Brilliant Unveils Innovative Smart Home…

mayo 9, 2025 2:38 pm

Doom: The Dark Ages is poised to be a divisive entry in the shooter franchise. After just a few hours with the game, I’m already enamored with it. However, it presents a stark contrast to Doom Eternal. If you struggle to adapt to a gameplay style that feels quite different, Dark Ages might prove to be a challenging experience.

For those who share my taste, Dark Ages is an exhilarating ride. While Doom Eternal emphasized speed, Dark Ages champions the notion of “stand and fight.” This game centers on parrying and melee combat rather than the traditional run-and-gun mechanics. If you enjoy parrying and close combat—like I do—this might just be your perfect Doom experience.

The standout feature in Dark Ages is the shield, a fresh addition to the Doom Slayer’s toolkit. Shortly after acquiring this circular shield, you gain a power-up that surrounds it with buzz saw blades. When you toss the shield at demons—a la Captain America—you’ll leave them stunned on the ground. While it won’t finish them off, it grants you a moment to either eliminate them or deal with smaller adversaries, allowing for greater control during combat.

The Doom Slayer from Doom: The Dark Ages, now armed with a shield alongside one of his huge guns, faces a demon riding on another demon mount

Image: id Software/Bethesda Softworks

Using the shield to hurl saw blades across the battlefield is incredibly satisfying, and the visceral sound effects enhance that enjoyment. But the best feature is the shield-bash mechanic, which serves as a new traversal option. By aiming at an enemy and executing a shield-bash, you can quickly dash towards them, demolishing smaller foes or delivering a significant hit to larger ones. This mechanic infuses fluidity and speed into gameplay, eliminating the need for the frantic pace found in Doom Eternal.

It intrigues me that “stand and fight” is the marketing tagline for this game. While I spent much of my time swiftly maneuvering with the shield-bash, I never felt that the combat slowed me down. It’s also important to note that the game emphasizes close combat more than previous installments.

As someone who thrives on parrying and melee-focused gameplay, I personally find this aspect appealing; however, it might make or break the experience for others. Many players associate Doom with shooting demons, and rest assured—it still retains that essence.

Dark Ages also incorporates a parrying mechanic that allows you to charge up a powerful three-part melee attack. It’s a bit unusual to require stacking charges for melee moves when the game features an abundance of ammunition for firearms,