The iconic 'DOOM' strikes back and returns ready to be the action game of the year.

The best defense is a good offense. This famous – and hackneyed – phrase, which could be attributed to both Sun Tzu and Hansi Flick, also fits DOOM: The Dark Ages , the brand new installment in the long-standing first-person action saga, like a glove. Available this week for PC, Xbox Series , and PlayStation 5 , id Software's new video game maintains its trademark ultraviolence but reinvents its gameplay.

The third chapter in the franchise reboot that has been brewing in the Texan studio's offices since 2017 is once again a feast of speed, gore, and heavy metal. The big new feature is the shield, seemingly a defensive weapon that completely changes the gameplay dynamic, but in the hands of the Doom Slayer, it becomes a tool of relentless destruction.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is once again a feast of speed, gore, and heavy metal.

Before continuing, the obvious question: Is it necessary to have played the previous two installments? Absolutely not. Although the game places a significant emphasis on its story, it's still merely a pretext for presenting the setting in which the action takes place. In fact, during the cinematics that typically appear at the beginning and end of the 22 missions that make up the single-player campaign, the most striking thing isn't the what, but the how.

And even more so than in previous installments, The Dark Ages is a power fantasy taken to the extreme. In the role of a super soldier capable of wiping out an entire army, it's striking how the artistic design revolves around aesthetics that seek to enhance the illusion of limitless power. Its science-fiction world, blending hyper-militarized futurism with baroque and monumental buildings, also contributes to this sense of grandeur.

The big news is the shield, a defensive (and offensive) weapon that completely changes the dynamics of the game.

The latest installment of DOOM constantly tries to convey a sense of bulk, weight, and strength, and the use of the famous shield is key to all of this. It's a tool that can be used to protect against enemy fire, but it's also a weapon that can be thrown like Captain America, that allows you to move around the environment, and, above all, that opens the door to a type of gameplay that isn't typical of first-person shooters , one that's closer to that of combat games with counterattacks.

When we reviewed DOOM (2017), we highlighted that it had a “refined, direct, and very satisfying control system.” A few years later, with DOOM Eternal (2020), we applauded “the balance between weapon design, enemies, and the protagonist’s abilities.” The Dark Ages maintains all of that, but tones down the gameplay style to emphasize the sense of robustness conveyed by its protagonist. Although it’s a game that’s as fluid as, or even more so than, its previous two installments, this time the hits and shootouts are carried out closer to the ground, without as much jumping, and with more open levels that extend horizontally rather than vertically.

The new scenarios are so vast that they often slow down the pace of the game.

More than the new shield-and-flail-centered dynamic, what probably raises the most suspicions are the scenarios, which are so vast that they sometimes slow down the pace of the action. That, or the enemy AI doesn't seem well-prepared for these open environments. Or the fact that the dragon-riding stages feel somewhat mechanical. Or the fact that the missions aboard large combat robots are more of a spectacular sequence than a thrilling challenge...

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Hugo Martin and his team's new approach to DOOM: The Dark Ages may not be what longtime fans are hoping for, but what this new installment can't fault is its ability to maintain the saga's brutal and savage character, as well as its unique sense of humor. It's surprising how the most crude and unpleasant game can also be one of the most refined and well-balanced in terms of gameplay.