Year In Review: Bethesda Must Go Back To The Drawing Board After DOOM: The Dark Ages

Once I finished DOOM 2016 and DOOM: Eternal, I was excited to jump back in again. Less so Eternal, but it’s a fantastic sequel to the untouchable first reboot. DOOM: The Dark Ages is arguably the most complete and well-crafted of the trilogy, but I find it the least memorable and least replayable of the three.

In a bid to expand and evolve, The Dark Ages feels like an extension of its predecessors, more than a full-scale demonic overhaul. Furthermore, everything new mostly misses the mark, and can make the experience go from Imp to limp very quickly. id Software probably has an ideas board more bloated than a Mancubus after a Christmas Dinner, and there’s plenty of hope for the next trip to hell.

It Won’t Spell DOOM For The Franchise

I think DOOM is the quintessential first-person shooter franchise, as well as the most important one. Wolfenstein 3D helped the FPS genre crawl, but 1993’s DOOM stood on its own two feet—and throats of Baron of Hellish foes. Level design, music, the guns, the gore, and the thematic touches just exude a badass aura that few have even come close to.

Following DOOM 3’s survival-horror detour, there was a long wait for a new game. The infamous, canceled DOOM 4 project is better consigned to history, and thank our stars it was. We got the DOOM 2016 reboot instead—which I actually think is the best DOOM game everbut that’s for another conversation.

Eternal upped the speed and mobility and gave us Godmode Doomguy. I’ll never forgive the Marauders’ design, though, and I’ll die on that fiery hill! Both games are fantastic in their own unique right, and then you’ve got DOOM: The Dark Ages, which serves as a prequel. id Software decided to make its level design more open and chaotic, give us a Doomguy Dragon and Kaiju-inspired levels, and tighten up the game’s story with more cutscenes and character development.

In trying to do more, TDA does too much, and actually takes me away from the thing I enjoy most about DOOM: Killing lots of demons with fun weapons in small-to-medium-sized levels. But it’s still a good game!

Less Is More, More Or Less

Long story short…I don’t prioritise story when it comes to DOOM, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. DOOM 1 and DOOM 2 achieve so much through visual and environmental cues and clues. How am I supposed to rip and tear when you won’t let me rip and tear? The Dark Ages’ Dragon levels are cumbersome and uninteresting, and while I can appreciate the attempt to freshen things up, the Mecha Doomguy sections are boring.

The shield and the slower-shield-based parry gameplay are solid, but you’re always aware that it’s a conscious effort to slow the game’s pace down (not as much as the Marauder, grr), and negatively juxtaposes the game’s identity. I’m not saying I want Doomguy to go shopping for some Sonic the Hedgehog shoes and borrow a Titanfall jetpack, but there needs to be a balance.

Ironically, I believe that balance is still DOOM 2016.

id nailed everything with the game. I’d like to see the next DOOM game be more akin to 2016, and maybe borrow the odd bit of parkour from Eternal, and even some of The Dark Ages’ incredible visual aesthetic. It also wouldn’t hurt to broker peace with Mick Gordon, I beg. In the same way that DOOM 3 was starting to steer the ship away and veer off on a completely different course, I think the same needs to happen again now.

The series is as popular as ever, but it felt like everyone forgot about it as 2025 went on. Let’s fuse old-school and new-school DOOM again. Finding key cards in well-designed levels that don’t just rely on being open, and adding depth with hidden platforms and switches galore. A beastly soundtrack supported by grizzly battle scenes is also a must. Let’s waste less budget on theatrics and inject that into R&D on fun gameplay mechanics and ideas, and re-reboot DOOM again.

What do you think id and Bethesda got wrong with DOOM: The Dark Ages? What needs to happen for the next iteration? Head to the Insider Gaming Discord Server and share your thoughts.

If you like DOOM, it’s definitely time to check out IG’s DOOM games ranked from worst to best list, and the 9 best DOOM weapons ever ranked