Doom Enters Its Halo Era with Dark Ages

During my recent hands-on demo of Doom: The Dark Ages, I found myself unexpectedly reminiscing about Halo 3. Midway through the gameplay, I was perched atop a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machinegun fire against a demonic battle barge. After obliterating its defensive turrets, I landed on the vessel and charged through its lower decks, reducing the crew to mere splatters of red. Moments later, I blasted through the hull and leapt back onto my dragon to continue my relentless assault on Hell's machines.

Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 title will recognize the parallels to Master Chief's attacks on Covenant scarab tanks. The transition from aerial assault to a fierce boarding action is reminiscent of Halo's gameplay, even if the helicopter-like Hornet has been replaced by a dragon with holographic wings and the laser-firing mech swapped for an occult flying boat. However, this wasn't the only Halo-like moment in the demo; the campaign's design, with its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on gameplay novelty, feels like a nod to late-2000s shooters.

Over two and a half hours, I played through four levels of Doom: The Dark Ages. Only the opening level mirrored the tightly paced, meticulously designed experience of Doom (2016) and its sequel. The subsequent levels introduced a colossal mech, the aforementioned dragon, and expansive battlefields filled with secrets and formidable minibosses. This departure from Doom's traditional focus on mechanical purity evokes the feel of games like Halo, Call of Duty, and even older James Bond titles like Nightfire, which are known for their scripted setpieces and temporary novel mechanics.

It's intriguing to see Doom exploring this direction, especially considering the series' previous pivot away from such elements. The cancelled Doom 4 had initially leaned towards a Call of Duty-like experience with a modern military aesthetic, heavy emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. Id Software eventually abandoned these ideas for the more focused Doom (2016). Yet, here we are in 2025, with The Dark Ages reintroducing them.

The campaign's rapid pace is interspersed with new gameplay ideas that echo the novelties of Call of Duty. My demo began with a lengthy cutscene reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels—the Doom Slayer's knightly comrades. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, a nuclear-level threat. While the lore is familiar to dedicated fans, the cinematic presentation feels fresh and reminiscent of Halo. This theme continues into the levels, with NPC Night Sentinels scattered throughout, enhancing the sense of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief leading the UNSC.

The cutscenes provide character development, though it's unclear if this is essential for Doom. Personally, I prefer the subtle storytelling of the previous games through environment design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for significant reveals. However, the cutscenes in The Dark Ages are brief and set the stage for missions without disrupting the game's intense flow.

Despite the smooth transitions, other interruptions arise. After the opening mission, which transitions from shotgun combat to parrying Hell Knights with a new shield, I piloted a Pacific Rim-inspired Atlan mech to battle demonic kaiju. Then, I soared on the cybernetic dragon, targeting battle barges and gun emplacements. These tightly scripted sequences introduce significant shifts in gameplay, reminiscent of Call of Duty's notable moments like the AC-130 gunship or dogfighting missions in Infinite Warfare. The mech's slow, heavy movements and the dragon's agility and wide-angle third-person camera offer a stark contrast to classic Doom gameplay.

Many of the best FPS campaigns thrive on such variety. Half-Life 2 and Titanfall 2 set the standard, while Halo's mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences adds rich texture. However, I'm uncertain if this will work for Doom. The Dark Ages remains a complex shooter, demanding constant attention as you juggle shots, shield tosses, parries, and melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging, almost on-rails, with combat resembling QTEs.

In Call of Duty, switching to a tank or gunship works because the mechanical complexity aligns closely with on-foot gameplay. However, The Dark Ages shows a clear disparity between styles, like comparing a middle school guitar student to Eddie Van Halen. While the core combat remains the star, even the thrill of a rocket-powered mech punch can't compete with the satisfaction of using a double-barreled shotgun.

The final hour of my demo introduced the "Siege" level, which refocuses on id's exceptional gunplay but within a vast, open battlefield. The objective to destroy five Gore Portals mirrors Call of Duty's multi-objective missions but feels more akin to Halo's expansive environments. This level challenges you to adapt your weapon range and employ charge attacks and shields in new ways.

Expanding Doom's playspace can lead to a loss of focus, with backtracking and empty pathways slowing the pace. Integrating the dragon into these larger spaces, similar to Halo's Banshee, could maintain momentum and enhance the dragon's role. If such a level exists, it would be a welcome addition.

The re-emergence of ideas once deemed unsuitable for Doom is fascinating. The cancelled Doom 4 reportedly featured scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, much like the Atlan and dragon sections in The Dark Ages. Marty Stratton of id Software confirmed that Doom 4 was more cinematic and story-driven, akin to Call of Duty. Seeing these elements return in The Dark Ages raises the question: were these ideas always a bad fit for Doom, or did they just need the right context?

The core of The Dark Ages remains its intense, on-foot combat. Nothing in the demo suggests this won't be the focus, and the experience reaffirms it as another stellar reinvention of Doom's essence. While I believe this alone could carry the campaign, id Software has other plans. Some of the new ideas feel mechanically thin, raising concerns about their integration. Yet, with much left to explore, I eagerly anticipate May 15th to see if Doom: The Dark Ages will be a compelling or chaotic late-2000s FPS campaign.