DOOM: The Dark Ages PS5 Review. It feels like just yesterday that DOOM Eternal hit store shelves, and the Animal Crossing x DOOM Slayer memes were out in full force, offering some respite from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic back in 2020. What with our perception of time permanently altered, a short five years later, iD Software and Bethesda‘s DOOM: The Dark Ages is here, perhaps to a little less excitement and fanfare than before. At least personally, I found myself lacking in anticipation for the latest entry in the legendary franchise, despite my love for the previous games.
Much like virtually everything in DOOM: The Dark Ages, however, that lack of enthusiasm would soon be vanquished by the adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride that awaited me.
DOOM: The Dark Ages Review – One For The Ages
The Language Of DOOM
The cornerstone of a great DOOM game is unquestionable its gameplay. I saw concerns from fans about the removal of glory kills and some of the more stationary enemies, but in practice, these particular aspects, alongside every other gameplay functionality, work incredibly well as part of the larger machine, which iD Software have mastered once again.
Firstly, Glory Kills are still here, on anything that isn’t fodder and they’re just as brutal as ever. Glory kills on fodder feel unnecessary in this format of Doom, and the lack of them serves the greater experience.
In previous iterations I would use them as a brief moment to consider my next move. In DOOM: The Dark Ages I would instead use L1 with the shield or R2 with the Impaler to briefly slow time and scan my next target. Every aspect of this game works in tandem to create a beautiful cocktail of violence that will make you wish the fight would never end.
As we’ve come to understand DOOM games, we move around the stages at a fast pace, murdering everything we see, which looks like chaos, but underneath it all is a meticulous approach of performing a combination of melees, firearms, shield kills, and using everything at your disposal to have the correct ammo drop, health, or armor in order to continue the destruction.
All of that is present and it works so incredibly well once again. The shield saw and parrying system only adds more depth and layers to this system and makes for an even more enjoyable and fast paced experience. A successful parry can activate another automatic attack, in the form of runes, like lightning strikes, or a shoulder mounted mini-gun, amongst others to choose from. It is all so very satisfying.
You can use the shield as a stun weapon, after all; it is in part a circular saw, which sees it once thrown; lodged inside the enemy, tearing away and essentially locking them into place, while you deal with them or other threats. You can upgrade it so it takes out entire swaths of enemies, as it rebounds off of surfaces, returning to you like Captain America but in an Evil Dead movie.
Rip And Tear
There is an array of weaponry that all serves its purpose in the Slayer’s fight. All of which look and feel great. I certainly had my favorites amongst them. The super shotgun is back and packs a punch like never before. A small selection of melee weapons is available. All of which have their pros and cons, but the flail is so devastating, I think it will become a fan favorite.
One of my only complaints would be that despite all the weaponry at my disposal, a few in particular dominated my playtime far more than the others due to not only how satisfying they feel, but their utility in the moment to moment gameplay.
Combining the shield with other weapon upgrades only further accentuates this brilliant gameplay addition. I unlocked a rocket launcher upgrade called cannibalism, which activates after every successful parry. This allows rocket launcher shots to heal me in return rather than inflicting damaging, allowing me to blitz bigger enemies such as Cosmic Barons or Agaddon Hunters without needing to back down.
It’s advertised that you’re the super weapon in a medieval war against hell, and that sums it up perfectly. Once you become fluent in its language, it will make you feel like an unstoppable force at times.
Those stationary enemies; are fodder demons, some are more stationary with their shields, working as mini battalions, perhaps protecting a Mancubus, and destroying one shield with the correct weaponry will see them explode, giving you resources to fight the more formidable enemies before you, such as that pesky Mancubus that thought he was safe behind a line of fodder.
Of course, there is an array of difficulty options, with even more difficulty customization beyond that, that allows you to make this game as challenging as you could possibly want it. Still, the game always empowers you with an arsenal capable of becoming a super weapon to annihilate everything in your wake.
Doombots And Dragons
If playing as a combination of Captain America and The Predator hasn’t already sold you on DOOM: The Dark Ages, then maybe fighting demonic Kaiju in a Pacific Rim-like mech or dogfighting on a cyber-dragon will. The moment to moment gameplay is already thrilling in its perfection, but these additives feel like a victory lap.
There wasn’t a moment I didn’t enjoy playing DOOM: The Dark Ages. I think I spent every moment grinning from ear to ear, and repeatedly saying “this is just awesome”, with various expletives thrown in there for emphasis. However, a mission where you’re fighting a titan class entity in Doom Slayer’s Mech, Atlan and the first mission riding on the cyber-dragon, Serrat, I had simply run out of ways to convey how absolutely awesome this game is.
Dogfighting with a hell ship, as it subtly guides you toward your objective, landing on a base after bringing down its defenses with your dragon’s laser cannons, destroying said base from within and shield charging through the structure, to falling through the sky for Serrat to catch you, is simply an adrenaline-fuelled blast that everyone needs to experience.
These mission, combined with the more open world, battlefield type stages, further integrated with the standard DOOM-like levels, provide a variety that keep DOOM: The Dark Ages feeling fresh at every corner. It never lulls, and its breakneck pace never lets up. Additionally, the map is so intuitive that I found almost every collectible in the game on my first play through.
Atlan never feels clunky or labored. Dodging, building up meters to perform finishers with the mech all feels just as good as you would expect. While all of it is unique in its own right to the franchise, it still very much all feels like an extension of the Slayer’s arsenal.
Everything feels smooth and responsive with a level of fluidity that DOOM is synonymous with. There is no doubt in my mind that DOOM: The Dark Ages is the best FPS game this year, and any fan of the genre would be doing themselves a disservice in not playing it.
One World Under Doom
Beyond the gameplay evolutions, iD Software have also crafted a richer story, with more in depth world building. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting to be invested in the narrative, but it is filled with all the big fist pumping moments of a summer popcorn flick.
Interestingly enough, it also has something to say about false idols and those we choose to worship which I definitely wasn’t expecting. There’s some very cool cutscenes, and even though, most fans probably aren’t here for this aspect of DOOM, it is very much there for those that do want that.
I particularly liked how the humans, whose side you’re on, are so wary of the Doom Slayer, frightened almost. I didn’t necessarily feel like a hero in the typical sense that games usually convey to the player, but rather; a force of nature that was necessary, that humans have begrudgingly brought about, for this conflict.
The medieval aesthetic lends itself well to DOOM. The redesigns of infamous enemy types like Cacodemons, Hell Knights and Priests are all superb. The general art style often combines with pseudo-sci-fi, eldritch horror, and an ornate Christian church aesthetic to make for an interesting amalgamation.
It is a beautiful game and it runs buttery smooth on the PS5 Pro. I found it to be a very polished experience. Beyond the stage variety in its approach to gameplay, there is also an aesthetic variety ranging from the mortal realm, to hell, to other worlds that are better left unspoiled.
Other than its rip roaring gameplay, DOOM is most known for its soundtrack. The metal score that provides the backdrop for the brutality and the gore is quite vital, and save for some lulls, I think Finshing Move did a good job.
One of the later tracks in the game really stands out, and it certainly hits. I’m very much looking forward to the official OST releasing on Spotify. Additionally, it was a nice touch to pay homage to previous DOOM games within the soundtrack. I would add that the sound mixing itself will require you to mess around with the settings, as sometimes the music was drowned out by the action a bit too much.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a series high point, a stark reminder of why I play video games, and despite having finished it, I am already replaying some of my favorite stages. On top of creating a great game for long term fans, this is also a great jumping on point for new fans. I don’t know how iD software are gonna top this, but I have full faith that they will.
DOOM: The Dark Ages releases on May 15, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.