During a recent hands-on demo of *Doom: The Dark Ages*, the gothic prequel from id Software, I was unexpectedly reminded of *Halo 3*. Mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon, I unleashed a salvo of machinegun fire across the side of a demonic battle barge. After destroying the vessel's defensive turrets, I landed my beast atop the ship and charged through its lower decks, reducing the entire crew to a bloody mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my crusade against Hell's machines.

Fans of Bungie's iconic Xbox 360 shooter will recognize the familiar pattern of Master Chief's assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks. While the helicopter-like Hornet is replaced by a holographic-winged dragon and the giant laser-firing mech swapped for an occult flying boat, the essence remains: an aerial assault transitioning into a devastating boarding action. Surprisingly, this wasn't the only *Halo*-like moment in the demo. Despite *The Dark Ages*' combat core being quintessentially *Doom*, the campaign's design evokes a "late-2000s shooter" feel with its elaborate cutscenes and push for gameplay novelty.

Over two and a half hours, I played four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. Only the first, the campaign opener, mirrored the tightly paced, meticulously designed levels of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. The others featured piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and exploring a wide-open battlefield with secrets and powerful minibosses. This represents a significant departure from *Doom*'s usual focus on mechanical purity, instead resembling games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even old James Bond titles like *Nightfire*, known for their scripted setpieces and novel mechanics.

This shift is intriguing, especially considering *Doom* once moved away from such directions. The cancelled *Doom 4* was set to resemble *Call of Duty* with a modern military aesthetic and an emphasis on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. Id Software scrapped these ideas for the focused *Doom (2016)*, yet here they are again in *The Dark Ages* for 2025.

The campaign's rapid pace is punctuated by new gameplay elements reminiscent of *Call of Duty*'s biggest novelties. My demo began with a long, detailed cutscene reintroducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels—the Doom Slayer's knightly comrades. The Slayer is portrayed as a nuclear-level threat, a terrifying legend. While familiar to *Doom* aficionados, the deeply cinematic approach feels new and distinctly *Halo*-like. This continues into the levels, with NPC Night Sentinels scattered around, reminiscent of UNSC Marines, fostering a sense of being part of a larger force.

The extensive character work in the introductory cutscene raises questions about whether *Doom* needs such depth. I preferred the subtle storytelling of prior games, conveyed through environment design and codex entries, with cinematics reserved for big reveals, as in *Doom Eternal*. However, the cutscenes in *The Dark Ages* serve their purpose well: they set up missions without interrupting *Doom*'s intense flow.

Other interruptions come in different forms. After the opening mission, which blends shotgun slaughter with parrying Hell Knights using the Slayer's new shield, I piloted a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech to battle demonic kaiju. Then, I soared on a cybernetic dragon, taking down battle barges and gun emplacements. These tightly scripted levels introduce significant gameplay shifts, echoing *Call of Duty*'s novelties like *Modern Warfare*'s AC-130 gunship sequence or *Infinite Warfare*'s dogfighting missions. The Atlan feels slow and heavy, while the dragon is fast and agile, offering a different experience from classic *Doom*.

Many acclaimed FPS campaigns thrive on variety, with *Half-Life 2* and *Titanfall 2* setting the standard, and *Halo*'s mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences contributing to its longevity. However, I'm uncertain if this will suit *Doom*. *The Dark Ages* offers a wonderfully complex shooter experience, demanding constant attention as you weave shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel less engaging, almost like QTEs.

In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship feels seamless due to the similar mechanical complexity. But in *The Dark Ages*, the disparity between gameplay styles is stark, akin to comparing a middle school guitarist to Eddie Van Halen. While *Doom*'s core combat remains the star, the mech and dragon sequences shouldn't make me yearn for the ground-based action with a double-barrelled shotgun.

My final hour of play introduced "Siege," a level that returns to id's exceptional gunplay but opens up *Doom*'s typically claustrophobic design into a vast battlefield. The goal, to destroy five Gore Portals, mirrors *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, yet it evokes *Halo*'s contrast between interior and exterior environments. This larger space requires rethinking the effective range of every weapon, using charge attacks to close vast distances, and employing the shield against tank artillery.

Expanding *Doom*'s playspace risks losing focus, as I found myself backtracking through empty pathways, disrupting the pace. Integrating the dragon like *Halo*'s Banshee could help maintain momentum and make it a more integral part of the experience. If such a level exists beyond what I've seen, it would be a welcome addition.

Despite the overall campaign structure, it's fascinating to see ideas once deemed unfit for *Doom* being revisited and reinterpreted. Little was known about the cancelled *Doom 4*, but reports mentioned scripted setpieces and vehicle scenes, which are evident in *The Dark Ages*' Atlan and dragon sections. Id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed *Doom 4* was closer to *Call of Duty*, with more cinematic elements and characters, which were ultimately scrapped. Now, *The Dark Ages* brings back big boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, a wider cast of characters, and significant lore reveals.

The question now is whether these ideas were always a bad fit for *Doom* or just when they mimicked *Call of Duty* too closely. While skeptical of the "Call of Doom" concept, I'm excited about id Software's attempt to integrate these elements into the modern *Doom* formula.

The heart of *The Dark Ages* remains its on-foot, gun-in-hand combat, which remains central in the demo and promises another fantastic reinvention of *Doom*'s core. This alone could carry an entire campaign, but id Software has other plans. Some new ideas feel mechanically slim, raising concerns about their integration. Yet, there's much more to explore, and only time will contextualize these demo missions. I eagerly await May 15th, not just to return to id's unmatched gunplay, but to see if *Doom: The Dark Ages* delivers a compelling late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one.