I have over 100 hours combined on both PlayStation and Xbox and let me tell you, DOOM: The Dark Ages is the most disrespected Modern DOOM game because this entry without a shadow of a doubt deserves its praises. Before I start the glazefest, some cons I have with it personally:
- The story in the base game is your standards 80s dark fantasy action adventure flick plot. Most of the characters like Thira and Novik I wasn't really interested in and I felt like they carry the plot a lot if it's not the antagonists, which is Prince Ahzrak, The Witch and Kreed Makyr. The story feels like you're only part of the world of Argent D'Nur, rather it being a Slayer story, which to TDA's credit, the mid to endgame does. Was it satisfying to see The Slayer cave in Ahzrak's skull with the Flail slowly after Serrat's death? Absolutely. Was it compelling to see The Slayer struggle with the subsequent mind-control The Khan Maykr order the Bishop to tether so he can only be a weapon of mass destruction? Absolutely. Was it awesome to see The Slayer once again, cheating death by blowing himself up, becoming the Zombie Slayer and LITERALLY RAM THE FERRY INTO THE MORTAL PLANE TO GET RESURRECTED IN THE SAME SARCHOPHAGUS HE EVENTUALLY WAKES UP IN 2016 AND LAID TO REST AT THE END OF THE ANCIENT GODS DLC FOR DOOM ETERNAL? HELL YEAH. Point is, up until Revelations, I really did not care for the story other than it being a footnote for the Slayer's Testaments.
- The music. Before y'all angrily type in the comments, let me say that I am a full-blown metalhead and what Finishing Move has produced in the base game is actually pretty good. The problem, much like the story up until Revelations, is the music isn't Slayer focused and it doesn't have that "UMPH", that DOOM feeling Mick was able to capture for two games, which to be fair, it is their first crack at and of course, with his absence, they are bound to be harshly critiqued for but my point still stands. Hell and the Cosmic Realm felt lived in because of the music and the visuals, which absolutely carried the presentation but while you're on Argent D'Nur, it felt like a compilation of other metal genres, rather than it being Slayer focused. It's still good DOOM music but I don't find myself listening to it half as much as I did when Revelations came out other than a few tracks (That being Unholy Siege, Atlan Battleground, Infernal Chasm, Ancestral Beast, Into The Void, What Lies Below, Battle on the Blackened Tide, When The Shadows First Lengthened, and From The Ashes.)
- The whole Forced RTX and Deneuvo requirement (thank God id removed Deneuvo)
- Other than the Ripatorium, there was the lack of replayability. You can always replay The Dark Ages on another save but for a year straight, that's all there is to do other than the Ripatorium.
- A lack of verticality. While I generally like the Classic DOOM layout of most flat ground, finding secrets, etc, it does hurt the game to not have an option to vertical combat if it's not a shield puzzle.
- The Atlan and Serrat sections. On repeat playthroughs, I just want to play as The Slayer. Serrat, to a lesser degree than the Atlan because you can explore the large maps and land but the caveat is the Star Fox like dogfights. The Atlan gameplay was really fun the first time around but that's just it actually.
Now the positives:
- The base gameplay, while not as complex as Eternal's, still provides a visceral combat loop. Like Eternal, every tool in your arsenal is useful but now you have a much more robust set of weapons. The Shield-Saw is honestly the best thing id has made, flat out with the Chain Spear in the DLC. Shield Runes, Melee Weapons, and Your Guns all have upgraded variants with mods you can buy, making your version of the Slayer feel more versatile than the previous games. There are entire builds you can customize with that can take advantage of the weapon buffs/status effects and the best part is that you can play the entire game that way if you want to. Player expression is much more friendly than Eternal, especially with the sliders so you can make it piss easy or dastardly hard. The bosses are actually really good too, with Enhanced Ahzrak being the best out of all of them.
- The level design, despite lacking verticality, harkens back to Classic DOOM, which is different but until Revelations, id being the technical wizards made sure the levels are massive with loads of things to do, which makes subsequent re-runs more enjoyable, despite the content drought. Secrets are littered around, whole encounters, waiting to be played, the fact that The Dark Ages boasts the most amount of demons on screen makes it feel larger than life.
- The graphical fidelity is honestly excellent, despite the Forced RTX Raytracing. id never misses when it comes to idTech.
- The artstyle and atmosphere is on par with 2016 flat out. Hell has never looked better. The Cosmic Realm is the real highlight of The Dark Ages, with the ancient cyclopean architecture, floating ship masts, water portals, Giant Cacodemon Hybrids flying around, of course, tentacles, it's honestly one of my favorite environments in any DOOM game. The Slayer himself is just badass with his Sentinel Slayer Armor, rocking the fur cape too.
Normally, if it was just the base game, I'd give an 8.6/10 IF IT WASN'T FOR THE ABSOLUTE BOMBSHELL THAT WAS REVELATIONS.
