Doom: The Dark Ages introduces big changes to combat as id Software makes one major discovery: “In the original Doom, every projectile mattered”

Doom: The Dark Ages is not a continuation of the bloody ritual massacre of Doom Eternal, it is a return to the past – literally and spiritually. Developer id Software is releasing a prequel to its modern Doom series of games, taking us back to a time when the Slayer was used as the ultimate super weapon of gods and kings. It sounds metal as hell, and it’s the perfect setting for a series that was hell-bent on being demolished.

The point is that id Software landed this medieval war against hell not out of convenience, but out of a need to change the fundamentals of the game. Return to where Doom became a legend two decades ago. “At the beginning of every development cycle, I replay the original Doom and let the team play it. I realized that we still haven’t hit the mark,” says creative director Hugo Martin. AND that is where Doom: The Dark Ages was born.

Back to basics

The reason for this revelation? Projectiles. A gruesome gauntlet of floating, homing hazards. “I immediately noticed how slow the projectiles were moving—it just dawned on me that is a maze. Movement is more horizontal as you weave between projectiles and each the projectile was important in the original Doom.”

Doom Eternal invested heavily in verticality, making constant movement across multiple planes of wider battle arenas central to the basic rhythm of the encounter. Martin says that returning to the ethos that fueled the series in the first place became “a cornerstone” of what the team wanted to achieve with Doom: The Dark Ages. “We couldn’t get higher in the air than Doom Eternal. It was a great experience, but we want each game to stand on its own,” says Martin.

“If you were an F22 fighter in Doom Eternal, this time we wanted you to feel like an Abrams tank,” he adds, an analogy that hints at where id is headed with Doom: The Dark Ages. “It means you’re stronger and tougher. The combat system for new players – those who only got into Doom after the reboot – I think with The Dark Ages they’ll feel like it’s a revamped combat system. But for a long time Fans of the series , people who played the original Doom will see that it really is a return to form.”