During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I found myself unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Midway through the session, I was mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire at a demonic battle barge. After taking out its defensive turrets, I landed on the ship and charged through its lower decks, reducing the crew to mere red splatters. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against the machines of Hell.
Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter will recognize the similarity to Master Chief's assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks. While *Doom: The Dark Ages* swaps the helicopter-like Hornet for a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech for an occult flying boat, the core experience remains: an aerial assault transitioning into a devastating boarding action. Interestingly, this wasn't the only *Halo*-like moment in the demo. Although the combat core of *The Dark Ages* is quintessentially *Doom*, the campaign's design feels reminiscent of late-2000s shooters due to its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on novel gameplay mechanics.
Over the course of two and a half hours, I played through four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. The first level, the campaign's opener, echoed the tightly-paced, meticulously mapped design of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. The subsequent levels, however, introduced me to piloting a colossal mech, flying the dragon, and exploring expansive battlefields filled with secrets and formidable minibosses. This departure from *Doom*'s traditional focus on mechanical purity feels more akin to *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even old James Bond games like *Nightfire*, which are known for their scripted setpieces and mission-specific novel mechanics.
This direction is intriguing, especially given *Doom*'s past. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with its modern military aesthetic and emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. id Software ultimately deemed these elements unsuitable for the series, opting instead for the focused approach of *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here we are in 2025 with *The Dark Ages* embracing these once-rejected ideas.
The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated by new gameplay elements that evoke *Call of Duty*'s most memorable novelties. My demo began with a lengthy, detailed cutscene, reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels—the Doom Slayer's knightly comrades. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a legendary, nuclear-level threat. While this lore is familiar to *Doom* enthusiasts, the cinematic approach feels new and distinctly *Halo*-like. This extends into the levels, where NPC Night Sentinels are scattered around, reminiscent of UNSC Marines. Although they don't fight alongside you in the levels I played, there's a strong sense of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief leading the charge.
The introductory cutscene packs in a lot of character work, and it's unclear if this is what *Doom* needs. Personally, I prefer the subtler storytelling of the previous games, using environment design and codex entries. Yet, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* are smartly used to set up missions without interrupting the game's intense flow.
However, other interruptions come in different forms. Following the opening mission, which starts with pure shotgun slaughter and ends with parrying Hell Knights using the Slayer's new shield, I found myself in the cockpit of a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, wrestling demonic kaiju. Then, I was soaring on the cybernetic dragon, attacking battle barges and targeting gun emplacements. These scripted levels significantly shift gears, introducing gameplay ideas reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s iconic sequences, like *Modern Warfare*'s AC-130 gunship mission or *Infinite Warfare*'s dogfighting. The Atlan mech feels slow and heavy, making Hell's armies look like Warhammer miniatures, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a different experience from classic *Doom*.
Many top FPS campaigns thrive on this variety, as seen in *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2*. *Halo*'s longevity partly stems from its blend of vehicular and on-foot sequences, providing a rich gameplay texture. However, I'm uncertain if this approach suits *Doom*. While *The Dark Ages* remains a complex and engaging shooter with its demanding combat mechanics, the mech and dragon sequences feel somewhat simplified and almost on-rails, more like QTEs than the intense combat *Doom* is known for.
In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship feels natural because the mechanical complexity aligns with on-foot missions. In contrast, *The Dark Ages* reveals a significant gap between gameplay styles, almost like comparing a middle school guitar student to Eddie Van Halen. While *Doom*'s core combat will always be the star, when I'm engaged in mech battles, I find myself longing for the visceral thrill of the double-barreled shotgun on the ground.
The final hour of my playthrough introduced "Siege," a level that refocuses on id's exceptional gunplay but expands the typically claustrophobic level design into a vast open battlefield. The mission to destroy five Gore Portals echoes *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, yet it also reminded me of *Halo*—the expansive map contrasting with the tighter routes of the opening level, much like *Halo*'s interior and exterior environments. This level challenges players to rethink weapon ranges, use charge attacks to cover long distances, and employ the shield against tank cannon artillery.
Expanding *Doom*'s playspace can lead to a loss of focus, with backtracking and empty pathways disrupting the pace. Integrating the dragon into this level, similar to *Halo*'s Banshee, could help maintain momentum and better integrate the dragon into the gameplay.
It's fascinating to see *The Dark Ages* revisit and reinterpret ideas from the cancelled *Doom 4*, which was described as having scripted setpieces and an obligatory vehicle scene, much like the Atlan and dragon sections. Marty Stratton of id Software confirmed that *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty* with its cinematic focus and character-driven narrative. The return of these elements in *The Dark Ages* raises the question: were these ideas always a bad fit for *Doom*, or were they just ill-suited when they too closely resembled *Call of Duty*?
The heart of *The Dark Ages* remains its on-foot, gun-in-hand combat, which remains the star of the show. While some of the new mechanics feel less robust, there's still much to explore. I'm eager to see the full campaign on May 15th, not only to experience id's unparalleled gunplay but also to see if *Doom: The Dark Ages* successfully blends its new ideas into a cohesive and thrilling late-2000s FPS experience.
