Doom: The Dark Ages.

The Gavler Review.

Doom: The Dark Ages Review: Heavier, Slower, Still Brutal

Doom: The Dark Ages ranks number 10 on Gavler's Best Games of 2025 list with an 8.7, and it earns that spot by doing something modern id Software rarely does: slow down. Where Doom Eternal built its identity around aerial mobility and juggling resource meters, Dark Ages hands you a saw-bladed shield and asks you to stand, block, and pulp demons at close range instead. IGN scored it 9/10 and called it "a new flavour of Doom that's just as satisfying as the rest." The trade-off critics kept flagging wasn't the combat — it's the story. Kotaku's review put it bluntly: "This is a Doom game! I should be killing stuff! Not watching people chat about power, war, and family." This review, by The Gavler Team, breaks down where that reinvention succeeds and where the game's ambitions outrun its pacing.

What it is

Developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks, Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel set before the events of the 2016 reboot and Doom Eternal, trading sci-fi Mars installations for a dark-fantasy medieval war between humans, demons, and old gods. The headline addition is the Shield Saw — a throwable, parrying shield that anchors a grounded, stand-and-fight combat style in place of Eternal's air-dashing. Levels lean bigger and more open than past entries, filled with optional secrets, demon-boss encounters, and set-piece sequences where you pilot a towering Atlan mech or ride a cybernetic dragon.

It released May 15, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows, priced at $69.99. Metacritic settled at 83 ("Generally Favorable"), and it carries an M rating for Mature 17+.

In use

The combat is where every review converges on praise. Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen, who spent about 18 hours with the campaign across its 22 levels, described a "bloody ballet-like flow of blocking, dodging, shield tossing, punching, and shooting," and singled out the melee-to-ammo loop as the thing that ties the whole system together — punching demons generates ammo, freeing you to keep guns loaded for tougher targets. He also praised the parry-focused miniboss fights as a genuine improvement over Eternal's more punishing Marauder encounters, since most of Dark Ages' toughest enemies can still be tackled with whatever loadout you already have equipped, rather than forcing a specific counter-weapon.

Gavler's own baseline coverage backs that up: GameSpot's review called the game a bold reinvention that "reins in with equal measure, taking the series in a bold new direction without straying from its captivating roots," and IGN's 9/10 echoed the same conclusion — this is a legitimately different Doom, not a retread with a new coat of paint.

Where the reviews diverge sharply from praise is the narrative and pacing. Kotaku was direct about the story being "the weakest part of Dark Ages," bogged down in factional macguffin-hunting that's easy to forget by credits roll. More pointed still was criticism of the ending, which Kotaku described as effectively happening twice: a natural climax followed by "one more very massive level and two more boss fights" and a cutscene "cramped into the middle of it all." The verdict there was unambiguous — "it just feels poorly paced."

Strengths

• The Shield Saw genuinely reinvents the combat loop. Parrying, throwing, and sawing through demons at close range gives Dark Ages an identity distinct from Eternal rather than a rehash of it.
• Freer weapon choice. Unlike Eternal's frequent enemy-specific counters, most Dark Ages threats can be handled with whatever you're already carrying — reviewers found this less frustrating, not less challenging.
• Well-integrated mech and dragon sequences. Kotaku called both "straightforward" to learn and genuinely "wonderful to play," rather than the padding they could have been.
• Rock-solid technical performance. Reviewers consistently praised smooth, reliable performance across the campaign.
• A confident tonal pivot. Bigger, more open levels with optional secrets add exploration incentive without turning Dark Ages into an open-world game.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

The story is the clearest liability. If narrative momentum matters to your enjoyment of a shooter campaign, Dark Ages leans harder into cutscenes and factional intrigue than past Doom games, and multiple reviewers found that material forgettable at best and actively frustrating at worst — Kotaku's "I should be killing stuff!" reaction is a fair summary of how that's landed for a chunk of the audience.

The ending specifically deserves a callout for anyone planning to play through to credits: the game's decision to stage what amounts to two finales, with a lengthy cutscene wedged into the second, is a real pacing stumble after 15-plus hours of tightly built momentum. And players who fell in love with Eternal's air-dashing, meter-juggling mobility should go in aware that Dark Ages deliberately trades that speed for a heavier, more grounded combat rhythm — it's a different game by design, and that design choice won't land for everyone who preferred the previous entry's style.

How it compares

On the same Best Games of 2025 list, Blue Prince sits one rank above at number 9 with a 9.1 — about as far from Doom's aggression as this list gets, a slow-burn puzzle game for players who want the opposite pacing entirely. Closer in spirit is Hades II at rank 5 with a 9.2: another 2025 release built on tight, aggressive combat loops, though its roguelike run structure is a very different shape than Dark Ages' level-based campaign.

The Gavler verdict

An 8.7 backed by a ~87 critic aggregate, and a fair reflection of a game that succeeds emphatically at what it sets out to do while stumbling in the areas it treats as secondary. The Shield Saw combat is the real headline — inventive, tactile, and different enough from Eternal to justify its own identity rather than feeling like a retread. The story and its overstuffed, double-ending finale are the honest weak points, and they're worth knowing about going in. For anyone buying Doom: The Dark Ages for the demon-slaying, that's exactly what they'll get, delivered about as well as this series has ever delivered it.

Common Questions

Is Doom: The Dark Ages worth it in 2026?

Yes for combat-first shooter fans — it ranks number 10 on Gavler's Best Games of 2025 list with an 8.7, and IGN scored it 9/10, calling it 'a new flavour of Doom that's just as satisfying as the rest.' The main caveat is a story and ending that reviewers found overstuffed with cutscenes.

Is Doom: The Dark Ages better than Doom Eternal?

It's different rather than strictly better — Dark Ages trades Eternal's aerial-dash mobility for grounded, shield-driven combat. id's own scoreNote on this title acknowledges some players preferring Eternal's movement, even as most reviewers praised Dark Ages as a bold, successful reinvention.

How long is the Doom: The Dark Ages campaign?

Kotaku's review reported an 18-hour playthrough across 22 levels, though the exact runtime varies by how much of each level's optional secrets and demon-hunting content you pursue.