Doom: The Dark Ages will have the longest gameplay – 22 levels in 20 hours

On May 15, Doom: The Dark Ages will be released – a new game from id Software, which, according to the developers, will become the largest in the history of the franchise. Game director Hugo Martin said that the campaign will include 22 levels, and it will take about 20 hours to complete. For comparison, Doom Eternal and Doom (2016) had only 13 levels. This time, the main attention was paid to the plot, combat system and exploration of the world. Martin emphasized that the team “gave the project everything they had”, carefully working out each function. Players will find a classic shooter action with elements of parrying, fur and large-scale locations to explore.

One of the key new worlds will be the Cosmic Realm – a location with Lovecraftian architecture and new types of enemies. Among them is the Cosmic Baron, armed with two swords and capable of attacking at close and long distances. His psionic volleys block projectiles and drain the player’s health. After the battle with him, an even more dangerous enemy will appear – a hybrid Cacodemon, which uses telepathic strikes and tentacles.

To combat new threats, the Doom Slayer will receive a new weapon – the Rogue’s Chain Shot. This iron mace allows you to deliver both quick blows at close range and powerful charged attacks at a distance using the Chaos Sphere.

The game runs on the idTech 8 engine. It provides increased level sizes, a larger number of enemies on the screen, improved destruction and full dynamic lighting with ray tracing. On PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, the project will run stably at 60 frames per second.

In addition to the main campaign, Doom: The Dark Ages promises a lot of additional content: secrets, new abilities, additional weapons and big battles with demons. Owners of the premium version will be able to start the game on May 13. The official release on all major platforms, as well as in Game Pass, will take place on May 15. Pre-order is available on Steam for 2449₴.

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

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

Gamers also reported 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, now the body of an enemy is no longer highlighted in red when it can be finished off – instead, a halo appears above its head.

As shown in the debut trailer, in some missions, Kat Roka uses a giant combat robot (fur) to deal with especially large enemies and their assistants. One of these levels reminded gamers of the location on Mars from DOOM (2016).

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

Apparently, DOOM: The Dark Ages promises to be a more tactical and intense game, while maintaining the series’ trademark brutality and dynamics. Doom: The Dark Ages is expected to be released in 2025 on PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), Sony PS5, Xbox Series, and the game will also appear immediately in Game Pass.