STACK #247 May 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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Meching it big! The next level that we encountered is quite the departure for Doom , wherein you climb into a massive mech suit – or “Atlan” - and let loose with the Hulk smash. Skyscraper high, it’s like a collision of Armored Core and arcade classic Rampage , as you trash your way through an

• Doom: The Dark Ages is out May 15

It’s arguably the biggest daddy of first-person shooters. It’s Doom , and it’s time this month to see how it all began in Doom: The Dark Ages, a prequel to the 2016 reboot.We had the chance to step into the space boots of the Doom Slayer before release. Here’s what we learned. Words Amy Flower T here are certain expectations when getting into a Doom game – the obvious, such as that it’s an FPS, and that you’ll gradually PREPARE TO MEET THY…

outpost, unleashing mechanised fisticuffs upon opposing titans. It’s a tad basic, but that didn’t stop us from grinning the entire time that we were playing it. There be dragons! That’s not it for the new-to- Doom innovations though, for our next level experience saw us hopping onto the back of a rather highly manoeuvrable dragon. Zooming hither and yon on

It comes at a cost though, for it does slow you down, although it’s ability to deal serious damage both on its way out and upon its boomerang like return to your clutches is usually well worth the delay. It’s also brilliant at absorbing damage from enemy projectiles. We like. Old faithfuls More classic weaponry is of its time game setting-wise, with such devices gradually coming into play as a mace, gauntlet, and flail for melee. However, there are also more familiar Doom weapons such as the Rail Spike Gun and the

unlock a startling array of ways to destroy your enemies. While Doom: The Dark Ages takes more of a dark fantasy tone than previous series entries, those two must-haves are certainly present and accounted for. There’s also more reliance on exposition than we’re used to, with more cinematic interludes and a distinct story unfolding in this proudly single-player experience. What we did see was good at offering a little respite before once again heading headlong into the fray. We came, we Saw… As it’s set before the Doom that we know, things are somewhat more medieval, with less reliance on impressive machinery and more on classic weapons of destruction. However, that’s not to say that your well-armoured Doom Slayer doesn’t have some rather wonderful toys. Probably the highlight of these is the Shield Saw. Captain America can eat his heart out,

the back of this beastie takes a little getting used to, and may be smoother in the final cut, but once tamed it brings a whole new dimension to enemy encounters. Opening up Our fourth, and sadly final, glimpse of Doom: The Dark Ages came in the form of a more open world experience, “Siege”. By far the most challenging form of the game that we encountered, you can amble about freely, all while being assaulted all around by a rogue’s gallery of assailants. Coming later in the game, we reckon a coherent playthrough may have seen us better equipped weapons-wise to face off against some of the overwhelming aggressors here – either that or we just need a lot more practice (or to tweak the myriad accessibility options). That’s all for now… So, what did we take away from our time with Doom: The Dark Ages ? Even in pre-release form it was shaping up as a slick and satisfying shooter, with a solid story and just enough variation to keep things interesting. We look forward to getting into the whole enchilada this month.

impressive Skull Crusher, which is self-explaining in that it ingests skulls and fires out their shards as bullets. Brutal, but cool. A familiar start We were privy to four distinct level types in our preview

for this is one serious bringer of destruction, a shield which, as the title suggests, also features

WILL IT RUN DOOM ?

a rotating saw blade that does its thing when the device is hurled. It’s not something that you want to be on the receiving end of, as many of the enemy corpses that we amassed would attest – well, if they were alive to do so.

session, with the first your more traditional relatively linear Doom arena. There’s scarcely a down moment as assailants pop up left, right, and centre, while exploration pays dividends with hidden goodies as rewards for the more intrepid.

The big daddy of shooters gets around, as it’s become a thing to try to make the original Doom run on pretty much anything. Some of the stranger successes include old iPods, digital picture frames, washing machines, microwaves, treadmills, cash registers, electric toothbrushes, and even a pregnancy test!

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