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DOOM: The Dark Ages

PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 • 2025

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Quick resume

DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. Players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.

Global score

88/100

Genres

Action, Shooter

Similar games

    Pros

    • Brutal and satisfying combat with innovative shield mechanics
    • High-quality graphics and immersive atmosphere
    • Engaging weapon upgrade and progression system
    • Strong fantasy setting with rich lore
    • Customizable difficulty and accessibility options

    Cons

    • Performance issues and crashes reported on some hardware
    • Some players find story and music underwhelming
    • Vehicle sections (dragon and mech) considered weak by some
    • Limited replayability beyond campaign
    • High price point relative to content for some players

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Relaxation, Survival, Violence, Fellowship. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Value, Status.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players have freedom to choose weapons, upgrade paths, and combat style with shield parrying and melee, but the game has some structured combat arenas and linear progression."

    • Competence
      4

      "The game offers satisfying combat mechanics with skill-based parrying, weapon mastery, and challenging enemies especially on higher difficulties."

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus is on single-player campaign experience without multiplayer or leaderboards; players engage at their own pace."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Players report long playtimes, exploration, and replayability through difficulty sliders and weapon upgrades encourage habitual play."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "The game is a solo single-player experience with no cooperative multiplayer elements."

    • Creativity
      3

      "Players can customize weapon upgrades, choose loadouts, and explore secrets, but within predefined level designs and combat mechanics."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of player dominance over others; single-player focus with no PvP or social power dynamics."

    • Escapism
      5

      "The game provides a brutal, immersive fantasy world with intense combat and atmospheric storytelling, serving as a strong escape from reality."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and fandom for the Doom franchise; no obligation or external pressure noted."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players experiment with shield parrying, weapon combinations, and difficulty sliders, exploring new combat mechanics."

    • Exploration
      2

      "Levels include secrets and collectibles encouraging exploration, though some players note map guidance reduces discovery challenge."

    • Expression
      1

      "Limited character customization; expression mainly through weapon and combat style choices rather than avatar personalization."

    • Fantasy
      5

      "Strong fantasy elements with medieval setting, demons, dragons, and supernatural lore."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "No social or community features; purely single-player experience."

    • Growth
      4

      "Players develop skills in combat mechanics, parrying, and weapon mastery; game offers learning curve and progression."

    • Health
      -5

      "Standard sedentary gaming experience with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle
      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement during combat; not suitable for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "No social interactions or relationship-building; isolated single-player gameplay."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player focus."

    • Progression
      4

      "Players accumulate weapon upgrades, abilities, and collectibles throughout the campaign."

    • Relaxation
      -2

      "Gameplay is intense and adrenaline-fueled; some players find it cathartic but it involves sustained tension."

    • Sensation
      4

      "High sensory stimulation from detailed graphics, brutal combat, and immersive audio."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; individual focus without external evaluation."

    • Story
      3

      "The game features a more developed narrative than previous Doom games, with cutscenes and lore, though story quality is mixed."

    • Strategy
      3

      "Combat requires timing, parrying, and weapon choice strategy, though less complex than Doom Eternal."

    • Thrill
      4

      "Players experience adrenaline and excitement from intense combat and challenging encounters."

    • Value
      0

      "Mixed opinions on price versus content; some find it worth full price, others recommend waiting for sale."

    • Violence
      5

      "Core gameplay centers on violent combat, demon slaying, and gore."

    • Survival
      3

      "Players must manage health, parry attacks, and survive waves of enemies, especially on higher difficulties."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026