Doom: The Dark Ages Review

Doom: The Dark Ages marks a bold and bloody new direction for the franchise, dragging the Slayer back in time to a medieval-inspired hellscape full of gothic architecture, monstrous battlegrounds, and some of the most intense close-quarters combat the series has ever delivered. And somehow, against all odds, the gameplay might just be even better than 2020’s Doom Eternal.

From the moment you pick up that hulking shield-saw or mount the dragon-like war beast (yes, that actually happens), it’s clear The Dark Ages is going for something bigger, heavier, and more grounded in brutality than its fast-paced predecessors. The gameplay strikes a near-perfect balance between the relentless aggression of Eternal and a more tactical, rhythm-based combat flow that rewards movement, precision, and pure carnage. The new weapons and enemies force players to think differently, and the level design is tighter, more layered, and often jaw-dropping in its scale.

Unfortunately, where the gameplay soars, the story comes limping behind. While previous entries in the rebooted series built surprising lore around the Slayer and his eternal war with Hell, The Dark Ages feels like a missed opportunity in that department. It tries to weave a mythic origin story for the Doom Slayer but ends up feeling both underdeveloped and oddly disconnected from the emotional and thematic momentum built in Doom Eternal. The pacing of the narrative is uneven, and it leans too heavily on vague prophecy and exposition dumps rather than meaningful character moments or compelling stakes.

The art direction, music, and moment-to-moment gameplay are still elite-tier — id Software hasn’t lost their touch there — but it’s hard not to feel like The Dark Ages could have been a more complete package if its story had the same care and fury poured into it as the combat.

Verdict: 7/10

If you’re here for the gameplay (and let’s be honest, most of us are), Doom: The Dark Ages delivers in buckets of blood. It’s heavier, smarter, and in many ways more exhilarating than anything we’ve seen in the franchise before. Just don’t expect it to leave a lasting impression when it comes to the lore.