Doom: The Dark Ages is like no other. Seriously, it’s wild. It’s trying to be its own thing—like that awkward teenager doing weird stuff to stand out. And the backdrop? 2016’s Doom, which we all know was a hit, and then Doom Eternal, which everyone loved too. So, as a prequel… yeah, high stakes. What did id Software decide? Veering off the usual path. They played around with combat and exploration, just shaking things up like a snow globe to see what might happen.
Now about the levels. They’re kinda open-ended, you know? So, unlike the older games where it was pretty linear—you go here, you shoot that—this one gives you a bit more room to mess around. And oh boy, they threw in some wacky gameplay. Imagine a giant mech for a fistfight with Titans. Or flying around on a dragon. I mean, who even thought of that? These little twists echo how the core combat’s changed. The parrying system? Pretty much the game’s bread and butter. Thing is, it’s kind of everywhere—like parsley on everything. At first, it’s cool. But, after a few chapters, it can feel like, “Can I do anything else but parry?”
Now, picture the big weapon in your arsenal—the Slayer’s Shield Saw. Sounds fancy, right? It’s an off-hand kind of gadget, and it’s not just to open locked doors. Nope, you use it to dash about, get right up in a demon’s face, and maybe throw it to stun the nastier ones. Side note: why is it always the classic move to use a thrown weapon? Anyway, you’ve got other melee tools too, like a Power Gauntlet and something called a Dreadmace, which honestly sounds made up, but sure, why not.
The Shield Saw—besides its dramatic name—has this perfect parry ability. Green projectiles come at you, and with the perfect timing, bam! You parry. But the whole game sort of ends up like a rhythm challenge. You know, the intensity goes up, the beats get faster. The fight feels like choreography, and sometimes, that might just limit your entire approach to combat. Does it make the fights any less exciting? Kinda. It’s like watching the same movie over and over.
Doom used to be about using a bunch of weapons for different demons. Like, remember shooting the Arachnotron’s turret? Or tossing a grenade into a Cacodemon’s mouth? Good times. But here, everything just screams “parry or die.” Well, not everything. They do try to mix it up—the melee weapons are cool, but that parry system is a bit like an annoying earworm.
So yeah, Doom: The Dark Ages is trying hard. It respects the franchise but also keeps pushing limits. Trying to juggle between homage and innovation, and it’s got players debating, scratching heads, and, you know, probably dying a few times mid-parry.
