DOOM is the beginning and end, alpha and omega, of FPS or first-person shooter video games. Its impact on video game history goes far beyond its origins and extends to DOOM (2016), in my opinion one of the best first-person shooters of all time. It's absolutely perfect and I don't blame Eternal for not living up to it.
I'm not saying that DOOM Eternal is a bad video game, but I'm not going to deny that all its changes and new features failed to convince me. If there is a franchise that does not need radical changes, it is undoubtedly this one. I was hoping (and still hoping) for something like DOOM (2016): destroy each room of enemies with whatever you want. Nothing else.
I've been waiting eight years for the return of the Slayer as I want, not counting the little gem of Mighty Doom. I think that DOOM: The Dark Ages, presented last Xbox Games Showcase 2024, has what it takes to make me fall in love and embrace all its new features with all the love I have for the franchise.
From space to the Middle Ages: any place is good to crush demons
“Before he became a hero he was the superweapon of gods and kings,” says the introduction of the trailer for DOOM: The Dark Ages. The next thing you can see is a very different setting from the one we saw in DOOM (2016) y DOOM Eternal. It's a pastiche of very interesting styles, although the vibes are medieval fantasy with modern technology.
The combination of styles Dark Ages It's amazing: medieval dark fantasy with futuristic elements. One of the first scenes is a city with classical structures, but then you see a laser flak on one of the towers. And the next image looks like a structure suspended in the sky, but it features ancient-looking elements like stone (or color to stone), architecture, and even the lighting screams fantasy.
In the First Era, in the first battle, the first time the shadows lengthened, someone resisted. Consumed by the embers of Armageddon, his soul burned in the fires of Hell and, too corrupt for ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment. He found no peace in his ravenous hatred and, with his blood boiling, he roamed the plains of the Threshold to take revenge on the dark lords who had done him so much harm. He wore the crown of the Sentinels of the Night, and those who tested his sword called him… Deathkiller.
Needless to say, seeing Doom Slayer with a fur cape and his classic armor follows the trend I mentioned and gives him a Viking touch that is very cool. In fact, his shoulder pads have spikes, he carries chains at his waist, and his thighs are directly covered by metal plates that form armor. Maybe I saw what I wanted to see, but I got vibes from Kratos in God of War Ragnarök.
I greatly respect all the settings we have seen so far in the franchise, but I think there are few places more brutal and ideal for bursting demons than the medieval style. And it contrasts strangely well with bursting bugs with a sawed-off shotgun while we see a castle in the background.
My first impression after watching the trailer is that the different art styles are very well fused, even though they are very different, and it seems that Bethesda has managed to ensure that nothing stands out in contrast during the gameplay. In another situation, firing a sawed-off shotgun in front of a medieval castle might creak, but in Dark Ages it looks very, very good.
Playing style: back to simple, but not completely
At the risk of being wrong (which I may be), it seems that Bethesda took note of all of us players who complained in Eternal about all the extra mechanics regarding DOOM (2016). It was something like: if something is perfect, don't touch it. Make it perfect again.
The DOOM: The Dark Ages trailer hasn't shown a single hook-like mechanic or weapon conditions for killing certain enemies. I repeat: I don't think they are bad, but they don't match my concept of ideal DOOM. And it makes sense for him to dispense with all that and return to his “simplicity,” so to speak.
The Dark Ages It is a prequel to DOOM (2016) and is mainly inspired by the original DOOM from 1993, as indicated by the official Bethesda blog. They comment that we will have to use the correct weapons according to the distance, but it will prevent us from killing everything that moves with our favorite weapon. Some of us only kneel for the shotgun. Old man things.
This is not to say that there are no mechanics beyond moving, jumping and shooting. Later I mention several that I really liked. Without going any further, you can see how we fly on a dragon and perhaps it is a powerful ally, and we ride on a Jaeger or huge robot.
Weapons: the beloved shotgun and other things that are also very good
As I have explained, The Dark Ages unifies two very different styles: medieval and futuristic fantasy. Weapons are the most important element of any DOOM, they are the constant that we see on our screen for dozens of hours, and they are certainly proof of that sublime integration that I am talking about.
Seeing the double-barreled shotgun as DOOM Slayer's main weapon has been a joy, especially due to its design. It's still a shotgun, but it could have come from a dwarven forge in Moria. In DOOM (2016) It does not have to blend in with the environment and has a classic design, but in The Dark Ages It looks like a unique piece, the work of a master blacksmith. It even has firing pins like muskets to give it an older style.
The shotgun is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't know what the hell that thing is called that crushes skulls and uses the pieces to shoot them like shrapnel. I call her Skullcrusher until I see the name in the game. It is a very crazy hulk that has the entire community completely alienated, and it also manages to integrate as a firearm.
Lacking ammunition, the Slayer uses a resource that is plentiful in hell: skulls, bones. The weapon appears to be powered by a steam engine, as seen when reloading. Anyone who comes from playing Borderlands, as is my case, has already seen strange and absurd weapons… but even so I'm sure that it has caught us all by surprise. It's sublime!
The Plasma Rifle, the next weapon that appears in the trailer, can indeed squeak a little, but how the hell do you adapt that bug so that it doesn't happen? It is a rifle that fires plasma in a medieval dark fantasy setting. At least they've depicted him as a piece of iron that shoots blue things. You can't have everything in this life.
Beyond the classic shotgun, my favorite weapon in the trailer is the stake rifle or the stake launcher. It reminded me of the movie Van Helsing (2004), starring Hugh Jackman. There is no mystery: it is a contraption that runs on steam or gas and shoots sharp pieces of metal at heart-stopping speeds. So much so that you leave demons nailed to the walls.
I know it will work like this because the Fallout series has several weapons that work like this: from nail rifles (used on train tracks) to heavy harpoon launchers. Not only is it well integrated due to its design, but also because once again Slayer makes use of what he has at hand in the absence of bullets: metal rods like large arms that have had a bit of a tip so that they pass through well. to the demons. I wonder if we can recover the ammunition by passing over it.
Last but not least, Doom Slayer has a flail for melee hitting, because a shield with an integrated chainsaw may not have been enough of a melee threat. I see Bethesda's message clearly: she wants us to smell the breath of demons when killing them.
Shield with integrated chainsaw
I don't even bother looking for an original title because Bethesda's proposal is crazy enough on its own. I know we all thought of Captain America when we saw the shield, but I personally admit that I kept Kratos from God of War. It seems that the Doom Slayer has been working with the Spartan and Marcus Fenix of Gears of War to create your new favorite plugin.
The new shield of DOOM: The Dark Ages It deserves its independent section due to its importance as a novelty. It is obvious that it replaces the classic chainsaw and that it will be an important melee asset along with the flail. However, the trailer shows several very interesting additional features.
It is a magnetic shield in the style of Captain America, but with a chainsaw. This implies that we can launch it to kill/damage all the enemies in its path and then return. This greatly increases our range of action and when used well it can wipe out many enemies in one go. I'm very interested in knowing how exactly it works. It can also be used as a melee weapon.
The other two features are obvious for a shield, but relatively new to DOOM: protection from enemy fire and the ability to parry. In case you are not familiar with this last concept, we can stun enemies if we block at the right moment. It's unclear if they're left vulnerable for an execution (which they should be), but there's no doubt this mechanic will be available.
All this changes a lot the way we play and how aggressive we can be in combat. Having the ability to block bullets, dodging is no longer the only option to avoid taking damage. Plus, it encourages melee combat even more… something that tends to be very bloody, savage, and merciless in DOOM. I am very delighted with this new feature and I think it will fit very well into the gameplay.
Jaegers and dragons
Do I really need to explain that Jaegers and dragons are so cool? The trailer has a scene in which the Doom Slayer gets into a jaeger or huge robot and fights a giant demon in pure Doom style. Pacific Rim. I don't know how frequent this will be, but it is certainly something brutal and incredible. It means raising destruction and violence to stratospheric levels.
As for the dragon, I dare say that it will be an ally that we will have to tame during a battle and that will help us move between locations. The official Bethesda blog doesn't say anything about it, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little help… although by tradition we have always been alone against the hordes of demons. They involve two other novelties that change the pace of the game, but that seem very sweet to me if they are specific things.
I don't know a single DOOM fan who isn't excited about The Dark Ages. It is true that we have only seen one trailer and that there is much left to know… but we come from a saga that has always lived up to its pluses and minuses. Eternal is the best example in my case: even though I don't like him and believe that he is not up to par with his predecessor, I admit that he is a great game. And I feel like this one will be even more so.
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