«The Weakest Entry in the Trilogy»: Critics Review Doom: The Dark Ages
The review embargo for Doom: The Dark Ages has officially lifted, and critics have shared their first impressions of id Software’s brutal new shooter. As of this writing, the game holds a score of 83 on Metacritic and 86 on OpenCritic.
Review Scores:
- PC Gamer – 8/10;
- VGC – 8/10;
- DualShockers – 8/10;
- GamesRadar+ – 7/10;
- Dexerto – 6/10;
- Eurogamer – 4/5.
Critics generally praised the game for its bold shift in setting — blending dark fantasy with sci-fi, along with new combat mechanics and intense firefights. However, several outlets noted shortcomings in pacing, underwhelming mech and dragon battles, and a lack of memorable music tracks. Some reviewers felt the game fails to reach the heights of Doom Eternal and the 2016 reboot.
Doom: The Dark Ages features an excellent FPS campaign with satisfying gameplay, best-in-class shooting, and great set-piece moments. At the end of the day, its biggest sin is that it doesn’t live up to what came before. The decision to slow combat down and scale back the Slayer’s movement makes things feel like a step back and takes away some of the flashy style.
Doom: The Dark Ages is the weakest entry in a fantastic trilogy of games, and despite how I feel about its additions to combat and exploration, I’d rather an experience that took risks and sought to reinvent what it means to play a Doom game rather than build upon the familiar.
Above all else, Doom: The Dark Ages has utterly fantastic combat. Moment-to-moment action is among the best in series history. But ultimately, in a desire to expand on a winning formula, id Software has fallen short of the high bar it set with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal.
Doom: The Dark Ages launches May 15 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The game will also be available day one on Game Pass.
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