Bethesda and id Software revealed an extensive new gameplay deep dive for Doom: The Dark Ages as part of the Xbox Developer Direct tonight, confirming the game’s leaked release date of May 15th 2025 in the process.
Set in a sci-fi fantasy medieval war against the demons of hell and acting as a prequel to Doom (2016), the Doom Slayer now has a hefty Shield Saw at his disposal alongside a multitude of new guns and weapons to play with, and tonight we got a glimpse of just how dramatically that shield will affect the game’s overall combat flow.
“In Doom Eternal you felt like a fighter jet,” game director Hugo Martin said. “In Doom: The Dark Ages, you’ll be an iron tank. Heavy, strong, but still fast.” The more grounded combat system will strike a finer balance between enemy projectiles and player movement than previous games, Martin continued, and classic Doom fans will be pleased to hear that all adds up to make “strafing to aim viable again”.