The Dark Ages launches on PS5 on May 15 – id Software reveals new gameplay details – PlayStation.Blog
Hi everybody! This is Hugo Martin, Game Director on Doom: The Dark Ages reporting from the id Software offices – we’re all working on perfecting this latest installment in the series. It’s almost ready and we can’t wait for you to play it. In the meantime, we have a new look at the gameplay that we’ve compiled for you. There are a lot of insights from the video, so let’s get started – I guess you have some questions, let me try to give you some more details…
What is the new combat cycle in Dark Ages and how is it different from Eternal or Doom (2016)?
High level – you can say it’s a combination of both but with a new, medieval times toolkit. We were looking to create an experience that had the depth of Eternal’s loop with the simplicity of Doom (2016)’s control scheme. As a player, you’ve got to do a lot of cool actions in Eternal, and each action/attack has its own input. In Dark Ages, we have a whole new series of exciting medieval actions to take but this time, there are fewer buttons to press!
Depth/simplicity is achieved by implementing the behavior of items like Shield-Saw change based on the material it interacts with. It’s contextual: the shield thrown from the plasma shield hits other enemies (which feels amazing), it sticks to flesh (stuns larger demons), or it can break the armor created an AOE blast – all at the push of a button.
I like the analogy: it all comes down to this time we have fewer strings on the guitar – but we added disturbed to maintain the mechanical depth of the experience, giving players new things to learn and master.
With all of this, we’re relying on familiar FPS input to execute these moves, giving the loop an intuitive learning curve. The actions feel impactful and fun to perform, and the results give you a tactical advantage – happy outside smart inside.
What do the “rings” around enemies represent?
The yellow rings you see appearing around the characters are a sign of faltering. “Falters” was a meta in Eternal and 2016. Good players figured out what was causing falter, and they started making those attacks to stun strong enemies (which is what we hope hope they will). It’s important that we clearly identify when enemies falter during the Dark Ages so that more players can start to explore what causes it and how they can use it to their advantage. that for me. You don’t need to rely on flinching to succeed but on higher difficulties it can give you an extra advantage – and if you choose to play Ultra Nightmare, you’ll need every advantage you can get!
More stories in Doom?
Correct! There are three pillars of engagement in the Dark Ages; combat, exploration and story – three reasons to play, narrative being just one of them. Players don’t want to One story in Doom, they wanted one Good one, something that enhances your imagination, giving you more motivation to fight until the end of the campaign. Through story, we can build bigger and better opponents, worlds to explore, and obstacles to overcome.
The story summary reads: With the Slayer imprisoned at the beginning of the Dark Ages, the balance of power between good and evil is shifting and time is running out. Our hero is a terrifying outsider among a people in danger, his powers controlled by the gods they serve, in a world besieged by an ancient evil. old.
At this point in the Doom Universe timeline, this game is a prequel – we pick up from the beginning of Slayer with the Sentinels. He is a foreigner, blessed with strength by the Sentinel gods called Maykrs. Our vanquished hero now becomes a super weapon in the medieval war against the armies of hell.
When does it come out?
May 15, 2025! We’re so excited for you to get your hands on what we hope will be – the best Doom game we’ve ever made. It has something for everyone, tons of great battles, loads of exploration and a great action story worthy of the Slayers legend. Additionally, you also have encounters with Atlan (the giant Doom mech) and Dragon to look forward to!
Anyway, thanks for reading – keep an eye out for more information to come.
