I picked up Doom The Dark Ages on a whim last month, after seeing dozens of clips of players parrying demon axes and throwing holy hand grenades at possessed knights flood my TikTok feed. I’ve been a Doom fan since I was 10 years old, so I went in with pretty high expectations, and after 32 hours of ripping and tearing through every campaign level and hidden side quest, I’ve got a lot of unfiltered thoughts on Doom The Dark Ages that I haven’t seen covered in most mainstream review sites. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a far more creative take on the franchise than I expected, and it fixes a lot of the small gripes I had with Doom Eternal. I’m breaking down all my key takeaways for anyone who’s on the fence about picking it up, or already owns it and wants to get more out of their playthrough.
Core Thoughts on Doom The Dark Ages: How It Differs From Classic Doom Titles
If you go into this game expecting the same fast-paced, jetpack-fueled chaos of Doom Eternal, you’re going to be disappointed in the first hour. The biggest tonal shift is the lack of over-the-top futuristic power fantasies, replaced with a gritty, grounded medieval setting where even the strongest weapons feel heavy and impactful. You won’t be double jumping across floating platforms or launching yourself across levels with a rocket jump here. Most levels are set in crumbling castles, plague-ridden villages, and foggy moors, with narrow corridors and tight open spaces that force you to slow down and plan your attacks instead of running in guns blazing.
Parrying isn't an optional mechanic here, it's required for 90% of late-game encounters, especially when you’re facing off against towering possessed knights that can one-shot you with a single swing of their battleaxe. It takes a few hours to get used to the slower pacing, but once you get the hang of parrying and combining melee and ranged attacks, it feels just as satisfying as any classic Doom title. So don’t drop the game after the first two slow tutorial levels, it picks up fast once you unlock your first set of weapon upgrades.
Weapon Balance: What Works (and What Doesn’t) in Dark Age Combat
The weapon roster is a lot smaller than Doom Eternal’s, but every gun and melee weapon has a clear use case, with very few duds in the lineup. The iron crossbow is my go-to primary for most encounters, since it can take out flying demon gargoyles in one hit and has explosive bolt upgrades that can clear small hordes in one shot. The holy shotgun feels incredibly satisfying to use, with a wide spread that’s perfect for tight corridor fights, and the cursed greatsword can one-shot most mid-tier demons if you land a charged heavy attack.
You will run out of ammo for your primary guns at least once per level, so don't sleep on melee sidearms that you pick up from fallen enemies. Some of the most useful weapons in the game are the ones most players ignore completely:
- The torch: It doesn't just light dark, cobweb-filled corridors, it sets weak demons on fire for 10 seconds of continuous damage, saving you valuable ammo for bigger, tankier threats
- The peasant's pitchfork: Fully upgraded, it can one-shot common possessed soldiers and has a faster swing speed than the greatsword, making it perfect for tight spaces where you can’t swing a larger weapon
- The holy hand grenade: Most players save it for boss fights, but it’s perfect for clearing out clustered hordes of 10+ low-level demons in one hit, saving you from wasting half your shotgun ammo on easy targets
The only dud in the weapon lineup is the longbow, which has a super slow draw speed and does less damage than the crossbow even when you land a fully charged headshot. I stopped using it after the third level and never looked back. The crossbow's explosive bolt upgrade is worth unlocking before you tackle any of the main story bosses, it will cut your boss fight time in half if you land direct hits to their weak points.
Level Design and Worldbuilding: Is the Dark Age Setting Just a Gimmick?
I was worried the dark age setting would just be a lazy skin for classic Doom gameplay, but the developers actually integrated the setting into every part of the level design and lore. The story follows a disgraced knight who makes a deal with a divine force to push back a demonic invasion that’s wiped out most of medieval Europe, and every level ties back to that core narrative, with small environmental details like abandoned village homes, burned-down churches, and fallen knight camps that make the world feel real.
The level design rewards exploration far more than any previous Doom title, with hidden chests tucked behind secret walls that hold permanent health and armor upgrades, not just temporary powerups. I spent an extra 10 hours just going back to old levels to find all the hidden secrets, and it made my late-game playthrough far easier. You’ll also find environmental weapons scattered across most levels, like cauldrons of boiling oil you can tip over onto hordes of demons, or catapults you can fire to take out groups of enemies from far away. These small touches make every level feel unique, instead of just a generic arena for demon slaying.
You don't need to know medieval history to enjoy the story, but small details like authentic castle architecture and period-accurate clothing for non-player characters make the world feel far more lived-in than the sci-fi settings of previous Doom games. The only downside to the level design is that a few of the late-game castle levels feel very samey, with lots of identical stone corridors that are easy to get lost in.
Should You Pick Up Doom The Dark Ages Right Now?
That depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a shooter. If you’re a long-time boomer shooter fan who loves tight, skill-based gameplay and creative settings, it’s an absolute must-buy. The campaign is 18-22 hours long depending on how much you explore, and there are three higher difficulty levels that add new enemy placements and modifier challenges to keep repeat playthroughs fun.
If you only liked Doom Eternal for its over-the-top speed and platforming challenges, you might find the slower pacing and focus on parrying frustrating at first. I’d recommend waiting for a small sale if you fall into that camp, since the full price might not feel worth it if you don’t vibe with the core gameplay loop.
The game also has active mod support in the works, with the developers releasing official mod tools next month, so you can expect tons of custom levels, weapons, and gameplay overhauls to come out over the next year. There’s no official multiplayer mode right now, but community servers are already popping up with custom deathmatch modes that work surprisingly well. The only real downside for me is that the side quests feel a bit repetitive, with most of them just asking you to go kill a specific type of demon or find a lost item for a villager. They’re not bad, but they don’t add much to the story, so I usually skipped them on my second playthrough.
At the end of the day, my thoughts on Doom The Dark Ages are overwhelmingly positive, even with its small flaws. It’s a fresh take on a decades-old franchise that doesn’t abandon the core appeal of ripping and tearing through demonic hordes, and it adds enough new mechanics to feel unique without straying too far from what makes Doom fun. If you’re on the fence about picking it up, wait for a 20% sale if you’re on a tight budget, but even at full price, you’ll get 20+ hours of solid, satisfying gameplay out of the main campaign alone. Don’t let the medieval setting turn you off if you’re a long-time Doom fan, it’s one of the most creative entries in the series in years, and it’s well worth your time.
