Introduction: The Doom series is one of the seminal franchises of the first-person shooter genre. Its latest addition, the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages is attempting to thread a fine line of innovation and change into the well-known fabric of the series’s bloody carnage. That thread aims to revamp the game not just for the current generation of gamers, but also open up an in-road for the Doom franchise to expand further, possibly into more game mods that would be released much more frequently by the players themselves.
Article: As one of the most famous FPS series on the planet, Doom has long ago transcended the role of a simple video game franchise. Instead, today, that franchise is deeply embedded in the wider global culture, impacting everything from fashion to the film industry. In that environment, it is never easy for developers to create new titles, especially because of the huge expectations of the audience. Previously, the Doom series lay dormant for 12 years between its last game back in 2004 and its incredibly successful reboot which came out in 2016. The game, simply known as Doom, managed to bring back the public spotlight on itself.
This included things that few expected, like its level design tool that allowed countless gamers to make their own Doom-like creation. Now, following the footsteps of the previous game, Doom Eternal, which came out in 2020, a new title is being crafted by the developer team at id Software. This game is called Doom: The Dark Ages and it promises a new take on the established gaming pillars of the series. It will come out on May 15, 2025, and will be published by Bethesda Software, but it will try to move the series into new and very uncharted waters for a standard FPS game. From multi-use items to a new take on level design itself, Doom: The Dark Ages will likely either find substantial success or become a big failure. The latter includes a possibility of striking out as a game that will not reach new audiences but will disappoint and ultimately turn away old-time Doom players.
Techno-Medieval World
The setting of Doom: The Dark Ages is more than worthy of the series’ overall aesthetics and narrative setup. It will be the prequel to the Doom game from nine years ago, that will follow the rise of its main character – that is the Doom Slayer, often simply known as Doomguy. Here, the game will be set in a world that is defined as a techno-medieval kingdom. It is under the assault of the forces and demons of Hell and Doom Slayer has the job of making sure that their invasion fails. During the course of the game, its narrative will also be further expanded, putting an emphasis on the character development of the main protagonists and it will showcase cutscenes than the previous games. However, due to the setting, the game’s developers decided to discard the concepts of Doom Eternal and rebooted Doom, where players often completed aerial acrobatics and top-down assaults. Instead, the id Software team decided to turn Doom Slayer into something that is best described as an iron tank. From that concept, the key elements of the game emerged, and these include the player’s shield, their melee abilities, and their long-range guns.
Iron Tank’s Shield, Melee, and Guns
The key element of the updated combat mechanic in the new game will be the Shield Saw. As a defensive object, the same shield features a chainsaw around its edges, turning itself into an offensive tool as well. This way, players will be able to parry and block with their Shield Saw, but also counter-attack and even use its surface for traversal. This will represent one-third of the game’s core combat mechanic. The other element will be the melee weapons, including a flail, iron mace, and a gauntlet. Each will be used in sync with the shield, allowing for a range of slow-motion Glory Kills that became famous in the older games. Finally, the game will use long-range weapons as well, but these too will be blended into the warped world of The Dark Ages. That is why guns in the game consist of options like the Skull Crusher, a firearm that crushes bones of the fallen enemies and then shoots out a cascade of deadly bone fragments. All of this has the feel of the well-known Doom games – the Skull Crusher is very reminiscent of the famous Doom Shotgun – but still brings a breath of fresh air to the game’s most basic concepts.
Mech and Cybernetic Dragons
Aside from the core gameplay mechanics, Doom: The Dark Ages is also willing and able to expand the player’s influence on this hell-infested world. That is why the developers added two vehicle-like elements. First is a mech robot called Atlan that should be 30 stories high and have loads of firepower for the players. Besides that, players will have access to a cybernetic dragon. Once they start riding it, players will be able to scout out terrain and level features but also engage in massive large-scale battles. Here, the dragon’s embedded Gatling gun will make the most difference. But, both gameplay features show just how important level design will be for the upcoming game.
Open Level Design
No matter how unique the old Doom levels were, the old games were always more or less set in the ways players could approach them. In most cases, that meant the use of brute force until all enemies were dead. With Doom: The Dark Ages, that concept went through a big change. It involves the use of very big levels that are open to exploration and decision-making. This fits very well with the overall feel of a dark fantasy that the game carries. Instead of having a predefined route that players need to complete and kill all enemies along it, in this game, Doom Slayer will be able to first scout out routes and return to some later on. Even in the case of battle sequences, where countless enemies will rush the player character, it will be possible to use the terrain features and other level elements to gain an advantage.
New Modding Chapter for Doom
The developers and publishers are preparing Doom: The Dark Ages for a release on all major platforms. Because of that, from May 15, the game will be out on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It might be too different for some old Doom players, even if the chances for that are slim. But, the open-level principles also mean that the id Software team is likely hoping to see a resurgence of modding and level-making in the Doom community. If something like this takes place, the Doom series could branch into the realm of user-generated content. That alone could turn the latest title in the series into an enormous success, where the shield, melee, and gun concept would reach a lot more FPS gamers.
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia