With DOOM: The Dark Ages soon approaching, we wanted to look at the new changes and features of the latest in the Doom Slayer's legacy. The latest in the epic FPS franchise will be arriving on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC on May 15th, with those who pre-order the premium and collector's edition will get two days early access to the game, plus some sweet bits and bobs.
So, here's a quick recap on what DOOM: The Dark Ages will bring this May, and fans better be excited on what there is!
Bigger, More Bad-Ass DOOM
DOOM: TDA will be a much longer game than both previous entries, with an impressive 22 levels in total, and from previous gameplay reveals, there will be a focus on grander exploration, and open world elements mixed into the core gameplay. This doesn’t make DOOM: TDA an open world game, but rather incorporates massive, open levels, where players can explore and find side missions, and extra loot along with the main mission.
The best comparison would be The Last of Us 2’s massive open level near the start of Ellie’s campaign, where she could explore, find loot, and even go into a bank vault to obtain the shotgun.
The Dome Slayer will have his fair share of places to go and see, and new special weapons to find, on the player’s sense of discovery and keen eyes.
The Lovecraftian Slayer!
The Cosmic Realm is a nice new addition to the game, as the team wanted to incorporate cosmic horror elements into the franchise for quite a while, and now seems to be the perfect time. Director Hugo Martin has stated there will be no crossovers with Quake, but it’s nice to see an id Software game returning to a Lovecraftian world once again, and it looks amazing!
There are new enemy types, weapons and other dangers with the cosmic theme in mind! Including the epic-looking Reaver Chain-Shot.
dodge, duck, dip, dive, and PARRY!
Parry attacks and dodging are a focus for gameplay and combat here in DOOM: TDA, as the core of this latest id Software game reminisces about the old DOOM days of projectile attacks from enemies, and evading massive bullets being thrown at the player.
Enemies will throw all manner of attacks at you, and players will have to do their best to evade and even parry/counter certain attacks and projectiles, returning massive damage. DOOM: TDA is more methodical, slower, but still brutal, unless the lightning-fast antics in Eternal.
It’s more about precision, timing, and chipping down enemies in bloody fashion, while everything and the kitchen sink is thrown at you. It’s an interesting change of pace, and the slower, yet still compelling nature of battle will bring back fans who didn’t click with Eternal.
Going Medieval .... DOOM style!
While DOOM is and always will be about shooting demons, DOOM: TDA will bring a greater sense of purpose to melee combat, to the point where it is possible to do melee-only runs, as Hugo Martin puts it. There are a whole bunch of melee weapons to brutalise with, from the Saw-Shield to the Flail. These are powerful weapons, and if people can blast their way through DOOM 2016 with just the pistol on Nightmare mode, then surely a few DOOM veterans can smash their way through DOOM: TDA with just the shield.
There is no multiplayer, due to Hugo Martin and the team wanting to focus all their efforts on the single-player campaign. DOOM has become a staple of high-quality, single-player action, storytelling, and design. The new campaign of DOOM: TDA boosts new environments, enemies, gameplay mechanics, and expanded game design elements that it’s set top be id Software’s biggest game to date.
DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15 for Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, PC, and Battle.net. Pre-order the Premium Edition to receive two days of early access, along with the Digital Artbook and Soundtrack, the Divinity Skin Pack, and access to the campaign DLC coming at a later date.
