The Slayer is back—and this time, he’s not just a demon-killer. He’s a myth. A god. A walking apocalypse feared by Hell and worshipped by man.
Doom: The Dark Ages is a triumphant return for the franchise, and while it may not be quite the Doom you , it’s still the same adrenaline shot to the heart that made this series legendary.
A Medieval Nightmare Reforged in Steel
Set long before the events of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages explores the Slayer’s ancient origins. You’re not battling through high-tech UAC facilities anymore—you’re crushing demonic hordes in a twisted medieval fantasy world that feels ripped from Dante’s worst fever dreams. Stone castles, scorched churches, and towering hellscapes replace the usual industrial corridors, giving this prequel a rich, gothic flavor that somehow blends Botticelli, Berserk, and Hellraiser into a single masterpiece of infernal worldbuilding.
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Bethesda and id Software didn’t just throw a medieval skin over Eternal’s engine and call it a day. This is a next-gen game in every sense of the word. It’s visually stunning and technically flawless. Playing on a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5090, I experienced rock-solid 120FPS at 4K with zero stutters and virtually no load times. That level of performance isn’t just rare—it’s miraculous. I’ve had far less demanding games choke on the same system. The Dark Ages runs like it was born on high-end hardware and optimized by mad wizards.
But it’s not just about fidelity. The art direction is a masterclass. The way demonic cathedrals loom in the distance, the lighting flickers across twisted relics, the blood-stained armor gleams in the firelight—this isn’t just graphics, this is atmosphere. Style and substance in perfect harmony.
Doom by Design
Gameplay is structured across 22 chapters, each one crafted to encourage exploration and discovery. You’re free to hop in and out, revisit older missions, and track down secrets you missed. If you’re sprinting from one objective marker to the next, you’ll likely clock in with under 15% completion—because the magic is in the margins. Hidden arenas. Lore entries. Puzzles that aren’t immediately obvious. Even a random crate in a suspicious corner could be part of a larger environmental trick, waiting for you to smash it with your shield and kick off a Rube Goldberg chain reaction that unlocks something awesome.
The Slayer’s world is no longer just corridors and combat arenas. It’s alive. It’s cursed. And it’s interactive in ways you might not expect.
There’s also variety. You’re not just shooting. You’re flying dragons through burning skies. You’re piloting a mech the size of a cathedral to duel gargantuan hellbeasts. You’re solving clever puzzles and uncovering hidden shrines. This is Doom at its most experimental—and it works.
Combat remains the star of the show. It’s fast, brutal, and gloriously violent. The parry system adds a new layer of skill, with color-coded attacks (green glows = counter windows) that feel pulled from a fighting game. While it slightly breaks immersion and veers into “rhythm shooter” territory, it also feeds into that signature just one more try loop. The checkpoint system is generous, the arenas are expertly designed, and every fight is a dance of death and instinct.
Doom’s Evolution (and the Price of Progress)
And yet, for all its glory, something has shifted. Doom’s tone has changed—and not everyone will love it.
Gone is the oppressive, Satanic dread of Doom 64 or Doom 3. This isn’t Hell as a place of sin and blasphemy; this is Hell as a battlefield. The demons, while massive and intimidating, feel more like monsters than abominations. They’ve lost their spiritual horror and gained more of a cosmic sci-fi fantasy aesthetic—closer to Mortal Kombat’s Outworld than Hellfire-and-brimstone Christian apocalypse.
That might make the game more approachable for wider audiences, but longtime fans of Doom’s more demonic roots might feel something has been lost in translation. It’s less antichrist and more anime warlord, and depending on your taste, that may be a good or bad thing.
Still, when the organ-backed choirs kick in and your screen fills with fire, gore, and guitar—none of that matters. Doom: The Dark Ages is a spectacle. A war hymn. And an absolute masterclass in game design.
Move Over, Chief—The Slayer Is Xbox Now
Let’s be real—Master Chief hasn’t had a solid win in years. Meanwhile, the Slayer has been consistently ripping and tearing across some of the best FPS campaigns of the modern era. With Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, the writing is on the wall: The Slayer is now Xbox’s real flagship. He’s older, tougher, and has literally been to Hell and back. He doesn’t just wear green—he redefines it.
If Xbox is serious about redefining itself for a new generation, Doom: The Dark Ages is the perfect mascot. The Slayer doesn’t need cutscenes. He doesn’t need dialogue. He needs a target.
Final Verdict
Doom: The Dark Ages proves that the franchise still has plenty of fire left in its furnace. It’s fast, loud, brutal, and stunningly polished. The tone may have shifted, but the thrill remains. This is the kind of game that reminds you why we play shooters—and why Doom continues to define the genre, decades later.
Disclosure: We received a promotional copy of Doom: The Dark Ages on Steam for the purposes of this review.
The Slayer conquers Hell and ends the Dark Ages of low-effort shooters. Hail the King.