Doom Enters Its Halo Era with Dark Ages

During a recent hands-on demo of Doom: The Dark Ages, I experienced something unexpected—a reminder of Halo 3. Midway through the session, I found myself mounted on a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machinegun fire across the side of a demonic battle barge. After demolishing its defensive turrets, I landed atop the ship, stormed through its lower decks, and turned the crew into a crimson mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against Hell's machines.

Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter might recognize the resemblance to Master Chief’s assault on the Covenant’s scarab tanks. The helicopter-like Hornet has been replaced by a holographic-winged dragon, and the giant laser-firing mech by an occult flying boat, yet the essence remains the same: a thrilling aerial assault that seamlessly transitions into a devastating boarding action. Surprisingly, this wasn't the only Halo-esque moment; the campaign's design also echoes the late-2000s shooters with its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on gameplay novelty.

Over two and a half hours, I played through four levels of Doom: The Dark Ages. The first level, the campaign's opener, mirrored the tightly-paced, meticulously designed levels of Doom (2016) and its sequel. The subsequent levels introduced new elements, including piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and navigating a vast battlefield filled with secrets and minibosses. This departure from Doom's traditional focus on mechanical purity felt reminiscent of Halo, Call of Duty, and even old James Bond games like Nightfire, all of which thrive on scripted setpieces and novel gameplay mechanics.

Doom: The Dark Ages takes a fascinating turn for the series, especially given the history of the cancelled Doom 4, which was initially designed to resemble Call of Duty with its modern military aesthetic and emphasis on cinematic storytelling. id Software eventually abandoned this direction for the much more focused Doom (2016), yet here we are in 2025, seeing these elements reintroduced in The Dark Ages.

The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated with new gameplay ideas that echo Call of Duty's novelties. My demo started with an elaborate cutscene reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, and the deeply cinematic approach feels new and reminiscent of Halo. The levels themselves feature NPC Night Sentinels scattered around, enhancing the feeling of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief with the UNSC Marines.

While I appreciate the previous games' minimalistic storytelling through environment design and codex entries, the cutscenes in The Dark Ages serve their purpose well, setting up missions without disrupting the game's intense flow. However, the introduction of mech and dragon sequences shifts the gameplay significantly, reminiscent of Call of Duty's scripted novelties like the AC-130 gunship sequence or Infinite Warfare’s dogfighting missions. The mech battles feel slow and heavy, while the dragon sequences are fast and agile, but both seem somewhat on-rails compared to the core Doom combat.

Variety is a hallmark of many successful FPS campaigns, as seen in Half-Life 2 and Titanfall 2. Halo's longevity is partly due to its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences. Yet, I'm uncertain about this approach in Doom. The core combat of The Dark Ages demands complete attention, weaving together shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging, more like QTEs than the dynamic gameplay Doom is known for.

In the final hour, "Siege" level shifted focus back to id's exceptional gunplay but within a vast, open battlefield. This level felt like a mix of Call of Duty's multi-objective missions and Halo's expansive environments, challenging players to rethink weapon ranges and utilize charge attacks and shields in new ways. However, the expansive playspace can sometimes lead to backtracking and lost momentum.

The ideas from the cancelled Doom 4, once considered a poor fit, are now reinterpreted in The Dark Ages. While the core combat remains the heart of the game, the inclusion of scripted sequences and broader narrative elements raises questions about their integration. Is this a successful reinvention or a messy blend of styles? Only time will tell, but I'm eager to see how these elements come together when Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th.