Doom: The Dark Ages Review (PC) – The Return Of The Doom Slayer

While the franchise got its start in 1993, it wasn’t till the 2016 reboot that DOOM found its footing in the modern era, putting itself up there with the campaigns of Call of Duty and other shooters. All the while, DOOM Guy, now renamed The Doom Slayer (or The Slayer), has become such a legend in modern folklore that he is the only man who could challenge Chuck Norris and put on a decent fight (The Slayer’s fight against Master Chief should have been one punch and done… fuck Death Battle). Now we head into the third game in the modern DOOM timeline, heading… backwards? DOOM: The Dark Ages is a prequel… oh god, I thought we were beyond this… Time to strap on the shotgun, put on that heavy metal track, and see if DOOM: The Dark Ages is worth stomping through demonkind once again.

Name: Doom: The Dark Ages
Platform(s): PC (reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Game Type: First-person shooter
Mode(s): Single-player
Release Date: May 15, 2025

A Complex DOOM storyline… I miss the Rabbit

To be honest, I’m not as up to date on the massive lore that is the modern DOOM series as I should be. I completely ignored DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal‘s stories, as when I played DOOM (1993) back in the day, we didn’t need any stinking lore. Back then, it was about a demon that killed DOOM Guy’s pet bunny, Daisy, and impaled her head on a pike. After that, he went to hell to wipe the place out for revenge… Yes, I’m serious… That was original DOOM lore.

DOOM: The Dark Ages, on the other hand, throws you into the deep end with something about Hell invading Earth (I think), and you are the weapon of some religious aliens due to a restraining bolt that’s on your chest. There’s something about a Heart of Ascent being a powerful weapon; the demons want it, there are idiots on Earth who are helping the demons, and you get summoned by Kings and Military to come and slaughter waves of demons to protect the Heart and other things… I don’t know…

As you progress through the 22 chapters of the story campaign, you don’t get much to go on when it comes to the story, why you are doing what you are doing, and all the human dribble that’s going on while you’re stuck behind a static field… While this would get annoying if I gave a crap about the story, it would be nice to see some actual writing taking place between all the killing. They try to give you a story, but the presentation falls flat as most of the characters are either talking about you, The Slayer, or wanting you to hurry up and arrive to kill stuff.

Rip and Tear Never Looked So Good (Graphics)

To say that DOOM: The Dark Ages is a good-looking game since the 2016 reboot is an understatement; the look of hell or a hell invasion, with its dark tones and red hue, shines with fire like it never has before. The outside levels are filled with ruined buildings, gothic architecture, and rubble all over the place, and it looks like something that was really made in the Dark Ages, but with a technological twist, as there are viewscreens and command consoles all over the place.

When you go inside, you are met with some of the most basic but good-looking churches and strongholds I’ve seen in a long time. Everywhere you look, and you will be looking all over the place, you will find something that is a weird mix of modern and the Dark Ages. I do recommend using the map, as you will need it to get into all the secret locations that you will not notice from just looking around, a small trick the developers did just to make sure you explore everything around you.

Another standout visually is the backgrounds of some locations, where you will see Titans fighting against giant mechs in the background, only to have them storm a beach and get into your face, all without frame drops or needing to use low-to-high textures. As I was playing the PC version, without using benchmarking programs, I could tell that this game was running smoothly as silk, despite running on older hardware that could do with an upgrade. I also didn’t install the recommended NVIDIA drivers that the game says I “need” every time I start up the game, due to NVIDIA constantly dropping the ball and the newer drivers causing issues with the RTX 4000 series GPUs. Though I’m sure that the new drivers that will be released on launch will make this game run smoother and better than it does now. When that happens, you are going to see your graphics card work without exploding your PC or forcing you to upgrade to something with a bit more… if you can find one, and now, if you can afford it.

Bang Your Head Until You Can’t (Music and Sound Effects)

I know, I know—fans wanted Mick Gordon back. But let’s not dwell on that. What matters is the DOOM: The Dark Ages soundtrack absolutely shreds. The moment the game boots up, the music kicks in hard, and I was already banging my head within the first few minutes. During gameplay, it only gets better—blistering, high-tempo metal that makes you question if you’re slaying demons or front-row at a live concert.

Finishing Move Inc. crushed it here. Once players hear what they’ve put together, no one’s going to care who composed what. The soundtrack grips you and doesn’t let go.

As for the sound effects? Top-notch—though that’s expected. DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal also nailed the audio. Every gunshot, every brutal punch to a demon’s skull, every tortured scream sounds crisp and impactful. It’s all music to my ears. It’s good stuff, plain and simple.

Old School DOOM with a Twist (Gameplay)

If there is one thing that will never change about the DOOM series, it’s the gameplay. Running and gunning has never been so much fun. You start things out with some of the conventional DOOM weapons like the shotgun and plasma blaster, but you get some new toys like the Skullcrusher, a machine gun that uses skulls as ammo, and a stake launcher, which is a slower and more accurate headshot machine.

But the biggest improvement is the shield, a defensive and offensive device. Using the shield as a… well, shield… You can defend against blasts and physical attacks, taking reduced damage. The key thing here is counters and parries, which are done through timing your shield block, knocking your enemies back, and giving you a chance to bash their heads in or get a few free shots in. That’s not all, though. Once you get the chainsaw attachment, you can throw the shield like Captain America, ripping through enemies and shattering shields. With some levels, I just used the shield to feel like a badass. It was great to use and a welcome addition to the Doom Slayer’s arsenal. And yes, you can adjust the parry window.

If you think that’s all that DOOM: The Dark Ages brings to the table, you are wrong. You do get some special stages where you jump into a gigantic mech, giving you a chance to go toe to toe with the Titan-class demons in a round of boxing that is going to leave them eating more than dirt… more like your boot in their faces. These moments feel epic and well worth the time… but it does give off Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind vibes in looks and gameplay, but this time it works as intended, which is a big step, let me tell you… You also get segments where you ride on your own demon hound, which is just as awesome as it sounds.

One thing that annoys me is the upgrade system. Instead of unlocking things over time, you have to collect gold and spend it on upgrades for the shield, each of your guns, and your melee attacks. With most upgrades starting at 75 to 150 gold each, you are going to be sidetracked hunting down gold instead of stomping heads… Oh! And there are runes to augment things, too, but the hell if I know where to find them or how to use them. This adds more to the upgrade system than there needs to be, making it almost frustrating to know that this is something that might be needed down the line, but if you are skilled enough, you can make do without upgrading at all and still have a good time. This makes me wonder if this system was put in to make things annoying or if there was a point to all of it.

I know some people have reservations about the shield, especially with the new parry system and shield bash mechanics, but I have to say, ID Software did an amazing job integrating it into the game. The parry system allows you to deflect projectiles that would otherwise cause damage, while the shield itself is great for mitigating incoming hits.

When used as a melee weapon, the shield lets you perform a shield rush, which can deal heavy damage to single enemies or groups. And yes, you can adjust the parry window to suit your playstyle. Once you get the hang of it, whether you’re using a controller or keyboard and mouse, it feels really satisfying.

That Completion Bar is the Real Hell (Replayability)

Much like DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, you are going to have a lot more than stomping the heads of demons to do in DOOM: The Dark Ages. Like the other games, there are secret areas to explore and puzzles to solve. You’ll be collecting Codexes, pieces of lore on locations and people, gun skins, extra lives, gold for upgrades, and best of all… TOYS! There is nothing like finding one of those purple question marks and having it pop up with a toy figure of one of the franchise’s enemies or other things. As a toy collector myself, having this happen in-game is going to keep me coming back to find all of them.

At the end of each level, just like in the classic games, you are given a round-up of what you have found in each level, with the result showing you how complete the level progress is. While this doesn’t affect the story at all, seeing this bar sitting at 80% complete drives me nuts, making me want to go back into the level and find out what I missed. Sometimes it will be not getting enough gold, or missing collectibles, or just going into a hidden location on the map. It’s this type of thing that is going to be key for people to go back and replay levels over and over to get that 100% completion bar.

As Solid as The Doomslayer’s Shield (Closing)

DON’T YOU DARE SAY “I’ll just play it on Game Pass”!! Get your ass online or to your local game shop and BUY THIS GAME. DOOM: The Dark Ages is just as good as the other recent offerings featuring our favorite ass-kicker, if not better, thanks to the additions this game brings to the table. The gameplay is tight, responsive, and most of all… FUN! There are no bullshit microtransactions bringing the game down, there is just straightforward old school fun to be had here. If you have a few hours, or a few days where you just want to chill and kill shit, then DOOM: The Dark Ages is that perfect lazy day game that will keep you going for hours… mostly because that completion bar is still not 100% for that one fucking level… and I love it!

Review Disclosure Statement: Doom: The Dark Ages was provided to us by Bethesda for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more details.