Buckle up, Slayers. The long-rumored prequel, Doom: The Dark Ages, was finally unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase, and it looks incredible. The two-minute trailer plunges players into a medieval setting and is filled to the brim with gameplay.
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Scheduled for release in 2025, the long wait has begun, and fans are quenching their thirst by rewatching the trailer on repeat. Here are the eight exciting features that have fans hyped, from badass weapons to new game mechanics, and more.
8 Prequel Setting
In The First Age, In The First Battle, When The Shadows First Lengthened, One Stood
- Why It's Exciting: The player gets to play out the origin story of the legendary Doom Slayer.
There was only one direction ID Software could take the Slayer after concluding his story in Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part 2, and that was into the past. Set before the events of both DOOM (2016) and Doom Eternal, Doom: The Dark Ages places the Slayer in an ancient kingdom overrun by the forces of Hell.
This setting is exciting because the previous two games mention an ancient war between Hell and the Slayer, and now the player gets to experience that epic battle firsthand.
7 Gun With Skull as Ammo
You Get A Bullet, You Get A Bullet, Everybody Gets A Bullet
- Why It's Exciting: The sheer disrespect the Slayer will show to the demons by using the skulls of his enemies as ammo.
Skull-powered Machine Gun? Hell yeah! Doom is known for its insane weapons, and The Dark Ages takes things to a new level with the Skull Crusher.
It’s called that because it crushes skulls, simple as that. This gun feeds skull fragments to demons by turning skulls into small bullets. It's a gruesome yet undeniably satisfying weapon.
6 Mech Fights
Even The Biggest Demons Aren’t Safe From The Slayer Because of Mecha vs Kaiju Action.
- Why It's Exciting: Fighting giant beasts while controlling a mech suit is always thrilling, especially when it was teased in a previous game.
Doom has always offered nonstop, over-the-top action, and The Dark Ages takes it to new heights with the inclusion of colossal mechs. Players will be able to control these Pacific Rim-type mechs to unleash a torrent of destruction upon the demonic hordes.
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In both Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, players often saw corpses of giant demons, and now they will be the reason those corpses are there in the first place. Doom Eternal also featured a mech suit at the Slayer’s base, but unfortunately, they were only there for show and were never usable.
5 Bigger Levels
Everything Is Big in Hell
- Why It's Exciting: The larger levels of the upcoming prequel can better immerse the player in a massive war against Hell.
From the small snippets of gameplay ID Software revealed during the Xbox Showcase, it seems like The Dark Ages will feature much larger levels compared to the previous games in the series.
These expansive levels could make exploration a bigger aspect of gameplay and even include side quests that can only be found if the player actively searches for them. However, this does risk slowing down the game’s pace.
4 Flying Demon
Even The Skies Aren’t Safe for Demons
- Why It's Exciting: The terrifying, yet friendly monster acts as the player's personal flying mount, has guns attached to its back, and can also breathe fire.
The larger levels of The Dark Ages necessitate a new mode of traversal, and what’s better than a flying steed? The Slayer will be able to rain down destruction using his mount, which can breathe fire and has guns attached to its back.
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While the full capabilities of the steed are still unknown, there’s no denying that it boasts an intimidating look that matches the Dark Ages' medieval aesthetic. Now, all that’s missing is a unicorn skin.
3 Brutal New Melee System
Rip and Tear Through Demons Via The New Melee System
- Why It's Exciting:Doom: The Dark Ages addresses the weakest aspect of Doom Eternal by revamping the melee system to be more destructive.
The combat in Doom Eternal is like Doom (2016) but on steroids. However, one aspect that didn’t receive much improvement was the melee system. Unless it was a Blood Punch, the Slayer's fists weren’t really a big threat to demons.
Thankfully, that seems to be fixed in Doom: The Dark Ages. Equipped with an actual medieval weapon, the Morning Star, the Doom Slayer now has another tool that delivers a violent dose of destruction to his foes.
2 The Introduction Of A Shield
A Chainsaw Embedded Into Defense
- Why It's Exciting: The Shield isn’t just for defensive purposes; it also comes with chainsaw blades that can be thrown like Captain America's Shield.
The inclusion of the Shield in Doom: The Dark Ages is a very risky move by the developer, as it risks slowing down the gameplay. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The Shield does exactly what one might expect: it protects the Slayer from demons’ gunfire, but it also has many more uses.
It parries enemy attacks (more on this below) and can be transformed into a chainsaw Frisbee that cuts through enemies when thrown. It will even come back to the player like a Mjölnir hammer.
1 Parry System
Parry This You Filthy Demon
- Why It's Exciting: The parry mechanic adds skill-based defense, turning reflexes into weapons for high-risk, high-reward badassery.
ID Software has consistently kept the Doom formula fresh in every game by introducing changes to the gameplay, and The Dark Ages will be no exception. The prequel features a parry system where the player can use the Shield to deflect an enemy attack at just the right time.
Doing so will stun the enemy and grant the Slayer an advantage. This adds a layer of strategic depth that will test the player's reflexes and make them feel like a total badass when they pull off a perfect parry. Just don’t go comparing it to Sekiro.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- 2025-00-00
- Developer(s)
- id Software
