The melee-heavy Doom: The Dark Ages is extremely my thing — but it might not be yours

Doom: The Darkish Ages goes to be a love-it-or-hate-it entry within the shooter sequence. I’ve solely been taking part in the sport for just a few hours up to now, however I already find it irresistible. That mentioned, it’s very completely different from Doom Everlasting — and until you may regulate to a sport that feels very completely different to play, Darkish Ages can be a troublesome cling.

However in case you’re me, Darkish Ages is a nonstop thrill. Whereas Doom Everlasting put an enormous emphasis on velocity, the motto of Darkish Ages is “stand and combat.” That’s as a result of the sport really revolves round parrying and meleeing, not operating and gunning. So, in case you like parrying and melee combating, aka in case you are me, that is the Doom for you.

The star of the present in Darkish Ages is the defend, a brand new addition to the Doom Slayer’s arsenal. Quickly after buying this round defend, you get a power-up for it that provides buzz noticed blades round its edge. Because of this once you throw your defend at a demon utilizing a Captain America-like frisbee toss, you may go away them shocked and twitching on the battlefield; this received’t kill them, however it’ll immobilize them, and you need to use that point to take them out or clear up small fries round them first. This affords you plenty of management over how fights play out.

Flinging a round buzz noticed across the battlefield feels nice, and the demon-splattering, bone-crunching sound results are supremely satisfying, however that’s not even the perfect half. The massive promoting level of the defend is a shield-bash transfer that’s a brand new traversal mechanic; you intention at an enemy and use the shield-bash to zip in direction of them immediately, bashing smaller demons to bits or dealing a hefty blow to the larger guys. This transfer is what makes the sport really feel fluid and quick, when you be taught the rhythm of it. As a result of the shield-bash includes this dashing transfer that may zip you throughout enormous distances, you don’t essentially want the super-fast run velocity you had in Doom Everlasting.

That is why it’s additionally attention-grabbing to me that “stand and combat” is that this sport’s advertising and marketing one-liner. I used to be spending a lot time zipping across the battlefield with the shield-bash that at no level did I actually really feel like the sport’s fight design had slowed me down. However there’s something else vital to notice concerning the mechanics right here that’s new and completely different: Your focus now could be on up-close-and-personal fight.

I’ve at all times been a parry sicko and a melee-obsessive who tends to choose the heavy attacker in any sport the place I’ve that possibility, so I really like this facet of the sport, too, however it’ll make or break Darkish Ages for you relying on whether or not you may stand it. Most individuals in all probability consider Doom as a sport the place you shoot at demons. And don’t fear — it nonetheless is.

Darkish Ages can be a sport the place you may parry sure incoming assaults and, in so doing, construct up fees for a three-part melee assault that does main harm. Is it bizarre to want to stack up fees with a view to carry out a melee assault, quite than simply being an infinite punch machine? Yeah, kinda. The weapons on this sport do usually really feel like they’ve infinite bullets, in spite of everything; ammo tends to be plentiful, until you’re taking part in on the toughest issue settings. And this isn’t like a Darkish Souls sport the place it’s essential to contemplate each transfer you make as a result of stamina is so onerous to come back by. So it’d really feel bizarre to have a restrict on an important sport mechanic.

However in Darkish Ages, the melee assault is so highly effective and so satisfying that I get why the sport’s designers didn’t need you to have the ability to carry out it each single second. If they’d let me do this, I would by no means draw a rifle once more and can be punching my method by way of the Hellspawn. Having to rebuild melee fees by utilizing the parry mechanics feels good, as a result of I’m already parrying with my new defend, anyway, so every time I really want to land a trio of massive punches on an enormous man, I’m prepared.

All that mentioned, I’m just a few hours into Doom: The Darkish Ages. I’m nonetheless in the beginning of its story about how the Doom Slayer is beneath the thrall of some unusual non secular group that’s utilizing him towards his will (though no less than the duty they’ve compelled him into is his standard fare, which is to say, brutally killing a shitload of demons). I don’t know the way the remainder of this sport goes to play out.

I do know one factor: The fight immediately clicked for me. And in case you love the sound of it — and also you’re prepared to let go of your entire Doom Everlasting muscle reminiscence — it’d simply click on for you too.

Doom: The Darkish Ages can be launched Could 15 on PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, and Xbox Collection X. The sport was reviewed on PC utilizing a prerelease obtain code offered by Bethesda Softworks.