DOOM: Dark Ages – First Preview

After id Software's brilliant revival of Doom in 2016 and its tighter follow-up Doom Eternal in 2020, it's hard for Doom to fly any higher. So that's not the case. Instead, it brings this high-speed, high-skill first-person shooter closer to the minions of Hell in the medieval prequel Doom: Dark Ages.

Yes, the new Doom centers on Eternal's platforming gameplay and actually bases its combat on strafing-heavy gameplay with an emphasis on power. Of course, the great guns are still there – this is Doom after all! – This largely includes the new Skull Crusher that stood out in the trailer. You know, the one that eats the skulls of fallen enemies for ammunition, then spits them back at the still-living bad guys in smaller, faster bursts. But Dark Ages also puts a huge emphasis on your three melee weapons: the default electric gloves, which can be recharged; the flail; and the star of last summer's trailer, the Shield Saw, which can be thrown or used to block and parry. or deflection. “You have to stand up and fight,” game director Hugo Martin said after I demoed the new Doom.

Maybe you won’t be surprised, then, that Martin says Dark Ages was primarily inspired by three other seminal works in pop culture: the legendary original Doom, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, and Zack Snyder's 2006 classic film 300 – perhaps not coincidentally, adapted from Miller's graphic novel.

As further evidence of this, the modern series' iconic “Glory Kill” finishing move system has been desynced, meaning death can be done from any angle on the battlefield and will change accordingly. This is to take into account that there are hordes of enemies surrounding you at all times. Yes, just like 300 (and the original Doom), you'll be surrounded by bad guys in Dark Ages battle bowls that have been significantly expanded during the Dark Ages. You can complete the objectives in any order you want, and roam as much as you want through the levels (which, by the way, Martin says has been shortened to about an hour in length to get closer to his sweet spot some).

Even better, in response to the criticism I cited in my review of Doom Eternal, Dark Ages will no longer force you to read the story in Codex. Instead, the story will unfold in the form of cutscenes. According to id, the story will “take you to the farthest reaches of the Doom universe,” with the storyline described as “a summer blockbuster where everything is at stake” as your powers as the Doom Slayer are coveted by your enemies.

Martin also specifically emphasized that the development team is focusing on simplifying the control scheme, saying that in hindsight, Doom Eternal made the controls too complex. Martin said the team wanted something that felt intuitive so that when they put pressure on players, they weren't hitting buttons they weren't familiar with. For example, the melee options mentioned above will be equipped like gear (meaning one at a time). At the same time, not only will there be more secrets and treasures hidden around you, but the economy has been reduced to one currency (gold), and these secrets will be focused on advancing your skills. Meaningful, tangible, gameplay-changing rewards rather than in-depth lore.

One thing you can definitely delve into, though, is difficulty. Custom sliders now let you tweak the challenge the way you see fit, making it easy to adjust things like game speed and enemy aggressiveness (and more) right in the user interface.

I also got a closer look at two great gameplay scenes from the trailer: a 30-story giant demon mech called Atlan and a cybernetic dragon-back ride. It sounds like they won't be disposable, but you can't summon any of them whenever you want. Each one has a full set of abilities and there are even mini-bosses to fight. Oh, and one more key piece of information: there won't be any multiplayer modes this time around, as the team wants to focus all resources on making the best single-player campaign possible. It's not that Eternal's combat mode is bad, but I don't think most players will complain.

But for me, the original Doom in 1993 was transformative for me, and I just keep looking back at Martin's shift away from the direction they were going in Eternals (very successful!), and his take on A re-adherence to those 30 years of design principles. -The classic foundation upon which he designed Dark Ages. “It has to be different (from eternity),” Martin said. “Especially if I like the game. (If) I want to play a Doom game, I want to feel powerful, but I'm okay with changing the power fantasy, especially if the change brings it closer to the classic “Doom”.

Hearing this news made me more excited than ever. May 15th can’t come soon enough.

Ryan McCaffrey is executive editor of IGN Previews and host of IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcasts Unlockedand our monthly talk show, IGN Unfiltered. He's from North Jersey, so it's “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate with him on Twitter: @DMC_Ryan.