We shared the trailer in June of last year, but the radio silence was quite significant. Luckily, that has changed: Although it's not a trailer, the Developer Direct of DOOM: The Dark Ages is even more interesting, and puts everything new on the table so the Doomslayer can keep ripping apart demons…
A New Direction for the Doomslayer
One aspect to highlight from this presentation is that the developers acknowledge a certain gap between the dynamics of DOOM Eternal and the previous games. There are moments where the Doomslayer seems like a fighter jet in Eternal, but The Dark Ages shows him as a true tank, more focused on power, resistance, and devastation than on acrobatic maneuvers. Personally, I celebrate that adjustment, since the 'excess of parkour' felt tiresome to me.
The Shield Saw and New Mechanics
The video also shares a fan favorite, the Shield Saw. We can block, throw, parry attacks, and return them to the enemy with a single command. The Shield Saw symbolizes one of the most relevant changes in DOOM's mechanics: The first game (read "DOOM 2016") punished passivity, and forced us to shoot while constantly moving. Eternal incorporated the grappling hook, adding an additional dimension to the action. The Dark Ages? Pure melee hand-to-hand, crashing head-on with the worst demons hell can throw in our direction. And obviously, there are the weapons. If we set aside the BFG 9000 and the Super Shotgun, The Dark Ages offers one of the most powerful arsenals. That "skull-crushing launcher" is impressive.
Accessibility and Difficulty
An additional goal for the developers of DOOM: The Dark Ages is that it be accessible to those who haven't experienced the franchise before. Being a prequel, The Dark Ages shapes up as an excellent starting point, and also has more refined difficulty options. Yes, the classic presets are still there, but now include parameters that we can adjust to taste.
Technical Details and Release Date
To finish, a technical detail: The id Tech 7 engine in The Dark Ages requires hardware ray tracing, just like with the Indiana Jones game. *(cries in 1660 Super)*
DOOM: The Dark Ages arrives on May 15.
