WOW, just wow.

where to even begin? lets start with what people probably want to hear about. gameplay.

this game is fast. to anyone who has seen these whiny, garbage players complain about it being "slow", you should know now that this is not the case. this game is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ fast, brutal, gory, and smooth. to begin, this game introduces a basic sprint mechanic, which is interesting as 2016 and eternal do not have this. this mechanic also has the ability to be automatic (toggled in settings) so keep that in mind. another factor that plays into the speed of this game is, the fact that chainsaw ammo gaining and glory kills are either toned down or non-exsistent. "no glory kills? well that sounds lazy and boring..." glory kills still exist but need to be performed by jumping in front of an enemy and pressing your melee input key when the enemy is highlighted. you will get your glory kill. but anyway, the filtering of glory kills make this game so much faster, as now punching an enemy instead with different melee animations is here instead. its much faster and smooth for players and way less tedious. instead of chainsawing an enemy, bashing a demons skull in with a flail, mace, or electrified fist will grant you ammo, which is again faster than a tedious chainsaw animation. this is such a step up from eternal, that ive realized i prefer it over that games mechanics. i still love eternals gameplay, but this just feels faster and so much more refreshing from the constant bumps in combat. i understand there are runes to make glory kills faster, but this is still tedious for me.

the guns. holy... holy mother of god the guns and weapons at your disposal. there arent anymore weapon mods in this game, but rather separate guns which replace the role of mods. it's a great change. each weapon has its own upgrades and distinct personalities. you go from your basic combat shotgun, to a freaking demonic skull shredder, to a cosmic spiked ball launcher, and it goes on. unlike doom eternal, i cannot seem to find 2 weapons to switch between. everything feels so good and powerful to use. the weapon designs are so metal and bad-ass. you're going to have such a fun time collecting these guns. and then there's the melee weapons, i mentioned them earlier. you get to have an electrified power gauntlet which crackles electricity, eventually allowing you to cheat the 3-combo melee system, allowing a gut-punching 4th punch to make any heavy demon fall apart into gore and blood. and then there's the flail. this thing can be upgraded to just shred metal armor and shields apart. and the mace. oh man that mace deals the most damage out of these weapons. it will blow a huge hole into a mancubus and make it wish it stayed in hell where it belongs. then the chainsaw shield. a FREAKING CHAINSAW SHIELD, THAT YOU CAN THROW INTO MOBS OF DEMONS AND WATCH THEM WITHER INTO THE DIRT, SPLITTING THEIR BODIES IN TWO. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. oh, it also decimates legions of shield demons in one powerful hit as you throw it into them. oh, and thats not all. chuck into a heavy demon, and it will be lodged into them for a stun as it gnaws through their flesh and leaves them open to ricochet attacks from your shredder. GOD THERES SO MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH THESE WEAPONS, its so amazing! ITS HAS SO MUCH MORE DEPTH THAN ETERNAL OR 2016!

the levels in this game, are great! they're really fun to explore, and i think ID did a great job making them super distinct and interesting. my favorite section was the cosmic realm, a dimension that made a deal with prince ahzrak (will get into story soon) to help bring back an ancient lovecraftian god from its prison. (so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cool!!!!!) but anyway, i still prefer doom eternals levels. those levels in that game are so iconic to me now that i feel dark ages can sort of blend together with its art style. its not a bad thing that things start to blend together. this game has a more fantasy tone, and ive always been a sci fi person. so i think that comes down to preference. but for me, the levels are just not as iconic, but maybe this will change in the future. im actual thinking i probably will. theres new details though, like destructible huts, friendly npcs, and more vibrant visuals. ill throw in my thoughts on the atlan and dragon sections here as well. yes, they are probably the weakest part of this game. but its not all bad. they take up about 20% of the game. and keep in mind, the dragon levels you fly to different locations to land and fight on the ground as the slayer. the atlan sections were pretty cool at first, but on your second of third play through, you'll get bored. and the dragon sections did disappoint me, as i though it may be like new alexandria from halo reach, where its way more sandboxy and you will get into dog fights. this is not the case, its way more arcade like and stiff. but again, they are short parts of the game, and do no really diminish the experience at all! the final act of the game is the best, and the middle is amazing.

the enemies. holy, HOLY CRAP. these are my favorite designs from the trilogy of modern doom. they are so metal. we've got the vagary, a giant spider creature, armed with a vomit launcher and metallic claw dealing slashes that you must parry, as well as its own shoulder mounted cannon. a komodo dragon, with gigantic metal arm, and a.... get this... a CHAINSAW SPEAR? ITS FREAKING AWESOME. then we have our favorites, such as the revenant, with a new ghostly spin on it. and the mancubus is back as well, with a pretty faithful redesign. i love the design and parry system in this game. these enemies feel so impactful to fight. and it fits the them of melee combat so well. they are such a blast. and the bosses in this game. oh man. THE BOSSES ARE SO GOOD. they're much better than 2016, and even eternal! kreed maykr had me ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ my pants! it was so much better than i expected! and ahzrak, OH MAN AHZRAK! THAT FIGHT WAS BEAUTIFUL. i wont even tell you what happens. thats not even all the boss fights. JUST PLAY THE GAME TO SEE MORE FOR YOURSELF.

the story of this game, is a step up. its nothing ground breaking, nothing like something rockstar would produce. but its better! and the cutscenes are way better as well! everything feels a lot more cinematic and bigger than before!

this soundtrack, it slams. it contends with mick gordon in my opinion. the moment in the cosmic realm, when we first battle the cosmic baron, there is a head banging moment where i just had to smile as i fought this demon. its the most iconic moment i will remember in this game. i love what finishing move came up with, they really did deliver. a thing a problem is people never finish this game, and dont realize that the music just ramps up and gets better the longer you play. the music slams in the third act of this game. i hope that more fans will actually get over the fact mick left. yes, ID software is pretty scummy for what they did to him. thats the truth. im not going to ignore that. but i chose to follow mick and his wishes for what we as a fan-base should be doing for our new music composer. finishing move, you have my applause. you exceeded my expectations and i cant wait to hear the next music for dark ages DLC.

i love the music so much, that im actually going to link my favorite songs here in this review.

Into The Void - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE24jLBnZeo
Atlan Battleground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cg6McTyTK4
Blood Spill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i119VsGFf1o
What Lies Below - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4pucGGLn_w
Cosmic Sea - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TwAdC0OLeI
Battle on the Blackened Tide - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km0Ez16OmV0
Wither and Writhe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nheu2hKe50c&list=PLKK_sQjAMlE4cuY8WyVYlsNyIVfZ9IgD2&index=2

im sure ive missed a few things, but this review is long enough as is.

9.8/10, FOR THE SLAYERS! RIP AND TEAR!