During a hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, I was unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Picture this: I'm astride a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machinegun fire on a demonic battle barge. After taking out the vessel's defensive turrets, I landed my beast on the ship and stormed through its lower decks, reducing the crew to a bloody mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against Hell's machines. This sequence felt strikingly similar to Master Chief's assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks in *Halo 3*, with the Hornet helicopter swapped for a dragon and the laser-firing mech replaced by an occult flying boat. Yet, the essence of an aerial assault transitioning into a devastating boarding action remained intact.
Surprisingly, *The Dark Ages* drew more parallels to *Halo* beyond this moment. While the game's combat core is quintessentially *Doom*, its campaign design echoes the late-2000s shooters with its elaborate cutscenes and emphasis on gameplay novelty. Over the two and a half hours I played, I navigated through four levels. The first was reminiscent of the tightly paced, meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. The others, however, introduced piloting a colossal mech, flying the dragon, and exploring expansive battlefields filled with secrets and formidable minibosses. This departure from *Doom*'s usual focus on mechanical purity felt more akin to *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even classic James Bond games like *Nightfire*, known for their scripted setpieces and novel mechanics.
This direction for *Doom* is intriguing, especially given the series' past. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with its modern military aesthetic and emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. id Software ultimately decided these elements didn't fit the series, leading to the focused approach of *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here we are in 2025 with *The Dark Ages* reintroducing these elements.
The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated with new gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s most innovative moments. My demo began with a long, cinematic cutscene reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels. The Doom Slayer is portrayed as a terrifying legend, a nuclear-level threat. While familiar to *Doom* enthusiasts, the cinematic approach feels new and reminiscent of *Halo*. In-game, NPC Night Sentinels are scattered throughout the environment, similar to UNSC Marines, adding to the sense of being part of a larger force.
The introductory cutscene includes significant character work, raising questions about whether *Doom* needs this level of storytelling. Personally, I preferred the subtler narrative approach of previous *Doom* games, conveyed through environment design and codex entries. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* are used sparingly, setting up missions without interrupting the game's intense flow.
The demo also featured interruptions in gameplay. After the opening mission, which involved intense shotgun combat and parrying Hell Knights with a new shield, I found myself piloting a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech to battle demonic kaiju. Later, I soared on the cybernetic dragon, taking down battle barges and gun emplacements. These scripted levels, reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s novelties like the AC-130 gunship sequence, introduced significant gameplay shifts. The mech battles offered a slow, heavy perspective, while the dragon sequences were fast and agile, creating a different experience from classic *Doom*.
Many top FPS campaigns thrive on such variety, with *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2* setting the standard. *Halo*'s enduring appeal partly lies in its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences. However, I'm unsure if this approach will work for *Doom*. The core combat of *The Dark Ages* is complex and demanding, requiring constant attention to weave together shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences felt mechanically simpler and almost on-rails, with combat engagements resembling quick-time events.
In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship fits because the mechanical complexity isn't far removed from on-foot missions. However, *The Dark Ages* highlights a clear divide between gameplay styles, making the transition feel jarring. While the core combat remains the star, the novelty sequences left me longing for the ground-level action with a double-barrelled shotgun.
My final hour of play introduced "Siege," a level that refocuses on id's exceptional gunplay but expands into a vast open battlefield. The goal to destroy five Gore Portals echoed *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, yet reminded me of *Halo*'s contrast between interior and exterior environments. This level required rethinking weapon ranges and using charge attacks to close large distances, with the shield deflecting artillery from tank cannons.
The downside of such expansive spaces is the potential for unfocused gameplay, with backtracking and looping through empty pathways disrupting the pace. I hoped to see the dragon integrated more like *Halo*'s Banshee, allowing for dynamic movement across the battlefield to maintain momentum and enhance the dragon's role.
Despite initial skepticism about these ideas, which were once deemed unsuitable for *Doom*, their return in *The Dark Ages* is fascinating. The cancelled *Doom 4* was rumored to feature scripted set pieces and vehicle scenes, elements now present in the Atlan and dragon sections. id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty* with its cinematic and character-driven approach, which was ultimately scrapped. Yet, *The Dark Ages* reintroduces these elements with big boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a broader cast, and significant lore reveals.
The core of *The Dark Ages* remains its on-foot, gun-in-hand combat, which is undeniably central to the experience. While some of the new ideas felt mechanically slim, there's still much to explore. I eagerly await May 15th to delve deeper into id's unparalleled gunplay and satisfy my curiosity: Will *Doom: The Dark Ages* be a well-crafted late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one?
