Doom: The Dark Agesis one of the most anticipated games of 2025, coming May 15, and while I’m excited about it, I’m also a bit worried.Doom 2016is one of the best modern shooters, andDoom Eternalproved to be a disappointing sequel, although not at first. I really enjoyedDoom Eternalon my first playthrough, but as time went on, it got old fast, and it’s for a certain reason.
The core gameplay loop was poorly designed from a long-term standpoint, andDoom: The Dark Agesmust fixEternal’sgreatest weakness. I haven’t playedDoom Eternalsince the last expansion came out, while I still playClassic Doomto this day, and I don’t wantDark Agesto follow suit. Thepreviews have looked incredible, but fixing this core issue is a must.
Doom Eternal Is Way Too Restrictive
Id Went Overboard
There are three key pillars in making a great old-school-style FPS game in the vein ofDoom. There arethe maps, the weapons, and the enemy roster. Many games excel in those last two. My personal favorite isSerious Sam, which has one switching weapons constantly to adapt to the current situation and enemy priorities. The visceral, enjoyable combat is the point, butDoom Eternalsomehow couldn’t do any of this organically.
The on-the-fly combat dynamic is essentially ruined inDoom Eternalbecause the ammo is so low that one will be forced touse other weapons regardless of whether they match the current situation. In games likeSerious Samor evenClassic Doom, a player will switch weapons naturally in different combat scenarios due to how the enemies are designed around the guns.
Still,DoomEternalforces them upon the player. This makes the combat significantly less interesting to play than other titles, but it gets even more problematic. Once a player gets good atDoom Eternaland learns the core loop, ammo isn’t an issue, butthe game itself becomes much less fun.
The Better You Get At Doom Eternal, The Worse It Gets
The Opposite Of What Should Happen
It’s extremely telling that the opening of theAncient Gods Part TwoDLC outright tells the playerhow the game “should be played"for those who didn’t get it. The core ofDoom Eternalisn’t the weapons or enemies but the loop of Glory Kills, Flame Belch, and the Chainsaw.
Playing well should be satisfying, feel great, and not a total bore.
Those last two are on cooldown timers, and to succeed inDoom Eternal, one has to use all three almost like a routine in combat. Doing this over and over again gets very old and, frankly, boring. It feels almost robotic over time, knowing that now is the time for a Flame Belch or a Chainsaw. Thisgameplay loop completely destroys the fun in freeform combat,adapting on the fly. Every combat encounter feels the same when one has to do the loop repeatedly.
One of my favorite games of all time is the Xbox 360 classicNinja Gaiden 2,becauseevery combat encounter feels different each time it’s played.In contrast,Doom Eternalgets extremely stale. I have no interest in ever going back to this title because of it. A game should never get worse once you’ve mastered it. Playing well should be satisfying, make you feel great, and not be a total bore.Doom: The Dark Ageshas to fix this crucial issue.
Doom: The Dark Ages Has To Be Different
It Must Be Good Long Term
It’s frustrating thatDoom Eternalwas an actual run ride on the first playthrough, exploring and collecting secrets, but I just don’t ever want to go back to it.Doom: The Dark Ageshas to be fun in the long term. That’s partially whyClassic Doomstill lives on 30 years later;the gameplay remains incredible to this day and never gets old.
Yes, most of it is due to the continued modding support with fan-made megawads, but still, that wouldn’t matter if the gameplay didn’t hold up. Recently,Doom: The Dark AgesOfficial Trailer 2 dropped, and once again, it looks like a lot of fun and is definitely pushing these current-gen consoles. However, I thought the same thing about the trailers forEternal, and I’m never going back to that game again. So, we’ll have to wait untilDoom: The Dark Agesreleases to see how its combat compares.
