The recent Xbox Developer Direct offered an exciting preview ofDOOM: The Dark Ages, setting the scale of the series even higher while showing off its visceral moment-to-moment gameplay. Taking a new direction for the series by slowing down from its fast-paced predecessor in favor of a more heavy-hitting gameplay style,The Dark Agesis shaping up to be a fresh take on the successful formula of the reboots. While the tankier boots-on-the-ground gameplay may be disheartening for diehardDoomEternalfans, it could helpThe Dark Agesfix the biggest problem with the franchise’s latest entries.
With therelease date forDoom: The Dark Agesonly a few months away, fans thankfully won’t have to wait too long to try out the new gameplay style and wide range of new weapons firsthand. Occurring before the events ofDoom (2016),The Dark Ageswill explore one of the most unique settings the series has ever seen, all while exploring a fleshed-out version of the Doom Slayer’s backstory. While moreDoomEternal-inspired gameplay would have been a welcome prospect, the new direction forThe Dark Ageswill help it stand on its own with an independent identity.
Doom Eternal: Ancient God’s Slowed Down Combat Too Often
Inconsistent Pacing Compared To Doom Eternal’s Base Game
WhileDoom Eternal: The Ancient Godsoffered even more incredibly climactic setpieces to the already groundbreaking sequel, it struggled to maintain the level of consistency the series had been praised for.
The Entire DOOM Timeline Explained: When Each Game Takes Place
The DOOM series has evolved the Doomguy from the original games of the 1990s to the reboot timeline of DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal, and DOOM: Dark Ages.
The most common complaint aboutThe Ancient Godswas the new enemies that tended to consistently slow down combat whenever they appeared, whether from having powerful defenses or requiring very specific weapons to take down. While it wasn’t as noticeable in the first entry, these issues were even more prevalent inThe Ancient Gods Part Two, especially with the final boss not matching up with the action-packed gameplay of the series.
The Ancient Gods' Spirit enemies were the most common source of complaint whenThe Ancient GodsDLC was first released, as their empowered demons had considerably large health pools on top of forcing players to stand still while using the less favorable Microwave Beam to finish them off. While there’s merit in encouraging players to adopt new playstyles or trydifferent weapons inDOOMto shake up the gameplay experience, it comes at the cost of cutting down the player’s freedom, a core part ofDoom Eternal’s experience.
Even though enemies like the base game’s Cacodemons had a somewhat similar mechanic by preparing them for a glory kill with a well-placed sticky bomb, they could still be dispatched with relative ease using practically any other weapon in the game.
There’s Plenty Of Room For Challenging Enemies In Modern Doom
Providing Encounters To Test The Metal Of Any Slayer
Despite complaints overThe Ancient Godsand its seemingly unbalanced combat encounters thanks to new enemies that often slow down players, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for challenging encounters. Even thoughDoom Eternal's Marauders caused similar frustration by breaking up the gameplay flow and slowing down combat, they provided a more unique and rewarding encounter nearly every time. While the first few fights with a Marauder can be a long-lasting duel to the death,experienced players can finish one off with simply one or two fast-paced combos, encouraging skilled gameplay and experimentation.
DOOM: The Dark Ages Coolest Weapon Is Already Playable In Earlier Games Thanks To Fans
DOOM: The Dark Ages' coolest weapon is already playable in the original game thanks to a quick-thinking and especially talented modder.
While not everyone was a fan of the new directionEternaltook after the success of its more grounded 2016 version,there’s no debating thatDoom Eternaloffered an incredibly exhilarating gameplay experience that rewarded high-skill play. Given thatDoom: The Dark Agesseems to be taking a more calculated approach to its boss encounters and gameplay mechanics, it will likely have a much easier time balancing the flow of combat at a more consistent level.
Doom: The Dark Ages Is The Right Step Forward For The Franchise
Shaking Up The Franchise For A Wholly Original Experience
WithDoom Eternaltaking on the more fantastical version of the series' sci-fi fantasy setting,Doom: The Dark Agesfeels like a natural progression for the series' setting and themes.The setting provides opportunities to explore new stories, a unique visual style, and newthematic weapons inThe Dark Ages, making the transition into slower-paced combat more seamless. Despite not having the same freedom of movement as its predecessor,The Dark Ageswill have a much better chance of providing a smoother gameplay experience, albeit with fun detours like flying sections and mech battles.
New mechanics help make the Slayer an unstoppable force by pushing ahead no matter what enemies can throw at him.
While a shield is typically seen as a slower-paced defensive weapon,The Dark Ages seems to flip this concept on its head by making the Shield Saw a core part of the Slayer’s fighting arsenal, allowing him to parry attacks, burst through obstacles, shred enemies, or even bounce it between Demons. Even though the concept of parrying and deflecting abilities may seem a bit strange for the fast-paced combat of the series, these new mechanics help make the Slayer an unstoppable force by pushing ahead no matter what enemies can throw at him.
The changes made to the glory system further emphasize this new level of gameplay consistency, as, despite their satisfying visceral nature, they took control out of players' hands and tended to get repetitive in the long run. While fans will have to wait and see how the more powerful and grounded combat inDoom: The Dark Agesfeels to play at launch, there’s no doubt that it will provide a refreshing take on the series with someinspiration from the series' roots.
