When first person shooters dabble in lore and world building

The Dark Ages, in its open-world avatar, is a different experience from 2020’s Eternal. You are still firing countless bullets and experimenting with a bunch of weapons, but you’re no longer approaching the game like a linear FPS where you clear enemies at every step. Instead, you’re fighting against the entire world, and you need to rely as much on strategy as you do on reflexes and quick thinking

Hyderabad: The Dark Ages, the prelude to 2016’s Doom and 2020’s Eternal Doom is iconic, and with The Dark Ages, the FPS franchise is entering uncharted territory by experimenting with lore and an open-world experience.

By choosing to tell a story that precedes the 2016 reboot and 2020’s Eternal, the game makers have taken bold strides in trying to give the franchise’s signature endless gunning meaning and purpose. There’s a lot more that’s novel in the game’s experience than just the much-talked-about addition of the shield, and as a result, you might feel slightly put off in the first few hours of your playthrough. However, if you choose to persist with it, you’ll find many reasons to enjoy the game.

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The Dark Ages, in its open-world avatar, is a different experience from 2020’s Eternal. You are still firing countless bullets and experimenting with a bunch of weapons, but you’re no longer approaching the game like a linear FPS where you clear enemies at every step. Instead, you’re fighting against the entire world, and you need to rely as much on strategy as you do on reflexes and quick thinking. Add to this the iconic metal music that accompanies every action, and The Dark Ages has a lot going for it.

The game also introduces combat with mecha suits, and as you progress, you’ll even pilot the gigantic mecha dragon, Serrat. I was a bit disappointed with the mecha suit combat implementation, as it came across as little more than quick-time event-style gameplay.

In my experience, even at the highest difficulty, I found the game surprisingly easy and never truly feared dying. The addition of shield blocks and counter moves feels too forgiving in terms of timing, and with the frequent health drops, I never really had to think on my feet once I understood the game’s mechanics. If you are looking for a new first-person shooter this summer, then look no further. Despite the mecha suits and the occasionally repetitive open world, this is a strong game you must try.

What Stands Out

This is one of the best Dooms in terms of narrative and world building. The characters are well designed, and the overall game experience flows quite well.

The franchise’s combat mechanics have evolved well and dynamics like “glory kills” and dropping of additional health orbs during intense combat keeps the game ticking along nicely.

Fails to impress

The open world experience seems forced at times, it is repetitive, and the game’s exploration elements seem underdeveloped.

The game’s difficulty system is not well thought out. Especially with the addition of the shield, the block and counter mechanics make things a lot easier even on the highest difficulty.