Exploring DOOM: The Dark Ages – A Hands-on Experience with Story, Sandboxes, Mechs, and Dragons

In my latest experience with The Dark Ages, something extraordinary happened. In the final and longest part of the demo, I found myself in id Software’s imaginative take on an open-world sandbox. My mission was simple: close five demon-spewing portals. But the path to accomplishing this was entirely mine to choose. Over the course of an hour, I constantly had the feeling that I’d never encountered a DOOM game quite like this before.

True to form, this sandbox adventure is chock-full of optional challenges. I discovered heavily defended artillery batteries that needed dismantling, stumbled upon gold caches perfect for upgrades, and much more. At one point, as I sprinted across the terrain, a massive, cathedral-sized tentacle erupted from the ground, launching an unprompted attack. It wasn’t part of a scripted sequence or even a task I had been assigned. It was just one of many surprises that lay in wait.

Even the primary objectives held unexpected twists. During the initial story mission, closing portals was as straightforward as clearing out an arena, but things took a different turn this time around. Some portals whisked me away to dungeons, challenging me to solve puzzles to locate their energy sources. Others confronted me with Leader enemies—powerful foes impervious to my attacks until I’d vanquished enough of their minions. The reward? Permanent upgrades. Along the way, new weaponry crossed my path, adding fresh firepower to my arsenal. The game is continually and relentlessly creative, as if id has been eagerly waiting for the chance to infuse DOOM with new ideas.

This brings me to the most significant insight from my DOOM: The Dark Ages session—it feels like a developer bursting with passion, not just for DOOM itself, but for what the franchise could evolve into. I anticipated a new story, weapons, and demons. What I hadn’t anticipated were entirely new genres. I’m eagerly looking forward to what else this talented team has planned.

Mark your calendars: DOOM: The Dark Ages is set to launch on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PC (available via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and cloud platforms. It will also be accessible from day one through Game Pass.