Doom: The Dark Age: first impressions at closed screening

At the QuakeCon 2024 festival, attendees had an exclusive opportunity to see a closed screening of the shooter DOOM: The Dark Ages, which was announced at the beginning of the summer with a vivid trailer. Although filming was prohibited at the event, attendees shared their experiences on forums dedicated to the game.

Almost all gamers noted that the new part of DOOM was much darker and more brutal than DOOM Eternal. The pace of the game has slowed down: Doom Slayer has become less mobile and agile, relying more on his strong armor and new shield. This shield not only protects the hero from enemy shots, but also features a chain drive that can be used to spray demons. It is interesting that shields appeared not only for the main character, but also for enemies who actively use them in battle, lining up defenses. When enemies attack, their shields flash yellow, allowing the player to quickly react to their attacks.

Gamers also talked about the appearance of new enemies, including a boss with a spider-like appearance, reminiscent of opponents from the Dark Souls series. Some demons in DOOM: The Dark Ages have become significantly larger compared to previous games.

Among the innovations is the minimization of color markings in the game. For example, an enemy’s body no longer glows red when it can be killed, instead a halo appears over its head.

As shown in the debut trailer, in some missions Kat Roka uses a giant battle robot (fur) to take down particularly large enemies and their minions. One such level reminded gamers of the locations on Mars from DOOM (2016).

The protagonist has received new melee techniques, as well as an expanded arsenal, which includes a weapon with regenerative projectiles, a double-barreled plasma rifle, a single-barreled shotgun and a spiked chain.

By all accounts, DOOM: The Dark Ages promises to be a more tactical and action-packed game, while retaining the franchise’s brutality and dynamic.

The release of Doom: The Dark Ages is expected in 2025 on PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), Sony PS5, Xbox Series, and the game will immediately appear in Game Pass.