During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I was unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Halfway through the demo, I found myself mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machinegun fire on a demonic battle barge. After destroying the vessel’s defensive turrets, I landed atop the ship and charged through its lower decks, turning the crew into a bloody mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull on my dragon, continuing my crusade against Hell's machines.
Fans of *Halo 3* will recognize the similarity to Master Chief’s assault on the Covenant’s scarab tanks. While the helicopter-like Hornet has been replaced with a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech with an occult flying boat, the core experience remains: an aerial assault transitioning into a devastating boarding action. This wasn't the only moment reminiscent of *Halo*; despite *The Dark Ages* retaining Doom's unmistakable combat core, the campaign's design echoes late-2000s shooters with its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on gameplay novelty.
A dragon assault on Hell's battle barge. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Over two and a half hours, I played four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. The first level, the campaign's opener, mirrored the tightly paced, well-designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. The subsequent levels introduced piloting a colossal mech, flying the dragon, and exploring a wide-open battlefield filled with secrets and minibosses. This departure from Doom's traditional focus on mechanical purity resembles the scripted setpieces and novel mechanics found in games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even old James Bond titles like *Nightfire*.
This direction for *Doom* is intriguing, especially considering the series once moved away from such elements. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with its modern military aesthetic, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. id Software ultimately decided these ideas didn't fit Doom's identity, leading to the focused approach of *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here they are again in *The Dark Ages*, set to release in 2025.
The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated by new gameplay ideas reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s biggest novelties. My demo began with a long, elaborate cutscene introducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels—the Doom Slayer's knightly comrades. Portrayed as a nuclear-level threat, the Doom Slayer's lore is presented in a deeply cinematic way, akin to *Halo*. NPC Night Sentinels are scattered throughout the levels, similar to UNSC Marines, reinforcing the feeling of being part of an army, with the Slayer as its spearhead.
While I appreciate the subtle storytelling of previous Doom games through environment design and codex entries, the new cinematic approach in *The Dark Ages* feels fresh and different. The cutscenes set up missions without interrupting Doom's intense flow. However, other interruptions come in the form of new gameplay sequences. After the opening mission, which ends with parrying Hell Knights using the Slayer's new shield, I piloted a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech to battle demonic kaiju and soared on a cybernetic dragon to take down battle barges. These scripted levels introduce significant shifts in gameplay, echoing *Call of Duty*'s AC-130 gunship or dogfighting missions. The mech is slow and heavy, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a different experience from classic Doom.
Mech battles on a Pacific Rim scale. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Many of the best FPS campaigns thrive on such variety, as seen in *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2*. *Halo* has endured partly due to its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences. However, I'm unsure if this will work for *Doom*. *The Dark Ages* remains a complex shooter, demanding constant attention with shots, shield tosses, parries, and melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging and more like on-rails experiences, almost resembling QTEs.
In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship feels natural because the mechanical complexity isn't far removed from on-foot missions. But in *The Dark Ages*, there's a clear gap between gameplay styles, making the mech and dragon sequences feel less integrated. Despite this, Doom's core combat remains the star, and I shouldn't miss the ground-based action when piloting a mech.
My final hour of play shifted to a level called "Siege," which refocused on id's exceptional gunplay in a large open battlefield. The goal was to destroy five Gore Portals, similar to *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, but it reminded me of *Halo* due to the contrast between tight and expansive environments. This level requires rethinking weapon ranges and using charge attacks to cover vast distances, while the shield deflects artillery from oversized tank cannons.
The downside of expanding Doom's playspace is the potential for unfocused gameplay, with backtracking and empty pathways disrupting the pace. Integrating the dragon into this level, akin to *Halo*'s Banshee, could help maintain momentum and make the dragon a more integral part of the experience.
Despite these concerns, *Doom: The Dark Ages* resurrects and reinterprets ideas once considered ill-suited for the series. The cancelled *Doom 4* reportedly featured scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, which are now evident in the Atlan and dragon sections. id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty* with its cinematic and character-driven approach, which was scrapped for *Doom (2016)*. Seeing these elements return in *The Dark Ages* is fascinating, as the campaign will feature boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a broader cast of characters, and significant lore reveals.
The question remains: were these ideas always a bad fit for Doom, or were they just poorly implemented when resembling *Call of Duty* too closely? While skeptical, I'm excited to see if id Software can successfully integrate these elements into the modern Doom formula. The core of *The Dark Ages* remains its intense, on-foot combat, which I believe is strong enough to carry the campaign. However, id's new ideas, if not fully realized, could feel more like contaminants than fresh air. I eagerly await May 15th to experience id's unmatched gunplay and see if *Doom: The Dark Ages* delivers a cohesive late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.
