, double-jump chaos, so the grounded movement here threw me off at first. No air dashes or quick weapon swaps—it’s all about standing your ground. It grew on me, but if you live for Eternal’s speed, you might miss that flow.
• Levels Can Feel Bloated: The open-ended maps are ambitious, but some are too big for their own good. Trekking across empty deserts or backtracking through flat areas got old fast. Eternal’s tight, puzzle-like levels spoiled me, and these feel a bit too straightforward.
• Story’s Just Meh: The game goes hard on cutscenes about the Slayer’s origins and some political nonsense in Hell. It’s trying to be epic, but it’s forgettable. I chuckled at the Slayer’s one-word quip and a cheeky toll collector bit, but mostly, I just wanted to get back to slaying.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Mech and Dragon Sections Are Lame: The trailers hyped up piloting mechs and riding dragons, but these parts are shallow. It’s just dodge, shoot, repeat, with none of the depth of the on-foot combat. Felt like a gimmick that broke the game’s rhythm.
• Missing Eternal’s Depth: Doom Eternal had grenades, enemy weak points, and tons of weapon mods. This game dials that back for simplicity, which makes it easier to pick up but less strategic. I missed outsmarting demons with clever combos.
• Soundtrack’s Not Quite It: Don’t get me wrong, the music’s fine, but it’s no Mick Gordon. The heavy metal riffs are solid, but they lack that iconic, pulse-pounding energy Doom is known for.

Tech Stuff and Performance:

The game looks and runs like a dream on my PS5—smooth as butter with jaw-dropping visuals. I’ve heard some Steam Deck players had crashes, but I didn’t run into issues. Oh, and it’s on Game Pass day one, which is awesome if you’re subscribed.

Final Thoughts

Doom: The Dark Ages is a bold swing that mostly lands. The Shield Saw and new weapons make you feel like an unstoppable medieval badass, and the world is a visual feast. But the slower pace, bloated levels, and weak story don’t hit the highs of Eternal. It’s still a blast—especially when you’re tearing through demons in a neon-lit fortress—but it’s not quite perfect.

My Score: 8/10

If you’re down for a fresh Doom flavor with parry-heavy combat, you’ll eat this up. If you’re married to Eternal’s speed, you might not vibe as much. Either way, it’s a bloody good time worth checking out.

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