When I first watched the trailer for Doom: The Dark Ages, I was impressed. But after seeing the gameplay, I was disappointed. What is this - Serious Sam? (Even the way Doomguy takes damage sounds like the voice of Sam) All those flying little orbs, nuts, candy wrappers and the cacophony of colorful effects just don’t fit the brutal tone of Doom.

Even if I can complain a bit about those little health circles flying out everywhere, gameplay-wise the game is still the same bone-crushing and epic shooter. From the videos the gameplay looked kind of dull to me, even though the gameplay trailers were very energetic. But in reality the game feels much better to play than it looks in videos.

I was also skeptical about the open arenas, but it turns out they can actually be quite fun — especially considering that you’re expected to use all the combat systems during fights.

There are more story cutscenes now, and they’re pretty good. In my opinion, Doom was missing something like that. But some of the cutscenes are presented in a very abrupt way, which hurts the flow of the story. One moment you’re piloting a robot somewhere on Mars, then suddenly you’re flying on a dragon in the clouds, then you’re in some citadel, and then you suddenly end up in Hell. Even the codex doesn’t always make it easy to understand what exactly is going on.

Even though they parted ways with the previous composer, the music is still fantastic. I wouldn’t say every track is memorable (although I did add a couple to my playlist), but when the game needs it - the metal absolutely rips your ears apart, and when it needs something else - you get gloomy, grim ambient.

The open arenas often just stretch out the playtime, and because of the gameplay structure they don’t really need to be filled with much - which sometimes makes them feel a bit lazily designed. That said, I have no complaints about the arenas themselves, the locations, or especially the character and enemy models.

Personally, the dragon sections and the weapon visuals felt a bit weak. The dragon might have some nice staging and a cool model, but gameplay it feels more like a simple theme park ride. Thankfully those moments don’t drag on. Flying through huge spaces and appreciating the scale of the epic battles can be enjoyable - but only once. It’s probably impressive enough for trailers, but it’s just… okay.

All the weapons also look kind of the same. They have some weight to them, but visually they’re not very distinctive. Unfortunately, the need to really juggle weapons during combat is mostly gone (the only thing that might push you to use everything is the mastery achievements). That mechanic required some skill, but it added a lot of dynamism to the gameplay. Still, I ended up playing the whole game with just three weapons and didn’t get bored. And maybe it was a mistake to spoil some of the juiciest moments in the trailers - but that’s subjective.

I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of miss the parkour puzzles. Although, to be fair, the game’s slogan is basically: stand and fight.

That said, the gameplay isn’t worse than in the previous games - it’s just different. It’s actually impressive that the developers managed to make such an engaging game in a genre that’s probably one of the most overused out there.

The sound design and audio effects are excellent, the locations and biomes look great, and the backgrounds are absolutely amazing. All of this fits perfectly within Doom’s very interesting setting. The engine runs incredibly well and delivers a huge number of frames while still looking extremely detailed and visually rich. Stylistically, the game also looks fantastic.

With 66.6% sale, this turned out to be a very good shooter!

DOOM

A bloody, epic masterpiece that fuses heavy metal with dark medieval fantasy. The new Shield Saw completely transforms the combat loop a relentless dance of destruction that shooter fans absolutely shouldn't skip.

• Gameplay & Fun Factor: 10/10
  The legendary "push forward" combat is gloriously expanded with the new Shield Saw. Parrying, throwing saw blades, and the sheer weight of your attacks are incredibly satisfying. Even the gigantic mech fights and dragon riding integrate seamlessly into the relentless action.
  
  
• Graphics & Atmosphere: 10/10
  The grim dark-fantasy aesthetic perfectly captures the origins of the Doom Slayer. Massive gothic castles, blood-soaked battlefields, and towering demonic hordes—the world is terrifying, epochal, and beautifully detailed all at once.
  
  
• Story & Features: 9/10
  Sharp, brutal, and cinematic. We finally get to experience the much anticipated prequel story of the Slayer on Argent D'Nur. The lore is rich but keeps the pace blazing fast, avoiding endless exposition while still rewarding attentive explorers.
  
  
• Sound & Audio: 10/10
  An absolute feast for the ears. The driving soundtrack masterfully blends crushing heavy metal riffs with chanting choirs and dark, pounding rhythms. Every weapon, especially the skull crushing mace, sounds exceptionally meaty and impactful.
  
  
• Technical & Performance: 9.5/10
  id Software proves once again that they are the absolute masters of optimization. Despite countless enemies on screen, flying gibs, and massive particle effects, the game runs buttery smooth with practically no performance drops.