"Doom's Dark Ages: A Halo Moment"

During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I found myself unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. As I mounted a cyborg dragon and unleashed a barrage of machinegun fire against a demonic battle barge, I couldn't help but draw parallels to Master Chief's iconic assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks. After obliterating the vessel's defensive turrets, I landed atop the ship, stormed its lower decks, and turned the crew into a gory mess. Bursting through the hull and back onto my dragon, I continued my relentless crusade against the machines of Hell.

While *The Dark Ages* retains Doom's signature combat, its campaign design evokes a late-2000s shooter vibe, complete with elaborate cutscenes and novel gameplay mechanics. Over the two and a half hours I played, I experienced four levels. The first mirrored the tightly-paced, meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. However, subsequent levels introduced piloting a colossal mech, flying a dragon, and exploring expansive battlefields filled with secrets and minibosses. These elements felt reminiscent of *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even classic James Bond games like *Nightfire*, known for their scripted setpieces and unique mission-specific mechanics.

This direction marks a significant shift for the Doom series, which once pivoted away from such elements in the canceled *Doom 4*. That project, with its modern military aesthetic and emphasis on characters and cinematic storytelling, was ultimately scrapped in favor of the more focused *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here in *The Dark Ages*, set to release in 2025, these concepts resurface.

The campaign's brisk pace is punctuated by new gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s most innovative sequences. My demo began with a lengthy cutscene introducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels, the Doom Slayer's knightly allies. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, akin to a nuclear threat. While this lore is familiar to dedicated fans, its cinematic presentation feels novel and reminiscent of *Halo*. Even within the levels, the presence of NPC Night Sentinels adds to the sense of being part of a larger force, similar to Master Chief's role among UNSC Marines.

The introductory cutscene includes substantial character development, raising questions about whether such depth is necessary for Doom. Personally, I appreciate the subtler storytelling of the previous games, preferring to uncover the Slayer's tale through environmental design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for major reveals like in *Doom Eternal*. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* serve their purpose well, setting up missions without disrupting the game's intense flow.

Other interruptions came in the form of varied gameplay segments. Following the initial shotgun-heavy mission, I piloted the Atlan mech, engaging in battles against demonic kaiju reminiscent of *Pacific Rim*. Next, I soared on a cybernetic dragon, attacking battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels, while providing a break from the rapid pace, felt mechanically simplistic and almost like QTEs compared to the intricate on-foot combat. Such variety is a hallmark of successful FPS campaigns like *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2*, and even *Halo*'s blend of vehicular and on-foot sections adds to its enduring appeal. However, in *The Dark Ages*, the contrast between the core combat and these segments feels jarring.

The "Siege" level, on the other hand, returns to id's exceptional gunplay but expands the typically claustrophobic levels into a vast open battlefield. This level, with its goal of destroying five Gore Portals, felt reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions and *Halo*'s contrast between interior and exterior environments. The larger space demanded a reevaluation of weapon ranges and tactical approaches, such as using the charge attack to cover vast distances and the shield to deflect artillery.

While the expansive battlefield occasionally led to backtracking and disrupted pacing, I believe incorporating the dragon, akin to *Halo*'s Banshee, could enhance the experience. Flying across the battlefield and dive-bombing into miniboss fights could maintain momentum and integrate the dragon more seamlessly.

The reintroduction of ideas once deemed unsuitable for Doom, as seen in the canceled *Doom 4*, is intriguing. Reports from 2013 highlighted scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, elements now evident in *The Dark Ages*' mech and dragon sequences. Marty Stratton from id Software confirmed in 2016 that *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty*, with a heavy focus on cinematic storytelling and characters. Seeing these elements reimagined in *The Dark Ages* is both surprising and exciting.

The question now is whether these ideas were always a poor fit for Doom, or if they were just ill-suited when they mimicked *Call of Duty* too closely. While I remain skeptical, I am also intrigued by id Software's attempt to integrate these elements into the modern Doom framework.

The heart of *The Dark Ages* is undeniably its visceral, on-foot combat. Nothing in the demo suggested that it won't remain the centerpiece, and my experience confirms it's another thrilling evolution of Doom's core gameplay. While I believe this alone could carry the campaign, id Software clearly has broader ambitions. Some of the new gameplay ideas felt mechanically thin, raising concerns about whether they might detract from the experience. Yet, there's much more to see, and only time will tell how these demo segments fit into the broader campaign. I eagerly anticipate the full release on May 15th, not only to dive back into id's unparalleled gunplay but also to see if *Doom: The Dark Ages* will be a compelling late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.