Developer id Software has been on a roll over the past decade, giving the classic DOOM franchise a much-needed adrenaline shot in the arse. 2016’s DOOM catapulted the Slayer into the modern era with finesse and a delectably visceral amount of violence, resulting in a shooter that, in all fairness, has never (and probably can’t) be replicated. 2020’s DOOM Eternal was the culmination of id Software’s greatest ideas along with a number of improvements and gameplay tweaks; a final product heralded as one of the best shooters of our time. DOOM: The Dark Ages had some big shoes to fill, needless to say.



DOOM: The Dark Ages once again follows the Slayer, now a pup on a leash to the faux-angelic Maykrs, drifting on a spaceship until the time calls for him to dust off his shotgun again. There’s a war brewing between the Maykrs and monarchs of Hell, and the Slayer has a pivotal role to play in that conflict. Along the way, the Slayer’s legacy isn’t lost on the figures he “befriends” – this isn’t just a very angry, grunting muscular man on a warpath: he is something more akin to a demigod with an insatiable thirst for popping demons’ heads off. And business is booming.



Now strapped with wolf pelt armour and a Shield Saw, the Slayer’s quest takes him to a medieval dark fantasy bloodbath the likes of which we’ve never seen before in the series. DOOM: The Dark Ages wastes no time in establishing a stronger focus on the story. Yes, it’s true that most players don't play DOOM for its story, but there is a notable effort here by id Software to flesh out the franchise’s well-crafted world-building and lore.

I admire id Software’s attempts to craft a more intricate story around the bloodlust, but it’s a bit hit or miss.

Unfortunately, it’s just not a very compelling story. If DOOM Eternal’s entire premise was built around the singular idea of hyping up the Slayer (to supremely badass effect), The Dark Ages’ narrative comes off like a generic sci-fi fantasy dotted with bursts of DOOM’s trademark adrenaline-fueled set pieces. I admire id Software’s attempts to craft a more intricate story around the bloodlust, but it’s a bit hit or miss – some ideas are genuinely excellent and certain characters make sense thematically, while other ideas lack any real depth or logically make sense for the type of experience DOOM is selling.



That said, once you have a gun in your hand and the Shield Saw in the other, DOOM: The Dark Ages gets extremely fun. Mixing the aggressive gameplay flow of 2016’s DOOM with some level of strategy from Eternal, The Dark Ages finds a great middle-ground between the two while throwing new concepts into the pot.

The new Shield Saw is perhaps the biggest new addition, acting as both a shield and an offensive weapon that can block and deflect oncoming enemy projectiles while also literally being revved up after charges to be thrown around like a boomerang of carnage. With enough precision, bullets can also be fired at the Shield Saw while in motion, deflecting them for widespread ricochet damage.



The Shield Saw is a vital new toy in the Slayer’s arsenal that never outstays its welcome. I was constantly experimenting with the different ways and angles I could throw the shield out for maximum damage, while stomping through the battlefield like a tank with legs. On that note, the gameplay in The Dark Ages dials back the Slayer’s speed in exchange for raw hulking power. To some degree, it does slow the gameplay down, especially if you’re accustomed to Eternal’s brisker movement, but at no point did I feel it was too slow. The Slayer still moved fast enough to get the hell out of harm’s way when needed, but was able to stand his ground a lot more confidently and tank the hits. The deliberately tankier gameplay doesn’t mean The Dark Ages is a slower first-person shooter. Not by a long shot. \

The gameplay in The Dark Ages dials back the Slayer’s speed in exchange for raw hulking power.

DOOM: The Dark Ages does what DOOM does best and delivers a fast, aggressive, and addictive first-person shooter leagues above the ambitions of its FPS market competitors. Combat is fluid, the movement generally feels weightier, and the rush you get from slaughtering generations of Hell’s damned denizens never fails to grab your complete attention with its punchy, loud, and overly hyper-violent nature. At its core, it’s more DOOM and every moment that doesn’t rip control away from you is one of 2025’s greatest joys in gaming. Now taking a more open-ended approach to its level design, the game also encourages some degree of exploration to find collectibles and hidden secrets.



Id Software rebalances gameplay by pulling the focus back on keeping combat flowing at a brisk pace. That removes some of Eternal’s more questionable mechanics like having to constantly switch up strategies depending on the enemy type. Now, health and armour drops are aplenty and all demons can be savagely dismembered in creative ways equally. Well, for the most part, because some are so monstrously big, you’ll need a Jaeger to fight them.

As if DOOM couldn’t get any more heavy metal, The Dark Ages introduces giant mechs and dragons. These were the features I was most excited to explore. Sadly, they also ended up being some of the weakest elements of the game. Flying around on the back of iron-clad dragons while gunning down airborne demons seems like a fun idea on paper, but id Software needed to nail the flying controls first and foremost (arguably the backbone of any type of flight in video games). Not taking any notes from a little purple gaming mascot, the dragon controls in The Dark Ages are poor and so are the segmented levels dedicated to them.



Thankfully, there aren’t many of these sections. The same can be said about the mech, which controls as clunky as you’d expect without the satisfying impact of one. Both of these features, while neat in concept, feel undercooked. Not enough time is given to them to evolve them in unique ways, so they kind of fizzle out of memory quickly – until you groan when the next mech or dragon level pops up.

The Hellish and catastrophe-kissed environments are stunning, jammed with detail, and jaw-droppingly beautiful to behold on a PS5 Pro.

On a visual level, DOOM: The Dark Ages is another graphical powerhouse. The Hellish and catastrophe-kissed environments are stunning, jammed with detail, and jaw-droppingly beautiful to behold on a PS5 Pro. Id Software spit-shined its performance to near-perfection as well (at least on PlayStation), as I very rarely encountered framerate drops or issues worth even mentioning.



In terms of accessibility, you also get to tinker with the difficulty settings quite a lot. On the plus side, it’s a much more accessible DOOM with a lenient difficulty curve compared to Eternal’s punishing affair even on standard difficulty. Some might see this as a problem, but to be honest, having more people experience the series is a win.

One aspect that let me down the most in The Dark Ages was the soundtrack and music. The previous entries were elevated by Mick Gordon’s memorable, roaring, rhythmic tracks – so much so, that it became an integral part of the new DOOM games’ appeal and identity (“The Only Thing They Fear is You” is still, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest songs ever recorded for a video game). Replacing Gordon in The Dark Ages is music production team Finishing Move Inc., who all do a decent job at keeping the heavy metal head-banging intact but it lacks Gordon’s distinct flare and creative touch. I usually walk away from new DOOM games grateful for an entire album I can play in my car, but I found none of that in The Dark Ages’ score.



DOOM: The Dark Ages isn’t as refreshing as 2016’s DOOM nor as monumental as Eternal, but id Software has now proven that even when it sometimes misses the mark, it still knows how to craft a damn good shooter overall that can withstand the test of time. Issues about its music, dragons, and story aside, there’s still so much to love about The Dark Ages, whether you’re a returning fan or someone new to the franchise. DOOM is back and it's still comfortably sitting on its steel throne.

*PS5 Review code provided by Bethesda