DOOM: The Dark Ages – Exploring Story, Sandboxes, Mechs, and Dragons Firsthand

The moment you dive into The Dark Ages, it becomes clear that this isn’t your typical DOOM experience. During the final—and longest—segment of the demo, I was dropped into an expansive open zone crafted by id Software. My mission was clear: shut down five demon portals. But how I approached this was entirely up to me. For an hour, I found myself constantly experiencing surprises, realizing this was unlike any DOOM game I had ever played.

This open-world segment is packed with intriguing side objectives. You can take down heavily fortified artillery, hunt for hidden gold caches to upgrade your skills, and more. At one point, just as I was casually moving through, a gigantic tentacle emerged from the ground, ready to attack. This wasn’t part of a scripted event or a pre-defined mission. Just an unexpected challenge presenting itself.

Even the main tasks have their twists. In the first story mission, shutting down portals was all about battling through enemies in an arena. Here, however, things take a turn. Some portals whisk you away to dungeons, where you must solve puzzles to reach the power source. Others bring out Leader enemies—these powerful foes can’t be taken down until their minions are defeated. Conquering these challenges rewards you with permanent upgrades. Throughout this chaos, I stumbled upon new weapons, expanding my arsenal and offering fresh tactical choices. It feels like id has infused the game with a rebellious creativity, eager to explore new possibilities within the DOOM universe.

The overarching feeling from my playtime with DOOM: The Dark Ages is the developers’ sheer passion not just for the franchise itself, but for what it could become. I anticipated a fresh story, new weapons, and fierce demons. What I didn’t see coming were the novel genres it would explore. It has left me eager to discover what else the team plans to unveil.

Mark your calendars for May 15, 2025, when DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on Xbox Series X|S, PC (via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and cloud services. Plus, it will be available from day one on Game Pass.