Doom: Dark Ages - A Halo-Like Moment

During my recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, the gothic prequel from id Software, I was unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon, I unleashed a barrage of machine gun fire against a demonic battle barge. After destroying its defensive turrets, I landed my beast on the ship and charged through its lower decks, reducing the entire crew to a bloody mess. Moments later, the warmachine was destroyed, and I burst through its hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against Hell's machines.

Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter will recognize the similarities to Master Chief's assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks. While the helicopter-like Hornet is replaced with a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech with an occult flying boat, the essence of the experience remains: an aerial assault leading to a devastating boarding action. Surprisingly, this wasn't the only moment in the demo that echoed *Halo*. Although the combat core of *The Dark Ages* is unmistakably *Doom*, the campaign's design seems to have a late-2000s shooter vibe, characterized by elaborate cutscenes and a focus on gameplay novelty.

Over two and a half hours, I played through four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. The first level, the campaign's opener, mirrored the tightly-paced, meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. However, the other levels saw me piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and navigating a wide-open battlefield filled with secrets and powerful minibosses. This represents a significant departure from *Doom*'s traditional focus on mechanical purity, feeling more akin to *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even old James Bond games like *Nightfire*, which are known for their scripted setpieces and novelty mechanics.

This direction is intriguing for *Doom*, especially since the series once moved away from such elements. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with its modern military aesthetic and emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. After years of development, id Software decided these ideas didn't fit the series, leading to the focused approach of *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here we are in 2025, with *The Dark Ages* revisiting these concepts.

The campaign's fast pace is punctuated by new gameplay ideas reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s most memorable novelties. My demo began with a long and elaborate cutscene reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels, the knightly brothers-in-arms of the Doom Slayer. The Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, a nuclear-level threat on two legs. This deeply cinematic approach, while familiar to *Doom* enthusiasts through codex entries, feels new and reminiscent of *Halo*. In the levels, NPC Night Sentinels are scattered around, similar to UNSC Marines, giving a sense of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief.

The introductory cutscene includes significant character work, and it remains to be seen if this is something *Doom* truly needs. I personally prefer the subtle storytelling of the previous games through environment design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for major reveals like in *Eternal*. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* are brief, setting up missions without interrupting *Doom*'s intense flow.

Other interruptions come in the form of varied gameplay segments. After the opening mission, which transitions from shotgun slaughter to parrying Hell Knights with the Slayer's new shield, I found myself in the cockpit of a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, wrestling demonic kaiju. Next, I was soaring on a cybernetic dragon, attacking battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels shift the campaign's pace, introducing gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s notable sequences, such as the AC-130 gunship in *Modern Warfare* or dogfighting in *Infinite Warfare*. The Atlan is slow and heavy, making Hell's armies look like Warhammer miniatures, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a different experience from classic *Doom*.

Many top FPS campaigns thrive on such variety. *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2* set the standard, and *Halo*'s mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences adds richness to its texture. However, I'm uncertain if this will work for *Doom*. *The Dark Ages*, like *Eternal*, is a complex shooter where every moment demands full attention as you combine shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging, almost like on-rails sections with combat engagements resembling QTEs.

In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship works because the mechanical complexity is similar to on-foot missions. However, in *The Dark Ages*, there's a noticeable gap between gameplay styles, akin to a middle school guitar student playing alongside Eddie Van Halen. While *Doom*'s core combat will always be the star, the mech and dragon sequences shouldn't make me long for the ground-level action with a double-barreled shotgun.

My final hour of play shifted *The Dark Ages* into another mode, focusing on id's exceptional gunplay within a vast open battlefield. The level "Siege" requires destroying five Gore Portals and evokes the multi-objective missions of *Call of Duty* while also reminding me of *Halo*. The expansive map contrasts with the tighter routes of the opening level, much like *Halo*'s interior and exterior environments. Here, the core shooting mechanics are given new context in larger spaces, forcing you to rethink weapon ranges, use charge attacks to cover vast distances, and deflect artillery with the shield.

Expanding *Doom*'s playspace can lead to a loss of focus, as I found myself backtracking and navigating empty pathways, which disrupts the pace. I would have liked to see *The Dark Ages* incorporate the dragon more like *Halo*'s Banshee, allowing for flight across the battlefield to maintain momentum and integrate the dragon more seamlessly into the experience.

Despite the overall structure of the full campaign, it's fascinating to see a revival and reinterpretation of ideas once deemed unsuitable for the series. The cancelled *Doom 4* reportedly featured scripted set pieces and vehicle scenes, similar to what we see in the Atlan and dragon sections of *The Dark Ages*. Marty Stratton from id Software confirmed in a 2016 Noclip interview that *Doom 4* was more cinematic and story-driven, akin to *Call of Duty*. These elements were scrapped, but now they're back in *The Dark Ages*, which promises big boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a broader cast of characters, and significant lore reveals.

The core of *The Dark Ages* remains its intense, on-foot combat. Nothing in the demo suggests it won't be the main focus, and my experience confirms it's another brilliant reinvention of *Doom*'s essence. While this alone could carry the campaign, id Software has other plans. I'm concerned that some of these new ideas might feel more like distractions than enhancements, but there's still much to see. I eagerly await May 15th, not only to return to id's unmatched gunplay but also to see if *Doom: The Dark Ages* is a well-crafted late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.