Doom: The Dark Ages - A Halo Moment in Gaming

During a recent hands-on demo with id Software's upcoming gothic prequel, *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I found myself unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Mounted on a cyborg dragon, I unleashed a barrage of machine gun fire against a demonic battle barge. After taking out its defensive turrets, I landed on the vessel and stormed its lower decks, turning the crew into a bloody mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull and leaped back onto my dragon, continuing my relentless assault on 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 *Doom: The Dark Ages* swaps the helicopter-like Hornet for a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech for an occult flying boat, the essence of the experience remains: an aerial assault transitioning into a devastating boarding action. Interestingly, this wasn't the only moment that echoed *Halo*. Despite the combat core being unmistakably *Doom*, the campaign's design feels reminiscent of late-2000s shooters, with its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on gameplay novelty.

A dragon assault on Hell's battle barge. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Over the course of 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 and meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. However, the subsequent levels introduced significant departures, including piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and navigating a wide-open battlefield filled with secrets and powerful minibosses. This shift feels more akin to games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even old James Bond titles like *Nightfire*, which are known for their scripted setpieces and novel mechanics.

This direction marks a fascinating shift for the *Doom* series, which once veered away from such elements. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with its modern military aesthetic and focus on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. Id Software ultimately scrapped these ideas for the more focused *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here they are again in *The Dark Ages*, set to release in 2025.

The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated by new gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s most innovative moments. My demo began with a long, 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. While this lore is familiar to *Doom* enthusiasts, the deeply cinematic approach feels new and reminiscent of *Halo*. This continues into the levels, with NPC Night Sentinels scattered throughout, akin to UNSC Marines, enhancing the sense of being part of a larger force.

The introductory cutscene features significant character work, raising questions about whether *Doom* needs this level of storytelling. Personally, I prefer the subtler narrative approach of the previous games, conveyed through environment design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for major reveals, as seen in *Doom Eternal*. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* are brief and serve to set up missions without disrupting the game's intense flow.

Other interruptions come in the form of new gameplay segments. After the opening mission, which starts with shotgun slaughter and ends with parrying Hell Knights using the Slayer's new shield, I found myself in the cockpit of a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, wrestling demonic kaiju. Then, I soared through the skies on the cybernetic dragon, taking down battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels introduce significant shifts in gameplay, reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s most memorable sequences, like the AC-130 gunship mission in *Modern Warfare* or the dogfighting in *Infinite Warfare*. The Atlan mech feels slow and heavy, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a different experience from classic *Doom*.

The mech battles are Pacific Rim-scale punch ups. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Many of the best FPS campaigns thrive on such variety, as seen in *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2*. *Halo* has endured due to its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences. However, I'm uncertain if this approach will work for *Doom*. While *The Dark Ages* remains a complex shooter, demanding constant attention with its intricate combat mechanics, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging and more like on-rails experiences, almost resembling QTEs.

In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship works because the mechanical complexity isn't far removed from on-foot missions. In contrast, *The Dark Ages* presents a clear divide between gameplay styles, making the transition jarring. While *Doom*'s core combat remains the star, the mech and dragon sequences feel less satisfying compared to the ground-based action.

My final hour of play introduced a level called "Siege," which refocused on id's exceptional gunplay but expanded the typically claustrophobic level design into a vast open battlefield. The objective, to destroy five Gore Portals, echoed *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, yet it also reminded me of *Halo* due to the contrast between the map's grand scale and the tighter routes of earlier levels. This level required rethinking weapon ranges and using the charge attack to cover large distances, while the shield deflected artillery from oversized tank cannons.

Expanding *Doom*'s playspace can lead to a loss of focus, as I found myself backtracking through empty pathways, which disrupted the pace. Integrating the dragon into this level, similar to *Halo*'s Banshee, could have maintained the pace and made the dragon feel more integral to the experience.

Despite these concerns, I'm fascinated by the resurrection and reinterpretation of ideas once deemed unsuitable for the series. The cancelled *Doom 4* reportedly featured scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, elements that have returned in *The Dark Ages*. Id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed in a 2016 Noclip interview that *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty*, with more cinematic elements and characters. It's intriguing to see these elements re-emerge 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 on-foot, gun-in-hand combat, which continues to be the highlight of the demo. While I'm skeptical about some of the new ideas feeling mechanically thin, I'm eager to see how they fit into the full campaign. As we approach the release on May 15th, I'm curious to discover whether *Doom: The Dark Ages* will be a well-crafted late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.