Doom: The Dark Ages wants to be more like the original Doom

Instead of Eternal doom‘s “jump and shoot” gameplay loop, The Dark Ages focuses on more of a “stand and fight” mentality, the developers said. If Eternal doom it was like flying a fighter jet The Dark Ages is more like controlling a tank, they added by analogy.

Less fighter, more tank

Credit: Bethesda Softworks

This means a “flatter” playing space, where the old-fashioned “punishment-to-aim” strategies work more effectively than in recent Doom game, with less need to constantly float through the air. The developers say they are returning to the slower projectile speeds of the original Doom games as well, allowing players to more easily weave between them in a sort of first-person take on one shmup pattern. At the same time, your own projectile weapons tend toward mid- to short-range, the developers said, encouraging you to take the fight up close to enemies.

While stunning enemies to set up instant Glory Kills is still a core part of The Dark Agesthe developers said the system has been redesigned to avoid taking control away from the player for extended, repetitive canned animations. The new Glory Kill system allows for instant, physics-based attacks that can be activated from any angle without interrupting gameplay flow.

The more things change

The Dark Ages developers also promised a more open design, where the usual more linear corridors are interspersed with larger play areas that let you decide which direction to go and which objective to pursue in which order. And the standard shooting action will be divided into specific sections where you control a 30-story mech or fly a powerful dragon.

*Fleetwood Mac voice* You can go your own way…

Credit: Bethesda Softworks

But the core gameplay will still include the necessary array of secret areas and hidden nooks to discover, the developers promised. This time, however, those secrets are more directly tied to your power progression rather than just being in-game collectibles, the developers said.

It all serves to push toward a game that feels “new but familiar,” Martin said. The Dark Ages is still about the same sense of exploration and power that all good Doom games capture. But Martin said the development team is comfortable experimenting with what the specific feeling of power is, “especially if the change you make brings it closer to classic Doom.”

But “I want to play a Doom game,” he added. “We don’t (want to) change so much that it’s not a Doom game.

Doom: The Dark Ages is scheduled to arrive on Windows, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 15.