Summary
Reviews for the long-awaitedDoom: The Dark Ageshave just dropped and it’s already one of the best-reviewed games in the series, although it hasn’t quite managed to overtakeDoom Eternal.
Although 2020 really wasn’tthatlong ago in the grand scheme of things,it does feel like an awfully long time since id Software and Bethesda let us step into the blood-stained boots of the Doom Slayer. That’s finally about to change in a matter of days with the release of Doom: The Dark Ages,a prequel that shows the Slayer’s origins in a medieval metal world.
Since The Dark Ages was revealed, id has made some bold claims that it’s the biggest and best Doom game yet. With reviews having just dropped, we can finally see whether The Dark Ages lives up to all of the hellish hype.With a Mighty score of 86 on OpenCritic as of the time of writingand84 on Metacritic, it certainly seems to have done so, even if it’s not the highest-rated in the series.
Doom: The Dark Ages Debuts To “Mighty” Review Scores
The Slayer Is Back And Better Than Ever
Let’s kick things off with TheGamer’s review, which comes from Lead Features Editor Jade King. In her 3.5/5 review, Jade praised the series' standard brutal combat alongside its “surprisingly solid” narrative and impressive variety in enemies and environments. On the other hand, Jade noted that the new Parrying mechanic can be too overpowered and that objectives can quickly become predictable.
VGC’s Jordan Middler gave Doom: The Dark Ages a more positive 4/5 review, noting that id has managed to “put the series back on track” after Eternal’s more divisive mechanics.IGN’s 9/10 review from Mitchell Saltzman was full of praise for The Dark Ages, calling it a “new flavour” of Doom that’s just as satisfying as the other games despite its different direction.
GamesRadar+’s Joel Franey went a little lower with his 3.5/5 score, complimenting the gameplay and addition of the Saw Shield while critiquing the story and Doom Slayer himself lacking personality.Eurogamer’s review of Doom: The Dark Ages from Christian Donlan settled on a 4/5, noting that even with a more “grounded” approach, Doom was just as “brisk and playful as ever”.
As of the time of writing, Doom: The Dark Ages is tied for being the third-best reviewed game in the series just under the first two Doom games.Eternal is still in top place with an 89 on OpenCritic, though.
Over on Game Rant, Dalton Cooper gave The Dark Ages an 8/10, with similar praise to the rest of the reviews and a familiar complaint that it starts to get repetitive and loses momentum towards the end.Dualshockers' Scott Baird went with the same score and awarded an 8/10, whileScreen Rant went even higher with a perfect 10/10 reviewfrom Sean Migalla.
