DOOM: The Dark Ages – An Interactive Experience with Storytelling, Open Worlds, Mechs, and Dragons

This is where The Dark Ages truly shatters the mold. During my final and longest session of the demo, I found myself plunged into id Software’s take on a sandbox-style open zone, given free rein to tackle it in any way I wished. My main goal was simple: close five demon-spewing portals. But how I achieved it and what distractions I pursued along the way was completely my decision. Throughout the hour, it was clear I’d never experienced a DOOM game quite like this before.

True to form, this sandbox segment is packed with optional objectives. I encountered heavily guarded artillery batteries to dismantle, stumbled upon caches of gold for purchasing upgrades, and much more. At one point, as I’m merely making my way across the terrain, a giant tentacle the size of a cathedral erupts from the ground to attack – not a scripted event or an assigned task, just a spontaneous occurrence lurking in the environment.

The core objectives themselves hold surprises as well. In the initial story mission, closing portals was merely about wiping out all enemies in an arena, but this isn’t the case here at all. Some portals whisk me away to dungeons, challenging me to solve puzzles to unearth energy sources to shut them down. Others introduce formidable leader enemies, overpowered and immune to attacks until enough of their minions are eliminated. Conquering these leaders grants permanent upgrades. Throughout my journey, I discover new weaponry, expanding my arsenal with fresh options. The experience is dynamic and endlessly inventive, as though id has been waiting for the right moment to weave new concepts into the DOOM universe.

And that’s the main takeaway from my deep-dive into DOOM: The Dark Ages – this feels like a team overflowing with passion, not just for what DOOM has been, but for what it can transform into. I anticipated a new story, weapons, and demons. What I didn’t see coming was the exploration of new genres. I’m eagerly looking forward to uncovering what other surprises this talented team has up their sleeves.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is set to release on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PC (available via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and the cloud. It will also be accessible on Game Pass from day one.