“Tear and tear until it’s done.”
This is the line of modern Doology that opens ID software doom game: doom (2016) and Eternal bad luck (2020). It's a creepy, savage narrative designed to set the tone for a horror game with a horrible environment. But it's also a mission statement - players should expect to give up under the inner stimulation of explosions, bloodletting and chopping things.
In comparison Doom: The Dark Ages Opening a black paved wall of text, filled with knowledge of the Doom Killer of the same name, the whistle of the storm blowing in the background. Of course, it's a softer kickoff, but it also serves its own purpose. This won't be like its direct predecessor. In fact, it doesn't necessarily look like any doom fundamental.
Yes, there will be killing demons, wielding double barrel shotguns, and a lot of tearing and tearing, but there are other things that are working. Almost 10 years after the series restarted in 2016, it’s time to try something new.
New meaning Better It's another story altogether.
Doom and melancholy
After an introductory text dump, Dark Ages Reveal its settings by scrolling through the air on the tree-shaded hills. Outside the horizon, the sky is red, with a familiar five-pointed star etched into the clouds. But, besieged in a castle instead of a ruined earth's cityscape or barren sandy beaches on Mars. The dragon soared, scattering the air and the ground like heavy rain from cannons. It's more like a fantasy environment than the fantasy environment that fans of numerous sci-fi settings may recognize. It's a whole new world (at least in some ways).
With most of the games in the series bounced between Mars, the Earth and all aspects, making up the various aspects of heaven and hell Dark Ages Located in another realm, it is fought by humans against demonic forces. The people here may look like Vikings, but they are equipped with guns, airplanes and barely accents, indicating that this is science fiction.
Allied with Makyrs (doomHumanity’s view of the terrifying angels in the Bible is that humanity is fighting the inhabitants of hell, and it is time to unleash a secret weapon: a mysterious and silent wall of a man known as a killer. This is Doom, sometimes the Space Marine, always playing the killing machine of the killer in most Olympics. His origins have become chaotic over time, as multiple continuities, reclaimed and unlockable archives have fleshed out his history. But that doesn't matter. It would be enough for him to bathe in the devil's blood here.
In theory, the pivot of fantasy environments is a cool idea. doom In the 90s, the hellish image society associated with bad guys and counterculture was immersed. Despite the sci-fi trapping, technicians and monsters are always closer Heavy Metals Illustrations than basic ghouls and zombies, and Dark Ages Decided it was time to wash off the veneer. doom Now, it's from something that actually dances, often looking closer Diablo Other things than other classics.
But with this makeover, some wild energy is lost. Don't get me wrong, the story is still fun, but the fantasy tone strips some of the comedy range that recent games tend toward. exist doom (2016), the only emotion of the killer is angry. That's what he is damn it Above it, human beings merge with the portal of hell. In that game, the killer was Jason Voorhees, but the Terminator. His annoyance was tired, which brought interest between his anger by accidentally tearing the key card off people's necks, or slamming the retinal scanner with violent grasping of his face.
Eternal bad luck Frustrated by this, making the Killer a naughty superhero, the Justice League-like satellite (wonderfully called Doom's Fortress) that resides in Earth's orbit.
Dark Ages It's a prequel to previous games, and this situation can help explain why the killer isn't the body comedy genius we like. But that's part of the bigger problem with the game and the series itself. In each subsequent work in the modern trilogy, the story and cutscenes start to take up more space. Before most of the narrative, stare at the killer's pov with stubborn dialogue and screen (he usually slapped or smashed after this), and each chapter Dark Ages Start and end with a large cutscene.
While there is still some sense of humor that is excavated from the universal inhumanity of this clumsy tank, standing quietly around in other people’s stories, this narrative is not complex enough to sustain itself. More thing It's happening, but it's not better than anything before. It only takes extra time.
New ideas, the same as old ideas
Trying to tell stories wholeheartedly, the main question is whether Dark Ages In fact pleasure. The answer is yes. Despite its fresh appearance and less emphasis on tongue, it is still very doom game. This name means a lot. OG in 1993 doom Not a first-person shooter of all time, but it's a perfect blend of POV gunfights and Frenetic sports, resulting in every game in the genre being called Doom Clones for years. This is typical FPS; it was imitated by many people, but not defeated.
Modern games also define themselves as unparalleled in game mechanics. Although their gameplay is significantly different, doom (2016) and eternal Two of the best shooters ever - a whirlpool of controlled chaos, no other developers tried to follow suit.
Sadly, even the ID software itself did not try to pass Dark Ages. To reasonably try new things, they actually decided to do something old, Dark Ages Designed to return to the roots of the franchise in terms of its sport speed and combat design. Players expect players to take a more measured approach.
Unlike previous games where players expected to play offensive games, the damage of Glory Kills was absorbed (manually executed animation execution), which would provide much-needed health, Dark Ages More methodical defensive games are needed.
This comes from two specific mechanisms. The first one is the shield (fair, it can also be used as a buzz), which is most of the tools in the battle. Instead of not being able to control the rain, the enemy clearly launched telegram attacks that could be blocked by shields. Their speed and popularity are more consistent with older games, where players intend to avoid threats rather than commit to eating them.
Using the shield, the second main mechanic comes into play: parry. Press the button well to remove the green attack, causing the shock wave to return to cause damage to the enemy. Blockade and parry together become the core cycle of the game, in which precise timing and spatial awareness are crucial to creating an opening for gunfire.
Theoretically, this concept is correct. True to its fantasy environment, the system is drawn from countless action games Elden Ring They have become popular over the past 15 years. In fact, it works well. Once the player learns the rhythm of the game and can see the matrix, it is clear what needs to be evicted and how it should be done. But seeing what is about to happen is not the same as executing.
Friction dance
The biggest problem is Dark Ages'The new system is, action from other games and doom everything. picture Elden Ring Designed as a third-person experience, the enemy's position and its proximity to the characters are clear, but doom I always thought it was a surprise to my eyes. Falling into an arena to fight 30 to 40 enemies, all of which are shooting, means being deceived, becoming chaotic (in a bad way), and causing countless unexpected deaths from bad guys you never knew.
The shield itself is not an infinite resource. After absorbing enough damage, it ruptured for a while, leaving the killer unprepared. It's instant isn't fast enough to put out everything thrown to it. Usually, the kill shot that ends the attempt comes from the Hellfire Blast, which can be clearly seen, but slides between the line between one Parry and the other. The killer himself is much slower than before, and although still much faster than 99% of the main characters in the game, he is not fast enough to escape a bullet. When the shield breaks, he is a duck.
The rupture mechanism also means the only means of rapid dissipation. Using the shield, players can lock enemies and miraculously teleport to their location for crushing. Ended during recovery. The Glory Kills version of the game also lacks the extended range of previous games.
Previously, a proper shot would leave a glowing enemy in the distance. A button press can move you to a safe distance while restoring a small portion of your health. Here, the range is much smaller and often cannot be connected. Melee attacks are also limited to three uses that need to be refilled before, meaning combining the execution of Honor Kill with context-sensitive auto-kill. Usually, the error comes from the game itself misreading the action rather than the player's mistake.
Most of the time, the game feels great. Once you adapt to its specific quirk, there is a strategy to formulate or follow. However, there is a lack of strange polishing levels in some design choices. Sometimes, you click parry and nothing happens, and other times the ammunition failure cannot be picked up.
When using the shield, you assume you can switch guns using the radial menu, but you can't - if you can't use this moment to prepare for the next attack, what's the point of the tortoise behind it? Many times, your working distance is wrong because the selection menu never pops up, which is easy to miss in the heat of the battle.
Some would argue that this is part of the charm of the game, a little friction it has to overcome on its own. In recent years, the term friction has become a popular button theme as retro gaming and nostalgic goggles make everyone yearn for a backwards. Isn't it a little stupid if a game is going to be played like an older game you remember? In fact, the worship of friction is more of a way for people to believe in games enthusiastically because It works very poorly.
This is not to say Dark Ages Play like shit, but some mean moments, which is disappointing given the series’ lineage. doom (2016) and eternal Feeling like a ballet that has gone through the massacre, the flawless agility weaves the killer into every encounter. Dark Ages It was more like a dance dance, unexpectedly falling into a boxing battle.
But in the end, mediocrity doom The game is still better than most people. For players looking for classic feel doom On the speed of the new game of cocaine fuel, Dark Ages Provide a middle ground. Adopting ideas from most modern action games is not expected, but overall, it's hard to say that it's not fun. By losing some arrogant charm, doom It also lost its means to support it. Doomsday killers are getting tired from positively.
'Doom: The Dark Ages are now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows. It can also be played on Xbox Game Pass.