There is quite a bit of hype built up around the next Doom game. The franchise has been around for decades, and since the 2016 reboot of sorts came out, there has been another resurgence of fans enjoying their time slaying demons. However, the next big installment coming our way is Doom: The Dark Ages, and it looks to make some notable changes to where developers id Software left off in Doom Eternal. The developers went back to the roots and dug into the original 1993 release to get an idea of how they should shape this next game.
As you might have already caught from the various gameplay footage clips, Doom: The Dark Ages is slowing things down from where we left off in Doom Eternal. While Doom Eternal was all about speed and playing more with the y-axis, this upcoming installment focuses on facing what’s in front of you.
Thanks to GamesRadar, we’re learning that the game director, Hugo Martin, spoke with Edge Magazine. During their conversation, Hugo noted that the developers looked at the original Doom game and found that rather than speed, developers crafted the game to play on avoiding projectiles on the x-axis. Essentially, you have a maze of avoiding attacks strafing from side to side.
That’s something you can expect with this upcoming game. There’s more about fighting what’s ahead of you and fighting mainly on the x-axis side of things. Similar to the earlier installments of this iconic FPS franchise.
In Eternal, there’s a lot of activity along the [vertical] Y-axis, but [here] it felt better to focus the threats and the targets along the horizon line. It’s a movement shooter still, but the movement is more about what’s happening along the X-axis. – Hugo Martin
For those who haven’t been keeping tabs on this game, while it might be the third installment since the 2016 reboot, Doom: The Dark Ages will be a prequel. Developers are going back to the medieval ages with Doom Slayer. In a previous statement from the folks at id Software, it was unveiled that the developer got inspiration from the setting and storyline from the iconic comic book Batman Year One. You can read more about their inspiration for returning to Doom Slayer’s roots right here.
As for Doom: The Dark Ages, the game is set to launch on May 15, 2025. The game will be available for the PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 platforms when released.
