Recent reviews by Simon

Amazing and insanely unique story that hooks you in right from the start. Very interesting take on turn-based combat that feels rewarding, engaging and fun even if you're not a fan of this style. Marvelous voice acting, probably the best OST in any game. Simply a masterpiece that's definitely a must play.

The fact that this is Sandfall Interactive's first game, to release it in such a polished and complete state, with their own unique take on the genre and while not even following the current AAA pricing, they deserve all the support. There's a reason this game is reviewing like it is. I personally can't wait what their future entries will be.

The only downside is the menus and overall inventory management.

This is my personal GOTY.

The positives

• The most satisfying gameplay of any Doom game yet.
  
• Ability to further customize the difficulty, including the overall game speed modifier.
  
• Great weapons and balance (Super Shotty is still king), complemented well by the versatile Shield parry mechanics.
  
• Leaves you wanting more after you're done.
  
• Zero issues on a modern hardware.

The negatives

• Soundtrack is definitely lacking compared to the previous two titles.
  
• Higher price point relative to game length, with limited replayability outside of challenge runs.

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While this iteration of Doom is undeniably different from the 2016 and Eternal, for me, the evolution in The Dark Ages resulted in the most satisfying gameplay experience yet. Instead of sticking with the formula of Eternal but with a new paint, id Software chose to innovate with new mechanics and approaches, which I definitely appreciate. Each of the modern Doom titles offers a unique flavor, but subjectively, The Dark Ages stands out as the best.

One could argue the overall difficulty has been reduced with the introduction of the shield and the parry mechanics, however, the game lets you further customize the gameplay to your liking. For example, you can adjust the overall game speed scaling, player and enemy damage output, parry window, and more. This allows you to truly fine-tune the game and difficulty to whatever feels right. For reference, Nightmare difficulty with 130% speed scaling felt perfect for me.

With that being said, once you get accustomed to the new gameplay style, the flow of the game is amazing and tops the previous Doom games. The movement, while not as acrobatic and all over the place as in Eternal, is still very dynamic and provides a great sense of speed and fluidity. And you still have the ability to dash all across the battlefield. This dynamic movement, coupled with the satisfying slow-motion effect of successful parries, created a very addicting combat loop. Oh, and I highly recommend turning the auto-sprint setting on.

As for the weapons, the Super Shotgun, Impaler and Chainshot were my standouts. With the upgrades, the shield parry + Super Shotgun / Chainshot combo against elite enemies felt amazing. The game also offers some shield customization in terms of runes that are tied to the parry mechanics and you also get a choice of 3 melee weapons. I felt that all the options were decently balanced and useful for different playstyles and/or specific situations. The game allows you to freely switch between them once unlocked, even while in combat, which was a nice bonus.

From the technical standpoint, I haven't encountered any crashes or frame drops. The loading times were virtually non-existent and visually the game looked great. Though I did notice some low-res textures in some of the cutscenes.

The one area that's noticeably worse in The Dark Ages is the music. While understandable, that following up on Mick Gordon's iconic work is a monumental task, the music in The Dark Ages was overall a rather forgettable experience. You do notice it here and there, but honestly, after finishing the game, I can't recall a single memorable riff... :D

The price can definitely be a turn off, as the game is rather short with little to no replay value, unless you are trying to do any of the challenge runs. For reference, I was able to 100% the game in ~18 hours. So if you're unsure, I'd recommend waiting for a sale or grabbing it on Game Pass.

Yeah, it's alright